manskirtbrew
Member
Just did this guy tonight. Had a few issues with the finish, and had to go back to bare wood twice.
This is also the first pen I've turned between centers instead of on a mandrel. I really liked doing it that way, but was curious if you all had any tips on how to handle trimming the dried CA off the ends after finishing. I tried a barrel trimmer, but that was obviously a bad idea. I think that's what led to the white bits at the nib end. At that point I was in no mood to start from scratch again :biggrin:
Overall, though, I'm happy with it. The finish went on quickly. Things could have been smoother, but I was afraid of sanding through the finish. I used pump activator from a good distance away. I found out the trick is to make sure the CA is on thin and even before spraying, otherwise it balls up and makes white spots. Next time I buy some I'm going to try the aerosol.
![pen1.jpg pen1.jpg](https://www.penturners.org/data/attachments/113/113255-ce6859aa3c542b2c81b1b0fae7b6c0aa.jpg)
![pen2.jpg pen2.jpg](https://www.penturners.org/data/attachments/113/113256-09b66d3ddd30a0ecf8a80b0509768adf.jpg)
![pen3.jpg pen3.jpg](https://www.penturners.org/data/attachments/113/113257-6376faec6cb96c8cb0c0d6c0c312f148.jpg)
This is also the first pen I've turned between centers instead of on a mandrel. I really liked doing it that way, but was curious if you all had any tips on how to handle trimming the dried CA off the ends after finishing. I tried a barrel trimmer, but that was obviously a bad idea. I think that's what led to the white bits at the nib end. At that point I was in no mood to start from scratch again :biggrin:
Overall, though, I'm happy with it. The finish went on quickly. Things could have been smoother, but I was afraid of sanding through the finish. I used pump activator from a good distance away. I found out the trick is to make sure the CA is on thin and even before spraying, otherwise it balls up and makes white spots. Next time I buy some I'm going to try the aerosol.
![pen1.jpg pen1.jpg](https://www.penturners.org/data/attachments/113/113255-ce6859aa3c542b2c81b1b0fae7b6c0aa.jpg)
![pen2.jpg pen2.jpg](https://www.penturners.org/data/attachments/113/113256-09b66d3ddd30a0ecf8a80b0509768adf.jpg)
![pen3.jpg pen3.jpg](https://www.penturners.org/data/attachments/113/113257-6376faec6cb96c8cb0c0d6c0c312f148.jpg)