Closed end Baron

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mick

mick

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Mar 13, 2005
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Decatur AL, USA
After purchasing one on Fangar's pin chucks I...er a friend of mine, Yeah that's it, a "friend", tossed it in a drawer for about six months. The other day this "friend" ordered several blanks of Trustone from CSUSA. "He" decided one of the Jasper blanks would make a nice closed end pen. My "friend" carefully measured and cut the blank. Then "he" every so carefully drilled the 25/64th hole on the lathe. It came out perfectly. Then "he carefully marked a 1/4 inch drill bit and proceeded to drill the pocket for a rollerball spring. "He" was so very careful to only drill the required depth! I was proud of him!!:DThis was so much easier than my "friend" had imagined. THEN Murphy came to visit! I ....er "he" dropped the damn blank as "he" was unchucking it. Broke that sucker into!!! (NOTE TO MY "FRIEND"...TRUSTONE IS KINDA BRITTLE) I counseled him to glue it back together. After all it was his first closed end pen and it wasn't gonna show if "he" glued it right. So "he" carefully glued the blank together and even more carefully glued the tube into the repaired blank so as not to get any excess glue in the barrel, since it wouldn't be easy to get CA glue out of something without a hole in it.
Everything was looking good and my "friend" was thinking by now that this was such an easy thing to do. Anyway this evening I....er "he" mounted the blank into the lathe and when "he" brought the live center up to the end "he noticed that it sank into the blank a little bit. "Dang thing's softer than I thought", My "friend" thinks. Pen turned well, Trustone was easier to turn than "he" thought. Shaped the pen to a nice pleasing shape and moved the tailstock back to shape the end. I....er "he" notices the hole where the live center had pushed into the blank. "he" begins to trim the end and do away with the little hole. "He" keeps trimming and the hole is still there..."he" trims somemore and still a hole!
It's then that I...er my "friend" realizes he used a brad point bit to drill the 1/4 inch hole :( I'M REALLY ASHAMED OF MY "FRIEND" NOW. I told "him" that no decent penturner would ever do that! I did offer to save it for "him" though. I mixed a little sanding dust with some CA and filled the hole. "He" polished the pen and it looked ok...even the crack was almost invisible.
I made my "friend" a list to use next time "he" turns a closed end pen
1. THROW THOSE BRAD POINT DRILL BITS AWAY!!!
2. Don't be such a klutz and drop a $4.99 Trustone blank
3. THROW THOSE BRAD POINT DRILL BITS AWAY!!!
4. Never buy anymore brad pint bits

I'm so ashamed of my "friend" [V]
 
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You might want to tell your "friend" that we like pic's with our stories, we want to see his pen. Its no fun to read stories that have no photographs.

Wayne
 
Originally posted by alamocdc
<br />Oh, Miiiike. Why are YOU turning the cap? [?][}:)][:p]
Click to expand...

I'll bet he took pity on the friend and is turning the cap just to help out when the friend couldn't bear to finish it!!! [}:)][}:)]
 
You've got a friend just like mine. Good luck getting him to listen to you, I....'er I meant my friend doesn't listen to me very well. [:o)]
 
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