How to reinforce your writing

[holmqer]

Made from #4 re-bar, drilled 3/8 then reamed to 0.391 so no tubes to glue. The ends were turned down with a carbide bit. Made as a gift to a friend who is a retired iron worker.

 

[Jgrden]

I'd like to see more pictures of this pen. Amazing. How did you smooth out the surface? Is it heavy? Of course to an iron worker it probably would not feel heavy.
Curious.

 

[Jgrden]

If you have more pictures could you PM me?

 

[simomatra]

have seen a few of these made by other. They must be a bit on the heavy side.

Good gift for a concreter

 

[leehljp]

I think PWhay in Aus, or someone else there, did the first one some months ago and he said it was not that heavy since 75% of the weight of the rod was drilled out.

I like the way that this one was done and I will have to try it someday. Looks great!

 

[holmqer]

The pen is a bit on the heavy side, but not crazy so. I just measured a Lignum Vitae Sierra at 41g and this is 53g.

The surface is just as it came off the shelf at Lowes, the only smoothing is where I turned it to fit the Sierra hardware.

The challange is that re-bar is not very uniform in diameter, and the diameter of the metal inside the diamonds is only about 0.050 larger than the Sierra kit, so it is a bit tricky to drill centered and strait. I drilled on the lathe, and got the drill to enter strait, but it was off by at least 0.010 on exit. I will probably try a milling machine next time. The diamond pattern on the re-bar makes gripping it strait a challange.

For it's intended recipient, I attempted no surface treatment.

Possibilities for treatment include bead blasting or pickling prior to perhapse clear powder coat or black oxide (hot not cold). If one wanted to do black oxide you would have to do a lot of them to make it worth the price or just toss it in with other stuff you are having black oxide done to.

I was struggling to get a decent additional photo. Unfortunetely I just have a point and shoot, my good manual focus super macro setup is film not digital.

Here is the best I could get focus on

 

[Jgrden]

Thank you Eric. Now I am hooked.

 

[PenPal]

Eric

Like your pen and the way you used that kit.

if I may help people using Rebar there are some ways to help.

1. Theres two types of bar one is softer and sold for bending. (seek for this type)
2. It is quite easy to centre the steel in a three jaw chuck by slowly turning the steel around and tightening the chuck checking by eye with the machine running. The problem is there are two semi threads running different on both sides. I noted in my mind (small note)
the position and direction of the thread, when I found the sweet spot it was easy to repeat for the next one.
3. Use a thread cutting brush on lubricant during the drilling process and clean after with laquer thinners if you glue brass tubes in as i do. Reason for the brass it makes for consistent pressing and or removal. I have only made them using a Slimline with Streamline
centre band so far and yes they are heavier but about half the weight of an Emporer.

Surprisingly they are comfortable and in use are exceptional.

Like your pen Eric and I agree they make exceptional gifts for guys who have worked in construction. At 40.00 each the steel supplier ordered a dozen as gifts for his customers.

regards Peter.

 

[hunter-27]

Here was my version

my 1 piece version

 

[holmqer]

Like your pen and the way you used that kit.

if I may help people using Rebar there are some ways to help.

1. Theres two types of bar one is softer and sold for bending. (seek for this type)
2. It is quite easy to centre the steel in a three jaw chuck by slowly turning the steel around and tightening the chuck checking by eye with the machine running. The problem is there are two semi threads running different on both sides. I noted in my mind (small note)
the position and direction of the thread, when I found the sweet spot it was easy to repeat for the next one.
3. Use a thread cutting brush on lubricant during the drilling process and clean after with laquer thinners if you glue brass tubes in as i do. Reason for the brass it makes for consistent pressing and or removal. I have only made them using a Slimline with Streamline
centre band so far and yes they are heavier but about half the weight of an Emporer.

Surprisingly they are comfortable and in use are exceptional.

Like your pen Eric and I agree they make exceptional gifts for guys who have worked in construction. At 40.00 each the steel supplier ordered a dozen as gifts for his customers.

regards Peter.

I had no clue there were two kinds of rebar, and have no idea which kind I got. It was not all that hard to drill, so I am guessing that I got the softer version. I am assuming whichever of the two is the cheapest is what the home improvement store was selling.

I'll have to play with that centering method and see if I can get it to work.

I was surprised how comfortable it was to hold, even with the rough surface. I suspect that the high friction surface requires less tight of a grip to hold and we automatically compensate.

 

[artme]

Very well done!!
Seen a few before but they are always interesting.