A newbies pens

[TattooedTurner]

Hi everyone! I've seen amazing work here that is actually quite intimidating but we all start somewhere so I thought I'd show some of my pens. Keep in mind I'm still very much a rookie but any constructive criticism is welcome. I just have a 10" HF lathe I got early this year and with a fulltime job I don't have the free time I wish I could have to spend on learning the craft. These were fun to turn and I look forward to improving my technique and hopefully one day having a piece that I think is actually worthy of bragging about :biggrin:

First four are 8.2mm Euro round tops from BTW. Top to bottom are Gaboon Ebony, Thuya Burl, Black & White Ebony, and Ambrosia Maple. Second set are the same style and done in Pink Ivory, pen & mech pencil. The third is my favorite, a Cambridge rollerball also from BTW. I love writing with this and have a few fountain pen kits I will get around to turning sometime. I hope I didn't waste anybody's time with my rookie offerings and terrible photos, but I wanted to contribute something to the forum besides oohs & ahhs

 

[TattooedTurner]

I can only send one photo at a time w/my ipad. Second set:

 

[TattooedTurner]

Cambridge Rollerball in Red Mallee Burl w/gunmetal & gold accents.

 

[wfsteadman]

Great job. Where do you get the Pen and Pencil Matching kits?

I can only send one photo at a time w/my ipad. Second set:

 

[magpens]

That first set of 4 pens .... WOW !!!! .... absolutely great !!!! .... (I wrote this before the second and third postings )

And you didn't use slimlines .... THAT'S GREAT (and my recommendation to newbies) .... and all those gorgeous woods !!!

I'd say you have a rosy future in pen turning ahead of you ! ... CONGRATULATIONS !!!!!

 

[TattooedTurner]

Great job. Where do you get the Pen and Pencil Matching kits?

Thank you! They all came from Bear Tooth Woods. Ernie is a great guy to deal with.

 

[TattooedTurner]

That first set of 4 pens .... WOW !!!! .... absolutely great !!!! .... (I wrote this before the second and third postings )

And you didn't use slimlines .... THAT'S GREAT (and my recommendation to newbies) .... and all those great woods !!!

I'd say you have a rosy future in pen turning ahead of you ! ... CONGRATULATIONS !!!!!

A sincere thank you for the very kind words. I'm not a fan of slimlines, they're just too skinny for me. And I'm only 5'3" with hands to match... They are a great inexpensive kit to get started on though, especially if you buy a starter pack or catch them on sale for $1.99/kit.

 

[qquake]

Your first four are much better than mine were. And the Cambridge rollerball is stunning!

 

[Loucurr]

Awesome start...you have the bug now!

 

[OZturner]

Don't ever worry about wasting our time looking at your Pens, They are Great.
Your Profiles are Ideal,
Your Fits are Superb,
And your Finishes, are Fantastic.
Love the Variety of Blanks, you used, they are all Spectacular.
What Finish did you use?
I am looking forward to your next posting.
Congratulations,
Brian.

 

[jttheclockman]

The Cambridge is a knockout. Perfect kit with a perfect blank. What finish is on that??? Thanks for showing and welcome to the hobby.

Not so sure with that newbie title. You chose kits that a newbie usually doesn't use, chose woods that a newbies do not usually turn, and the finishes are right there to a pro. No criticism from here that is for sure.

 

[Jim15]

Great looking group of pens.

 

[JimB]

Beautiful pens! They sure don't look like they they are from a newbie.

 

[junosdad]

Intimidated? Pah!

These look GREAT!!
Well better than my early bits. Just remember....everybody on the forum who is turning out amazing works of art.....started exactly where you did.

We were all new and inexperienced at one point. (I still am) Just keep at it...who knows what you'll turn out a year, two, ten from now

Cheers,
Sam

 

[Sataro]

Great looking pens! Your pens look like you been doing this for quite a while.

There is a way that you can upload multiple pics with your ipad. Upload all of your pics to your photo album on IAP. Then when you post, you can add each image that you want directly to your post. It took me a while before I figured this out using my iPad.

 

[TattooedTurner]

Your first four are much better than mine were. And the Cambridge rollerball is stunning!

What Finish did you use?

The Cambridge is a knockout. Perfect kit with a perfect blank. What finish is on that??? Thanks for showing and welcome to the hobby.

Not so sure with that newbie title. You chose kits that a newbie usually doesn't use, chose woods that a newbies do not usually turn, and the finishes are right there to a pro. No criticism from here that is for sure.

First off thank you to everyone. I was worried about posting these pics as they're not perfect. The B/W ebony has the ballpoint extend a touch too far and there are minor flaws on all of them. I blew apart 4 or 5 blanks of Thuya before I finally got the one pen made. I think I've spent more money on spare tubes than kits! That being said, I'm very sorry if I gave the impression these were my first pens. I actually turned a few acrylic slimlines for my first after watching several videos and they were awful! I realized I would be wasting my money if I didn't learn to use my tools so I bought some dowel rods, watched a ton of How To videos, and practiced with my skew chisel & spindle gouge, and practiced, and practiced. It paid off bigtime! I went to the Rockler store in Phoenix, bought some blanks I liked and the result was far better than the first few. My brother also sent me some pink ivory, which I never heard of. All these have a CA finish, again I watched a bunch of videos on the technique. About 20 years ago I started using Micromesh to finish my models, and the knowledge helped with finishing pens. I also bought some raw drumshells from Keller about 15 years ago because I couldn't afford a highend kit, and that's where I learned to get a nice finish on wood (hand rubbed lacquer), again the knowledge was invaluable when finishing the pens. So I had prior work with finishing rather than starting with no experience at all.

Again, thanks to everybody for the encouraging comments. It's actually given me the drive to keep at it and keep improving. I've seen some absolutely amazing work here, pens that can only be described as beautiful works of art. I think I've stumbled upon a great group folks!

 

[bpgoldo]

Your skill and choices call out for nicer kits. Looking forward to seeing more of your work on kits that reflect your growing skills.