Ebony, Soapstone, Brass Slimlines & Walnut Stand

[icebiker]

As a follow up to my last post, I have now competed my set of three pens in novel (to me) materials: ebony, brass and soapstone. Put them on a Walnut base for as a holiday gift. I hope you all don't mind two posts so close together, but I promise not to post too frequently!

Note: you can see that I had to leave the soapstone quite proud of the hardware as it is very soft and brittle. In fact, I positioned the stone pen so that you can see the mistake/blemish at the bottom, where it joins the tip of the pen. Part of it flaked off slightly when I was pressing in the tip and I had to use CA to stabilize it. Pro tip: if you want to do this, you should either expand your brass sleeves first, or grind down the hardware and glue it in with CA rather than press-fit like normal pens.

Thanks to @Joebobber for selling me the soapstone

 

[SabertoothBunny]

Do you use carebide to shape the soapstone? How well does the soapstone hold up to daily use for writing?

Saw that the stone is a 2.5-5 on the Mohs scales depending on the type of soapstone and where it can from. Quite the array of colors available.

 

[Woodchipper]

Nice pens.
1. Good to vary from the plain SL profile. I like them.
2. Where did you get the brass and how did you turn/shape it?
3. I like the wood square for a pen holder. My drill press table tilts so I can make some for myself. Loads of scrap laying around.
4. Thanks for sharing this and your other post!

 

[icebiker]

Do you use carebide to shape the soapstone? How well does the soapstone hold up to daily use for writing?

Saw that the stone is a 2.5-5 on the Mohs scales depending on the type of soapstone and where it can from. Quite the array of colors available.

I used HSS and Carbide on the brass - both worked fine surprisingly, but you have to go very slow.

I used regular HSS tools on the soapstone but honestly you could shape it with sandpaper, a rasp/file, or even a kitchen butter-knife if you really wanted - it's incredibly soft.

 

[icebiker]

Nice pens.
1. Good to vary from the plain SL profile. I like them.
2. Where did you get the brass and how did you turn/shape it?
3. I like the wood square for a pen holder. My drill press table tilts so I can make some for myself. Loads of scrap laying around.
4. Thanks for sharing this and your other post!

1. Thanks! I like slimline pens best because I like very thin pens, but I find the regular profile kind of boring. So I try to balance it with form without being too bulky. I do most of my pens like this, and 90% of what I turn is slimline. Also they are less expensive kits

2. This is 3/4" solid brass stock, 6" in length. I got it on amazon for $21CAD. I turned it with regular chisels, mostly a square HSS scraper, and a bowl gouge for roughing lol which was also HSS. I only had to sharpen the scraper 2-3 times. It took about 30 minutes of turning though because it's slow. Really, you use the same techniques as anything else. The big difference is in sanding and finishing. Obviously you don't finish brass with CA or pre-catalyzed lacquer etc. Just make sure you start the sanding process at a pretty high grit. I think I started at 200 and worked my way up to 2000 before polishing with green compound and a shop-towel. I would definitely recommend giving this a try!

3. Thanks! I also made it out of scrap. I just clamped it and used a regular drill and then a wide countersink bit that I have. It didn't take much time and it makes them stand out way more than the pre-made pen stands you can buy online, in my opinion! If you make one in the future, post it for sure! I'd love to see it.

To be honest, I wouldn't turn soapstone again. It's hard to work with, very dusty, and there is always a risk that it contains asbestos. It was fun for a one-off, and I'd say that others should definitely try one in their lives! But I'll hand-carve my remaining soapstone into little shapes or animals instead. Or maybe even hand-carve a pen, which is totally possible!

 

[Woodchipper]

Solid brass or brass tubing? If solid, how did you drill it? Curious. Thanks for the technique used for it.

 

[icebiker]

Solid brass or brass tubing? If solid, how did you drill it? Curious. Thanks for the technique used for it.

Solid brass. Brass is a soft metal - you can drill it with any handheld power drill (what I used) or a drill press as long as you have a HSS drillbit. I bought two HSS drill bits on Amazon for like $7 shipped total. They're not expensive, and yours might already be HSS.

When drilling brass or any metal, just don't take too much at once, and make sure to clear out the shavings by pulling out and going back in. If you have a hard time you can use any oil to lubricate the cutting surface, but it shouldn't be necessary. Take it slow and punch a center hole with whatever you have lying around to make sure the bit starts off roughly centered. Obviously clamp your work!

 

[Woodchipper]

Thanks. Brings back memories of the R&D model shop...my first job. I should have HSS bits.