plantman
Member
Sometimes the attractivness of a pen is not the fancy fittings, but the grain of the wood or the colors in the casting that make the first impression. I think both the grain and coloring in this pen make it stand out, but than again I made it, so my view may be a little slanted. The pen is a Rockler Gold Spirit. The blank is a mineral stained and spalted White Oak. I took a few libertys with the kit however. The lower section is a bit longer to take advantage of the grain pattern, and to make the taper a little more pleasing to the eye. So there is no bottom tube used. I tried several times, without any luck, in making the cap without using the tube also, but alas I gave up on the idea. The wood was to thin at the center bands. To avoid any misunderstanding, let's just say that no lathe was harmed in the making of the tapers on these blanks. Tools consisted of one bolt, three different sized washers, two files, a drill, and some hand sanding. I also included a photo of the blank holders I used to make the tapers for this pen and the hexagon pen I posted earlier. Top one is the hexagon setup with blank. Next is the bolt and washers used for the tapers on this pen. 3ed is a 3/8" bolt and nuts. Last one is a bolt and nuts used to make a hexagon magnetic pen. The tape on the bolt is there to make a snug fit on the larger of the two tubes. Jim S
