Long day of penmaking...

[workinforwood]

Finally got a day off and had to make some pens now that I finally got an order of kits.
I made 3 antler pens, 2 cigars and a slim that my wife stole. Sure it stinks, but somehow you get used to the smell.
An adaptation of the swirling pen on the homepage here...maybe it's not as good, but it's something anyhow. Ebony and apple
A randomly striped slimline, Walnut and Apple
And a cross pen of maple and Wenge...I think would be better with just a single cross up top though.

I only managed 3 pens from an antler and it cost me one of them pens to get that antler...but now a neighbor is giving me a big box full of antlers for a pen, so that's more like it.

 

[wudnhed]

I love your designs and the pens look great too![]

 

[skiprat]

Really cool Jeff. The 'randomly striped' slimline is my favourite. Please tell how you got such fine even stripes.

 

[JimGo]

Wow, those middle two are REALLY cool! Very nice! Of course, that's not to denigrate the outsiders... []

 

[johncrane]

great work there Jeff!l also love the designs' the striped s/line is also my pick of the bunch.[]

 

[UKpenmaker]

Excellent work Jeff, very good job on the swirling pens, i too really like the Walnut & Apple S/Line[]

 

[workinforwood]

The swirls are a slight modification of an article on this forums homepage about making swirls. The stripes are simple, and nothing that I invented. I read it in a book, but have also seen others do it. I just freehanded two waves down the center length of the blank with a pencil..going by eye to keep them parallel with one another ( I did mark a line with a ruler down the center of the blank), so each line is slightly one side of the center. I cut the two waves out with a #9 blade on the scrollsaw. Knife cut some walnut veneer which is pretty much the same thickness as the blade, and sandwich glue it all back together. When it dried, I fliped it on it's side and drew a single line wave down the center. Any more than three becomes too busy. repeated the veneer into that sandwich. In the book, they use thin plastic sheets, but I saw someone else use veneer which I hadn't thought of because I was stuck on the plastic sheet idea, but I liked the veneer idea better. It would be interesting to see someone run one with a thin copper for the striping...wonder where I could get some of that?!?!

I have alot of time to think while driving a truck...I have some great ideas for some designs that I've never seen done, but I'm working on practicing and seeing what different positions of wood create for designs, and just practicing turning too, since I have basically no lathe experience. I need to come up with a better finish too. I was reading a CA finish article...but man that's alot of coats and removals and more coats..and that stuff makes my eyes run when I use it to fill holes like in the antler marrow.

 

[imagine]

Good job! I too like the apple/walnut. Reminds me of ice cream with chocolate swirls[]

 

[CaptG]

You are making it tough. Now I got to try making pens like yours and hope they come out half as nice. Sigh...
Really nice work.

 

[Jim15]

Very nice group of pens.

 

[Ozzy]

Great looking pens.

 

[NavyDiver]

Excellent work!