First Pen

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wmillman

wmillman

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2021
Messages
57
Location
Prince Edward Island, Canada
Just finished my first pen today, believe the maple is soft maple recycled from an old school desk that was thrown out. It's only a slimline but it's a start and was rather fun making. Sorry about the pic quality but found out my DSLR battery was dead :) this was taken with my cell phone.

First Pen.jpg
 
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Quit now or get a part time. Nice pen. As for only a slimline.... this is the best way to begin. You'll learn a lot from this. Understanding slimlines prepares you for bigger and better. Welcome aboard.
 
Looks very good to me for a first pen . Just a tip . You will find more highly figured pieces of maple and other hardwoods used as frames for old couches , lounge chairs , etc if you take the time to dismantle them . Manufacturers use lumber deemed to be structurally or aesthetically unsuitable for visible pieces such as chair legs . Even found about $4 in change buried in a lounge chair deliberately by its makers in NB once .
 
WriteON said:
Quit now or get a part time. Nice pen. As for only a slimline.... this is the best way to begin. You'll learn a lot from this. Understanding slimlines prepares you for bigger and better. Welcome aboard.
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Thanks for the welcome, oh I am sure I have lots to learn ahead but that is part of what makes this interesting and fun.
 
1080Wayne said:
Looks very good to me for a first pen . Just a tip . You will find more highly figured pieces of maple and other hardwoods used as frames for old couches , lounge chairs , etc if you take the time to dismantle them . Manufacturers use lumber deemed to be structurally or aesthetically unsuitable for visible pieces such as chair legs . Even found about $4 in change buried in a lounge chair deliberately by its makers in NB once .
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Thanks for the tip Wayne, I have lots of red oak that I have saved from being burnt, and we are always on the lookout for stuff that has been kicked to the curb. It is amazing what get tossed to the curb these days.
 
Good looking pen. As others mention, save that first handmade pen - you'll never make another first pen. And, by the way, you're addicted to this craft.

Paul
 
As mentioned keep your first one and look back on it in years to come. Have to say that the shap is spot on. Many first timers make those style pens with such a bulbous body but yours is well done. Welcome to the hobby and welcome to the forum. Have fun and jump in and make sure to show us more of your work.
 
jttheclockman said:
As mentioned keep your first one and look back on it in years to come. Have to say that the shap is spot on. Many first timers make those style pens with such a bulbous body but yours is well done. Welcome to the hobby and welcome to the forum. Have fun and jump in and make sure to show us more of your work.
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Thanks John, I appreciate the comment on the shape, that was one of the first things I was thinking about while I was turning it, I wanted to try and make the shape like something I would pickup an use. I am hoping my skills will improve with time, and now that we are retired we have all kinds of time.
 
wmillman said:
Just used Shellawax, have to do more practice with CA before I try it.
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I use Pens Plus. I like it, it's easy to use, and lets wood look like wood.
 

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qquake said:
I use Pens Plus. I like it, it's easy to use, and lets wood look like wood.
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Looks good Jim, I may give that a try as well I see it's quite a bit cheaper here in Canada than the Shellawax. Some of these finishes even CA can get a bit on the expensive side. We all want to have our projects to turn out looking there very best but at what cost, since I don't have any real plans on selling pens I am not going to break the bank on finish.
 
wmillman said:
Looks good Jim, I may give that a try as well I see it's quite a bit cheaper here in Canada than the Shellawax. Some of these finishes even CA can get a bit on the expensive side. We all want to have our projects to turn out looking there very best but at what cost, since I don't have any real plans on selling pens I am not going to break the bank on finish.
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I would say most here prefer the CA finish on wood. I've tried it, but don't like it. One thing is the odor. I wear splash goggles and a mask when I use CA, but it still bothers me. But it also looks too "plasticky" to me. I like my wood pens to look and feel like wood, not wood grained plastic.
 
qquake said:
I would say most here prefer the CA finish on wood. I've tried it, but don't like it. One thing is the odor. I wear splash goggles and a mask when I use CA, but it still bothers me. But it also looks too "plasticky" to me. I like my wood pens to look and feel like wood, not wood grained plastic.
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Will agree with the Plastic look. I use a few coats of thin CA and 1 medium to bring out the grain. Then cautiously use EEE with 0000 steel wool to kill the sheen. I say cautiously as the steel wool will grab and wrap around the blank. Use a small piece.
 
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