Making Pen Multiples

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donstephan

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Joined
Jul 24, 2016
Messages
255
Location
Cincinnati Ohio
For family and friends I am about to start 15 pens, 3 different styles and 3 different woods. I'm hoping to avoid making one at a time from start to finish, but looking for suggestions to keep each pair of bodies together and oriented correctly during this small production run. In one of Ed's very clear set of videos I saw a suggestion to color code bushings, so I'm wondering if 3 different color sharpies can color code not only bushings but the ends of upper and lower pen bodies. That's a start. I'm especially wondering how to keep everything organized while wiping on Wood Turners Finish. Thanks.
 
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gr8macbeth

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Joined
Jun 19, 2018
Messages
70
Location
San Antonio Texas
I am sure there are a lot of different ways everyone keeps track and handles multiple similar pen blanks. I use a small ice pick that I bent the tip on. I scratch a line about an inch inside of the of the 2 halves when I am ready to start turning them and will lose my outside marks. Once they are ready to assemble I can easily line up the marks, knowing that the marks will be close to each other and both blanks are facing "up" when they are lined up. As for the color coding, I use a sharpie on the bushings, and color small pieces of paper that I then crumple up and stick inside of each pen tube. It is small easy to use your calipers and confirm that you are using the correct bushings. I hope my suggestions help you figure out what will work best for you.
 

darrin1200

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Joined
Mar 17, 2010
Messages
1,836
Location
Lyn, Ontario, Canada
When I was doing production runs, I would use a piece of wood with 1/8" pieces of dowel, in two rows. Each pair is one pen, with the front one for the lower barrel and the second one for the upper. I kept the center band portion up for orientation. I also put a piece of masking tape across the front of the board so I could write an ID for each pair.
I had different sized boards for different projects.
 

jttheclockman

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Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
19,083
Location
NJ, USA.
I too have used the dowel rack system too plus sharpie on inside of tube. Can use colors to help there more so. :)
 

Woodchipper

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Joined
Mar 15, 2017
Messages
5,138
Location
Cleveland, TN
I use a plastic deli meat container to keep things organized. Masking tape to label them. Have collected a bunch over the years, plus they stack to save shelf space.
 

Chasper

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Joined
Mar 22, 2007
Messages
1,987
Location
Indiana
I use this for an organizer when I'm making longer production runs. It is a 6" X 10" board with 2 1/2" finishing nails going through the wood on one inch squares. I have two of this size that hold 60 pen sections each and two that are 8" X 12" that hold 96 pens sections each.
 

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Dehn0045

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Joined
Mar 19, 2017
Messages
1,533
Location
US
The one time I did more than a few, I cut grooves in a board and set the orientation on the board. This worked ok, but was a bit risky, bump the board too hard and everything is mixed up. If I ever do it again I'll do a dowel board or something similar.
 
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