The most important tool in penturning is

[thewishman]

Sandpaper!

No matter how good or bad you are at turning, sandpaper can make or break you.

 

[DurocShark]

No it's not. It's:

 

[thewishman]

Do you remember this post from a few years back:

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=5660&highlight=hacksaw

Brains are not necessary.

 

[DurocShark]

I had forgotten about that...

 

[workinforwood]

That brain would make some cool pens with all those channels running through it and the cool color scheme.

 

[PTownSubbie]

I don't remember that video and it is now removed.....Oh well, probably nothing worth watching.....Might have given me some bad techniques. Not that I can't create enough of my own.

 

[Lee K]

well Chris .... sandpaper CAN be your friend! Last night I was working on a piece of cherry burl (a surprise pen for my wife) and it has a nice knot in one of the barrels. Now I knew it would be a stuggle, and as expected the little knot popped out.

A little CA, pressure, and coffee grounds to fill in the gaps and I went back to work. I used my 80 grit "skew" to whoop that knot back into its place!

 

[avbill]

"The sharpener"

 

[BKelley]

I'll second the brain as the most important tool. The eye that designs the pen is controled by the brain, the hand that turns the pen takes orders from the brain. Hmmmm, wonder why I can't make a beautiful pen???

Ben