BWB versus WBW Celtic Knot Pens

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W.Y.

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I was getting low in WBW insert material so I tried BWB this time .
The top one in WBW sold via email this morning . It was a Sierra Vista . The bottom one which I just made is an ordinary Sierra but with BWB. I am showing them together to show a comparison of the insert .
I am undecided which I like best but I think the BWB would be best suited to a lighter color background. I am sure different people will have different preferences on that . That is what makes us all unique. My wife has claimed this one (for now . . lol ) but if someone at a craft sale decides they want it I can make her another one.
I started this one from scratch at 1.00 PM today and finished it at exactly 2.30 PM before processing the picture. It goes pretty quick when all the equipment is set up from previous ones. These pens are very exacting work to get them presentable but after doing enough of them they become second nature and mistakes are seldom compared to when first starting to make them.
I am still looking for some totally solid color acrylic blanks for these type of pens . Black is no problem to get totally black but I want more colors with no pattern at all . If anyone can help with this please let me know.


PurplevistaandnonvistaSierra.jpg
 
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johnnycnc

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William, both look good in their own right.
You can experiment with each pic guard color to best match the blank
and effect you are after.
Nice!
 

W.Y.

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William, both look good in their own right.
You can experiment with each pic guard color to best match the blank
and effect you are after.
Nice!

Thanks johnnycnc .
Agreed . . . and when assembling them as a square blank they can look totally different than when they are finish turned so it does take a little experimenting. When it was in a square blank with the pieces glued in I was wondering if the black was going to show up at all but once turned and polished the black actually did jump right out (in appearance) .
Regardless , some like it one way and some the other so with lots of variety being the key to sucessful sales it is nice to have different color blanks with variations in the color and arrangement of the insert material .
 

W.Y.

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They both look great although I prefer the WBW. What blank is that?


Hhmmm . . .
I only had two and scraped the label off before processing them . Can't remember the name of them but I got them from BeartoothWoods where I get all my Berera kits .
If I can find a part number on an invoice I will follow up.

If I didn't have both this C R S and C R A F T disease I would have read the name of them and remembered .
 
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W.Y.

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Hhmmm . . .
I only had two and scraped the label off before processing them . Can't remember the name of them but I got them from BeartoothWoods where I get all my Berera kits .
If I can find a part number on an invoice I will follow up.

If I didn't have both this C R S and C R A F T disease I would have read the name of them and remembered .

soccer2010 .
I found it and that one is called lavender as shown here.

http://www.beartoothwoods.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22_62&products_id=659

And the blue one I showed earlier is cobalt .

http://www.beartoothwoods.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22_62&products_id=625.

And of course the black one is just jet black.

When I talked to Ernie on the phone he said those were the closest colors he has to solid with no pattern.
 

CSue

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The BWB looks like it "pops out" of the background. The WBW blends in nicely and reminds me of the symbol for some kind of nuclear fusion. I really like them both. Very nice!
 

el_d

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I like the WBW, it seems to glow. Looks like both tubes are white under the blank, maybe a darker painted tube( Like a grey) would go well with the WBW.
 

wdcav1952

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William, they are both great pens. I like the WBW best for some of the reasons mentioned already. Don't get me wrong, the BWB is beautiful so if your wife gets tired of it..... :)
 

mickr

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william, don't hold me to this, but I think you are asking for flat plastic sheets of varying colors my tired old brain remembers Meisel Hardware in Minnesota may have what you are looking for...
 

W.Y.

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william, don't hold me to this, but I think you are asking for flat plastic sheets of varying colors my tired old brain remembers Meisel Hardware in Minnesota may have what you are looking for...

It is not flat plastic sheets for the inserts I am looking for in solid colors . I have sheets of stryrene and pick guard material for that and sometimes just use wood veneer .
It is the 3/4 x 3/4 acrylic pen blanks that I am looking for in totally solid colors with no pattern.
 

Bree

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More light "opens" the pen up... more dark "closes" the pen. The WBW looks bigger and more "open" while the BWB looks smaller and more "closed". It's a matter of taste and your design intention really. Both look good. They simply play on the light differently.

If the acrylic were totally opaque, the light wouldn't shine through and tint the bordering acrylic as much and the the pens would be more similar with less of the effects I mentioned above. Yopu are like an artist with a palettte of colors painting it as you feel it. And painting quite well I might add!
:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 

W.Y.

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Thanks for all the nice replies and comments .
I am ordering more WBW material as well as both black and white styrene that can be used on the outsides of wood veneers when putting the Celtic knots into wood pens.
Still having a hard time finding solid color acryli blanks. They must be square ones . Not the round ones like some sites sell. Most suppliers have jet black but the rest are swirls or various patterns in all of their colored ones.
 
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both pens look equally nice to me. It is neat how the different outside color of the sandwich really affects the acrylic that it is arround and underneath. The WBW pen really looks lighter because the white acrylic actually goes underneath the purple. It really highlights that color. Looks neat.
 

jttheclockman

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Thanks for all the nice replies and comments .
I am ordering more WBW material as well as both black and white styrene that can be used on the outsides of wood veneers when putting the Celtic knots into wood pens.
Still having a hard time finding solid color acryli blanks. They must be square ones . Not the round ones like some sites sell. Most suppliers have jet black but the rest are swirls or various patterns in all of their colored ones.


Make your own. You can do that one of 2 ways. Cast them or just stack colored acrylic. A 3rd option would be take a round blank and make a flat on all 4 sides. Yo do not need much with the jig. Or you can use the round ones and make a jig that and now his name slips my mind but his jig is in the library. (ribanett--2009)
 
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W.Y.

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Make your own. You can do that one of 2 ways. Cast them or just stack colored acrylic. A 3rd option would be take a round blank and make a flat on all 4 sides. Yo do not need much with the jig. Or you can use the round ones and make a jig that and now his name slips my mind but his jig is in the library. (ribanett--2009)

Thanks but I don't have time for any of that and especially with the price that these pens have to sell for in my area. . While I am fooling around with casting and modifying round ones etc I could be making a few more pens.. I make a LOT more items on my lathe than just pens and time is money. I never seem to catch up to my amount of various sold items at weekly craft sales and on line and email orders so for these particular Celtic Knot pens I just want to purchase solid color blanks and spend my usual 1.5 hours to make each pen and then get on to something else. I might be slow at 1.5 hours each from solid blank to comlpetely finished with hardware installed but I do get get them done.

If anyone finds a supplier for solid color "square" acrylic pen blanks at a reasonable price comparable to what figured blanks cost please let me know.
 

jttheclockman

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Thanks but I don't have time for any of that and especially with the price that these pens have to sell for in my area. . While I am fooling around with casting and modifying round ones etc I could be making a few more pens.. I make a LOT more items on my lathe than just pens and time is money. I never seem to catch up to my amount of various sold items at weekly craft sales and on line and email orders so for these particular Celtic Knot pens I just want to purchase solid color blanks and spend my usual 1.5 hours to make each pen and then get on to something else. I might be slow at 1.5 hours each from solid blank to comlpetely finished with hardware installed but I do get get them done.

If anyone finds a supplier for solid color "square" acrylic pen blanks at a reasonable price comparable to what figured blanks cost please let me know.

Yes I forgot you are all about speed. It does take alot of time to square a round blank. Sorry my bad.
 

W.Y.

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Yes I forgot you are all about speed. It does take alot of time to square a round blank. Sorry my bad.

Yes I am all about speed and perfection or as close as I can get to both by developing new techniques and making time count . Once both are achieved it becomes quite leisurely and enjoyable and profitable.

Yes it would take considerable time to make a round blank "perfectly square" which is an absolute necessity when makeing Celtic knot pens. Start out right and finish right.
 
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jttheclockman

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Yes it would take considerable time to make a round blank "perfectly square" which is an absolute necessity when makeing Celtic knot pens. Start out right and finish right.

All it takes is setting the tablesaw balde 90 degrees to the table top. That is the hardest part but you know that so I will just let it go.

I am sure there are some here that can cast any color you want for the same price as a blank goes for. If not good luck I am sure there is some place that has some.
 

W.Y.

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All it takes is setting the tablesaw balde 90 degrees to the table top. That is the hardest part but you know that so I will just let it go.

I am sure there are some here that can cast any color you want for the same price as a blank goes for. If not good luck I am sure there is some place that has some.

Do you realize how small the flats would be on a 3/4" round blank after squaring it ? I have used lots of round blanks for regular run of the mill acrylic pens and still have about 20 of various colors and patterns in stock and they have all been 3/4" in diameter . They are nice for turning average pens when they are factory cut perfectly round like that . But Celtic knot pens are not just your average pen. Maybe some could square a round blank by just taking a 1/4" off each side and winding up with a 1/2" x 1/2" blank and make a Celtic knot pen from it but I certainly couldn't . I need a full 3/4" by 3/4" perfectly square blank to make those pens.

I have more respect for my fingers than cutting round blanks "perfectly square" on a table saw. . You should try it some time and count your fingers after each one. I did say it needs to be "perfectly" square in case you missed it. . :wink:. That is why I would prefer factory cut square ones like I usually get for that purpose rather than get some from someone that casts them as a hobby and find out after I get them that they are not as square as they should be. .

Thanks for trying to help

Yes I would appreciate hearing from anyone or a link to a parts supplier that has square solid color blanks for sale which was my original inquiry.
If they are simply not available then I know lots of places to get colored ones with a very minimum of pattern design like I have already shown on page one of this discussion and which will have to be acceptable.
The more pattern there is in a Celtic knot pen blank the more it distracts from the focal point of the knot. I have proved that with my jet black ones. That is the reason I use my plainest no figure woods rather than figured woods when making Celtic knot pens with wood. .
Half my pen sales are acrylic and half are wood because there is an equal market for both in my area.

PMs or emails are welcome on this inquiry
 
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jttheclockman

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Do you realize how small the flats would be on a 3/4" round blank after squaring it ? I have used lots of round blanks for regular run of the mill acrylic pens and still have about 20 of various colors and patterns in stock and they have all been 3/4" in diameter . They are nice for turning average pens when they are factory cut perfectly round like that . But Celtic knot pens are not just your average pen. Maybe some could square a round blank by just taking a 1/4" off each side and winding up with a 1/2" x 1/2" blank and make a Celtic knot pen from it but I certainly couldn't . I need a full 3/4" by 3/4" perfectly square blank to make those pens.

I have more respect for my fingers than cutting round blanks "perfectly square" on a table saw. . You should try it some time and count your fingers after each one. I did say it needs to be "perfectly" square in case you missed it. . :wink:. That is why I would prefer factory cut square ones like I usually get for that purpose rather than get some from someone that casts them as a hobby and find out after I get them that they are not as square as they should be. .

Thanks for trying to help

Yes I would appreciate hearing from anyone or a link to a parts supplier that has square solid color blanks for sale which was my original inquiry.
If they are simply not available then I know lots of places to get colored ones with a very minimum of pattern design like I have already shown on page one of this discussion and which will have to be acceptable.
The more pattern there is in a Celtic knot pen blank the more it distracts from the focal point of the knot. I have proved that with my jet black ones. That is the reason I use my plainest no figure woods rather than figured woods when making Celtic knot pens with wood. .
Half my pen sales are acrylic and half are wood because there is an equal market for both in my area.

PMs or emails are welcome on this inquiry

Who is to say that a factory blank is square?? The site I gave you for the acrylic rods also carries them in 1", 1-1/4" and 2" Like I said I only tried to help. Just threw out a few suggestions. Reminds me I have to make a few more pushsticks so I can keep my fingers.
 

W.Y.

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Who is to say that a factory blank is square?? The site I gave you for the acrylic rods also carries them in 1", 1-1/4" and 2" Like I said I only tried to help. Just threw out a few suggestions. Reminds me I have to make a few more pushsticks so I can keep my fingers.

Any square ones I have got from any of my suppliers have been perfectly square and that fact shows up in the accuracy of my knots.
I am not going to pay extra for oversize jumbo round ones that are apparently not made in solid colors anyway unless you show me where they are and then go through the time and trouble of a dangerous task to square them myself on a table saw. .
Like I said before, I could be making pens in the time I would be wasting on that.
Also like I said before . . . . . if I can find a supplier of square solid color ones within the price range of patterned ones . . . . perhaps you missed that.

Also , like I said , if I cannot find ones that are solid colors and perfectly square I will use ones that have minimal pattern and are still perfectly square.

Thanks again for trying to help.
 

jttheclockman

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Any square ones I have got from any of my suppliers have been perfectly square and that fact shows up in the accuracy of my knots.
I am not going to pay extra for oversize jumbo round ones that are apparently not made in solid colors anyway unless you show me where they are and then go through the time and trouble of a dangerous task to square them myself on a table saw. .
Like I said before, I could be making pens in the time I would be wasting on that.
Also like I said before . . . . . if I can find a supplier of square solid color ones within the price range of patterned ones . . . . perhaps you missed that.

Also , like I said , if I cannot find ones that are solid colors and perfectly square I will use ones that have minimal pattern and are still perfectly square.

Thanks again for trying to help.



Just in case someone else here would be interested. Here is the site I was talking about and the page where these are listed. They have alot of cool colors. Buy a 48" rod and cut it down into pen blanks, especially sierra blanks you get blanks that are very cheap. http://www.delviesplastics.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=DPI&Category_Code=Cast
Not sure why the photo do not come up but just click on the acrylic rod button on the left.

I am done. Have a great turning day:bananen_smilies022:
 

W.Y.

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Just in case someone else here would be interested. Here is the site I was talking about and the page where these are listed. They have alot of cool colors. Buy a 48" rod and cut it down into pen blanks, especially sierra blanks you get blanks that are very cheap. http://www.delviesplastics.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=DPI&Category_Code=Cast
Not sure why the photo do not come up but just click on the acrylic rod button on the left.

I am done. Have a great turning day:bananen_smilies022:

Ya . . I am all done in this thread too . I got some real nice PM's and emails from a few very nice members and I'm all set now.
Everybody have a great turning day and to the ones that PM'd and emailed me . . . . .

ThankyouRose.gif
.
 

jttheclockman

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Ya . . I am all done in this thread too . I got some real nice PM's and emails from a few very nice members and I'm all set now.
Everybody have a great turning day and to the ones that PM'd and emailed me . . . . .

ThankyouRose.gif
.


I am glad someone was able to help you. Have a great turning day.
 
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