First Pens

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jacobrts

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Apr 21, 2025
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California
I wouldn't say that I am showing these off - but I did want to share the first pens I made.
  • Top one is snakewood - was fun to work with but got about 6 tiny cracks at the ends. I think they just doubled in length after polishing it just now. Haven't assembled it yet because I wanted to get some feedback :( I think I know the answer to this, but wondering if finishing it with CA glue may hide the cracks more than polish? I don't
  • Next one down is magnetic graduate kit with pink ivory -I kind of liked how it gets real narrow on the bottom section - but it was not intentional - just gouged it and had to clean it up. I also took off too much wood on the top part of the cap - and just noticed that it also as a small hairline crack. :(
  • Slimline using Sipo blank. Love the weird digital texture like effect of that wood. Felt pretty good about how this one turned out. Seemed a shame to go from a 5/8" blank down to such a tiny cylinder.
  • Carpenter pencil with Gaboon Ebony. I'm going to try another one with that type of ebony - thinking I should have been able to get it a lot more smooth as I can still see some slight texture from the wood grain. Was excited that I got the edges to match the bushings.
  • Then a magnetic graduate kit with Rhodonite/Tourmaline. Came out kind of clumsy and a bit heavier than I think many would like. Not easy working with stone. Finished the cap with CA glue to clean up the edges, thought I'd do the same to the lower section that I had already assembled, but not seeing a way to do that without taking it apart.
  • Then last one at the bottom is another pencil kit using yellow opalus quartz. Was the first time i did a CA finish. Wished I checked it more thoroughly before assembling because there was some cracking in the finish near the edges that got a little worse.
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Very Cool and an amazing start compared to many entering the craft. I am a big fan of the Magnetic Graduate kit. I have also thought about getting some of those Carpenter Pencil kits. Your choice of materials is impressive, with a couple of problematic ones (as you noted) like the Snakewood and Ebony - both of which are prone to cracking.

Thanks for sharing and we will be looking forward to see more.

Dave
 
Good variety of fine looking pens. I noticed that one of them is a Carpenter pencil. I bought one for my grandson's teacher but cannot find a source for the 2mm lead in an "H" or "2H" grade. Any recommendations would be very helpful.
 
egnald said:
Very Cool and an amazing start compared to many entering the craft. I am a big fan of the Magnetic Graduate kit. I have also thought about getting some of those Carpenter Pencil kits. Your choice of materials is impressive, with a couple of problematic ones (as you noted) like the Snakewood and Ebony - both of which are prone to cracking.

Thanks for sharing and we will be looking forward to see more.

Dave
Click to expand...
Yeah. I didn't realize cracking was a thing - but actually had to completely scrap that snakewood. Managed to put a pretty massive crack in it after finishing it. I'll probably not try and turn snakewood for a while.
 
Someone once told me that there are only two kinds of ebony.... Ebony that is cracked and ebony that will crack. 🫣

I have had some ebony work out just fine, but snakewood, not so much, cracks develop and open up over time.

Make sure the wood is dry and acclimated to your environment before turning. Do NOT overheat it while drilling, this will really cause problems. I would drill the blank, a little at a time, letting the wood and bit cool between each peck and then once drilled through, allow the wood to acclimate to your environment for a few days. Also, use epoxy not CA to glue the tubes in.
 
That's a beautiful bunch of pens you made! I'm not surprised the snakewood cracked. That and ebony are woods I will probably not bother with again. African blackwood works much better than ebony for me.

The weight of a thick stone pen is great for people with a shaky hand. I've seen some extremely heavy ones for people with Parkinson's, but for those with just a small tremor, the weight will be very much appreciated. How did you drill the stone? I assume you used carbide for cutting, probably went through a couple blades?
 
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