Copper Cedar Cigar

[Tanner]

I know this forum is to show off only the nice pens, however, I just had some comments and thoughts on Cedar and see what you think. I know this does not stand up to other pens I see here, I just thought the big knot was kind of cool. I was afraid it would pop out when I was turning it. It stayed just fine. Also, I had to use a lot of CA as it just kept getting sucked in. Which led me to do about three hours of reading on stabilizing blanks on the forum. I tell you, there are as many different opinions and strategies as there are posts. Finally, I sent Punkinn an e-mail and she responded with an awesome dissertation. Thanks Punkinn!

One last thought on the cedar odor. The finish is CA and I can no longer smell the cedar. I know this may sound silly, but could a person drill some 1/8" holes in the brass tubes, staying away from the ends, so the cedar smell still comes through? I think a person may have to smoothen out the little holes so nothing catches. Just an idea.

PS: The wood is Rose Cedar. I bought the wood for a real good price on ebay from WoodieCrafts.

 

[Gary Max]

Just a few thoughts-------I sell a bunch of Cedar pens and a pen like you have made ---is very easy to sell.
People will always tell you that they can smell the wood---I do not know why --but I don't argue with them.

 

[LostintheWoods]

From where I'm sitting, seems as though that pen stands up just fine. The wood doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to look good, and your craftsmanship isn't lacking, either, judging from the picture. As to drilling the tubes...seems that if the holes are very small, not too many, and reasonably spaced, the lower barrel on a cigar would not present a problem. Need to be careful on the upper, because you don't want to interfere with the fit and retention of the mechanism. Worth a try, anyhow.

 

[Penmonkey]

Beautiful pen. I don't know about the holes, it might be worth a try.

 

[stevers]

Tim, thats a very nice pen. The Ceder's color matches quite well with the gold of the kit. I wouldn't sell yourself short on that pen, It's very nice.

 

[Firefyter-emt]

Nice looking pen! One point though, you might want to watch this one for cracking around that knot. []

 

[johncrane]

l realy like it Tim! l dont no about putting holes in the tubes but on the next one you make' try another finish so you can still smell the wood,[]

 

[Jim15]

Good looking pen, nice work.

 

[reef12]

Sweet real nice and a good color match.[]

 

[twoofakind]

Nice looking pen. I like the cedar and the copper combo a lot.
Andy

 

[NavyDiver]

Nice pen! I like the look of the knot. I don't know if the hole thing would work or not. If you try it, be sure to let us know the result.

 

[Stevej72]

I like it, and think it stands up to other pens fine. The hole idea sounds like it would be worth a try. Let us know.

 

[LostintheWoods]

..........And besides, in our country, cedar is common wood...send that pen to Japan, and suddenly its an EXOTIC WOOD PEN!

 

[TellicoTurning]

Tim,
I wouldn't worry about the smell of the cedar... over time it will lose most of the smell anyway.. Don't think I would drill holes in the tube.. most people would admire the pen for the work you have put into it.. I thought it great before I read a word of your post...

 

[doeringr]

Love the pen dude. The rose cedar has excellent color---and from that vantage point----I think when it comes to cedar in such a tiny package the color is the most important. Besides, you are slimming it down to such a degree that it wouldn't take long for the oils to be gone and the smell as well. Retaining the colors of the cedar is where the magic is at! Awesome pen.

Word to the wise---on my first cedar pen I thought I'd really bring out the color by applying tung oil like I usually do on other, larger turnings. Mistake. The tung oil absorbed quickly into the soft cedar. While it made the color "pop," it also soaked the cedar so much I had a hard time getting it to actually dry. Kind of a strange problem, but as you look for finish alternatives on cedar, be careful with tung oil. IMHO

 

[olsenla]

Very nice pen Tim. I really like the grain pattern of the cedar.

Larry

 

[Tanner]

Thanks for the nice comments everyone. I have another blank that matches this one. I see BB does not have a copper cigar pencil. I think I can just order the chrome cigar pencil and just put the mechanism in a copper cigar. Tha way I can have a nice matching set.

 

[bob393]

Nice pen, good match!

 

[johnnycnc]

Nice work on a great looking pen!
A thought on drilling holes in the tubes;
imho,the glue used to hold tubes in will likely
seal the wood and cancel any cedar smell.