BigguyZ
Member
So, I'm trying to build up my "stock" of sale-worthy pens, and I'm running into one issue or another an about half my pens. Don't know why, as I use the same methods for each. Most of these issues concern the finish. I have 8 pens currently assembled that I'm not happy with.
Three are acrylics- two of which I forgot to paint the blanks and I don't like the brass showing through. One of them, the end chipped badly.
For the wood pens, the CA finish has cracked. Two of those are Ambonia burl, and I'm not sure why they cracked at all. Another two have ebony- either as the entire pen, or as a glue-up. I really liked the ebony, either alone or as an accent, but I think I'm done with it. I haven't had a single ebony pen that I have around that hasn't cracked (three others were sold/ given, and I haven't been in contact with the buyers, so I have no idea how they're holding up). Side note: I don't think I've seen any pure black acrylics- or am i just blind? What's the cheapest material that's all black, that would work well in a pen?
So now I'm wondering- do I spend time to disassemble each pen (hoping not to damage the kit), and then either try to redo the finish (for wood pens) or get a spare set of tubes and start over. OR, do I just write it off as a waste and use the pens for spare parts?
It seems like whenever I try to refinish a wood blank, I either hit brass, or I have to build up such a think finish to get back to final diameter that the finish continuously has issues- which is a viscious circle....
Thanks!
Three are acrylics- two of which I forgot to paint the blanks and I don't like the brass showing through. One of them, the end chipped badly.
For the wood pens, the CA finish has cracked. Two of those are Ambonia burl, and I'm not sure why they cracked at all. Another two have ebony- either as the entire pen, or as a glue-up. I really liked the ebony, either alone or as an accent, but I think I'm done with it. I haven't had a single ebony pen that I have around that hasn't cracked (three others were sold/ given, and I haven't been in contact with the buyers, so I have no idea how they're holding up). Side note: I don't think I've seen any pure black acrylics- or am i just blind? What's the cheapest material that's all black, that would work well in a pen?
So now I'm wondering- do I spend time to disassemble each pen (hoping not to damage the kit), and then either try to redo the finish (for wood pens) or get a spare set of tubes and start over. OR, do I just write it off as a waste and use the pens for spare parts?
It seems like whenever I try to refinish a wood blank, I either hit brass, or I have to build up such a think finish to get back to final diameter that the finish continuously has issues- which is a viscious circle....
Thanks!