First

[shortz1lla]

This is the first pen that I've turned. I made a second from the same chunk of Cocobolo that has a much better figure and color but the wife snagged it to use at work. I prefer constructive criticism, sugar coating doesn't help me improve. BLO/CA finish.

 

[hilltopper46]

Much better than my first pen. That's not particularly constructive, but I don't see a lot of room for improvement. For first pen the size matching to the fittings is excellent. As far as finish - it depends on what you want. The shape is pleasing as well.

 

[eranox]

It's a good-looking pen. The fit seems to be good, but I can't quite tell. The bottom (nib) end of each barrel looks like it might be just slightly oversize. You can turn between centers or use a digital caliper to help with getting the size just right. For me, it always comes down to tweaking the fit with a bit of sanding or another coat of CA. As is, the pen looks good. I wouldn't hesitate to gift/sell it.

The grain looks as though it has dry spots where the BLO might not have absorbed. This could just be the normal look of that piece of wood, though. I had this problem early on because I was applying my base finish with the lathe running. This causes the finish to skip over the low spots in the wood. Turning the lathe off and working in the base finish with the grain is the way to go.

All around, it's an attractive pen. Some advice on cocobolo: it darkens when exposed to air. I made a few pens with a friction finish, and since the wood on the ends of the barrels was unsealed, the wood absorbed oxygen through them. The end result is that the pen barrels look burnt on the ends. Kind of neat, but not what I wanted. Make sure you seal the ends of the barrels with a little CA.

 

[OLDMAN5050]

Good fit for the first, much better than mine.........

 

[shortz1lla]

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it. The finish is actually something I'm not concerned about, have plenty of prior experience. That piece of cocobolo just has same strange flecking whereas the other blanks I cut from it are your standard cocobolo alternating grain. However, the back barrel is a touch too thick at the joint, it doesn't flow smoothly into the center band. I also had a bit of an issue getting the barrels trimmed flush, but I used a small block of maple with some 100 grit glued to the face mounted on the mandrel and pressed them against it whilst it spun. Worked well, albeit semi-tedious.

 

[Joe S.]

Fit: good, really good. The on at the tip look either too big or slightly out of round, but only by a little. You also mentioned the centerband fit, but those can be tricky when the centerband ends in a bead.

Finish: top half looks amazing, and the bottom half looks dull at points. With a little more practice I'm sure you will work that out.

Form: I like the shape, but the bottom half seems a little to big to me, it would be great with a little less bulge. But if you like it, that's all that matters!

Eye-apeal: can't ever miss with cocobolo and chrome! It's also a nice touch to line up the grain, I can't tell if you did that then twisted it before the picture or not.

If this is your first pen, then you are going places! Can't wait to see what you can do a year from now! Be sure to save the first pen!

 

[WriteON]

I'm on my first also. Your's look great. Nice shape. Love the coco