Cherry, cocobolo, and aluminum

[BHuij]

I got several 2x2x12" cherry turning blanks on clearance for about $2 each, so I cut one down into eight pen blanks to play with. I'll be testing a bunch of finish options, but today wanted to make my "baseline" against which the others will be compared - CA finish at the highest possible gloss I can achieve.

Threw on a bit of cocobolo cutoff for an accent band, with a few layers of aluminum drink can, and turned a modified slimline.

BLO for depth, then 8 coats of medium CA. Flattened wet with 600 grit, polished with scratch free, micro magic waxes, and finally Novus 2 and Novus 1. One quick application of renaissance wax after that to repel fingerprints.

I'm amazed how much nicer slimline pens can look if you skip the center band, elongate the lower half, and turn a fatter barrel with a wider top part to look a bit more "European." Suddenly the proportions look much more aesthetically pleasing to my eye, and the pen seems much more "premium."

If only someone made a gel refill that fit these. Even the nicer ballpoint refills I use in place of the ones included with the kit are kinda disappointing if you're a snob spoiled with nice fountain pens like me.

Happy with this one though!

 

[Woodchipper]

Excellent pen! Thanks for the tutorial on the wood, aluminum and finishing steps.
Don Ward's book on modifying Slimline pens follows much of what you have done.

 

[BHuij]

Excellent pen! Thanks for the tutorial on the wood, aluminum and finishing steps.
Don Ward's book on modifying Slimline pens follows much of what you have done.

That's where I got the idea

 

[its_virgil]

That's where I got the idea

Thanks! Nice looking pen. One of my favorite slimline mods to make.

 

[wouldentu2?]

Looks very nice, how did you do the 3 stripes?

 

[BHuij]

Looks very nice, how did you do the 3 stripes?

Thanks! Just a skew chisel. I usually do it after finishing sanding at 320 grit but before 400. They tend to get pretty dark when oiled, and then CA fills them in so you can't feel them anymore by the time the pen is finished. The three grooves is kind of my unofficial signature. Basically a coincidence that in this case, the color of them in the photo came out looking pretty similar to the cocobolo.

 

[sorcerertd]

That's a sharp slim! I prefer a custom center band also. The main reason I really don't make them is because of the lack of ink choices, as you mentioned. I think Ed from EB said he had inquired about it with one of the manufacturers and they said that gel ink doesn't flow in those cartridges because of the size/shape. You would think they would have found a way by now.

 

[Woodchipper]

That's where I got the idea

Good move. I'm looking to do some. Waiting to hear about an application at an antique and craft mall.

 

[BHuij]

That's a sharp slim! I prefer a custom center band also. The main reason I really don't make them is because of the lack of ink choices, as you mentioned. I think Ed from EB said he had inquired about it with one of the manufacturers and they said that gel ink doesn't flow in those cartridges because of the size/shape. You would think they would have found a way by now.

Yeah, since I'm kinda returning to pen turning after a several-year hiatus, and getting serious about learning the right way to use all my tools, experimenting with various finishing processes and materials to see what I like, etc., I'm finding myself making a lot of slimlines. They're really inexpensive kits, and can be made into very nice-looking pens.

If someone were ever to make a slimline-esque kit at a similar price range that could accept a gel Parker refill, I'd buy 50 of them. Unfortunately the least expensive ones I can find on PSI or CSUSA are nearly twice as expensive as slimlines. For now, since the purpose of these slimlines is generally just to be practice and/or guinea pigs for some harebrained new finishing idea, I guess having them come out as merely okay-ish writers is an acceptable compromise.