My first 20...

[Kirk Dietrich]

...makes me realize how talented ya'll are.
After making 25 pens, you would think I'd have this all figured out and a nice system going. I'm better at some things but still figuring out some other things. So far, they've been decent pens that have impressed my friends enough to give them as gifts but I'm just not totally comfortable and satisfied.
Its not just the turning and putting a pen together, its learning wha you can get away with on different woods and how they act during different steps of the process. Like right now, I'm having fits with some spalted pecan; its not spongy but pretty soft. Well, I've got it shaped and stabilized with some thing CA but when I went to sand it the next day, the damn grit from the black sandpaper is freakin stuck in the surface. I used a plastic brush with alcohol to remove some of it but I may have to get a rougher brown sandpaper to remove the stuff. Oh well, live and learn, just not sure what I'm learning from this one...(its not pictured, still on the lathe at home).

Thanks for looking,
Kirk

 

[76winger]

Nice looking work you've done so far!

If you're getting sand stuck in the CA, I'm thinking it's either not dry yet, or you putting too much pressure on it, causing heat from friction that's melting the CA. This really shouldn't be happening.

Also what type of sandpaper are you using? The cloth backed strips that come in rolls or some paper backed stuff that comes in sheets? The former works much better.

 

[Kirk Dietrich]

76, the CA is plenty dry. Its a super thin formula that I'm putting on raw wood by hand like I do to stabilize balsa wood when I make popping bugs for flyfishing. I'v worked it as soon as a few minutes after application as it is instant cure CA. However, in this case, it was actually the next day.
I think it has to do with the friction that you mention. It may be a combination of turning the piece to fast and applying to much pressure and using paper backed sheets.
I'm going to try slowing it down and finding some cloth backed strips. (Any recommendations on a brand and/or source for the paper you/ya'll like?)

Thanks,
Kirk

 

[76winger]

I've got a 5 roll pack from PSI that I've been working off of for four years now and one of their sets of Micromesh that's got the foam in the middle. All the major vendors offer these as well as some of the IAP member vendors, so you shouldn't have trouble finding some.

 

[Kirk Dietrich]

Thanks 76, I've ordered from Exotic Blanks and PSI. Exotic doesn't seem to have a good selection of sandpaper, I'll check PSI. I've seen it in catalogs from Lee Valley and Rockler, I had asked to see if there was an alternative to a name brand. I just got finished using a 1 inch wide cloth backed belt from my little table top sanding belt and it worked great but I need to find something finer than the 120 that I have.

Kirk

 

[D.Oliver]

Very nice pens. To help reduce the heat build up that 76winger is talking about, you can also reduce your lathe speed, in combination with the reduced pressure that he mentioned.

 

[Lenny]

That's a fine selection of pens!

The silicon carbide (automotive) sandpaper is known for leaving black streaks ... another problem sometimes is having the metal bushings still on when sanding. That can often lead to metal dust getting on your blank and in your finish. Use the eliminator bushings like penturners products sells, make your own from some delrin, or just place the blanks between 60 degree centers for sanding and finishing.

 

[Kirk Dietrich]

Oliver, thanks. I usually do crank up the speed a little when sanding but sometimes I run it on its lowest speed, I'll start paying more attention to that now.

Lenny, I can't believe I got that wood out of my BBQ wood pile - I almost cooked with that stuff!! Thanks. Its from the automotive paper that I'm using, I've experienced the black dust from the bushing already but this isn't that. Next thing on my list is 60 degree centers to turn, sand and finish. I have ordered some delrin bushings from Ed for the time being; they should be coming tomorrow or Saturday.

Thanks,
Kirk

 

[carpblaster]

Kirk you can get the paper at most lumber stores and not have to get from psi,i got some and use a fishing worm container and cut them into 1" strips and put my different size sand paper in the little trays,that way i can go from 120 all the way to 600 and have them already to use when i need it.f you tie flies you know the worm trays,It is cheaper and i always have it ready to use

 

[woodbutcher]

I prefer Micromesh for most sanding on my pens. As your skills progress many times your sanding will amount to ''polishing.''

 

[OOPS]

A sandpaper that I have found to be most effective and long lasting is Norton 3X. The "3X" stands for "lasts three times as long." I haven't ever seen it come apart in my work.

As to your comment about "thinking you would have it all figured out" after 25 pens, well join the club, my friend! As you will see from the people on this site, even after making pens for three and four years, only a few have it "all" figured out. What's good about this site is that there is always a few people around who have had the same problem, and are will to share their experiences or offer suggestions. In the end, though, we all learn most by trial and error. Hopefully few errors, but there will be some.

 

[Kirk Dietrich]

Carp, that sounds like a good idea. I tried the big box stores but didn't see a good variety of paper, certainly not cloth backed. I like the worm box idea for storing strips of paper though.

Wood, on the hard woods, I can get it pretty smooth with my turning tools and only minimal sanding to, as you rightly say, polish. Its the softer spalted pecan that chips out that I find I like to stop well proud of where I want to be and sand to the finish size to remove the pits from wood chipping out. Now, if they were stabilized blanks I'm sure I wouldn't be having that chipping out problem but I haven't gotten to the point where I'm ready to start stabilizing my own wood. Good thing to strive for though, less sanding and most smooth work with the sharpest of tools.

OOPS - great handle by-the-way. Learning is draws me to these types of endeavors and this internet forum stuff is one of the best uses of this technological medium. Most that I've been involved with are made up of selfless individuals eager to share what they've learned most likely due to them having learned much the same way from others; kind of "what comes around goes around".

Kirk