Pens and Tales

[Ed McDonnell]

I had originally planned on an all metal totally custom pen for my advanced entry. After two weeks of design effort I was ready to begin the "making". I've never done a totally metal custom pen and I'm not very far up the learning curve in metalworking. It didn't take long to realize that translating my all metal design to reality wasn't going to happen for this Bash.

The thing I enjoy most about making pens is the design work and artistic creativity that is required before I actually go to the shop to start the "making". So, I decided to enjoy designing something less ambitious in resin. After a week of design and a couple days in the shop I decided I had a winner. But only if they brought back the Ugly Pen Contest. What was I thinking? Back to the drawing board. After countless iterations I finished the design that I used for my advanced contest pen.

I decided to execute my design in darkish red resin with gold leaf inlay. My technique for gold leafing is to apply a very slow drying varnish to the inlay area. After it reaches just the right amount of tack (1 to 6 hours) I apply the gold leaf. It then needs to sit a couple days to allow the varnish to dry before I can cast the final clear coat.

When I cast my clear coat (rotocast) I wasn't careful enough and ended up with an embedded bubble on the cap section next to where it abuts the coupler. The good news is that I was able to turn the bubble away. The bad news is that the cap blank was just slightly undersized where it meets the coupler by the time I got rid of the bubble. It probably wouldn't have shown up in a picture, but it was there. I didn't feel right submitting a picture of a pen with flaws (visible or not).

At this point it was about 24 hours before the contest closed for entries. Redoing the clear coat can work, but it's not a sure thing. I didn't have enough time to do another gold leaf version. I decided instead to do a resin. A resin inlay doesn't have the dimensionality of a the gold leaf inlay (which doesn't fill the ~0.01" carved areas), but the use of pearl effects in the inlay resin can give very attractive results. It's also a much quicker process. I didn't have any more red material ready, so I grabbed a dark blue blank from my "I'll use it for something someday" bucket. With less than 24 hours to go I carved it, filled the carved areas with the inlay resin, cast everything in clear resin and turned to size. I still had a couple hours left, so I designed and made the custom cap finial (no clearcoat, just resin inlay). It was exciting pulling the pen together in such a short time, but I'm not sure I would want to repeat the experience.

Here's pictures of the red reject next to the blue one I submitted.



Here's some detail that may (or may not) show the difference in the "dimensionality" of the two different treatments for the inlay. Of course you would need to be looking with a magnifying glass to see anything like this. To the naked eye it is a lot subtler.



Ed

 

[Mike Powell]

Great looking pair of pens. Seems you work well under pressure.

 

[firewhatfire]

How did you keep the varnish in the crack and not all over the pen? and how did you get it in the cracks to start with?

 

[mikespenturningz]

Wow they are both stellar. These pens are beautiful and that is the bottom line on that. Great effort brings out a great result.

 

[Ed McDonnell]

How did you keep the varnish in the crack and not all over the pen? and how did you get it in the cracks to start with?

Before carving I polish the blank to a mirror finish. This is important for the last step.

I use a teeny tiny brush to apply the varnish. Even then it ends up all over the pen. When I'm done applying the gold leaf the entire pen is gold. It actually looked pretty neat at that point. But I wanted Red to contrast with the gold. So the trick is to hand buff the pen at just the point where the varnish has hardened enough to really bond the gold leaf in the carved areas, but not so much as to be impossible to remove from the surface. Having the mirror finish on the surface area makes it a bit easier to get the varnish off the surface without affecting the carved areas.

It's hand buffing with thin cloths (that won't reach into the carved areas).

Ed

 

[Ed McDonnell]

Great looking pair of pens. Seems you work well under pressure.

Time pressure...no problem. Working with things that don't give you a second chance if things go wrong and go boom...maybe not as well.


Ed

 

[firewhatfire]

Now if you tell me you carved it by hand also, you may be my new hero

 

[Ed McDonnell]

Now if you tell me you carved it by hand also, you may be my new hero

It's depends on what your definition of "hand carved" is. If your definition of "hand carved" involves the use of a flake of obsidian held between two fingers and absolutely no electricity to do the carving, then it wasn't done by "hand carving". :biggrin:

If by "hand carved" you mean that the amount of time a human laid hands on things to physically manipulate them to make the pen greatly exceeds the time a machine worked on it, then maybe it could be considered "hand carved".

There was about 40 hours of work drawing and modelling (digitally) the design (although this design was ultimately used on two pens, so maybe that should be cut in half...but one of them was a reject that will probably be scrapped...so let's leave it at 40). My hands were 100% utilized the entire time.

There was about 10 hours of turning (both wood lathe and metal lathe), casting and inlaying (gold leaf and resin). Plenty of tools and electricity used in this, but my hands were always on all of them when they were running. Maybe that counts.

There was about 1 hour of set up time on a CNC mill. The mill is turned off during this time and it's all "hand" work with non electric tools / jigs to achieve the setup.

There was about 4 hours of time on a CNC mill where my hands were not involved while the machine was running. This could not be considered "hand" work in any way.

Many years from now, when things like this are produced by star trek replicators from designs created by AI, this pen will most likely be considered "hand made". Someone transported by Mr. Peabody from centuries ago by the WABAC machine would look at the same pen and likely consider it to have been made by magic.

So....Hand Carved. I would say no.

Hand Made....today some would say yes and many would say no. In a couple hundred years, most would likely say yes. I'll check back with you then. :wink:


Ed

 

[Dale Lynch]

They're beautifull.

 

[firewhatfire]

Oh I am impressed either way.

I have the delusion of doing something like that by hand some day.

Of course I have been accused of sniffing to much CA glue.

Thanks for thr great explanation.

Phil

 

[Twissy]

Lovely work Ed! And a great explanation too!

 

[plano_harry]

Beautiful work Ed! Wish I could do that.

Harry

 

[Jim15]

Awesome work.

 

[mark james]

This is one of the things I love from IAP... Artistry, and a willingness to share (your secrets are safe from MY toolbox/skillset)...

Simply awesome!

(and the comments above on thoughts from equally admired artists is a bonus).

Thank You.

 

[stonepecker]

AWSOME.
Besides being an artist....you have the skill to be called a craftsman.

I admire all you have done.

 

[tgsean]

Wow some of it went way above my understanding but hey both are incredible pens! Congrats

 

[Mason Kuettel]

...(although this design was ultimately used on two pens, so maybe that should be cut in half...but one of them was a reject that will probably be scrapped...so let's leave it at 40). My hands were 100% utilized the entire time.

Ed

Am I the only one who caught that part??? A little flaw in a pen that cool and he wants to SCRAP it

My scraps are nowhere near up to par if that's the kind of pens you scrap!

Beautiful work, it got my vote!

Mason

 

[Ed McDonnell]

Everyone - Thanks for all the compliments.

Mason - Now I feel guilty about that red version. I'm going to move it from the scrap bucket to the "Attempt To Salvage Someday When I Run Out Of Things To Do" bucket. Now I feel better! :biggrin:

[strike]If[/strike] When I salvage it I will post pictures.

Ed

 

[CrimsonKeel]

This is the one i voted for in the contest. its just amazing how much detail is in such a small item. I love it and someone will be proud to own either of those pens

 

[CrimsonKeel]

Everyone - Thanks for all the compliments.

Mason - Now I feel guilty about that red version. I'm going to move it from the scrap bucket to the "Attempt To Salvage Someday When I Run Out Of Things To Do" bucket. Now I feel better! :biggrin:

[strike]If[/strike] When I salvage it I will post pictures.

Ed

Tell you what send it to me and ill put it in my "special" place for other peoples scraps. I call it a display case on my wall

 

[Brooks803]

Ed...when I grow up I want to be just like you :biggrin:

I think for next years bash one of the prizes be an all expense paid trip to your shop to see this being done in person...I'd buy as many points/mugs as I could! My head is spinning with ideas of what I would do if I had the skill set and tools to do something like this.

 

[Ed McDonnell]

This is the one i voted for in the contest. its just amazing how much detail is in such a small item. I love it and someone will be proud to own either of those pens

Thanks Ben! I try to make my designs as detailed as possible, but not require magnification to see the detail. Sometimes I get carried away and I have to remind myself that people prefer a pen that looks good sitting on their desk over one that requires special equipment to see what's going on with it.

Ed...when I grow up I want to be just like you :biggrin:

I think for next years bash one of the prizes be an all expense paid trip to your shop to see this being done in person...I'd buy as many points/mugs as I could! My head is spinning with ideas of what I would do if I had the skill set and tools to do something like this.

Thanks for the kind words Jonathon, but I bet the majority of members here would rather win a trip to your casting studio. Unless it was winter time :wink:

Ed

 

[Brooks803]

Ed...when I grow up I want to be just like you :biggrin:

I think for next years bash one of the prizes be an all expense paid trip to your shop to see this being done in person...I'd buy as many points/mugs as I could! My head is spinning with ideas of what I would do if I had the skill set and tools to do something like this.

Thanks for the kind words Jonathon, but I bet the majority of members here would rather win a trip to your casting studio. Unless it was winter time :wink:

Ed

It's just as warm in the winter. Well...at least when I'm casting. I have a couple heaters that keep my casting area a toasty 75degrees.

Personally I'd still love to stop by for a visit one day :biggrin:

 

[bluesman]

I'm at a lose for words, "great job" doesn't seem good enough.

You have me thinking (not a easy task) about some possible designs

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Quality Pen]

fantastic pen! how long have you been doing this?

 

[OZturner]

Ed, They are absolutely brilliant.
I love the Red one, it makes the leaves of the Fan look 3 dimensional, the way the colour around the outline of the leaf is darker than the textured centre of the Leaf gives it a Solid Appearance.
Whereas the Blue one doesn't have that effect.
The fact that you have and used a CNC Mill, doesn't matter a bit. If I had one I would use it as well especially if I could create Blanks like that.
Congratulations,
Brian.

 

[Ed McDonnell]

Thanks to all for all the compliments.

fantastic pen! how long have you been doing this?

Hi Bobby - Hmmmm.....let's see.....I've been making pens for about 8 years. I've been making pens with the techniques demonstrated in the pens shown in this thread for about 2 years.

The first time I worked with a CNC machine was about 40 years ago. I worked in a machine shop while I went to college, to pay my bills. They had a bridgeport mill with a punch tape cnc controller. That was something else! After graduating, my days in the machine shop were done (but the lessons learned have served me well over the last 40 years both professionally and personally).

About 5 years ago I added a CNC machine to my home shop for general woodworking. It was nice, but it was limited to flat work. I wanted to be able to carve my woodturnings, but there wasn't anything (even remotely affordable) out there that would work on large turnings. So, 3 years ago I designed and built my Digital Ornamental Lathe. It can carve on wood turnings up to 14" in diameter and up to 30" in length. It will also work on teeny tiny pens. But it won't cut metal (not rigid enough and wrong speed range on the spindle). I used the DOL to do the carving on my winning entry in the Bash advanced contest last year.

This winter (thanks Santa!!) I added a small CNC mill to my home shop. While I bought it primarily to do metal work, it will work on any material. Just not anything big. This is what I used to carve my advanced entry this year.

Probably a lot more than you wanted to know, but there you go.

Ed

 

[Ed McDonnell]

Ed, They are absolutely brilliant.
I love the Red one, it makes the leaves of the Fan look 3 dimensional, the way the colour around the outline of the leaf is darker than the textured centre of the Leaf gives it a Solid Appearance.
Whereas the Blue one doesn't have that effect.
The fact that you have and used a CNC Mill, doesn't matter a bit. If I had one I would use it as well especially if I could create Blanks like that.
Congratulations,
Brian.

Hi Brian - The gilding in the engraving is quite reflective and as you move the pen the highlights shift which really enhances the 3 dimensional look. The blue one is quite different. The design is filled with translucent resin with pearl effects. As you move the pen you can see depth in the design. Not the same type of explicit dimensionality as the red / gold version, but something very interesting in it's own right. A static picture of the pen doesn't do it justice. Maybe some day we will be able to submit videos of our pens that would provide a viewing experience close to what you would see holding the pen.

Ed

 

[Hendu3270]

I like them both Ed. Cool how when you're under the gun with a "quickly approaching deadline" you're able to just put your head down and Git'r done! Great job.