Mahogany usage

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scoutharps

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Mar 23, 2008
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Lascassas, TN, USA.
[|)]Good Morning All!

[?]Got a question for the more experienced than me people.

First, is there a decent pencil kit out there? After reading about all the problematic ones, I'm not sure if I should change my plans. I had planned on making a pen/pencil/letter opener/ mag glss set for each of us kids and Mom from the African Mahogany my Grandfather had brought back from his missionary days. But now, i am hearing all these horror stories. It needs to be something that will stand up to daily use. Don't know if they will get it--my siblings are sometimes rather strange in thier tastes. Is there something that would utlize this wood better? I am talking about well seasoned shiping crate boards from the 50s and 60s. I hven't seen one in years, they are in TX, but I believe they are about 12x15--15x 1/2 to 3/4''. They are rough cut, and I'm sure there will be some wastage due to checking, cracks, etc. I need a total of 6 if I make sets for the sibs and Mom, of if I just do pens, and include the grandkids, I need 15.Thanks again!:D
 
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kent4Him

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Mar 23, 2006
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While I myself don't like mechanical pencils for personal use, I do have to say that the European and Amercana Pencils are decent quality. They are twist pencils and take the .7mm lead.
 

Russianwolf

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Jul 13, 2007
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Martinsburg, WV, USA.
The only pencils that get raves around here seem to be:

1) the artist sketch pencil (uses 5.2mm lead I believe)
2) Pentel Pencils with a new covering

So if you don't mind that the outside shape isn't uniform accross the set, and just the wood matches, Then you have options. If you want a fully matched, quality set, you may be out of luck.

The only set that I know of that has all four units in a decent plating is the PSI European/Designer styled kits. The pencil mech in it is an odd unit. You twist it clockwise to extend the lead and counterclockwise to retract it. The mech is smooth, but I'm not sure about longevity. The major downside, as I was discussing with Karl, is that neither of us see a way for a second piece of lead to load automatically when th first one is used up. You have to wind the mech all the way back and insert a new lead into the nib and seat it on the "lead holder" to prevent it from dropping back out.

I'm not a fan of the kits that have the mech that you twist to extend the lead and twist back to lock the lead in place. They just don't feel very good to me. I also had a couple people ask about pencils and when I show them this design, they respond with "that's too complicated, don't you have a click pencil?"
 

Sfolivier

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Feb 22, 2008
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San Diego, CA, USA.
"letter opener and magnifying glass."

It all depends on who you make the set for. Those two items are the least used while the pencils I made usually get people pretty excited. If the wood means a lot, you could consider foutain pen / rollerball sets.
 

wdcav1952

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Montgomery, Pennsylvania, USA.
Originally posted by Sfolivier

"letter opener and magnifying glass."

It all depends on who you make the set for. Those two items are the least used while the pencils I made usually get people pretty excited. If the wood means a lot, you could consider foutain pen / rollerball sets.

Glad you find excitable people for your work, that is always encouraging. Interestingly enough, in all the vintage pen/pencil sets I have purchased, the pencil is always virtually unused.
 

leehljp

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I don't know how skilled you are in making pens/pencils at this point, but in general, I would recommend to set this project aside until you can do several sets with different and more available woods - consistently. What you are wanting to do, beside the mechanical side, is to give something with heritage and sentimental value. This will be better accomplished when the 'turning and finishing' results are an almost foregone conclusion.

I don't mean to imply that you can't do that now, as you must have great eye-hand coordination in your work, but it is my feeling that "in general" it is better to delay heirloom projects until developed skills match the hopes and desires! The end results will be much more than the sentimentality of the wood alone. A well finished set will then be doubly valued.
 

alamocdc

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San Antonio, Texas, USA.
I've turned a number of Mahogany pens. And I've found it to be wonderful wood to work with. No problems at all. It tools beautifully. My favorite pencil is the Perfect Fit so if I were doing a set, it would be either that, or the Jr Gent twist (it uses the same Schmidt pencil mechanism) if you want something a bit larger. On a side note, many of the Parker refill pens can easily be modified to take the Schmidt pencil mechanism. Check the library for the how to's.
 

Rudy Vey

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Jan 26, 2004
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South Plainfield, NJ, USA.
Perfect Fit Convertible makes a great pencil. Pretty much every pencil that uses the Schmidt pencil mechanism is a fine pencil (Gent Jr, El Grande etc). You can buy this mechanism and even convert a Sierra to a pencil (there is an instruction from Mudder somewhere on IAP). Stay away from the click or twist pencil.
Mahogany turns easily and finishes nicely, unfortunately, it has not much to show off, it is pretty bland. I have made a lot of furniture from it, and thats where it should used for.
 

Sfolivier

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Feb 22, 2008
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"Glad you find excitable people for your work, that is always encouraging. Interestingly enough, in all the vintage pen/pencil sets I have purchased, the pencil is always virtually unused."

Thanks for making my point. As I said, It all depends on who you make the sets for. I wouldn't be so fast to dismiss pencils.

Why do my friends use them? Because pencils are fast: they glide faster than a ballpoint, are ultralight and require little pressure. With a H lead the tip never breaks. They are waterproof and work on a surprising variety of surfaces. They work in -4 cold rooms. They never leak when forgotten in a hot car. Their trace lasts a long time and doesn't UV bleach. They are fun to doodle with. They are erasable. Did you know, you can also use them to make electrical contacts? Some people I know used them to unlock older Athlon processors by making conductive carbon bridges.

So yes, I make pencils. Actually, even more often than slimlines ballpoint which usually come with a crappy gooey refill than few people who are into pens like. I've even moved to making FP/pencil sets. Two very different looking pens but featuring the same wood just look great.

In the meantime, you can make letter openers and magnifiers for your non-excitable friends.
 

Daniel

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Jan 1, 2004
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Reno, NV, USA.
I have been using a humble little ol slimline pencil for years. it is the old .5mm style though and I do not know how the .7mm works compair. I also like the jr. gent. I don't use mine much as it is part of my collection but have not had any problems with it yet.
 
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