A couple from this weekend

[gketell]

The first is a Buffalo Horn on Platinum Cigar that was specifically requested. He wanted a pen to match his sun glasses.

This one was a pain to make; it is hard as a rock. My normal roughing gouge would barely take off a thread of material at a time. I had to force myself to learn the skew just to get it to cut and then went back to the gouge for the last 1/16" of an inch (because I couldn't keep the skew smooth). Although it looks like it is cracked it isn't. I had the customer come and look at the blank before I mounted it and he approved it with full understanding of the risks. Yay!!


The second pen is the first one I completed of an order of 26 pens. Each pen will be engraved with the recipient's name. I have 10 more blanks turned, 1/2 of those finished with CA. Only 16 more to go. YIKES. I don't think I like big orders. I like the money but not the stress and "uncreativity".

This one is some of WolfDancer's Honduran Rosewood Burl finished with CA and mounted on a TiGold Olympia.

Gorgeous wood!!!

GK

 

[Ligget]

Great work on both Greg, do you believe us now when we all talk about the stink when turning buffalo horn?[xx(][]

 

[gketell]

Honestly, I have no idea what it smelled like. I believed you all before I started turning it so I had my dust collector sucking right at the blank so all shavings were instantly picked up (I was impressed, not a single strand hit the ground); I had the air filter running just above the DC to pick up any dust that got away from the DC; I had a fan right behind me blowing any smell out the door; AND I was wearing my dust/fume respirator mask. I smelled NOTHING during the entire process. [][]

GK

 

[toolcrazy]

Very nice!!

 

[R2]

Both great pens.[][]That Honduran Rosewood Burl is aGrand Canyon effort.[][][]

 

[Dave_M]

Very nice work Greg. Someday I hope to turn out a CA finish as nice as yours. I'm getting close but not quite there yet.

 

[louisbry]

Good looking pens.

 

[gerryr]

I like who you did with the Olympia, nice idea. Nice looking pens too.

 

[GaryMGg]

Slick.

 

[gketell]

Thanks for all the nice comments everyone!!

LanMan,

The way I do my CA finish is really easy. Turn to bushing size or just a hair under. Apply one SMALL drop of BLO to pop the grain and hide any sanding dust. Pretend it is a friction polish and really work it so that it is as dry as possible.

With the blank spinning slowly on the lathe, hold a folded paper towel under the blank (I use viva because it is the smoothest) and dribble a coat of thin CA onto the top of the blank starting just inboard of the bushing, work it out to the bushing so there is very little to get between the bushing and the blank; now work your way to the other end of the tube dribbling thin CA as you go stopping the CA just before the opposite bushing but keep the paper towel going across and off the blank. Let dry. Repeat one more time.

Change out your metal bushings for something that CA doesn't stick to. I have some "UltraHigh Molecular Weight" plastic that I drilled and turned to an angle so it fits in most tubes and clamps the 7mm tubes below the wood. Get to a new spot on your paper towel and repeat the thin CA procedure with Thick CA. After you get it coated do another light swipe with the paper towel to smooth it out. Hit it will aerosol CA accelerator. Now you know you have one full coverage layer of CA. Repeat this two more times so you have 3 full coverage layers of thick CA.

Looking at how smooth your blank is decide what sanding paper to start with. When I get a really good coverage I start with 0000 steel wool. Usually 400 grit and occasionally 320. If you have ridges/bumps the put a block of wood behind your sand paper and sand the blank from left to right and back as quickly as you can as the lathe turns slowly. Stop just as the "haze" becomes mostly even. Stop the lathe and, without the sanding block, sand lengthwise just enough to remove any of the circular sanding marks. Switch to the next finer grit of sand paper, lathe on, left/right fast until an even haze. Lathe off, lengthwise sanding until circular marks are gone. (see a pattern here?) I do 320, 400, 0000 steel wool, 4000mm, 6000mm never going more than the bare minimum to eliminate the sanding marks from the previous grit/direction.

Time to buff it out. I use three buffing wheels chucked into my hand drill. First is red rouge from Tap Plastics, second is white rouge from tap plastics, third is Flitz metal polish. With the lathe on I hold the drill so it is spinning opposite the lathe and buff the blank while watching the reflection in the blank. When the quality of the reflection stops changing you have done enough. Then buff lengthwise. Next wheel and repeat.

At the very end I apply a little auto wax and hand rub it out.

Using this method I have never failed to get a great finish. When I went back to my old method of using medium CA (I ran out of medium) I sanded through 20% of the blanks. [B)]

Take the blank off the lathe and grab your end mill. Make sure it is sharp and turn it BY HAND to cut off the over flow CA.
Assemble.

Good luck!
GK

 

[johnnycnc]

Great looking pens,Greg.
Pen to match the sunglasses;far out![]