Working with the fatties

[PaulSF]

Fat pens, that is. Yesterday I was making a Churchill out of acrylic, and I realized that I could see right through to the brass tubes, and this wasn't a white acrylic blank. It was lime greenish. So I'm wondering, is acrylic better suited to the thinner pen profiles, where there might be a thicker layer of acrylic?

And on a related note, when making the fatter profiles, do you experienced pen-makers cut your own blanks? The majority of blanks for sale at places like Woodcraft and Penn State seem too small, making them more susceptible to blowouts when drilling and barrel-trimming.

 

[Jim Smith]

On your acrylic pen, did you paint the inside of the blank and the tubes before you glued the tubes in place? If not, you need to paint at least the tubes, (most people paint both inside the drilled blank and the tubes). You can paint them a "corresponding" color to the blanks.

As far as cutting my own blanks, I sometime do that but I find that most blanks are large enough for the majority of the pens I make. If I am going to make a large pen like an Imperial, then I will try to use a 7/8" blank if available.

Jim Smith

 

[PaulSF]

Hey Jim, I did not paint the tubes of the inside of the blank. I figured the green would be dark enough. I guess I should do that next time, because I really do think it would have made a beautiful pen!

 

[sefali]

Paul, you should always paint the tubes and/or the inside of the blanks. If you don't, by the time you realize the blank is too thin or transparent, and you can see the brass, it's too late. You can add a little something to some blanks too, by painting with different colors.