Quality of pen kits

[anna]

Hi,

I'm totally new at pen turning (or any woodturning for that matter). For practice, I ordered a bunch of pen kits online. Now I'm wondering what the difference is between the slimline kits that are ~$2 each and the more expensive slimlines from, say, CSUSA. I would like to make pens for Christmas presents and I don't want the mechanisms or plating going bad. I don't want to spend a fortune either if there isn't any substantial difference between the "cheaper" versions and the more expensive stuff. So, what would be a reasonable kit for presents or sales (eventually)?

Thanks for any help.

Anna

 

[PenWorks]

Anna, most companies ussually show the wear factors of the platings someplace in the catalog or web site. 24K, 10K wear easily. Stick with Chrome, platinum and gold Ti for longer lasting finishes.

 

[anna]

Hey, Anthony,

So it doesn't really matter which vendor I get it from as long as it's not the gold plated versions? I bought the Chrome kits mostly, and some satin-finish kits (I've previously read enough to avoid the 10K and 24K kits). Does it matter that it's "Made in Taiwan?"

Anna

 

[Tea Clipper]

Anna, they are all "made in Taiwan", more or less. The top three kit mfgs are Craft Supply, Berea, and PSI. Of those, there are many resellers for Berea and PSI (CS doesn't have any). "You get what you pay for" rings true, however asking what is acceptable will bring you just as many answers and answerers. Good luck! []

 

[PenWorks]

I avoid satin finishes as well, they do not hold up.
95% of my supplies come from CSU & Berea products. JMO

 

[anna]

Thanks, guys. [] I bought the PSI kits. Maybe I should look at the Berea products instead.

 

[GaryMGg]

Anna,
If you stay with Chrome slimlines, you can go with those vendors who resell the PSI kits and
save money: woodnwhimsies.com or http://www.woodturningz.com.

If you want the Berea kits, Bill at http://www.arizonasilhouette.com or
Ernie at http://www.beartoothwoods.com/catalog are a couple of guys with supplies.

Enjoy,
Gary

 

[anna]

Can someone just tell me which one to buy? [] Seriously, are the PSI kits in any way inferior to the Berea? Should I get the CSUSA stuff instead? My problem is that I don't have a handle of what I'm supposed to be looking for in the pen kits. I thought the Woodcraft kits were okay, but they cost 3x the PSI kits. But if the cheaper kits are crap, then they're not worth it. And since I'm new at this, I have absolutely no idea what's crap and what's not.

Unless there's a code of silence here that says "Thou shalt not demean any brand of pen kits, even when the inquirer is too dense to understand anything you're trying to say." In which case, I'll give up. []

 

[Dario]

I agree with Anthony.

I personally buy only Chrome, TN Gold, Black TN, Rho/Platinum plated kits now. As of the last 3 years, all my kits are from CSUSA and Berea.

I buy my Berea kits from Arizona Silhouette but will try BearToothWoods again next time. CSUSA direct from CSUSA.

 

[GaryMGg]

Anna,

Your question was framed around slimlines.
Most of the slimline kits are basically the same EXCEPT the plating.
The transmissions from CSUSA seem slightly better to me than the PSI ones BUT not enough
to justify the difference in price.

Woodcraft is higher priced on their stuff because they have to support a retail storefront.

For roughly $1.85 each from http://www.woodnwhimsies.com/Pen_Kits.htm you can buy the Slimline/Fancy Pen kit (RZ-FANn, where n is the plating).

This link http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/catalog/plating101.html explains the differences in plating and why you'd choose one over the other.

With slimlines and pens I give away, I typically use chrome.

Bear in mind there are many other types of pens besides slimlines, and that's where the differences really pick up in my opinion.
For the more expensive pens, I choose the better platings:
Rhodium/Platinum
Titanium with Black or Gold series plating.
For Barons from Arizone Silhoutte, I use their better platings; I especially like the Sterling Silver.

Gary

 

[anna]

Gary, that's pretty much what I was looking for, thanks. I've just started turning, and all I'm doing now are slimlines because, well, that's what we did in the Woodcraft class. I would love to learn to do the other types of pens, too, but it seems like I'll have to get a whole new set of bushings and what-nots, so that'll come later.

Thanks for the links, too. I'll go make some more pens now. []

Anna

 

[exoticwo]

Anna,
These guys won't steer you astray, we all want the same thing as you. A good quality product that will stand the test of time. Some vendors think that means higher prices to us, other vendors want happy/repeat customers, the same as us!
Anthony gives good advice and I'll at that if you want Gold, which sells good for me, than buy gold by all means.
The better gold is the TN variety, which wears a lot longer than the 10/24k stuff.

 

[ctwxlvr]

ok being a new pen turner my self I know what she is going through, an here is an answer good or bad.

For the most part all pen kits of the same type (slimline chrome for example) are the same quality from all supplier, and for the most part the higher the price the better the quality of the kit(not finish) finishes are a different story, they are almost the same from each supplier. Gold copper and satin finishes are the least durable, chrome is very durable but can scratch easy, silver is good when solid fair for plated, Ti, rhodium are the next on the scale and gold ti is one of the best. Enamel and powder coated pens are good but a very hard brittle material and prone to chipping if dropped. that is my take on the quality issues at this time. As to choosing a supplier, there are more opinions on that then their are suppliers, you will hear both good and bad about all suppliers. the resellers tend to have a little bit better customer service and better prices than the actual supplier, just do to the fact they buy in bulk all the time and have lower overhead than the big guys have, a couple even have their on exclusive line of pen that only they sell.

 

[gerryr]

If you want inexpensive kits to begin with, pick basically the cheapest chrome slimlines and/or cigars you can find. You will find cigars actually easier to turn than slimlines. Nobody mentioned Wood Pen Pro. Jimmy has some great prices on slims and cigars and some acrylics that nobody else has. He also provides good service.

 

[Scott]

Anna! Welcome to the madness! []

When it comes to slimlines, I don't think one manufacturer has it over on the others. Your first criteria should be quality of plating, such a titanium or chrome, both of which are durable. Second should be how it looks. I don't care for how the slimline clip looks on many of the regular Berea and CSUSA kits (personal preference) so I buy almost all my slimline kits from PSI (actually from Woodturnings, who is a PSI reseller) in the Titanium gold, and the black. Now I will say that the Streamlined Slimline from Berea is a super kit - I like it a lot, so I get those from Arizona Silhouette (or Beartooth Woods). And a particularly nice slimline style kit is the Father Sing pen from CSUSA which I get in the platinum for "special" pens.

Remember to have fun!

Scott.

 

[anna]

Gerry, I just checked out Wood Pen Pro, and he has great prices. With respect to the cigar pens, is the assembly pretty much the same idea as the slimlines? I think I need a 10mm drill, but do I also have to get a different mandrel? And what size blanks do I need for the cigars?

Scott, I didn't see the titanium gold kits at Woodturningz but will ask Ryan about them. I'll look up the Berea and CSUSA kits you mentioned.

I think that one of the most difficult things for newbies like me is just distinguishing all the different types of pens and finishes that are available. Thanks to everyone who's shared their preferences and given recommendations. It should at least narrow down the types of kits I'm ordering next.

[]

Anna

 

[ed4copies]

For the Cigar, I use 25/64" drill bit - you may already have one.

The kit is EASY - go for it!!!

 

[mdburn_em]

Most kits are turned on an "A" mandrel. "B" kits are becoming more popular because the shaft is larger diameter giving you less wobble and less chance for an out-of-round pen.

There is a group buy going on right now for kits from CSUSA. Most people buy more expensive kits because of the savings but you can still save a good bit on the Titanium plated slimlines. I would take a look and see if the savings might be worth it.

The cigar is very easy. Well, easy for these guys, for some who are bushing challenged (me) I manage to screw up 1 or 2 now and then. I almost cried cause I did it to one of Ed's cats. []

I'm going to get one of the 3 piece bushing kits from Woodcraft.

 

[txcwboy]

I use Craft Supply almost exclusively. I order only the platinum kits when I do Euro/Blanc type. I dont order any cheap pens though.I think my time and ability is worth more than a 10k pen type. Good Luck !

Dave

 

[IPD_Mrs]

What everyone is saying really rings true. For learning, give aways and trying new finishes, you can't go wrong with the slimlines, cigars, and round tops from woodnwhimsies. Your satins, golds and copper finishes will not hold up well and that is fine if you know and understand it. There are some pens that just look better with a satin finish or a gold finish. We give pens like these to my wifes employees for their birthdays and other occasions. We also get feedback as to how well the pen, finishes and platings hold up that way. When you want something nice without going overboard then the Baron, JR Gentlemans, and JR Retro kits are good buys. Follow the advise of the other members on the better plating with these kits. If you are going to spend a few dollars extra then you might as well do it right.[]

Mike