Double Celtic Knot

gketell · 03-28-2007, 11:07 PM

Amboyna Burl on a Platinum Cigar kit from Berea (via Woodcraft) with aluminum (bottom of soda can) and more Amboyna Burl segmenting. CA finish.

I pushed my envelope and it is by far the best pen I have ever made.

And a close-up of the knot.

Actually getting a good photo of the highly reflective strips is tough!!

GK

LostintheWoods · 03-28-2007, 11:35 PM

That's really a beautiful pen----great job!

tseger · 03-28-2007, 11:35 PM

I can see how that would be hard to photograph, but from what I see, it looks GREAT! Good job!! Tim

Tanner · 03-28-2007, 11:50 PM

That's a beauty!!! Nice craftsmanship!!

JimGo · 03-29-2007, 12:12 AM

That's really pretty. The aluminum gives it a great accent, and is a nice compliment to the kit.

mewell · 03-29-2007, 12:13 AM

Great Job - Will/would you do a tutorial?

Mark

gketell · 03-29-2007, 01:49 AM

Thanks for all the nice comments!!

I haven't yet done a tutorial (since this was my first celtic knot pen) but I will try to do so on my next one.

I've had a request to tell how I did the CA finish. I'm just a newbie (this is only my second CA success) so getting it gloss smooth by putting the CA on "just right" is way out of my reach. Sand paper is my friend. I sanded the blank starting with 400 grit then switching to MicroMesh (MM) all the way through 12000. (Since I had widely varying densities I held the sandpaper across a different blank to act as a sanding board.)

At that point there was a little dust trapped in the pores and voids of the blank so I took a paper towel, added 3 drops of boiled linseed oil and pretended it was a friction polish: lathe on high and rubbed it in hard and kept rubbing it for 3-5 minutes. Now the wood was beeAutiful and all the dust looked like wood again.

Ok, lathe on slow, clean paper towel on the bottom and dribble a few drops of thin CA across the top until fully coated. Repeat. Switch to thick CA and repeat 3 times.

Now you have a pretty thick coat of CA that doesn't look all that great. Sandpaper is my friend. Starting with 1800 MM and working my way up to 12000 again I sanded that sucker into submission. Be careful to watch your sandpaper; always use a clean area of the sandpaper and then check it after you are done with that grit. If there is any color other than white you have gone through the CA back down to your wood... add more CA and start the sanding over again.

Once you get through 12000 without any penetrations I then rub on white jewelers rouge and buff with a wheel mounted in my drill. (I do it from the back side of the lathe as it is running so the speed of the lathe is added to the speed of the drill.) Then I change buffing wheels and do it again using renaissance wax once or twice.

That's it. Two times doing it this way and two times I got the finish I was looking for.
GK

GaryMGg · 03-29-2007, 04:16 AM

Greg,
That pen and its finish is outstanding. Superb piece of work.
Gary

Ozzy · 03-29-2007, 06:51 AM

Beautiful pen and an amazing finish; great job.

03-29-2007, 08:37 AM

Greg,

That is one impressive pen.

Truly something to be proud of!

03-28-2007, 11:07 PM	#1
gketell Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Pleasanton, CA, USA. Posts: 1,985 Photos: 51	Double Celtic Knot Amboyna Burl on a Platinum Cigar kit from Berea (via Woodcraft) with aluminum (bottom of soda can) and more Amboyna Burl segmenting. CA finish. I pushed my envelope and it is by far the best pen I have ever made. And a close-up of the knot. Actually getting a good photo of the highly reflective strips is tough!! GK __________________ Greg Ketell Permanent Penturning Newbie Pleasanton, CA

03-28-2007, 11:35 PM	#2
LostintheWoods Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Pomona, California, USA. Posts: 1,170 Photos: 0	That's really a beautiful pen----great job! __________________ Shannon Pomona, CA All stressed up, and no place to blow!

03-28-2007, 11:35 PM	#3
tseger Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: New Albany, MS, USA. Posts: 484 Photos: 6	I can see how that would be hard to photograph, but from what I see, it looks GREAT! Good job!! Tim __________________ Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone. Tim

03-28-2007, 11:50 PM	#4
Tanner Join Date: May 2006 Location: Anthem, Arizona, USA. Posts: 1,639 Photos: 63	That's a beauty!!! Nice craftsmanship!! __________________ Tim My REWARDS will be in direct proportion to my EFFORTS.

03-29-2007, 12:12 AM	#5
JimGo Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: North Wales, PA Posts: 6,517 Photos: 113	That's really pretty. The aluminum gives it a great accent, and is a nice compliment to the kit. __________________ - Jim North Wales, PA (Outside Philly) \"This is turning into something interesting!\" -------- Stars and post count hidden to avoid any implication of knowledge.

03-29-2007, 12:13 AM	#6
mewell Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Lakewood, Colorado, USA. Posts: 579 Photos: 4	Great Job - Will/would you do a tutorial? Mark __________________ Mark Ewell www.reMARKablepens.com

03-29-2007, 01:49 AM	#7
gketell Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Pleasanton, CA, USA. Posts: 1,985 Photos: 51	Thanks for all the nice comments!! I haven't yet done a tutorial (since this was my first celtic knot pen) but I will try to do so on my next one. I've had a request to tell how I did the CA finish. I'm just a newbie (this is only my second CA success) so getting it gloss smooth by putting the CA on "just right" is way out of my reach. Sand paper is my friend. I sanded the blank starting with 400 grit then switching to MicroMesh (MM) all the way through 12000. (Since I had widely varying densities I held the sandpaper across a different blank to act as a sanding board.) At that point there was a little dust trapped in the pores and voids of the blank so I took a paper towel, added 3 drops of boiled linseed oil and pretended it was a friction polish: lathe on high and rubbed it in hard and kept rubbing it for 3-5 minutes. Now the wood was beeAutiful and all the dust looked like wood again. Ok, lathe on slow, clean paper towel on the bottom and dribble a few drops of thin CA across the top until fully coated. Repeat. Switch to thick CA and repeat 3 times. Now you have a pretty thick coat of CA that doesn't look all that great. Sandpaper is my friend. Starting with 1800 MM and working my way up to 12000 again I sanded that sucker into submission. Be careful to watch your sandpaper; always use a clean area of the sandpaper and then check it after you are done with that grit. If there is any color other than white you have gone through the CA back down to your wood... add more CA and start the sanding over again. Once you get through 12000 without any penetrations I then rub on white jewelers rouge and buff with a wheel mounted in my drill. (I do it from the back side of the lathe as it is running so the speed of the lathe is added to the speed of the drill.) Then I change buffing wheels and do it again using renaissance wax once or twice. That's it. Two times doing it this way and two times I got the finish I was looking for. GK __________________ Greg Ketell Permanent Penturning Newbie Pleasanton, CA

03-29-2007, 04:16 AM	#8
GaryMGg Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: McIntosh, Florida, USA. Posts: 3,294 Photos: 215	Greg, That pen and its finish is outstanding. Superb piece of work. Gary __________________ Gary, near Gainesville, FL Say what you'll do and do what you say.

03-29-2007, 06:51 AM	#9
Ozzy Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Copperas Cove, Texas, USA. Posts: 816 Photos: 0	Beautiful pen and an amazing finish; great job. __________________ Bobb "Ozzy" Milligan Copperas Cove, TX I would rather fail trying something hard than to succeed at something easy!

03-29-2007, 08:37 AM	#10
Mudder Guest Posts: n/a Photos:	Greg, That is one impressive pen. Truly something to be proud of!

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