African Blackwood and Brass

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hilltopper46

hilltopper46

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Joined
Jun 28, 2006
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Location
East Troy, Wisconsin, USA.
I made this for a friend. It was quite a challenge and I'll be upfront about the fact that I would like to have seen some things go better with it.

I epoxied the brass and blackwood together, but when I drilled it the heat softened up the epoxy and both ends fell apart. I then glued the pieces back together with super glue. I thought if I got one end turned I would be happy and just put plain blackwood on the other end, but even though I had a catch (on the brass) on the top barrel, we got both ends turned, with the application of some more super glue.

Thanks for looking, and comments (and suggestions) are welcome, although, I'm not too sure there will be a next time. :redface:
 

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pretty pen, i wouldnt give up on the design just yet. by the way that little chip near where the brass arcs on the top barrel could be filled and essentially made invisible were you to apply a drop of CA to it and then sand it down to fill it with black dust. just a suggestion please dont take offense, its a nice pen
 
ZanderPommo said:
pretty pen, i wouldnt give up on the design just yet. by the way that little chip near where the brass arcs on the top barrel could be filled and essentially made invisible were you to apply a drop of CA to it and then sand it down to fill it with black dust. just a suggestion please dont take offense, its a nice pen
Click to expand...

Thanks. No offense taken.

You know, I never noticed that divot you mention until I saw it in the picture. In real life, I think it is filled in with clear CA. I might need to take a look at it the next time I see my friend, if he is carrying it.
 
Very nicely done. I do not think I have the skill to pull something like that off just yet. Great looking design and pen.
 
Wow nice pen, but one heck of a hard combination to work with, I wonder if Med or Thick CA would have held any better, Blackwood is awfully dense.
 
ToddMR said:
Very nicely done. I do not think I have the skill to pull something like that off just yet. Great looking design and pen.
Click to expand...

It took more guts than skill. I made sure to wear my face mask.

bitshird said:
Wow nice pen, but one heck of a hard combination to work with, I wonder if Med or Thick CA would have held any better, Blackwood is awfully dense.
Click to expand...

This is the third blank I glued up and the second one I've drilled (one just fell apart when I dropped it on the floor). The first one was done with thick CA and it had the same problem. Things started improving when I began to cool the bit with DNA while I was drilling. Water would work just as well and be safer, but I wanted to try it and wanted to use something that would dry fairly quickly.
 
Real nice pen. I would keep working on that design. You really made a beautiful pen. Maybe you glue was not a 1:1 ratio. I would try again, because the work you accomplished was so good.
 
I appreciate your efforts. I did the same with brass and had the same malady, falling apart. Yours came out better than mine.
 
Tony.....
That is one beautiful pen. I know the struggles that you have gone through. Here is one suggestion you might take advantage of. Before you drill the blank, add sacrificial wood to all 4 sides. That way it can not blow up, even if the glue does get soft. Here is a tutorial on how I made a pen with brass and ebony.

http://penturnersparadise.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=4232

For you other guys.... give it a try.... it is NOT that hard.
Roy
 
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