Looking into taking the next step - kitless pens

[NGLJ]

Thanks Kevin. I was referring to material for blanks to turn. However, your tip about Delrin is useful. Alumilite seems to be much preferred for making your own blanks.

 

[rixstix]

Any of the Polyester Resins can be a beast to thread and/or turn. Many of the advertised Acrylics are OK. Kirinite is OK. Sometimes you get a polyester blank labeled as an acrylic.

I made it a mission on my part to turn and thread polyester with minimal hiccups and it can be done but I always leave enough to correct and OOPS or AwShucks moment. I am using a metal lathe so that makes a huge difference with my personal mission.

I had a machinist friend show me the benefit of extremely sharp tools which I will never master in my remaining years. His bit sharpening cut my fingers worse that a new single edged 0.008" single edged razor blade. He proceeded to show me a 0.010 cut/0.020" overall diameter reduction per pass on a RhinoPastic black without blowing anything up.

 

[NGLJ]

Thanks Rick. I have already had my Poly Resin challenge! I can get a thread but it is very fragile. If you have any tips I would be grateful. I envy you with the metal lathe. Even if I bought one, and all the bits to go with it, I don't have anywhere to put it. So, I am stuck with the wood lathe, and its limitations. I have had good success with most Acrylics, and recently tried Alumilite, which worked out OK.

 

[rixstix]

Trust me, the cost of the lathe is the least of the expense. HSS hand ground bits will outperform the carbide insert bits, though I use my share of carbide inserts.

Threading PR on a wood lathe borders impossible IMO but I am nowhere near expert. On my metal lathe, I have a tenon diameter from many trials & can be fragile. Threading uses lots of lube & only a few degrees of cut/backoff at a time. Untraditionally, I use m9.5/.80 tap/die (actually 3/8" 32tpi UNEF) but it's easier to call it metric for sections.

Alumilite is like butter but I'm in the minority of those who like seeing long streams off the lathe. They're so light that they bypass the cyclone prefilled on the dust collector.

 

[NGLJ]

Finally a complete pen all from the same material. Since my last posting I have been trying to make a complete pen using Poly Resin. The upshot after using 20 blanks is that I have made several decent desk pens. I hesitate to say that anything is impossible, especially here, but Poly Resin is not user friendly for making bespoke pens for several reasons, which I am sure are well known here! It does polish very nicely. So, I switched to Acrylic, and attached is the completed pen. The 2 sizes that I used are M7 and M10 to create a fairly slim pen. I am not completely happy with the alignment of the cap and body, which is no doubt to some extent due to not using a tailstock die holder. Will need to negotiate with the "home boss" . I am going to try some Alumilite next, which I believe is quite user friendly for this purpose.

 

[Sugar Creek Pen Co.]

Finally a complete pen all from the same material. Since my last posting I have been trying to make a complete pen using Poly Resin. The upshot after using 20 blanks is that I have made several decent desk pens. I hesitate to say that anything is impossible, especially here, but Poly Resin is not user friendly for making bespoke pens for several reasons, which I am sure are well known here! It does polish very nicely. So, I switched to Acrylic, and attached is the completed pen. The 2 sizes that I used are M7 and M10 to create a fairly slim pen. I am not completely happy with the alignment of the cap and body, which is no doubt to some extent due to not using a tailstock die holder. Will need to negotiate with the "home boss" . I am going to try some Alumilite next, which I believe is quite user friendly for this purpose.

Alumilite works very nicely for this type of project.

 

[NGLJ]

For this kind of project using Alumilite is "heavenly" compared even to Acrylic, which is infinitely better than Poly Resin! It threads and drills very well. I have turned home-made Alumilite blanks before when making a kit pen but not kitless. My pen material supplier makes some nice, but expensive, Alumilite blanks. I have made some 9" round Alumilite blanks, specifically for kitless, but haven't used any yet.

 

[NGLJ]

First kitless Alumilite turning using a home made blank (see attached). It uses a Cross style refill. I noticed that many kitless makers use their own blanks. They are typically round and 8.5 to 9" long. Otherwise you need 2 regular sized blanks. ¾" sched 40 PVC plastic pipe makes a good mold. I made a couple of plain color ones by way of an experiment, ie. can I get the blank out after "cooking" in the pressure pot. Although the urethane mold release basically did its job, a spot of BF&I (brute force and ignorance) was required to get them out. Flush with my success, I made a more elaborate blank mixing 2 different colors and some "sparkles". When you make square blanks in a mold, mixing is fairly simple, but not so simple with a tube. Basically, I just guessed, but I would like to be a little more "scientific" in future if possible. I watched some utube videos but none so far have given me a warm and fuzzy feeling that some science was employed. If anyone has some "magic", I would be grateful for the technique. Of course, I could make 9" long square mold and use that, but starting from round is a great time saver.

 

[Aurelius]

Mixing in tubes is not complicated. Just get a piece of thin brass rod that is about 6" or so longer than the depth of your mold. Using a pair of pliers, bend the end so that a piece about half the diameter of your mold is sticking out perpendicular to the rod. After you pour your resin, you stick the rod in all the way to the bottom and twist it as you pull it up to swirl the colors. Be aware that sticking the rod in will cause some of the resin to overflow, hence why you want to use a thinner rod. Not really scientific unless you want to rig up some kind of gear system to make the twisting repeatable but it definitely works.

 

[NGLJ]

Mixing in tubes is not complicated. Just get a piece of thin brass rod that is about 6" or so longer than the depth of your mold. Using a pair of pliers, bend the end so that a piece about half the diameter of your mold is sticking out perpendicular to the rod. After you pour your resin, you stick the rod in all the way to the bottom and twist it as you pull it up to swirl the colors. Be aware that sticking the rod in will cause some of the resin to overflow, hence why you want to use a thinner rod. Not really scientific unless you want to rig up some kind of gear system to make the twisting repeatable but it definitely works.

Thanks. I had been thinking something along those lines. What I did with my only attempt so far was to use a thin dowel and angle it relative to the sides of the tube and rotate it as I bring it up. It kind of worked but could have been much better. I like your idea and will give it a try.

 

[Fred Bruche]

Master Brooks sharing his "secrets"
Making Custom Resin & Pens with Jonathon Brooks

 

[NJturner]

I pour my own blanks for my custom pens - I use a couple different resins depending on a few factors. Alumilite is not the greatest for its tolerance to UV light - it yellows a bit faster than I like, making the pen look old and dingy. When I need dead clear for ink windows or similar, I have used Liquid Diamonds with some good success. However if you are going to do any coloring or mica additions to the resin, the Liquid Diamonds is REAL slow to set up which is an issue with my vertical pours. I've just tested the resin Tim McKenzie uses for his Diamondcast blanks and like it a lot instead of Alumilite, but it is a bit more fussy and is a little more chippy then Alumilite, so need to take some care both casting it and cutting it. I'm most inclined to stick with resin from Tim or his supplier, as I understand he is no longer selling it as a distributor.

As @Aurelius said, using a thin brass rod to do any swirling or color pulling in a vertical tube works well. I cast in both 3/4 " PVC pipe and in gang silicone molds from PTownSubbie. Just be sure to use the right mold release to make it easy to get the castings out! Temperature is the key to making sure you get color separation and swirling in your blanks - the longer you hold, the better the separation.

As for the tenons and threading. I use a tenon cutter from Jim Heinz, available through Turners Warehouse, that makes tenon cutting a breeze. I also use a Niles Niche die and tap holder system to keep everything aligned, but I also hear that Rick makes a really nice one available in our vendor lists. I've used the taps and dies from the last group buy here so far and just got into the last one that just closed for some more sizes. Rick also makes a great section mandrel that will reduce your breakage when turning the section. Good Tools help!

Here is one of mine in Alumilite

Kevin

 

[NGLJ]

I pour my own blanks for my custom pens - I use a couple different resins depending on a few factors. Alumilite is not the greatest for its tolerance to UV light - it yellows a bit faster than I like, making the pen look old and dingy. When I need dead clear for ink windows or similar, I have used Liquid Diamonds with some good success. However if you are going to do any coloring or mica additions to the resin, the Liquid Diamonds is REAL slow to set up which is an issue with my vertical pours. I've just tested the resin Tim McKenzie uses for his Diamondcast blanks and like it a lot instead of Alumilite, but it is a bit more fussy and is a little more chippy then Alumilite, so need to take some care both casting it and cutting it. I'm most inclined to stick with resin from Tim or his supplier, as I understand he is no longer selling it as a distributor.

As @Aurelius said, using a thin brass rod to do any swirling or color pulling in a vertical tube works well. I cast in both 3/4 " PVC pipe and in gang silicone molds from PTownSubbie. Just be sure to use the right mold release to make it easy to get the castings out! Temperature is the key to making sure you get color separation and swirling in your blanks - the longer you hold, the better the separation.

As for the tenons and threading. I use a tenon cutter from Jim Heinz, available through Turners Warehouse, that makes tenon cutting a breeze. I also use a Niles Niche die and tap holder system to keep everything aligned, but I also hear that Rick makes a really nice one available in our vendor lists. I've used the taps and dies from the last group buy here so far and just got into the last one that just closed for some more sizes. Rick also makes a great section mandrel that will reduce your breakage when turning the section. Good Tools help!

Here is one of mine in Alumilite
View attachment 384246 View attachment 384247

Kevin

Thanks so much for the most helpful input, Kevin. Love the pen that you showed! I have a LONG way to go before getting to something like that. I have a gift to make, and for expediency, I am going to make the Apollo. Speaking of good tools, to no surprise I am now realizing that a fair investment is needed to get the best results. If you are going to make for sale then that is part of the venture. Currently, I don't see myself doing that. I give away most of what I make to friends, and worthy causes. However, I am not sure about giving away bespoke pens, considering the time and cost investment. Getting into selling is whole different adventure!

 

[NGLJ]

Master Brooks sharing his "secrets"
Making Custom Resin & Pens with Jonathon Brooks

Thanks Fred. I watched the Utube video, which was very helpful.