Are these resin blanks?

[jennera]

Rebecca has another question about some blanks in her prize package. What material are the pretty, round blanks? She has mostly been using an easy gouge with a carbide blade and would like to know if the HSS gouges would be better for these blanks.

She has been wanting to use the HSS gouges but needs Dad to sharpen them for her first. She hasn't learned how to do that and since they are her Grandpa's gouges doesn't want to mess them up.

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[jttheclockman]

If it is not wood it is acrylic in your photo. What type it is hard to tell but that does not matter. Will turn relatively the same.

 

[robutacion]

All blanks on the right of the pic are acrylics, the 2 on top are already drilled and are made for a specific kit while the 3 round ones at the bottom are regular size acrylic blanks yet to be worked on.

HSS tools will handle both types of blanks IF they are sharp.

Good luck,

Cheers
George

 

[magpens]

Yes, the 3 pretty round blanks, bottom right, are resin. ( probably polyresin, a.k.a. PR , but could also be Alumilite )

I recommend sticking with the carbide cutting tools, and taking very light cuts.

PR is more prone to chipping than Alumilite. Without seeing the blanks in real life it is hard to tell which they are.

PR could smell when drilling, but you really shouldn't let it get that hot. A *little bit* of soapy water could help to lubricate. Clean up after
When drilling, go slowly in about 1/4" increments; back out your drill and clean it off often.

BTW, those purpleheart wood blanks ... can be tricky and produce slivers.

 

[stonepecker]

All good advice above.

The blanks all came from donations. I broke down the donations and gave something new to each winner. Something them might not have easy access to......that way they get to turn something different. And they also get a chance at seeing what they like to turn.

Besides all the above advise I would suggest looking at Ed's videos @ ExoticBlanks. He has a great way of explaining how to make these blanks look super. You can also find other videos in YouTube that can help.

Be sure to post Rebecca's finished pens for us all to enjoy.
But always remember to have fun and enjoy the hobby.

 

[Charlie_W]

Congrats to Rebecca on the win!....nice blanks!

I just want to note that with sharpening lathe gouges, it is best if done by a turner. They will understand the grinds necessary for certain cuts where as a wood worker, or a sharpening service may not be up to speed on what turners want and need in a grind.
No disrespect intended to dad at all. One of my wife's coworkers was so angry one day because her husband generously sharpened her lathe tools for her......she had to get someone else to get them back in shape!

Good luck on turning the blanks into pens!

 

[lhowell]

They are some type of resin/acrylic. I use carbide cutters on acrylics and ramp my lathe up to the 3200-3500 mark and take very very shallow cuts. HSS will do the job but they have to be extremely sharp and it may take sharpening them halfway through to maintain a good edge and prevent chipping/blowout.

Also, it is a very good idea if you don't already to wear some type of respiratory protection whether that is a N95 rated dust mask or better.

When I sand these types of blanks I keep my lathe around 500-750rpm and will stop the lathe and sand the blanks lengthwise to eliminate the radial scratches before moving to my next grit. I do this all the way from 220 through 12,000 Micro Mesh then hit it with some type of plastic polishing compound whether it be Meguiar's PlastX or Novus 3-2-1. If you have a buffing wheel with some white diamond and Tripoli compounds even better!

One thing I will point out is Alumilite will still be quite dull after final sanding and polishing. To get that gloss I usually will put a CA finish over the alumilite and sand/polish that as well. Polyester Resin (PR) will shine up very well once sanded and polished.

 

[jennera]

Rebecca has tried some acrylic when she first started turning and had a lot of chipping so she is looking for all the advice she can to be successful with these blanks.

I had asked her to practice more on less expensive materials before I kept purchasing beautiful more expensive blanks that were causing her to become frustrated. I am hoping she has learned to be a bit more gentle and will have successes with all the great blanks she received. She loves trying the new materials! We placed an order for some Sierra kits last night and others for these special blanks and I hope to have some pictures in a couple of weeks. This weekend we need to reorganize the garage so maybe, just maybe, we can get a car in there again!

Although she is shy has not joined the forum herself, she does look for information here and is thankful for all the help and encouragement!

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[jennera]

My previous reply was during my lunch break and I had not read all the great advice on carbide vs hss! I will share all this info with her!

Regarding sharpening the HSS, my Dad does wood turning and gave my hubby some lessons on how to sharpen the tools. My Dad got Rebecca started in pen turning as he had a few kits left over from years ago so he taught her over Christmas break and sent his old HSS tools home with her. My Dad prefers making furniture and larger things so didn't do much pen turning besides a few gifts.

My uncle teaches high school shop and recommended the carbide tools as that is what he uses with his students to make pens.

Neither one of them has experience with the acrylic materials though so many questions!

For the carbide tools...do you sharpen or just replace the blades? Any way to tell if the blade is dull? The tool she is using most has a circle blade on the end so my hubby said we could just rotate it to start with but I would like to get as much use out of it as possible. She did look at a set of carbide tools at Rockler for pen turning...would those be worth the investment?

We were trying not to invest too much initially since she is a teenager and we didn't know how long she would stick with it.


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[D.Oliver]

Neither one of them has experience with the acrylic materials though so many questions!

For the carbide tools...do you sharpen or just replace the blades?

Most people just replace the insert on carbide tools.

Any way to tell if the blade is dull?

This unfortunately come from experience. As you use the tool and develop a feel for it, you will notice as it starts to become dull.

The tool she is using most has a circle blade on the end so my hubby said we could just rotate it to start with but I would like to get as much use out of it as possible.

When I use a carbide tool, I use a four sided insert. I generally get somewhere around 40 - 50 pens per insert. It will depend on the material you turn.

She did look at a set of carbide tools at Rockler for pen turning...would those be worth the investment?

There will be many opinions on this. HSS tools must be sharpened. You must have some way of sharpening them such as a grinder, tormak, or some other dedicated device. Sharpening is also a skill and as such it's going to take a little practice to get good at it. Carbide offers the convenience of not having to sharpen, but that convenience comes at the cost of expensive tools and inserts. You may be able to reduce this cost by making your own tool, but you still have the cost of the inserts.

I, personally have both types of tools. I generally use my traditional HSS tools more, but that is probably simply due to the fact that is what I learned on and have a higher degree of comfort with those tools.

 

[D.Oliver]

If you choose to go with the HSS tools and sharpening you will also probably need some jigs to help. You can either buy them or make them. There are several videos on how to sharpen each of the different tools (skew, bowl gouge, spindle gouge) but the best way to learn would be to make contact with another turner who is proficient at sharpening and have them guide you through; (possibly your father). If you choose to go with a carbide tool, you probably don't need the entire set right off the bat. You could get by with just one tool, either the rougher or the finisher.

 

[magpens]

You can get more life out of the round carbide insert by touching it up, as long as it does not have significant "damage" to the sharp edge. One or two small dents to the edge don't matter much because you can rotate the insert to a "nice" area when remounting it to the tool handle.

To touch it up, take the round insert off the handle (special tool may be needed) and turn the insert upside-down on a fairly large piece of emory paper which is backed up by a nice flat surface like a kitchen counter-top. Then using your index finger to gently press the insert down onto the gritty surface of the paper, move the insert around in circles.

It would help to have a lighted magnifier to inspect the sharp edge before and after doing this, in order to make some judgment about when it's time to stop.

I would use emory paper of 400 grit up to 1200 grit, the bigger the grit number the longer it will take and the better the result. . Ideally, work your way up through several pieces of emory paper towards the bigger grit numbers.

 

[stonepecker]

counter top is good but if you have a counter top place close by......ask them for a piece of scrap granite. 12"x12" or so will work wonderful. It is heavy and shouldn't slide. You can use a general spray adheasive to 'glue' the paper down. The granite can be "cleaned with white gas, rubbing achoel, or even a razorblade.


Forgive my lousy spelling......I am tired

 

[TattooedTurner]

I prefer very sharp HSS tools for turning resin pens. Normally I have to sharpen midway through or at the very least touch my skew up on a diamond card. My personal experience is that resin is more forgiving when being too aggressive with HSS than it is with carbide. To the best of my knowledge, the only resin blanks I've ever blown out were with carbide tools. I'm really learning to love the skew when turning resin.

 

[lhowell]

My previous reply was during my lunch break and I had not read all the great advice on carbide vs hss! I will share all this info with her!

Regarding sharpening the HSS, my Dad does wood turning and gave my hubby some lessons on how to sharpen the tools. My Dad got Rebecca started in pen turning as he had a few kits left over from years ago so he taught her over Christmas break and sent his old HSS tools home with her. My Dad prefers making furniture and larger things so didn't do much pen turning besides a few gifts.

My uncle teaches high school shop and recommended the carbide tools as that is what he uses with his students to make pens.

Neither one of them has experience with the acrylic materials though so many questions!

For the carbide tools...do you sharpen or just replace the blades? Any way to tell if the blade is dull? The tool she is using most has a circle blade on the end so my hubby said we could just rotate it to start with but I would like to get as much use out of it as possible. She did look at a set of carbide tools at Rockler for pen turning...would those be worth the investment?

We were trying not to invest too much initially since she is a teenager and we didn't know how long she would stick with it.


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I don't have much to expand on over Derek's post but I have both Rockler's big square and round carbide tools and the mini pen set carbide tools. I use the big carbides to rough the blank down and then switch to the smaller tools for final shaping before sanding. I pretty much do not use my HSS gouges except for bowl turning as you can get a lot of tearout on endgrain on bowls that takes forever to sand out.

The mini set also works well for getting better finite details on pens and bottle stoppers if she ever chooses to venture outside of pens. The go on sale periodically on Rockler so I would watch out for one of the times they are on sale and grab them then! Always keep a few extra cutting tips on hand as well but they are pricey at about $22 ea!

As far as knowing when they are dull Derek is right...it is all on feel. When you are having to apply a lot of force to get a cut it is time to rotate the carbide cutter to a fresh edge. I tend to agree that around 40-50 pens before I have to think about rotating or swapping out carbide tips whereas HSS sometimes require sharpening midway through just one pen!