Boy Has It Been A While

[IPD_Mr]

It has been quite some time since we really got to spend some time and do some creative turning. We are exploring adding a metal lathe to are arsenal and I wanted to get a feel of how that could help when making custom pens. The other thing that we wanted to see is if we could come up with something with a five inch blank. It is not an easy task and not to desirable with our way of thinking. Anyway this is what we came up with. Comments and critiques (including the bad) are always welcome and encouraged.

 

[boxerman]

Wow very nice looking pen there Mike.:good:

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Metal lathe? Don't need no stinking metal lathe!

 

[renowb]

Darn right nifty! Great job!

 

[Stevej72]

Great looking pen!

 

[Dalecamino]

I like it! A pretty blue blank. Nice job on the hidden clip. A relief at the base of the threads on the finial might let it set flush to the cap. The threads on the barrel could be cleaned up with a parting tool, so the end of the threads don't have an abrupt end on the side of the barrel. That's all I see:biggrin:

This is a great beginning, and I'm happy to see it happen. Pay no attention to Roy :biggrin: When you get your metal lathe, you'll see for yourself. I'm looking forward to more of this kind of turnings.

 

[watch_art]

I'm confused. You say you want to see if you can come up with something with a five inch blank. Do you mean a cap and barrel from the ONE blank? Or just anything at all from five inch blanks?

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Shawn, I think he meant one pen body and cap from a 5 inch blank I also think he also meant the body only not the section or final on the cap or body. I could be wrong and I'm sure Mike will chime in.

 

[joefyffe]

Metal lathe? Don't need no stinking metal lathe!

ROY,ROY,ROY ! That is NOT what he wanted to hear !! :biggrin: Nice looking pen, Mike. :wink: Bring it with, tomorrow eve. I need to touch it. Gotta make sure it's real, doncha know :devil:

 

[mredburn]

HEh heh, GO get em Chuck! He is right MIke normally there is a relieve groove cut at the base of the threads that clean up where the die doesnt cut the threads all the way down. You definitly need a metal lathe with a cut off blade for that!

 

[Brooks803]

Well done Mike! I can only echo much that's already been said. Glad to see you actually have some free time for turning.

 

[bitshird]

Nice piece of work Mike, doing a kitless FP with a 5 inch blank seems to me to be a near impossible task. Also I agree about the relief at the back end of the threads, BUT it could also be done on a wood lathe using a hacksaw blade or even a 1/16th parting tool.
All in all I think it's a decent pen, certainly better than any thing we've done in our shop.

 

[nava1uni]

Nice looking pen. You could send it here so it could be more closely inspected. That is the only way to really do a thorough critique.

 

[IPD_Mr]

Metal lathe? Don't need no stinking metal lathe!

I plan on using Febreeze as a lubricant so it won't stink at all.

I like it! A pretty blue blank. Nice job on the hidden clip. A relief at the base of the threads on the finial might let it set flush to the cap. The threads on the barrel could be cleaned up with a parting tool, so the end of the threads don't have an abrupt end on the side of the barrel. That's all I see:biggrin:

Chuck there is a relief. It was actually the recess for the clip that was not deep enough causing it to be lifted from the cap body, and I have fixed that. The abrupt end was done on purpose as that is the way many of the vintage and modern pens are done.

This is a great beginning, and I'm happy to see it happen. Pay no attention to Roy :biggrin: When you get your metal lathe, you'll see for yourself. I'm looking forward to more of this kind of turnings.

I'm confused. You say you want to see if you can come up with something with a five inch blank. Do you mean a cap and barrel from the ONE blank? Or just anything at all from five inch blanks?

There are some really nice mass manufactured resin blanks out there that replicate vintage material. Many of those blanks are sold in 5" lengths for pen kits. This blank was some scrap that I has and I wanted to see if it could be done with a single 5" blank. The black is some alumilite that I got from George. You cannot see it in the photo but the alumilite has some sparkle to it.

HEh heh, GO get em Chuck! He is right MIke normally there is a relieve groove cut at the base of the threads that clean up where the die doesnt cut the threads all the way down. You definitly need a metal lathe with a cut off blade for that!

Mike it was not the relief groove but rather the slot for the clip that was not deep enough. I would love to find a way to do that without a Dremel. My hands are just not that steady.

Total assessment on the 5" blanks:
Yes it can be done, but you have to use caps and finials for each piece. Not sure it could be done with this size if you want to put cap bands on it. I think you would loose too much with parting off. If you need to line up a pattern you have little or no room for play or error.
I have a line on some vintage looking material that is 6" long and better yet they are 5/8" round, just not a large selection of colors/patterns. There is so much wasted starting with 3/4" stock.