First pen finished well nearly!!!

[Tom.1946]

With the help of my instructor. He showed me the mandrel he uses and explained the pros and cons. I put on my pen blanks and he showed me how to use the gouge and also how to use the corner of it. He then let me proceed till it came to turning right down to the spacers bushes. We stopped the lathe and wanted to know if I felt confident enough to finish. I said with being my first attempt I didn't want to ruin it. So have to admit that he took it down to finish it.
So this is my attempt and partially done my instructor... definitely not up to the standard on the forum.....

 

[Jans husband]

Pick the tool up Tom.!!! They don't bite, unless you try to use the wrong end.!!
Everyone wastes wood trying to make something presentable. Its only a few quid!!!

Good luck,

Mike

 

[sorcerertd]

That look similar to my first pen, a good old slimline in plain walnut. You are on your way.

Like Mike said, just go for it! I'll bet that, once you feel more confident, you will still screw up on something even nicer (guess how I know this). Don't worry, though. That's why they sell extra tubes.

That being said, no matter how careless you may feel about messing up a blank, always be cautious with how you hold and handle the tools and always use appropriate PPE. You want to keep your fingers and eyes so you can turn many more pens!

 

[Brandy]

Looks great!

 

[magpens]

That looks really good !!!

Who says it's not finished ?

Some folks just love the look and feel of walnut and other woods that have no applied actual finish .... just the natural wood itself.

I think your pen is excellent just as it is !!!

 

[tomtedesco]

Great first pen.

 

[egnald]

Howya and Greetings from Nebraska and welcome to the IAP forum. Fair play! I think that is a very nice looking first pen. - Dave

 

[TDahl]

Very nice.

 

[TDahl]

Make sure to keep it and not give it away. You will cherish it for a long time.

 

[Tom.1946]

That looks really good !!!

Who says it's not finished ?

Some folks just love the look and feel of walnut and other woods that have no applied actual finish .... just the natural wood itself.

I think your pen is excellent just as it is !!!

 

[Tom.1946]

I did think was a bit tensed up. But was a bit scared to take it down to the bushes
as they where his and didn't want to ruin them. Think I will keep to slimline pens
Till I get more confident and start on acrylic. I would like to do one for my granddaughter
who has left primary school and starts secondary school in September.
I think that you call them Elementary and high school across the pond...
Thanks again for your kind remarks...

Tom

 

[Tom.1946]

Forgot to say that I have given it to my wife...

 

[Bats]

Think I will keep to slimline pens
Till I get more confident and start on acrylic.

One thing to keep in mind is that slimlines are often used as a starting point because they're cheap, not because they're easy. Single tube pens like the Sierra and related styles, while more expensive, are often held up as being a gentler starting point - and some with beaded rings like the Gatsby can be extremely forgiving if you get your dimensions a little off.

That said, if you want to get in the most practice for your money (and don't mind a little frustration along the way), slimlines are a great way to go - and once you're more confident with the basic shape, they have a lot of flexibility (check out Don Ward's site for some of the modified versions)

 

[PenkitsMall]

Very nice. I took a long time to polishing my first pen. I enjoy polishing to make the pen body smoothly.

 

[penicillin]

Nice pen, Tom!

I agree with the others - do the entire pen yourself. Don't worry about failures, just change the label from "penturning" to "education." I keep a database of every pen I have made. Of my first six pens, only one was successful. Here are the notes:

• "Failed, but I don't remember how."
• "Wood blew out"
• "Damaged during assembly. Used drill press." (Personal note: I never used the drill press as a pen press again.)
• (Successful pen)
• "Wood blew out"
• "Forgot clip during assembly. Pen damaged by bad repair."

After that, I got better, and my success rate was nearly 100%, but there were still occasional issues, such as: "Smear under clip, not great matching", "Sanded to much, bright spot under clip", and "Clip bent slightly out too much". (Yeah, some of those were trying to hide self-induced flaws under the clip where they would be less noticeable.) Those pens were donated to the local public library. They always need working pens, and the cosmetics are not important.

I recommend that new penturners buy a pack of spare pen tubes. They take all the stress out of penturning. If you fail, just grab another wood pen blank(s), a spare tube(s), and start over with the same pen kit. You can get a 10-pack of slimline pen tubes for a few dollars around here.

Keep at it, finish 'em all the way, and I promise that repeatable success will come quickly. Somebody once said, "Practice makes perfect."

 

[WriteON]

Nice. Great beginning.

 

[mikespenturningz]

With the help of my instructor. He showed me the mandrel he uses and explained the pros and cons. I put on my pen blanks and he showed me how to use the gouge and also how to use the corner of it. He then let me proceed till it came to turning right down to the spacers bushes. We stopped the lathe and wanted to know if I felt confident enough to finish. I said with being my first attempt I didn't want to ruin it. So have to admit that he took it down to finish it.
So this is my attempt and partially done my instructor... definitely not up to the standard on the forum.....

View attachment 313328

Nice job for your first pen. Try to think about the lines when you are turning and don't be afraid to keep turning until you get nice straight lines. This is what needs to be worked out by every new turner. You are off to a great start..