TattooedTurner
Member
No, it isn't a new kit. This is my summary of a rookie's woes. All I want to do is make a sculpted pen for my mom's birthday, and time is running out.
V1.0 The blank blew out, I'd say it was my fault for not being careful enough.
V2.0 The blank I cast just didn't look good to my eye.
V3.0 I was glueing the brass tubes into the four Euro pens I showed here, and doing it assembly line style with the others using wood blanks. In the process, I forgot to paint the tubes, and this one was PR. It resulted in the brass showing through, ruining what I think is the most beautiful blank I've cast yet.
V4.0 Another very nice blank cast. Tubes painted white. I turned the fatter tube first, then on to the skinnier tube. Everything going great, until I made a pass and the color immediately lightened several shades. The problem is both blanks use an 8mm tube, but the top one is thicker. This allowed the white to show through more on the lower, changing the color. It could also be that I didn't use enough mica powder, so...
V5.0 Cast yet another fuschia blank, using at least twice, maybe three times the powder. Painted the tubes white and reading about painting the inside of the blanks here, I painted the insides red. Got them turned & polished and they looked great! Sized the barrels to the hardware, centerband loose but nothing a drop of CA won't fix. Sized the lower barrel to the centerband. Oh no! A big unsightly gap all the way around. Checked my measurements with a caliper, the lower barrel should be 0.39 inch, mine was just below 0.38. I either trashed my bushings on the other attempts or sanded too much to remove tool marks. Also, the recess in the centerband is 0.42 in, which would leave a bit of a gap even at the proper diameter. I'm out of fuschia mica, so ruby will have to do.
I could only shake my head and laugh at this point. I'll be back at it tomorrow. V6.0 to follow, I hope it's the final one before release!
V1.0 The blank blew out, I'd say it was my fault for not being careful enough.
V2.0 The blank I cast just didn't look good to my eye.
V3.0 I was glueing the brass tubes into the four Euro pens I showed here, and doing it assembly line style with the others using wood blanks. In the process, I forgot to paint the tubes, and this one was PR. It resulted in the brass showing through, ruining what I think is the most beautiful blank I've cast yet.
V4.0 Another very nice blank cast. Tubes painted white. I turned the fatter tube first, then on to the skinnier tube. Everything going great, until I made a pass and the color immediately lightened several shades. The problem is both blanks use an 8mm tube, but the top one is thicker. This allowed the white to show through more on the lower, changing the color. It could also be that I didn't use enough mica powder, so...
V5.0 Cast yet another fuschia blank, using at least twice, maybe three times the powder. Painted the tubes white and reading about painting the inside of the blanks here, I painted the insides red. Got them turned & polished and they looked great! Sized the barrels to the hardware, centerband loose but nothing a drop of CA won't fix. Sized the lower barrel to the centerband. Oh no! A big unsightly gap all the way around. Checked my measurements with a caliper, the lower barrel should be 0.39 inch, mine was just below 0.38. I either trashed my bushings on the other attempts or sanded too much to remove tool marks. Also, the recess in the centerband is 0.42 in, which would leave a bit of a gap even at the proper diameter. I'm out of fuschia mica, so ruby will have to do.
I could only shake my head and laugh at this point. I'll be back at it tomorrow. V6.0 to follow, I hope it's the final one before release!
