Hello from Arizona

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jeff_in_AZ

Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2013
Messages
134
Location
Chandler, AZ
Hello from Jeff in Chandler, AZ (a suburb of Phoenix).
I'm new to woodturning in general and my son and I have been
turning pens for about a month now. For my day job I work as
an electronics engineer.

Our introduction to pen turning came in November, when there
was a special Veterans Day pen turning for the troops at the local
Woodcraft store. After some instruction, my son and I each made
a pen to donate. We had a lot of fun, and afterwards we had the
bug to try making pens at home. So I began to gather all the necessary
equipment to turn pens. I already had most of the power tools, including
a lathe, also eventually purchased a mandrel and bushings, morse taper,
pen press, 7mm drill bit, pen mill, and some blanks/kits.

Since then we've been having a lot of fun turning pens and we made
several nice ones for Christmas gifts this year. There were a few "oops"
along the way, but we learned from them. So far we've made about a
dozen 7mm slimline wood pens and pencils. The finish hasn't been fancy
so far, just sand down to 400 grit and apply HUT Perfect Pen Polish, but
they all looked nice.

I also read an article by Eric Anderson about how to photograph pens and
then set up a little pen photography studio in my bedroom closet (I have
an understanding spouse). I've attached a few pictures of our best efforts
to date. The first picture was my first try, made from paduak. After this
I decided to turn them a little smaller, although this one fits well in my
ham hands, so I'll probably keep it. :biggrin: The 2nd picture used purple heart,
the 3rd picture used walnut burl, the 4th picture is a pen and pencil set
made from a pair of matched bloodwood blanks.

Anyway I'm glad to have found IAP, this is a great resource. I look forward
to meeting and chatting with all of you.

jeff
 

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plantman

Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
3,437
Location
Green Bay, Wi
:bananen_smilies022:Welcome to Jeff and son !! I always like to hear from proud fathers who are spending quality time with their sons or daughters. Nice looking pens !! My only sugestion is to use a white background instead of the black. Your photos are clear, but to dark on the contrast end, making it hard to see the real beauty of your pens. Eric suggested an opaque white box, white paper, or even a white sheet or table cloth. The reflection is great, but lost in the dark backround. I built the box he suggested, and it works fine. Keep up the great work and enjoy the time together with your son !!! Jim S
 
Last edited:

randyrls

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2006
Messages
4,823
Location
Harrisburg, PA 17112
Welcome Jeff; Your story mirrors my own. I started as an electronics tech. Joined the navy and worked in computers for my career, and am retired now. Pens for me were stress relief from work.
 

seamus7227

Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
6,220
Location
Wichita Falls, TX
Welcome from Wichita Falls, Tx! Your photography its done well, but as stated above, use white or even light gray, and leave out the clutter in the background. Its too distracting from your beautiful work. You don't want the first thing people to notice are your chess pieces, etc, behind the pen do ya? Remember to keep it simple. I look forward to seeing you on the forum!
 

ironman123

Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2011
Messages
1,817
Location
Central Texas
Welcome to the forum, from Central Texas.

It is always great to hear of someone enjoying time with their children and helping them do things.

Ray
 

Hexhead

Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2006
Messages
185
Location
Fayetteville, AR, USA.
I was a desert rat in Phoenix for over 15 years, moved to Arkansas and 79, went back in the 90s when my mom died and couldn't find my house. Whoops rattled on the little, sure glad you're here.
 
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