azrickster
Member
Turned all these for Christmas Presents. These are actually my Second, Third, Fourth, etc. pens I've turned. First was a pen I turned in a Rockler class when I got hooked on this disease. Just what I needed, another expensive hobby
Took me until about a week before Christmas to gather all my equipment and hardware to start turning. 23 pens in a week was a bit much for a beginner I think and they definitely show it, lol. Regardless, the recipients loved them.
All were sanded to 600 grit, then 2 to 3 coats of thick GluBoost followed by 2 to 3 thin, then micro meshed to 12,000. I didn't use GluBoost on the solid Acrylics, just micro meshed them. After looking at my pictures, looks like the Acrylics could have benefited from GluBoost.
All tubes were glued with the White Gorilla Glue so I wouldn't have to paint the blanks or tubes. I moistened the blanks before gluing, but it didn't always foam consistently and some tubes were visible through the Acrylics especially on the slimlines. One tube even came loose. In class we used thick CA, but I hate the fumes - burns my eyes. Maybe epoxy next time.
The Colored Pencil blank was the worst to turn, having to slather it with CA all the time was a pain and it still chipped out on one end. I cut the chipped end off (about 1/8") and used a couple of rubber o-rings on the tip threads so it would cover the refill. Also snipped the spring a bit.
The Diamond Cast blank was the easiest to turn for me. Stuff turns like butter.
Next time I'll start earlier and take my time
. Preparing these pictures I see that I turned several a bit proud, my eyes aren't what they used to be... Could also be that I didn't account for the GluBoost thickness enough.
Regardless of some of the issues and being rushed, I had a blast turning these.
I named the images by kit - blank in case anyone want's to know what they were. Several of the wood blanks were from the IAP fundraiser and weren't labeled unfortunately because they came out great. Nice blanks IAP!
Any feedback would be appreciated. My photography skills can definitely improvel. Although I was rushed to take these before wrapping the pens.
Took me until about a week before Christmas to gather all my equipment and hardware to start turning. 23 pens in a week was a bit much for a beginner I think and they definitely show it, lol. Regardless, the recipients loved them.
All were sanded to 600 grit, then 2 to 3 coats of thick GluBoost followed by 2 to 3 thin, then micro meshed to 12,000. I didn't use GluBoost on the solid Acrylics, just micro meshed them. After looking at my pictures, looks like the Acrylics could have benefited from GluBoost.
All tubes were glued with the White Gorilla Glue so I wouldn't have to paint the blanks or tubes. I moistened the blanks before gluing, but it didn't always foam consistently and some tubes were visible through the Acrylics especially on the slimlines. One tube even came loose. In class we used thick CA, but I hate the fumes - burns my eyes. Maybe epoxy next time.
The Colored Pencil blank was the worst to turn, having to slather it with CA all the time was a pain and it still chipped out on one end. I cut the chipped end off (about 1/8") and used a couple of rubber o-rings on the tip threads so it would cover the refill. Also snipped the spring a bit.
The Diamond Cast blank was the easiest to turn for me. Stuff turns like butter.
Next time I'll start earlier and take my time
. Preparing these pictures I see that I turned several a bit proud, my eyes aren't what they used to be... Could also be that I didn't account for the GluBoost thickness enough.Regardless of some of the issues and being rushed, I had a blast turning these.
I named the images by kit - blank in case anyone want's to know what they were. Several of the wood blanks were from the IAP fundraiser and weren't labeled unfortunately because they came out great. Nice blanks IAP!
Any feedback would be appreciated. My photography skills can definitely improvel. Although I was rushed to take these before wrapping the pens.
