2nd Pen - Please Critique

[dmiller]

Hello all,

New to this wonderful world of turning. Loving it so far. Fighting a few small issues, but getting them worked out. These forums are wonderful, thank you to everyone who participates to make this such a resource.

Anyway...back to business...Give me your honest opinions & suggestions.

 

[drayman]

hi Dave, you got some nice wood there wich makes for a great looking pen. i think its too fat. but thats just me, i dont like pregnant pens, but well done anyways.

 

[rlharding]

It look fine to me. Is it BOW? (Bethlehem Olive Wood)

 

[ed4copies]

Dave,

When you ASK for a critique, I try to give you one.

It IS a good-looking pen. However, the urge to be creative is greatest when you are a new pen turner. Over time, you will find pens are "better balanced" when they are not so "fat" in top or bottom. Although bottom is better than top, because the weight is in the writer's hand, rather than above it. SO, if you MUST have a "Preggy pen", this is the better of the two options.

Hard to tell from the pic, but your top APPEARS to be a little proud of the centerband, the other joints look good. (IF this is the case, you may want to "take a little off" your centerband bushing, so it fits better.)

IT is a FINE effort for a second pen!!!!!

Now, let's see your THIRD!!!!!

It looks like bocote to me.

 

[dmiller]

Thank you everyone.

I wish I remember what the wood was..got a little excited and threw away the label.

Drayman & Ed: I agree that it needs to be thinned out. Never thought about the weight being in the hand...good to know.

I am having a few issues with bushings/out of round type things. I think its because I don't have the right live center for my mandrel.

 

[workinforwood]

I'm in agreement too. Especially that upper barrel, you are really pushing the stress on that clip. I sell most my euro's to women and they tend to not like it big and fat..in a pen that is.
Do yourself a little experiment on your out of round issue. use your mandrel and your bushings but only turn one barrel at a time. This meaning only installing half the pen on the mandrel, so half the rod will be simply pushed through the chuck. You will reduce the amount of bend you can put on the rod which is probably the most common cause of out of round. Bending rod is tightening it too much basically. By turning just one barrel, your rod length is reduced which means it won't be able to bend so much if you overtighten it. It's detective work. There's several possible solutions, you try each one, one at a time, starting with the most common answer first. If my suggestion works, you know not to overtighten. There's tons of threads with other suggestions too for things to try in the penturning area.

 

[dmiller]

Thanks Jeff.

I'll give that a try too.

 

[jskeen]

Ok, I'll go with the general consensus and suggest that you thin it down some, and check for a ridge where the centerband meets the upper section. Great wood selection, and looks like a nice semigloss finish.

One thing you might try, if you can't spring for a new live center right now is to file the tip flat just a smidgeon. This will keep the sharp tip from bottoming out in the socket at the end of the mandrel and allow it to seat all the way around. It's not as good as a true 60 degree live center, but better than it is now. Take the mandrel and center out of the lathe and test fit them, file a little, test again till there is no wiggle room.

 

[TBone]

I agree that the top is probably a little heavy. I think you could thin the top and leave the bottom. I prefer to not have that much bulge in the bottom, but it's because mostly women that I've sold/given the Euro prefer it that way. Cap is a tad underturned at the centerband. Beautiful wood and a lot better than my second pen. I didn't have enough nerve on second pen to try anything but another slimline and wouldn't have dared turn a nice looking blank. Good job.

 

[rccrazybill]

Looks very nice , it is a bit fat but I have a collection of my starter Fatties too. This is the absolute best place to hone your craft. I have gotten so many tips and fantastic advice from some of the best craftsmen I have ever seen. This is the place to learn to make a perfect pen !!

 

[LostintheWoods]

Nice job, though a little chunky for my taste, as well. BTW, I'm betting that the wood is Bocote, rather than BOW.

 

[Glenn McCullough]

I agree with all the other opinions on shape and possible round solutions, though I think the wood is a great looking piece of bocote. I think now would be a good time practicing your disassembly skills and re-turn it...Id rather see you save this one or screw it up and learn more, than keep it and learn no more from it and have it less than just right. But for a second pen, you are doing great! IMHO.

 

[DSallee]

Nice job on your second pen and Welcome to the fever!!

I do agree on the size, need to be thinned down a bit.. my first two were also "fatties" because I was "afraid" to turn it down close to the insert... afraid it was going to blow out on me or I was going to turn it TOO far and screw it up.. LOL ...

Dave

 

[Rick_G]

I agree with the rest it is a little fat. But for a second pen it is great. Looks like olive to me not necessarily BOW. Keep it up you will only approve.

 

[bitshird]

Man that sure looks better than my second pen(actually a pencil) I agree with the consensus, it's just a tad too big, a wee bit of shape is a nice thing *in a pen*[:I]
but the beginning tendency is to either go straight bushing to bushing or get fat, not phat just fat.
Right now the next purchase I would consider would be a set of either Dial or digital calipers, for this work Harbor Freight quality is just fine, also O'rileys auto parts and Advance auto parts has decent digital calipers for $20.00 about the same from HF.
Your wood is beautiful, finishes will come in time, there are a thousand and one tutorials on finishing, it's all a matter of Veaux Deaux, you will find a way that works for you some where in between everybody else's way.
I'd say you are off to a great start keep those first pens, and look at them in six months then at a year. They are the road markers to progress.

 

[markgum]

Great job. practice practice practice. I got hooked a few months ago; have made about 20 pens so far and am just now getting to where I would consider selling one. One thing that has helped me is to keep a notebook of what I try with each one. yea, extra steps but keeps me from repeating the same mistake trying something new. One of the best investments I made was a set of calipers. got mine from Harbor Frieght when they were on sale. Sure helps with the matching of the bands.
keep up the good work, and welcome to the group.

 

[karlkuehn]

I'm going to jump on the bandwagon with the 'too fat' thing, but overall you've done a great job with it. Keep going, I'm going to be watching to see your progress in the future. You can't have picked a better hobby (it's super-fun, pays for itself at the very least, and keeps you out of trouble...er...mostly...heh) Great work, and welcome to the few, the proud, the...uh...hooked?

 

[dmiller]

wow, thank you guys for everything.

I am going to take all the advice and give it try. I love to learn and try new things, so stay tuned for the next attempt.

 

[RONB]

Some guys like the "chubby" ones.I think it looks like Zebra Wood.

 

[ed4copies]

It COULD be Zebrawood. IF it was oily, its bocote. IF it was REAL dry, it's zebrawood.

IF it's Olive, its a strange base color, olive is usually not that "tan", it's more "creamy".

 

[dmiller]

Bocote sounds familiar to me.

I don't remember seeing zebra or olive in the store...

I have to admit, don't know much about different type of woods, just picked what I liked. I wanted to keep the tags, but you know how it is when you get excited about it. Kid on Christmas day.

 

[ed4copies]

Dave,

When I started turning pens, I didn't know spit about the exotic woods.

As I turned more species, I developed a curiousity, since they had such different characteristics. Bocote and cocobolo are GREAT woods for early pens, they sell well and are an easy turn. (Finishing is a different matter)

IF you see olivewood, get some, the smell is GREAT!!!

Zebra stinks. And it turns like oak, "splintery".

 

[rherrell]

It may be a LITTLE fat but I think it looks fine! The only thing I would change is that RED background.