Nubie

[henthorn]

A stroke of luck has given me enough cash to get started in pen making. I have a lathe and tools and a little experience turning. I would like to make higher grade pens and am not sure what mandrel to order to begin. Are the adjustable mandrels worth the extra? What size would be best for the better pens? Is there a make that is considered superior to others? I appreciate any help.

 

[Old Griz]

At the risk of getting into a ******* Match around here.. this is my opinion
All the kits I purchase are either CSU or Berea (from Arizona Silhouette). I will not purchase the 24K, Upgrade Gold or 10K Gold.. only TN Gold or better platings... especially if you plan to give away or sell your pens.. you don't want the platings to start fading.
Unless you are going to produce certain Berea kits (RT Euro, Perfect Fit Convertible, etc.) you only need the standard mandrel...
You don't need an adjustable mandrel... I used standard mandrels for a long time.. I just recently purchased an Axminster chuck and will be using that.. but the standard mandrels are good.. just don't buy junk.
Now give me a second to put on my hardhat.. cause I know someone is going to throw something over this..
I recommend starting with Cigar kits instead of slimlines. IMHO, it is a lot easier to cut a gentle curve than it is to cut a perfectly straight barrel. I also find that Cigars show off the wood better for only a slightly higher price for the kits.
I will now crawl back into my foxhole and prepare for the artillery assault.[}]

 

[wdcav1952]

Don't forget your helmet, Griz.

 

[lkorn]

Hey Griz,

Why don't you say what you REALLY mean [}]

 

[YoYoSpin]

In the long run, a new mandrel, adjustable or not, will be the least of your expenses. In fact, if you're like most of us, you'll probably end up with 3 or 4.

 

[ctEaglesc]

I pretty much agee with Griz.
Until you get your feet wet and relize the possibilities are endless with the slimline, the design of the basic "KIT" can be challenging.(The only disclaimer is if you LIKE skinny little pens you are going to have to learn some how to make them sometime.)( I hate skinny little pens and rarely make them)
I started with the American flatop from WC.
It was before I knew reasonbly priced components were available through the net and could have them shipped reasonably without any handling charges.It was certainly cheaper than buying gas to travel 3&1/2 hours to the "local" WC.
Cigars are a good choice because of the economics and ease, but any "style" that pleases you would be the one I would choose to start.
You will be more apt to put in the extra effort for something YOU will enjoy.(Most styles can be dissassembled so make sure you order extra tubes, you'll find uses for them.
(Did I surprise you Griz?)[]

 

[Old Griz]

No Eagle... it seems we have more in common about the technology of pen making than the psychology of pen makers... that is not a bad thing... leads to some interesting conversations as long as everyone respects each other's leanings.

 

[arioux]

From a nubie to another,

Hi,I'm only 3 mounts old in perturning, i started turning slimline like everybody, and yes it is hard to turn a really staight barrel that have a good fit at the center band (in my opinion). I discovered cigar pen after reading about it in this forum and boy did it change my live. Not only i find it a lot easier, but the pen itself looks a lot greater. If you absolutely want to stick with slimline, may i suggest you look at Russ Faifield site and try the Russ line pen.

http://www.woodturnerruss.com/Pen41.html

It is really a lot more fun to make that the straight slimline.

Hope this will help you.

Alfred

 

[scalawagtoo]

Welcome nubie.

Are you a Nubian nubie from Nubia?

 

[airrat]

Here you go Griz [] btw ignore the little red star best I could find on short notice.

 

[JimGo]

Tom and Eagle have given great advice; I too would recommend the Cigar kit for a new turner. Learn to make a slimline later, or at least, if you're going to start with a slimline kit, don't try to turn a straight barrel. Had five of my first ten pen's worth of blanks explode on me, most of the time when I got down close to the straight barrel size. Besides, the curved shapes are both visually pleasing and easier to make, IMHO.

Best of luck, and welcome!

 

[fritzmccorkle]

I would disagree. i don't think there's any better place to start than slimlines. they're about half the cost of cigar pens and very easy to turn. i've turned many and have never turned a straight profile slimline. expensive platings are nice, but i would also wait on that unless you're not concerned with money. there's a bit of a learning curve and you can learn on less expensive kits as easily as the more expensive. cigar kits are not hard, but with any parker refill pen (except the polaris) lower tube length is critical. on a slimline this is not the case. i'd also not start turning $7 burls right away either....unless money isn't an issue and you don't mind a good cry now and then.

 

[henthorn]

Thanks for all the above replies. Guess I will start off with the slimlines but avoid the plane jane look. I will order some cigar kits at the same time.

 

[airrat]

You can get Cigar kits at a good price from BB at Arizona Silhouette. He always has them on sale. I do agree with Griz on the type of "gold" kit you get. I only use TG now due to the 24k rubbing off. You can shop around and find some different color types of slimline kits that are nice. Slimlines are fun due to all the different designs you can do. I have tried a few different ones with cigars but they always seem to make the pen unbalanced.

 

[elody21]

Cigar pens are soooooooooooooooo user friendly!!! Slimline are good too. a lot of people with smaller hands find a cigar pen hard to hold to write with though.

 

[Scott]

Hi Don!

I had to laugh at the idea of Don Henthorn as a Nubian! []

Jump right in and enjoy the site! It's a great place to hang out! And welcome, from one old Ponder and Centralian to another!

Scott.

 

[Dario]

I like slim lines for the times when my drill start wandering []. If the wall get thin, check if the blank can still be used for slimline []

I agree will all that you better start with cheaper kits and blanks until you get the hang of it...most difficult part (for me at least) is the finishing process NOT the turning part.

Believe them too that slimline with straight barrel is more difficult to make than the fatter/curved version...go with what ever pleases you.

Good luck and WELCOME!!!

 

[Paul Russell]

Here's a secret the purest won't like for straight barrels on slimlines. Take a piece of 3/4" pine, cut it to 2" wide by about 4" long to make a sanding block. Turn your pen barrels on the mandrel as straight as you can but not quite down to the bushing. Wrap a piece of 220 grit sand paper on the sanding block. Hold the sand block across the barrel so that the 2" width is about the same width as the barrel. Move the black back and forth along the barrel while it is spinning on the lathe. The sanding block provides a hard backing to the sanding paper and smoothes out the peaks and valleys. Try not to sand the bushings. Finish by stopping the lathe and sanding lengthwise on the blank to remove any sanding rings then proceed through the rest of your sanding regemin.

Eventually with practice, you will get straighter sides from your tools and won't need much of this.

 

[ed4copies]

You have plenty of advice-
Go forth and make pens!
If you do slimlines, make your own centerband and the size of the pen can be anything YOU like.[]

 

[vick]

if you go with the slimline take a look at http://www.woodturner-russ.com/Pen10.html
It is an excellent tutorial with a couple of designs you can use on the slim line kits. The Fatline or the Russ line are fairly forgiving designs.

 

[arehrlich]

Enough of the talk. Let's see some pictures.

Alan

 

[Rifleman1776]

A while back there was a similar discussion where most of the (experienced) contributors praised the slimline because it is so versatile. One is not required to make it straight and slim. The pen lends itself to [almost] whatever the maker wants it to be. I started with the European because I like the look and consider it to be very classy.

 

[airrat]

Rifleman I agree with you on the look of the European. I tried a couple and everyone I work with that get a slimline are wanting the Euro now. I am also trying the Olympia from AS. Have not completed one. Will have to pray I make it through rehab (camping trip) this weekend and turn it next week.

 

[lawry76]

I want to add a coment. I started with slimlines because they were kind of hard for me to make, same reasons as listed above. Within weeks I was getting them turned down to the bushings, I knew how to sand them correctly, etc. But it has taken me a year to finally improve my finishing technique. That has been the biggest challenge for me. I felt like I hit a plateau after the first month, and stayed there, until I learned more about putting on a good finish. I recommend you visit some of the forums here, particularly the one on finishing. I have learned a lot from the advice posted here. Good luck and have fun!

 

[atvrules1]

Don, just a suggestion. When I start someone out on penturning, I have them go to a local cabinetmaker and get a box of scrap hardwood. The ones in this area give away scraps for free. Then I have them cut the scraps into blank and drill the middle with a 1/4" bit. This fits a 7mm mandrel without having to glue in a brass tube. Then you can use these free blanks to get a feel for your lathe and tools without feeling like you are wasting wood if you make a mistake. When you get comfortable with turning, then you can use a real blank, drill, glue and turn and finish a pen, and fire off some pictures for us to see. Good luck.