Milky Way Kitless

[Simplex]

I finally finished this kitless rollerball this week. This one entailed many firsts: first closed end, first hand threading, and most importantly, first kitless. Needless to say there was a lot of trial an error but I think I have it down now. I like the acrylic tip because it is not something that someone would expect to see as they remove the cap (IMO). As always, comments are welcome. I'll post some better pictures this weekend. Thanks.

 

[el_d]

Very cool Gary. I like that ALOT.

What's the grip made of? Aluminum? Stainless?

 

[Simplex]

Very cool Gary. I like that ALOT.

What's the grip made of? Aluminum? Stainless?

Thanks Lupe! It's actually 6061 aluminum. I was able to put a good shine on it by putting it on the buffing wheel for awhile. The next one will probably be stainless now that I have the technique down.

 

[ryvnd2001]

Very talented! I like the tip a lot too.

 

[corian king]

Nice job!!

 

[boxerman]

Very cool pen.

 

[bluwolf]

Very cool. I like it. Nice job on your first kitless.

 

[DurocShark]

Very handsome and clean. Excellent!

 

[JRKirsch]

Gary,
I am fairly new to turning and after making around fifty kit pens, I need to move on. My experience is limited to pen mandrel and standard PSI chucks. I am having a hard time grasping the process. Do you use a bushing system? How do you turn a closed end? Do you use a chasing hand tool or tap and die system for threading? Any information you can give me would be appreciated. JR

 

[Jim15]

Awesome work.

 

[Simplex]

Gary,
I am fairly new to turning and after making around fifty kit pens, I need to move on. My experience is limited to pen mandrel and standard PSI chucks. I am having a hard time grasping the process. Do you use a bushing system? How do you turn a closed end? Do you use a chasing hand tool or tap and die system for threading? Any information you can give me would be appreciated. JR

JR -

I'll be glad to help. You will find that everyone has his or her own methods and processes for making these pens. What I can share with you is how I did it. To make this one, I drilled and tapped the unturned blanks then turned it to shape between centers. After that, I mounted the blank in a collet and shaped the ends to achieve a closed end. When you mount the blank in the collet, make sure it does not protrude more than one to two times the diameter of the blank. This helps maintain the blank's rigidity while turning it to shape since one end is unsupported. There are other methods for turning closed end pens; this is the one that works best for me. I use the Woodchuck Pen Pro for all my turning. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks.

 

[workinforwood]

real nice looking pen Gary