4 month old turner complete newbie

[scrollsawwoodart]

Not really 4 months old but to turning I'm a newbie!:redface:

Well I have been lurking for quite sometime and I have asked just one question as of now but, the more and more I read and learn about this great art I know I will have more and there are some very knowledgeable.

Thought I would show my first actually completed pens that I got as my starter kit from grizzly. I know not the best photo but I see there is a section even for that.

I have bought myself some silmar 41 and some molds from misterart.com and plan on taking the leap and making some acrylic blanks. I will ask my questions there.

Here are the first ones, I started turning in February of this year so 4 months and I am hooked.

Thanks for looking,
Jesse

 

[bitshird]

Jesse, I wish my first pen looked any where near that good, nice work and glad to have you on board.

 

[IPD_Mrs]

Welcome to a wonderful new hobby. It is addictive - and like anything that is addictive can be costly! Watch out for that

It is also nice if you have someone to turn with (my husband and I both turn) and recently both my father and my son started.

From the looks of your pens it seems like you are about right on track for 4 months if not a little ahead of the game! You have already started doing shapes and that is one of the skills that some of us either wait a while to do or never really get the hang of.

I do agree that the photos aren't optimal - that too can be learned and improved on if photography is something you are interested in. If you aren't and you don't plan on putting pens on a website anywhere, then a nice photo (which you find satisfactory) will probably be sufficient to put in a memory album or log of some type.

Let me ask about finish - it's hard to tell in the photo. Are you using, Hut, BLO or CA finish? Personally we use the CA and sometimes BLO if needed. If that is a Hut finish be aware that it will show wear pretty quickly due to the oils and dirts from a persons hands.

Hope you find this helpful!

Mrs.

 

[Jgrden]

Jesse: Congratulations. We are sure happy to see your posts. A big Texas HUG from John and Mary Grden.

 

[Craftdiggity]

Welcome aboard, Jesse. Nice start.

 

[Pens By Scott]

Welcome to the IAP Jesse!

 

[bbuis]

Welcome and the pens look great. I am trying to get shapes down now and practicing on keychains instead of pens. Hopefully moving it to pens soon.

 

[CSue]

Welcome Jesse. Great pens for first time . . . much better than mine were at that stage. I like shape of the cedar pen ;-)

This link is - a PDF document on the acronyms used here on the IAP site. I am sure you know many but this will help with those you don't.
http://content.penturners.org/articl...9/Acronyms.pdf

This link has postings by different pen turners on what they wish they had known earlier:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=46654

 

[Rfturner]

Welcome from California and welcome to the pen vortex, I don't have enough money for this new thing so I have to sell more pens...to sell more pens I have to have this other new thing...the cycle never stops just grows

 

[Pioneerpens]

Welcome from WV!

 

[scrollsawwoodart]

Thanks so much

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and the great comments on my newbie pens. These pens taught me a lot about the lathe, tools, finishes, woods, and much more about this art.

MLK- thanks for the insight on the photographs about pens, I believe the finish is hut. This is the one that came with the Grizzly kit. It is a 2 part stick system, cream color, brown stiks. Already using the cedar pen I can tell that the finish is starting to wear a little. Here is a newbie question for you as well as others. Can you reapply a finish to a completed pen? Should I make one of the disassembaler jigs to remove all the pieces and re apply the finish.

I have been reading and reading about the CA finish and I really like the end glassy result. I did just turn down a stick of oak I had and saw some where about using super glue as a finish and tried that but, the smell, and the fact that the paper towel got stuck to the piece made me want to read a little more.

Again thanks for the comments and keep them coming. Constructive criticism is the we all learn, some can take it and this is how I was raised to learn from.

Thanks
Jesse