Cigar CCC

[Ed McDonnell]

Here's a cigar with a cast carved core. Tubes cast in yellow resin, turned to 0.435 cylinders, carved, carved areas painted black, cast in clear resin, turned to final shape.

I wanted the carved area to appear to be floating in the pen, so I mixed the yellow resin to be very slightly translucent to pick up a shadow off the tube. Since the base resin was yellow, I didn't color the brass tubes. Next time I would probably paint the tubes white. It doesn't really show in the picture, but when looking at the pen while turning it you can see the shadow line moving around the carved areas. I think the floating illusion would have been even stronger if I had used a color other than black for the carved areas. The black shadows would have stood out much stronger around a red or turqouise carved area.

All comments (good or otherwise) and questions welcome.

Ed

 

[D.Oliver]

That is awesome!

 

[thewishman]

That is awesome!

Yeah, what he said! Totally awesome.

 

[Andrew_K99]

WOW!!!

 

[MarkD]

That's an awesome job!
Would love to know more about how you do this process.

 

[ToddMR]

That my friend, is some talent. I think the carved areas look really nice. You did a good job on casting and turning out a great pen. What did you use to carve with? Must have been a super thin blade, unless you used a dremel or something.

 

[PostalBob]

Outstanding Really a nice pen tks

 

[dbledsoe]

Good grief! How is that possible? It's beautiful, and I want to know how to do it. Not that I will ever be able to, but I would like to.

 

[Turned Around]

very cool

 

[Haynie]

I am completely blown away. How longs does something like that take?

 

[HoratioHornblower]

Wow, um...How did you do that again??? I am having trouble wrapping my mind around it! Great job!

David

 

[RichB]

What a fantastic pen. I see a huge amount of work put into that one. Thanks for showing what can be done with a lot of talent.

 

[JD Combs Sr]

Man oh man that is some kind of cool pen!! I too want to here about how you carved it.

 

[Dale Lynch]

Yeah, what they said.

 

[ctubbs]

WOW! That is one fine pen, fine as frog hair split three ways and that is pretty dang fine! Congratulations on a completely unique pen.
Charles

 

[gwilki]

I love how you describe the process. You make it sound like anyone could do it while eating chips. It's an incredible piece. Do it on a fountain pen and show it on FPN and they will be beating a path to your door.

 

[Ed McDonnell]

Thanks to everyone for all the compliments! I'm not sure how to answer all the questions asking for more detail on my process. I think the best approach would be for me to document my next attempt in pictures. Seeing how the pen progresses from step to step would make it a lot clearer. A video might be even better, but I don't have a video camera.

...How longs does something like that take?

Hi Haynie - This pen has about 12 hours of work in it over a couple of days.

...What did you use to carve with? Must have been a super thin blade, unless you used a dremel or something.

Hi Todd - I used to use a high speed air turbine rotary carver (350,000 rpm). It's a little like the drill a dentist uses. I would create the design on stencil film, apply it to the object and carve. These days I use a DOL (digital ornamental lathe) that I built for myself. It's like a very distant cousin of a cnc lathe. The bit I used on this pen has a 0.003" tip. At the depth I carve (0.005" to 0.01"), that makes the finest line I can cut about 0.007". The clear resin cast around the carved core acts as a weak magnifier, so it probably looks a little bigger.

I love how you describe the process. You make it sound like anyone could do it while eating chips. ...

Hi Grant - Ha! Pretzels maybe, but not chips.....too oily. I wanted to give people a sense of how I do it without boring them with a really detailed description. I'll be prepared with a better description (with pictures) of the process on the next pen.

Once again, thanks to everyone for all the compliments.

Ed

 

[leehljp]

Since fountain pens with fine nibs can sell 2 to 5 times of a ballpoint/roller ball, that kind of process (that you used) and finish will equal to a $1000 pen easily in a good market.

I have some ideas but don't have the facilities to make a few blanks like I want, but I do realize that putting real "works of art" on thin plated and low end pen kits reduce the value of the artwork involved. So I am just waiting. You put 12 hours in on that pen. It shows that you put far more time and effort into that pen than most people do. AND your artistic skills are superior. Add that to a fine pen base, and you have your $1000+ pen.

Contact one of our FP (Fountain Pen) experts and work with them in adding this kind of art to an equally valuable pen base.

And another suggestion, for your next one, don't post it here first, but instead submit it to the Pen Maker's Guild for membership there. THEN post it here after your acceptance there. That definitely would be as strong candidate for PMG!

 

[Andrew_K99]

I agree with Hank, the skill and quality of that blank with the right components would be outstanding! And priced accordingly!

If they haven't contacted you already, you might try contacting some of our members that sell in high end areas, I am sure they'd be interested in your blanks.

AK

 

[Ed McDonnell]

Hi Hank - Thanks for the kind words. I've been doing a lot of reading on fountain pens and I've learned enough to know how little I know and how much more I need to learn. Maybe some day....

Ed

 

[Ed McDonnell]

I agree with Hank, the skill and quality of that blank with the right components would be outstanding! ...
AK

Thanks Andrew.

Ed

 

[edicehouse]

Such a show off.... I did notice that you have the top section backwards.

 

[edicehouse]

BTW shouldn't this be on front page?

 

[Ed McDonnell]

Such a show off.... I did notice that you have the top section backwards.

Hi edicehouse - Good eye. Not only did I mount the clip end blank backwards when I was turning it to final shape, when I was carving it I used the pattern for the nib end so the pattern rep would have been off across the band even if I didn't turn it backwards. I was doing the carving at 3 in the morning so maybe I have an excuse for goofing there, but I have no excuse for mounting the blank backwards.

When I showed the pen to my wife the first thing she said was "Nice job"...the second thing was "too bad this part is backwards". I tried to make up some artsy fartsy explanation for why I did it that way, but she wasn't buying it.

I'll do better on the next one!! Thanks for the comment.

Ed

 

[mikespenturningz]

Wow that is beautiful..

 

[Displaced Canadian]

That's cool. Well done.

 

[edicehouse]

Honestly this might be the pen of the year on here!