Any tips on inlay kits

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Christopher,

If you get the kits from Constant or from Ken at Kallenshan Woods they will have good, detailed instructions included or available on their respective web sites. READ and FOLLOW the directions!! DAMHIKT!!

I just finished assembling one of Constant's American Flag kits. His and Ken's are slightly different, but again, if you follow their directions you should be OK. The stars gave me some trouble just because it took me 4-5 settings to get all 50 in place.

Give a kit a try, and let us know how it goes.
 
If you're doing one of Constant's blanks just follow his instructions and you will be fine. To reinforce a few points:
  1. Assemble inlay using tube in the blank, then remove tube and apply thin CA to glue in the inlay
  2. I used epoxy to glue the tube -- seems to work well
  3. Square the ends to the tube using a sanding jig -- don't use a pen mill!
  4. Sand the blank to start to get rid of any high spots which could catch with your normal turning tools
  5. After turning a bit, rub some dark wood dust (e.g., ebony or dark Tru-stone dust) to highlight the detail then cover with thin CA and turn to completion
 
I just did my first one. I have to say it is nerve racking but try to relax. These are well made and seem to be hard to break since I dropped mine a few times. Anyway here it is. I got the kit from Constant.

The kit is a black titanium and platinum wall street II.



wdcav1952 said:
Christopher,

If you get the kits from Constant or from Ken at Kallenshan Woods they will have good, detailed instructions included or available on their respective web sites. READ and FOLLOW the directions!! DAMHIKT!!

I just finished assembling one of Constant's American Flag kits. His and Ken's are slightly different, but again, if you follow their directions you should be OK. The stars gave me some trouble just because it took me 4-5 settings to get all 50 in place.

Give a kit a try, and let us know how it goes.
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I found that after I get the parts in and before I CA then it helped to roll the blank, with tube still inserted, back and forth a few times on a hard flat surface. Kind of set the parts in at the correct depth.

I took a chunk of ebony and sanded it on the belt sanded and collected the dust worked good to fill in with.

Follow the instructions, do not panic. They are fun.
 
I've had really great luck with both Constant and Ken. Both make quality kits. I found what works best for me is to "build" a section at a time and I use the blue masking tape to hold things together. Once its all built and covered with tape I roll the blank with the tube still in it. This seems to align and tighten things up for me. I then flood with thin CA let dry glue in the tube and put on the lathe and turn it to remove the tape using VERY light cuts. I stop and check to see if any gaps need filling then continue to finish shaping and apply the finish. I've also used rubber bands to hold things together when there wasn't too many small parts. Just CA everything in place and turn it off on the lathe.
 
Displaced Canadian said:
Looking at the humming bird, deer, poker, and puzzle pen. My friend saw Constant's web site and got ALL excited.
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I've done a couple of Constant's kits and the scariest part was 'breaking' the parts to make them fit. :eek: But they all worked out perfectly if you take a little care and don't lose any of the small parts.

I did a little write up that may help you. I don't know if I said in this write up, but a good tip is that once you have the entire blank assembled, is to roll it quite firmly on a flat surface. This helps some of the parts to 'click' into place a little closer to the tube. Roll it with the tube in, but not glued.
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=57857&highlight=springboks

As for black CA to fill gaps.....what gaps??:biggrin: All of mine are real snug fitting. But the WILL fit, just be patient.

I was extremely impressed by the quality of these kits and each one is a beauty.
 
I use black ebony dust, just put some on my finger and rub it over the parts than apply thin CA over it. Seems to give darker more pronounced lines.
 

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They are pretty hard kits to mess up, EXCEPT DO NOT USE A PEN MILL ON THESE KITS! Everything else is just a matter of being patient.
 
I just turned my first one from Constant. It was the rose. Came out perfect. Just follow the directions. And I am sure Ken's kits are of equal quality.
 
Chris
I've turned a LOT of these laser kits and the advice hereis great stuff. One thing I did not see that I do is once I have the kit assembled and glued to the barrel (don't be afraid to use a lot of glue on the barrel and let it sit overnight just for fun), I first take some 150 sand paper to it and sand the barrel smooth before I take a chisel to it. This prevents any of the misc. parts of the inlays that are sticking up from catching and flying across the room (glad it never happened to me, just heard about it! - yeah right). Then take light cuts and off you go. Good luck!

By the way, I hope to get some shop time tomorrow and the blank you sent me is on the top of the list. I can't wait to see that one on a pen.

Cheers
Bob
 
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