Gift Pens

[keenidiot]

So my kits and blanks finally arrived.
Tried for some different shapes this time.



Made from North American Red Cedar.
I'm shipping them to Chicago, so I made a container to put them inside, which will go in a box.
The pens will be wrapped in the foam in the picture.


Just something different I tried with cherry wood. Going to a local friend.

 

[OZturner]

Beautiful Selection of Timbers, Mike.
Nicely Turned, and the Finish looks Excellent.
The Shape remind's me more of Light Pulls, than Pens. But that is just My Perception.
How Comfortable are they in the Hand to Write with?
Well Done,
Brian.

 

[keenidiot]

Beautiful Selection of Timbers, Mike.
Nicely Turned, and the Finish looks Excellent.
The Shape remind's me more of Light Pulls, than Pens. But that is just My Perception.
How Comfortable are they in the Hand to Write with?
Well Done,
Brian.

I wrote a little with each, and felt perfectly comfortable to me.
My friends specifically wanted thicker pens, so I played with the shape.
The cedar ones I was thinking of a raindrop.
And thank you!

 

[Skie_M]

A very nice combination of finish color on the pen to match up with the Cedar ...

Something I noted, however ... the darker color marks that go round one of the Cedar pens. That's from burnishing. An effect achieved by rubbing something against the Cedar while it was spinning on the lathe ... you can do that if you are sanding with a high grit paper and the lathe is going too fast or you are pressing too hard (or both) ... Typically, marks like those are a mistake, or they are laid out and utilized in a pattern to enhance the look of something.


If those were a mistake, remember to keep the speed of the lathe down around 750 RPM or lower.

Also, when finishing softwoods like Cedar, several additional coats of CA on top will help give the finish a good deal of strength, as the wood itself is much softer and easier to damage than hardwoods.


Beyond that, they look great! Next time round, you may even want to think about eliminating the center band or just substitute another kit's center band that is larger outer diameter and has the same 7mm inner diameter.

 

[keenidiot]

A very nice combination of finish color on the pen to match up with the Cedar ...

Something I noted, however ... the darker color marks that go round one of the Cedar pens. That's from burnishing. An effect achieved by rubbing something against the Cedar while it was spinning on the lathe ... you can do that if you are sanding with a high grit paper and the lathe is going too fast or you are pressing too hard (or both) ... Typically, marks like those are a mistake, or they are laid out and utilized in a pattern to enhance the look of something.


If those were a mistake, remember to keep the speed of the lathe down around 750 RPM or lower.

Also, when finishing softwoods like Cedar, several additional coats of CA on top will help give the finish a good deal of strength, as the wood itself is much softer and easier to damage than hardwoods.


Beyond that, they look great! Next time round, you may even want to think about eliminating the center band or just substitute another kit's center band that is larger outer diameter and has the same 7mm inner diameter.

The burnishing was on purpose, I tend to put a little on my pens for contrast.
I use wax, not CA. I understand it fades but I've a few pens I've had for a couple years and theyears still look alright.

 

[Skie_M]

Ahh ... so it was an embellishment. Didn't look too bad!


I do prefer CA, myself ... helps to protect the wood from sweat stains, moisture, ect ... and polishes up to a brilliant shine. Also helps protect most woods from scratches and dents.

To renew the wax coating, a buffing wheel and some carnuba wax work OK. You can even attach the buffing wheel directly to the lathe and have yourself a variable speed buffer!

 

[keenidiot]

Ahh ... so it was an embellishment. Didn't look too bad!


I do prefer CA, myself ... helps to protect the wood from sweat stains, moisture, ect ... and polishes up to a brilliant shine. Also helps protect most woods from scratches and dents.

To renew the wax coating, a buffing wheel and some carnuba wax work OK. You can even attach the buffing wheel directly to the lathe and have yourself a variable speed buffer!

It's on my list of things to get.
I work in a factory setting, keep my pens in my pockets. To me at least, these pens still look fine.

I've only had my lathe for a month, and still getting stuff for it.
Except for a brief exercise in a class some years ago, this is the first time I've done woodworking.

 

[Skie_M]

I get my buffing wheels from Harbor Freight ... usually get them in pairs and just double them up, 2 per mandrel.


Make sure you don't mix compounds or material types when buffing ....

Keep the red rouge and the white diamond compound wheels separate from each other, don't mix up what you are charging your wheels with ...

Also, don't polish metal on a wheel you intend to keep using for plastics - the metal particles can embed in the plastic, leaving a poor appearance behind ... as the wheel gets dirtier and you can't clean it as well, moving it from plastic polishing to metal polishing is a good idea, so you only replace your "good" wheel from time to time.