Spats139
Member
I bought a couple woodturning lessons for my son and me; we had a fun weekend at the class - I caught the bug; he escaped. Next thing I'm attending the local guild (GVWG) meetings, turning the occasional piece of wood, and enjoying the new friends; then, a couple months back, someone did a demo on pens. It looked OK, but it wasn't going to get me away from bowls... right?
Well, LOML had picked up a couple pen blanks for me because she liked the look of the wood (I don't even know what kind because they weren't marked!), and about a month ago I finally decided that I should do something with them. A local store (KMS) was having a sale so I bought a few Slimline kits that were marked down to a couple bucks. That was about the time my world started to fall apart.
To make a pen, as it turns out, you need more than just a kit! You need a mandrel; and bushings (what'a ya mean there's more than one size); then there's the pen mill (yup, that's right; they come in different sizes too!); next is three different kinds of CA; two kinds of Hut pen finish; some Hut Ultra Gloss stuff because SWMBO also liked the look of some acrylic blanks; micro mesh (which apparently I can't buy locally, so had to make my first online order); and, well, you know the drill.
I finally turned that $2 Slimline about two weeks back; and as I held it in my hands, and then showed it to the family, something happened. I realized that making that pen had been FUN, and at the end of it I had something that was actually functional. I started to wonder if maybe there was more to this pen stuff and ended up lurking around this site for a while - there was no hope now.
To make a long story longer, I've made 17 pens in the last two weeks. I even walked to the postal outlet on Christmas Eve (car was snowed in) to pick up my package from Bear Tooth Woods - the one with 38 kits and as many blanks (wood and acrylic. Thanks again for the extra blanks Ernie); all necessary bushings and drill bits; another mandrel; and even velvet pen pouches! Yesterday I turned my first two Sierras; then today, two more Sierras, my first Cigar, my first Euro, and I even finished two of them with CA! Now, I'm typing on this site when I should have already gone to sleep. Maybe someone could start a new forum with a twelve step program!
OK, it looks like I'm hooked. I look forward to spending even more time here, and yes, I will get around to posting some pictures; just as soon as I follow those instructions for a light tent, get some lamps, a tripod, and ....
Well, LOML had picked up a couple pen blanks for me because she liked the look of the wood (I don't even know what kind because they weren't marked!), and about a month ago I finally decided that I should do something with them. A local store (KMS) was having a sale so I bought a few Slimline kits that were marked down to a couple bucks. That was about the time my world started to fall apart.
To make a pen, as it turns out, you need more than just a kit! You need a mandrel; and bushings (what'a ya mean there's more than one size); then there's the pen mill (yup, that's right; they come in different sizes too!); next is three different kinds of CA; two kinds of Hut pen finish; some Hut Ultra Gloss stuff because SWMBO also liked the look of some acrylic blanks; micro mesh (which apparently I can't buy locally, so had to make my first online order); and, well, you know the drill.
I finally turned that $2 Slimline about two weeks back; and as I held it in my hands, and then showed it to the family, something happened. I realized that making that pen had been FUN, and at the end of it I had something that was actually functional. I started to wonder if maybe there was more to this pen stuff and ended up lurking around this site for a while - there was no hope now.
To make a long story longer, I've made 17 pens in the last two weeks. I even walked to the postal outlet on Christmas Eve (car was snowed in) to pick up my package from Bear Tooth Woods - the one with 38 kits and as many blanks (wood and acrylic. Thanks again for the extra blanks Ernie); all necessary bushings and drill bits; another mandrel; and even velvet pen pouches! Yesterday I turned my first two Sierras; then today, two more Sierras, my first Cigar, my first Euro, and I even finished two of them with CA! Now, I'm typing on this site when I should have already gone to sleep. Maybe someone could start a new forum with a twelve step program!
OK, it looks like I'm hooked. I look forward to spending even more time here, and yes, I will get around to posting some pictures; just as soon as I follow those instructions for a light tent, get some lamps, a tripod, and ....
