Using brass shavings on your pen

[tbfoto]

I have read on here and elsewhere about using brass shavings on a pen blank but I do not recall ever seeing a photo of one.
So...please show me your pen with brass shavings in it. I assume that it is only used in castings?????

Thanks

 

[DozerMite]

I've done them with brass, aluminum, and copper. I don't have any of the pics on our new computer though.

 

[DozerMite]

Here is one with alum. in it.

 

[okiebugg]

Brass

I have used brass for many years as a medium for filling voids and cracks usually glued in place with thick CA. I occasionally use 5 minute epoxy. I also use it in very small pieces for inlay when A bowl or even a pen develops a crack. When finished, I still see the crack filled with brass or Turquoise or both as a crack. My customers see it as fine woodturning.

The brass is cut into small pieces with a small saw with a diamond blade or a carbide blade installed on my scroll saw. Like I said small pieces. When I have cut enough brass to make things worthwhile, I will take part of it and put it into a coffee grinder to turn some of it to small pieces, and some to dust.

The problem is the brass is harder that most any wood that you're going to work with, so you must learn to work smart and level it with a Dremel or small rotary tool. I like Ryobi.

Gently sand the pen on using your lathe and using sandpaper with a small block behind it. Keep working the wood and the brass until you have a symmetrical pen blank and put it together.

 

[jskeen]

Got a big handful of this brass from behind the key duplicator at the local hardware store. Worked pretty well packed into the voids and soaked in thin ca.

The rest of the blank is gator jawbone.

 

[rherrell]

If you put it in a casting it will sink to the bottom so I think that filling voids with it is a better idea.:wink:

 

[Knucklefish]

Now that is a great idea!

 

[snyiper]

Could you not wait till it thickens some to add the brass so it wont sink?

 

[Jgrden]

Heh, heh, heh, you clever guy, you.

 

[okiebugg]

brass

Got a big handful of this brass from behind the key duplicator at the local hardware store. Worked pretty well packed into the voids and soaked in thin ca.

The rest of the blank is gator jawbone.

The key brass is an alloy that is easier to use, but not nearly as pretty as real brass. I have used both. Key brass can be ground finer by using a coffee grinder.

I like the real brass better, as it is more gold in color. can be ground finer rather the stringy material I see. Congrats, I see that you worked the inlay properly.

 

[jttheclockman]

Got a big handful of this brass from behind the key duplicator at the local hardware store. Worked pretty well packed into the voids and soaked in thin ca.

The rest of the blank is gator jawbone.

The key brass is an alloy that is easier to use, but not nearly as pretty as real brass. I have used both. Key brass can be ground finer by using a coffee grinder.

I like the real brass better, as it is more gold in color. can be ground finer rather the stringy material I see. Congrats, I see that you worked the inlay properly.

Okie

Have you found a way to grind real brass. I have looking to try something but can not come up with a way to grind to a fine fill.

 

[Sylvanite]

Have you found a way to grind real brass. I have looking to try something but can not come up with a way to grind to a fine fill.

Try a disk sander. As part of my bullet pen process, I sometimes have to shorten a tube - which I sometimes do on a sander. I save the brass dust and use it as filler later.

Regards,
Eric

 

[DozerMite]

Have you found a way to grind real brass. I have looking to try something but can not come up with a way to grind to a fine fill.

How much do you need? I can get the shavings and the dust.

 

[jttheclockman]

Have you found a way to grind real brass. I have looking to try something but can not come up with a way to grind to a fine fill.

How much do you need? I can get the shavings and the dust.

Thanks. I was just looking for a way of doing this on my own if someone had a system they would like to share. The key fillings I can get all I want but to use the better brass would be cool and also combine it with aluminum too.

 

[okiebugg]

Got a big handful of this brass from behind the key duplicator at the local hardware store. Worked pretty well packed into the voids and soaked in thin ca.

The rest of the blank is gator jawbone.

The key brass is an alloy that is easier to use, but not nearly as pretty as real brass. I have used both. Key brass can be ground finer by using a coffee grinder.

I like the real brass better, as it is more gold in color. can be ground finer rather the stringy material I see. Congrats, I see that you worked the inlay properly.

Okie

Have you found a way to grind real brass. I have looking to try something but can not come up with a way to grind to a fine fill.

I should be awarded some of that Gator jawbone from JSKEEN for givin up trade secrets LOL

Nothing works well for making dust...you can make it, you just can't collect it. I have an VS electric drill mounted under an old router type table. I drill a hole thru the center of the area where the router bit comes through. In this case, a cylindrical sanding bit goes through the hole. Attach it to the drill, Turn the drill on and voila, you can make and collect the dust.

Any other brass made for inlay is cut into small pieces suitable for inlay and run thru a few cycles in an old Black & Decker coffee grinder about 3in. in diameter and 6 in. tall. Costs about $10.00 at a garage sale. A few cycles thru that, and you have multiple sizes that are good for inlay

 

[DozerMite]

Have you found a way to grind real brass. I have looking to try something but can not come up with a way to grind to a fine fill.

How much do you need? I can get the shavings and the dust.

Thanks. I was just looking for a way of doing this on my own if someone had a system they would like to share. The key fillings I can get all I want but to use the better brass would be cool and also combine it with aluminum too.

The brass I get, is not from keys. It's much better, solid brass. I can find out the alloy next week.