Help! A year in, just enough to be dangerous!

[thewishman]

Last March, a couple of skilled and generous turners helped me to get started in this wonderful and terrible "hobby." I learned enough to make some pens and sell enough to buy my own set-up. Thank you, Billy and Alan!

Now, after joining a turning club, watching videos and getting advice from expert (though not pen-making) turners, I can barely make a pen. It was better when I was ignorant.

Is this just a typical sophomore slump? Will I be able to, "Break on through to the other side?" (My first ever Doors quotation)

A few questions:

When using my pen mill, I get a raised ring of brass that extends up from the inside of the tube. After I trim that back flush with a sharp knife, one part of the milled area is lower that the other 300 degrees of the circle. Is this a mill problem or an operator problem?

My unheated garage is my shop. Do the CA glues deteriorate in the temperature extremes of central Ohio?

Is there a better speed to turn burls? I had usually turned at 1800 rpm on my Jet mini, though faster speeds have both helped and hurt my results.

Some things I have learned:

Cheap sandpaper does NOT save you money

My HF 15/32 drill bit makes a hole that is TOO BIG for a baron cap

Most glaring mistakes are not even noticeable to other people

Chris

 

[mrcook4570]

Pen mill - it sounds like you are trimming too much - just kiss the tube but do not trim any of the brass.

Cold and CA - CA has a longer shelf life in colder temps. I keep my larger bottles in the fridge and only keep a couple of ounces in the shop. If you are using it as a finish, it will take much longer to cure in a cold shop.

Stabilize burls with thin CA as you are turning to avoid chip and tear out. I turn burls the same speed as any wood - around 3000 rpm. Just make sure your tools are very sharp.

 

[Dario]

I agree, you are milling too far. At any rate, check your mill guide and also how it is installed, it may be worn and had a "neck" gouged around it near the mill head. It may also be set too deep (past where it should be).

CA cure much slower in cold weather.

I turn at the max speed my Jet mini VS would go (2600 rpm at mid range) as much as possible. I sand at the slowest (1100 rpm at mid range)

You are 1,000% correct about cheap sandpaper []

 

[LEAP]

I got the same thing on 7mm tubes I just touched the brass and it formed a hair of a brass rim on the end of the tube. I sharpened the faces of the mill and this went away. It also made the ends of the blank much more even and square. I do not touch the cutting surface of the mill only the face. As Dario said I think the guide had a slight taper near the end so I started putting the mill a little further up the guide. This only happened on the 7mm guide so I'm pretty sure it is the culprit.

 

[JimGo]

I agree with the guys; check your mill. The lip should n't be there, and is probably because of some "notches" in there. Send 'em to Paul_in_OK and he'll sharpen them for you.

 

[stevers]

It'll all come to you, don't worry.
Different brands of CA cure at different rates also. I learned that when I went from Rockler's glue to CSUSA's brand. I left my CA in the shop for part of the summer, and it turned brownish in color. Granted it was nearing a year in age. Now I keep it in the air conditioned house during the summer.

 

[imagine]

Had the same problem with a mill. The cutter was perfectly centered around the guide and left a small clearance between cutter and guide so when you kissed the tube it would leave a burr around the tube. I just loosened the setscrew and snugged one wing against the guide. No more burr.
Keith I

 

[GBusardo]

Chris, If I were a betting man, i would bet that you are just getting more critical of your work. If you still have one, look at one of your first ten pens and look at one you just turned. I would bet (oops, i said I was not a betting man) dollars to doughnuts (now did I just show my age??) that you newest creations are many number of times better than your first ones.
Really check out your pen mill, take the advice here and I am sure you will fix your problem. A flat diamond file does wonders too. Within the last week or so I got some advice on sharpening my brad points with the file. (File it like you think you should) That really helps keep the holes round the right size also.