To those that produce pens for sale.

[Mike V Florida]

I am a rank beginner having only produced about 10 pens. These pens have been different styles.

So for you that make your pens fit perfect for sale, how do you do it? Using wood with friction polish and polished acrylics I find that bringing the work to the level of the bushing still leave some proud, necessitating pounding the pens apart and putting them back on the lathe to sand them lower than the bushing.

You guys can't do that with all the pens you make, do you? Do you just stick to two or three styles and just know through repeating the same ones what is needed? do you sand down the hardware and trial fit it then glue it in place?

I know with the CA coating I need to make the wood smaller than the bushing to allow for the finish, I'm not talking about that.

Frustrated in Florida

 

[skiprat]

Step one: Buy a pair of digital calipers and compare every piece of the pen kit to the appropriate bushing. Compensate as required.
Step two: Practice, practice, practice
:biggrin:

 

[Argo13]

I second the calipers. It is the only way to be 100% sure of size. Make sure you have the right bushings for example wall street III vs a wall street II bushing would leave you proud. What kits are you using?

I have made many different pen kits but make only a few varieties routinely. Makes it easier on you to produce and on the customer who is trying to select a pen.

Try not to be too frustrated. Not having them come out perfect is common at first. Trying getting to a local turning club or maybe another IAP member is close to you.

Keep a pen or two from this group. You'll be amazed when you compare them to pens years from now.

Good luck in your journey
Jason


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[Timber Ripper]

Hey Mike,
Calipers are a must for this hobby.. The Harbor Freight ones aren't bad for under $20.
As soon as I open a kits I will be working on, I compare the bushings to all parts that apply - cap, center band and nib. I then note any differences in size and compensate from there. Most of the time the bushings are right on.
Also, when you think your turning material is down to the bushing. Run your finger nail along the bushing and onto the pen blank. You should not feel a difference at the transition.
I hope this little tip helps. Don't get frustrated. Just have fun with it.

-Anthony

 

[leehljp]

I third the calipers. Measure the center band, the clip end, the nib end. Write them down, turn the blank on each end to the size. I personally turn to about .005 below the size and build up a finish to the size. You understand this but it is a good habit to figure out to what degree works best for you consistently.

This means that you stop three or four times in the turning to measure. When people are paying a high price for a pen, they want it to be perfect fit.

Another thing to watch for: sanding on some woods will cause the wood to be slightly oval. Wood with very soft and very hard such as oak and many others - sanding will remove more of the soft wood faster and less of the hard sections, creating a slight "oval" when measured with calipers. Too much pressure in sanding causes this.

 

[Brotherdale]

Your getting the picture by now. I bought my digital calipers at Harbor Freight after a bushing mix up left me with 5 bolt action pen barrels turned with Stratus bushings.
Once you have them you will use them for many things.
Now that I have them I occasionally turn without bushings if I am doing just 1 of a kit and don't want to buy the bushings.

 

[MRDucks2]

I actually have 2 of the Harbor Freight 6" digital calipers. One stays at the lathe and the other at the assembly bench.


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[mbroberg]

I have 3 pair of these, and use them all.

https://www.amazon.com/iGaging-Elec..._7?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1520696888&sr=1-7

The less expensive ones are OK also, but not always as accurate. You can compensate for that by ignoring the readings. Just put the calipers on the part that will abut the blank and turn your blank down until the calipers fit. Lee is right, measure multiple times and if using a CA finish be sure to compensate for it.

 

[larryc]

I make and sell about 500 pens per year.
I stopped using bushings several years ago and turn everything between centers with a dead drive in the headstock and a live cone center drive in the tailstock.
Calipers are your best friend. I measure the parts and set the calipers to zero and then when I measure my turning I know how much more to take off.
Because I turn so many pens I have several test nibs that I have placed between centers and filed down the section that presses into the tube so there is just a snug fit. I use these test nibs to "feel" the difference between the nib and the turning. You'd be surprised how much difference there is before you can actually feel it. You can start out with the Sierra style pens because the nib insert is not a press fit into the tube.

 

[1080Wayne]

Minor caveat on the caliper advice . They are perfect for dead straight barrels , but more difficult to use if you want a bit of a curve coming in to a component . Larryc`s test nib approach works best then .

 

[larryc]

Minor caveat on the caliper advice . They are perfect for dead straight barrels , but more difficult to use if you want a bit of a curve coming in to a component . Larryc`s test nib approach works best then .

A slight bevel at each end of the barrel is ok and can be measured with the calipers. I have never been a fan of the large fat barrels on any pen. Also because I turn a lot of pen blanks to use with decals, the barrels need to be flat.

 

[magpens]

Hi Mike,

You have received some good advice so far. I too use the test nib idea and it works great.

You definitely need calipers ... they will help enormously in getting the results you want.

You would measure the pen kit components at the ends where they meet your pen blank, measure your blank-in-progress at the same points, compare those numbers, and adjust your sizing of the blank ends to match the size of the hardware components. . You can do that without going through the assembly/disassembly process you seem to be using now.

Aim for a pen-making process that avoids the use of any bushings at all. We use the term "Turning Between Centers" (or TBC) for that, although some people still include bushings in what THEY mean by TBC.

There is a short learning curve in moving away from the mandrel with bushings approach, but it is a very worthwhile thing to do and you will be more pleased with your results.

Don't get sucked in to buying extra gadgets to use in place of the mandrel. All you need are a headstock dead center, and a tailstock live center (each with a 60 degree cone contacting the small end holes in your blank. Nothing magic about 60 degrees but that is what is available readily from tool stores.)

Honestly, you don't need a mandrel and you don't need bushings to make exceptional looking pens ... pens you will be proud to sell and better than you have been getting with the beginners recommendations that all vendors of pen kits tell you.

Research the advice already on this website, and DO ask lots of questions about the turning-between-centers-without-bushings-and-without-mandrel technique. . Feel free to email me if you wish ... mgrphillips@yahoo.com

Again, a decent set of digital calipers is essential to success in this.

There are plenty of good pen turners in your state .... keep an eye open for them in these forums .... make contact, and try to get together with them. They do have group meetings and you can learn a lot there too. . But you will find the personal contact makes all the difference ... seek them out.

 

[Hoover015]

Selling Pens

Mike,
Don' let it frustrate you. As one member said, practice. practice and more practice. I have a shop in Texas that sells pens and photo items. I have been in business for seven years and still going. When I started, I made 9 different designs now I am up to 55 plus. Since opening we have turned maybe 5000-6000 pens. Ball point, roller ball and fountain pens. We don't do the real fancy stuff like some of the members although I wish that we had the time. Like most members, I took a 4 hour class at Woodcraft and from then on it was trial and error. Keep at it and don't give up my friend.

Gary

 

[Wood Butcher]

All good advise. Pick one method and practice it until it feels and works right. If that doesn't happen then try another method and repeat. Modify the one that works best and make it your own. Then when someone asks the question you asked, you can tell them how it works for you. There is no incorrect way, if it works for you do it that way.
Just my opinion after 28 years of pen making.
WB

 

[WriteON]

Welcome to IAP

 

[Mike V Florida]

Thank you all for the great advice! I've made a short list of a few pen related items to get with calipers on the top of the list. So with a friend or two and with a 20% coupons for each of us, Harbor Freight here I come.

Again THANKS to you all.