I turned my first pens yesterday...

[Greg O'Sherwood]

TowMater came by the house and gave me a 2 hour lesson on turning pens. He's a great instructor. He brought along 3 acrylic blanks (one for each of my kids) for me to learn on. I haven't turned ANYTHING in 26 years.

This is FUN! He instructed me on the first one, letting me watch as he turned half of it and then handed me the tool and let me do my worst. I trust I didn't miss the mark by much...:redface: After he left, I turned the second in about an hour and the third took about 20 minutes.

I'm hooked and already am thinking about the next ones...hmmm...

Oh, ask him to post a pic of the American Beauty he did on my lathe... It is gorgeous!

THANKS 'MATER!!


Gregory of Quick!NoOneSaveMeI'mHavingFun Forest
:biggrin:

 

[george]

Welcome in great world of handmade pens.

 

[rb765]

It's a wonderful addiction. Good luck and we hope to see some of your work posted soon.

 

[jkeithrussell]

2 months from now you'll have spent a grand on tools and kits and blanks and glue and sandpaper and micro mesh and grinders and sharpeners and files and bushings and drawers and bins and dead centers and live centers and mandrels and bottle stopper kits and bottle stopper manderels and more tools and more blanks and more kits and ....

Or maybe that's just me.

 

[titan2]

2 months from now you'll have spent a grand on tools and kits and blanks and glue and sandpaper and micro mesh and grinders and sharpeners and files and bushings and drawers and bins and dead centers and live centers and mandrels and bottle stopper kits and bottle stopper manderels and more tools and more blanks and more kits and ....

Or maybe that's just me.

NOPE.......it's me TOO!!!! :bananen_smilies022:

Barney

 

[GouletPens]

It's great you had someone to show you how to do it. I had to just wing it on my own with what info I found online (before I knew IAP existed). My advice would be to lock up your wallet and throw away the key. You'll soon blow your whole kids college fund with this highly addictive activity!!!!:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

 

[monkeynutz]

You have started down the slippery slope. You will see many of us along the way, and find many others piled up at the bottom! :wink: Welcome to our addiction. :biggrin:

 

[flyingmelon]

You have started down the slippery slope. You will see many of us along the way, and find many others piled up at the bottom! :wink: Welcome to our addiction. :biggrin:

There's a bottom? don't tell my wife she'll tell me to hurry up and get there.

 

[monkeynutz]

There's a bottom?

That's what they tell me, but I haven't got there myself... yet. :wink:

 

[Greg O'Sherwood]

Too late!

I bought every type of gadget I could find. I still need a pen press- I thought I saw one made by a member here that was highly recommended, someone can point me in the right direction, I trust? I would rather buy one than make my own, my free time is rare and I'd rather spend it making things spin than flatwork right now.

Question- several have now told me that turning acrylic is harder than wood (most types). Why is that true? It seems that finishing wood is more finicky.

 

[wicook]

Greg...I just recently bought the Rockler vise/press combo unit and I like it. I'm going to be sending my pen press with the steel base to my Dad, who is getting frustrated with the wooden ones coming apart.

 

[JimB]

NOPE.......it's me TOO!!!! :bananen_smilies022:

Barney

Not me. I spent more than a grand...

 

[tim self]

Greg, you are SO screwed!! Welcome to our world. You will know you have it bad when you are looking at old furniture, branches from where ever, just to see what kind of pen material you can come up with..{

 

[tomcatchevy]

It's nice to know that I'm not the only one totally distracted while driving down tree lined roads and laying awake at night thinking about what I can turn next! I've been at it for over a year now and show no signs of stopping!:biggrin:

 

[LostintheWoods]

Greg, a hearty welcome, and since no one has mentioned it yet, you need to at all costs, HANG ON TO THE FIRST PEN YOU MADE YOURSELF! It will be an invaluable gauge of your progress, and the source of many happy memories in the coming years!

 

[NewLondon88]

Question- several have now told me that turning acrylic is harder than wood (most types). Why is that true? It seems that finishing wood is more finicky.

First, take a GOOD picture of yourself and put it on your refrigerator.
Your family will want to remember what you look like.
(If you're nice, you'll also post a map to your workshop for those times when
you might like them to visit)

As for acrylic being 'harder' .. I assume that means more difficult?
They need to be worked differently, but it isn't really more difficult most of
the time. Some of the Tru-Stone blanks have a high hardness factor and
can be tough on tools (and patience) but most of the regular acrylics are
just different than wood, not necessarily harder.

Acrylics or polyester resins need very sharp tools to work well. You might
re-sharpen during your turning. You also need to take lighter cuts than
you would with woods. You can 'hog away' wood pretty quickly, but with
the plastics that would cause them to chip out or crack. So .. slow, light
cuts with sharp tools. (should use sharp tools anyway, but it is more
important with the plastics)

Also, turning these blanks takes more time, as you need to keep stopping
to clear away the material. Wood just flies off the lathe .. plastic strips
wrap around your blank and mandrel in long threads and hair that just gets
in the way.. you can't see around it, so you stop and clear it often.
But they take less time to finish .. no need to apply anything .. just sand
and polish.

Either way, post the picture. Your family will thank you for it, especially
around the holidays. :biggrin:

 

[monkeynutz]

Greg, a hearty welcome, and since no one has mentioned it yet, you need to at all costs, HANG ON TO THE FIRST PEN YOU MADE YOURSELF! It will be an invaluable gauge of your progress, and the source of many happy memories in the coming years!

Or, as in my case, a miserable reminder of your tragic beginnings... :wink:

 

[edman2]

Gregory,
Now you've done it! Too late. Welcome to a great hobby! By-the-way, we judge people by the company they keep so in the case of TowMater you're ok! :biggrin: This is also an invitation to join the Southwest Missouri local chapter. Check it out under the local chapter tab at the top.

 

[Greg O'Sherwood]

New London,
yes, I meant more difficult, not harder. Poor specificity on my part. It seemed easy- I can't wait to try turning wood. I need to get my DP table installed so I can drill out some more blanks.

What do you cut your blanks in half with? TS? BS?

Thanks to all of you for the warnings and suggestions. Pic on the fridge going up soon...

Gregory of Sherwood Forest