Scott
Member
Hi Everybody!
Well, to fill the hole in my life left by no more Ugly Pen Contest ([][][]), my Wife and I drove over to Boise Idaho this weekend, and I taught an Advanced Penturning class at the Woodcraft there.
One of the projects we worked on was a closed-end Navigator (Baron) rollerball. I have taught this particular modification in my class before, but I wanted to try something different this time.
I was talking to Bill Baumbeck on the phone, because I was fishing for a special blank (more about this later), and he mentioned the new video by Ed Davidson on Closed-End Pens. Here's the link to the website:
http://www.arizonasilhouette.com/Additional%20Pen%20Turning%20Video's.htm
Ed is an old friend, and I truly respect his work and his turning ability. So I ordered up this video, along with the closed-end mandrel for the Baron cap end (I already had the mandrel for the lower barrel).
I'm not here to write a full review of this video, but let me say that Ed guides you through all the steps necessary to make your own closed-end pen. In the video, Ed uses a method of drilling and gluing for the Baron pen that has you drilling a hole much deeper than the brass tube for that blank. Ed orders long brass tubes and cuts off enough to extend all the way to the bottom of the deeper hole, but he explains that you can also just use a second brass tube, and glue it in right behind the first tube.
I thought this sounded like a more straight-forward way to do a closed end, so I used Ed's method of gluing up the blanks for all of our class projects. They turned out beautifully! One of the people taking my class is the turner who teaches most of the penturning classes at that store. So they wanted me to come up with a special challenge for him. I had him do a double-closed-end pen, and the blank I used was a fabulous cross-cut Zebrawood from Bill Baumbeck. Even stabilized, this cross-cut wood is still very chippy, requiring a touch of finesse to turn. The pen turned out great, and I think I made a new friend!
Anyway, I would like to recommend the Closed-End Pen video by Ed Davidson as a great resource! Buy it, try it, and pass the word on!
Scott.
Well, to fill the hole in my life left by no more Ugly Pen Contest ([][][]), my Wife and I drove over to Boise Idaho this weekend, and I taught an Advanced Penturning class at the Woodcraft there.
One of the projects we worked on was a closed-end Navigator (Baron) rollerball. I have taught this particular modification in my class before, but I wanted to try something different this time.
I was talking to Bill Baumbeck on the phone, because I was fishing for a special blank (more about this later), and he mentioned the new video by Ed Davidson on Closed-End Pens. Here's the link to the website:
http://www.arizonasilhouette.com/Additional%20Pen%20Turning%20Video's.htm
Ed is an old friend, and I truly respect his work and his turning ability. So I ordered up this video, along with the closed-end mandrel for the Baron cap end (I already had the mandrel for the lower barrel).
I'm not here to write a full review of this video, but let me say that Ed guides you through all the steps necessary to make your own closed-end pen. In the video, Ed uses a method of drilling and gluing for the Baron pen that has you drilling a hole much deeper than the brass tube for that blank. Ed orders long brass tubes and cuts off enough to extend all the way to the bottom of the deeper hole, but he explains that you can also just use a second brass tube, and glue it in right behind the first tube.
I thought this sounded like a more straight-forward way to do a closed end, so I used Ed's method of gluing up the blanks for all of our class projects. They turned out beautifully! One of the people taking my class is the turner who teaches most of the penturning classes at that store. So they wanted me to come up with a special challenge for him. I had him do a double-closed-end pen, and the blank I used was a fabulous cross-cut Zebrawood from Bill Baumbeck. Even stabilized, this cross-cut wood is still very chippy, requiring a touch of finesse to turn. The pen turned out great, and I think I made a new friend!
Anyway, I would like to recommend the Closed-End Pen video by Ed Davidson as a great resource! Buy it, try it, and pass the word on!
Scott.