NEWBIE TO PEN MAKING BUT ALREADY ADDICTED

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baldwin60

Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2011
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25
Location
chattanooga
MY BROTHER IN LAW GAVE MY WIFE A PEN ABT 2 MONTHS AGO AND I SAID IF HE CAN I KNOW I CAN AND NOW AFTER ABOUT 2 MONTHS I HAVE BEEN ADDICTED TO THE GAME I ALSO INFECTED MY YOUNGER BROTHER AND ONE SON. I TURNED TWO PENS OUT OF AUSTRALIAN MALLEE THEY WERE NICE AND HAD A NICE FINISH THE NEXT DAY THEY LOOKED VERY DIFFERENT AND HAD THE TEXTURE OF A FOOTBALL PEBBLEY ANY SUGGESTIONS.

I AM A RETIRED DENTIST AND THIS SMALL WORK IS CHALLENGING FOR SOMEONE WHO IS AS ANAL RETENTIVE AS MOST DENTIST. YOU CAN REALLY FIXATE ON THE SMALL DETAILS AND I TEND TO PUT THE PEN TOGETHER AND THEN NOTICE SOME DETAIL AND JUST CAN'T WAIT TILLL I REPAIR IT

ARTHUR
HARRISON, TN
 
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Welcome to the group from Wichita Falls, TX! What type of finish did you apply? Can you post some pictures, this will also help to better diagnose some of your issues you may be having.
 
baldwin60 said:
MY BROTHER IN LAW GAVE MY WIFE A PEN ABT 2 MONTHS AGO AND I SAID IF HE CAN I KNOW I CAN AND NOW AFTER ABOUT 2 MONTHS I HAVE BEEN ADDICTED TO THE GAME I ALSO INFECTED MY YOUNGER BROTHER AND ONE SON. I TURNED TWO PENS OUT OF AUSTRALIAN MALLEE THEY WERE NICE AND HAD A NICE FINISH THE NEXT DAY THEY LOOKED VERY DIFFERENT AND HAD THE TEXTURE OF A FOOTBALL PEBBLEY ANY SUGGESTIONS.

I AM A RETIRED DENTIST AND THIS SMALL WORK IS CHALLENGING FOR SOMEONE WHO IS AS ANAL RETENTIVE AS MOST DENTIST. YOU CAN REALLY FIXATE ON THE SMALL DETAILS AND I TEND TO PUT THE PEN TOGETHER AND THEN NOTICE SOME DETAIL AND JUST CAN'T WAIT TILLL I REPAIR IT

ARTHUR
HARRISON, TN
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For some reason the term ANAL RETENTIVE being used by a Dentist scares me! LOL...

Welcome to IAP and an addictive craft. Youa have come to the dark side!
 
Sounds like you'll do well here. Segmenting on all levels might work well for your attention to detail. Have a look around and feel free to ask questions. There are some truly amazing folks on the IAP and always ready to help.
 
your picasa works fine! and the pens surface appears to be smooth, however dull in appearance. I have only noticed the orange peel effect during the actuall finishing process, not the day after. Do you use thin CA to seal the wood first before applying your main finish?
 
Welcome to the addiction.

Just an FYI Many folks see all caps as yelling and some even take offense, I don't know why they just get offended easy I guess. I don't get a picture either.
 
Personal opinion, don't use the BLO. It seems to be one of those things that works for some and really doesn't for others. There has also been some discussion about the cure time of CA and is it better to wait a day before sanding. How thick of CA are you using? If it is 6 coats of thin that isn't much. What it the temperature in your shop?
 
HAVE ONLY BEEN AT THIS ABOUT TWO MO AND THE MALLEE WASN'T THE ONLY PEN I HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH BUT IT DID GIVE THE MOST QUESTIONABLE AS TO WHY HERE IS A SAMPLE OF MY FIRST PENShttps://picasaweb.google.com/105374858464139785305/PENSAMPLING?authkey=Gv1sRgCNn8k7ze1c7IzQE#
 
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I USED THIN CA AS A SEALER AND AS A SLURRY THEN, AFTER SANDING. PUT ON MY COATS WITH ABOUT 4 THIN AND 2 MEDIUM BUT THE SHOP WAS ABOUT 45 DEGREES AND I WAITED ABOUT 6 HOUR FOR A CURE. BEFORE SANDING AGAIN. I ALSO NOTED SOME CRACKING IN THE LOWER BLANK THAT HAD NOT BEEN THERE WHEN FINISHING. ALSO THE PEN WAS BUFFED ON A BEAL SYSTEM BUT WITH INTERMITTENT PRESSURE TO PREVENT HEAT
 
baldwin60 said:
I USED THIN CA AS A SEALER AND AS A SLURRY THEN, AFTER SANDING. PUT ON MY COATS WITH ABOUT 4 THIN AND 2 MEDIUM BUT THE SHOP WAS ABOUT 45 DEGREES AND I WAITED ABOUT 6 HOUR FOR A CURE. BEFORE SANDING AGAIN. I ALSO NOTED SOME CRACKING IN THE LOWER BLANK THAT HAD NOT BEEN THERE WHEN FINISHING. ALSO THE PEN WAS BUFFED ON A BEAL SYSTEM BUT WITH INTERMITTENT PRESSURE TO PREVENT HEAT
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All of that sounds good, however, I would apply somewhere in the range of 8-10 coats of medium, lightly sand over it, wipe off the dust and apply at least 4-5 more coats and then use your MM to 12000, then use some plastic polish with a clean t-shirt to bring it to the high shine! I cant swear to this, but i would think that the buffing wheel could potentially remove some of your finish if it isnt thick enough. IMHO(in my honest opinion)
 
I would say you need to do a thicker finish because I'm thinking part of your issue is sanding through the finish. I usually do about 10 coats with medium then sand, look at the pen with a strong light to see if it is smooth. If not, more coats. Once it is smooth then I polish it. Woods that are stabilized and dyed finish smoother, faster. Your shop is about the same temp as mine and I will bring the pen in where it is warm for a few hours before sanding. The shape of your pens is very good and once you get this finishing thing down your pens are going to look really good.
 
I THINK I MISSED MY POINT ON THE ORIGINAL POST THE PEBBLE FINISH IS NOT IN THE CA I DON'T THINK I BELIEVE IT IS THE ACTUAL WOOD THAT CHANGED BECAUSE IT TRULY FEEL LIKE A PEBBLE GRAINED FOOTBALL ARTHUR
 
baldwin60 said:
I THINK I MISSED MY POINT ON THE ORIGINAL POST THE PEBBLE FINISH IS NOT IN THE CA I DON'T THINK I BELIEVE IT IS THE ACTUAL WOOD THAT CHANGED BECAUSE IT TRULY FEEL LIKE A PEBBLE GRAINED FOOTBALL ARTHUR
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I would offer the suggestion of turning a more stable wood and finish as you did. If the problem does not occur, I would say you had unstable wood, which resulted in the cracks and "texture".
 
HUNTER-27 I THINK YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD, SOMEONE HAD SAID THEY LOVED THIS WOOD AND IT IS VERY COLORFUL AND PATTERNED BUT I THINK THE DIMENSIONAL STABILITY MAY BE THE CULPRIT.. I FEEL LIKE THE WOOD HAD SWOLEN A BIT. I RE SURFACED IT JUST TO GIVE IT ONE MORE TRY I THOUGHT SOMEONE MAY HAVE ALSO HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH THIS WOOD IN THE PAST
 
Welcome Arthur, from far west Kentucky, to the addiction, sometimes referred to as the vortex. Be sure to give the library a good bit of time. The link is at the top of the page. You will find an article called Library Index. This covers tutorials on about anything pen making you can think of. You will also notice that there are articles listed by year. Much good info there as well. When these fail to answer your questions, by all means post it here. I have never seen one go unanswered very long. You might also want to give this thread a good look. It has some very good info for the beginning pen turner; http://content.penturners.org/library/general_reference/Getting_started_in_pen_turning.pdf. Grab some wood, make some shavings and have fun all the while being safe.
Charles
 
baldwin60 said:
HUNTER-27 I THINK YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD, SOMEONE HAD SAID THEY LOVED THIS WOOD AND IT IS VERY COLORFUL AND PATTERNED BUT I THINK THE DIMENSIONAL STABILITY MAY BE THE CULPRIT.. I FEEL LIKE THE WOOD HAD SWOLEN A BIT. I RE SURFACED IT JUST TO GIVE IT ONE MORE TRY I THOUGHT SOMEONE MAY HAVE ALSO HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH THIS WOOD IN THE PAST
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Would it b e possible for you to turn OFF the ALL CAPS? It will be easier for all to read without the All Caps. And from observational experience of many years, many people with great experience tend to skip over the "all caps" posts.

Thank you for your understanding.
 
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