penicillin
Member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2019
- Messages
- 1,036
Greetings from Southern California! Sunny? Not. We have had a succession of rainstorms with more on the way. Today is overcast with scattered showers. The weather summary for the next four days is: Rain, Overcast, Rain, Rain. Like adventure? Come try our freeways in the rain! Southern California drivers are notorious for not knowing how to drive in wet weather.
I have been lurking without joining for a few months. After a lot of web searches without success, I just posted my first question asking about 0.3 and 0.5 mm pencil kits. Someone pointed out that I should post an introduction, so here it is:
I am an amateur woodworker, eager to learn more. I use a mix of hand tools, power hand tools, and power tools.
I get pen and pencil kits from the local Rockler store near me. I make my own blanks from wood boards, reclaimed furniture, and scrapwood. I have made a few acrylic pens and pencils, but prefer natural wood. So far, I have made 44 pens and pencils, plus one seam ripper. I had a few failures - breaking apart and flying away from the tube, damage during assembly, tip too short (didn't match brass insert length perfectly), glue in tubes interfering, etc. I drill and assemble on the lathe. I mill the ends on a small drill press. I use both high speed steel (HSS) and carbide turning tools. I use Hut Crystal Coat (friction polish) or a CA finish on wood, and Micro-mesh with Hut plastic polish on acrylic. I like the natural feel of the Crystal Coat, but I am told that it does not protect as well. My pens are too new to know what happens when the Crystal Coat wears down.
I made pens as holiday gifts, plus a few more for our soldiers and veterans. Now that the gifts are out of the way, I want to make pens and pencils for my own use at work, home, and in the shop. I am also committed to make a few more gift pens for people who are helping one of my children. In my dreams, I would love to host a family day for three of my nieces, where we could have fun making wood pens for them to take home.
I am almost done with pens from this initial surge. Once I have over-saturated family, friends, and my own needs with pens and pencils, I will move on to other projects, some of which are already underway. I will keep a few kits around, ready to turn for gifts when the need arises.
I will be active on penturners.org for a little while, but don't expect me to be a long-term contributor. I get the allure of pen making, but my focus won't be on pens and pencils for much longer. (I can read your minds: "Yeah, that's what I said when I started to make pens.")
Thanks to everyone for being here to answer my pen making questions. I hope I can contribute a few answers along the way, too.
I have been lurking without joining for a few months. After a lot of web searches without success, I just posted my first question asking about 0.3 and 0.5 mm pencil kits. Someone pointed out that I should post an introduction, so here it is:
I am an amateur woodworker, eager to learn more. I use a mix of hand tools, power hand tools, and power tools.
I get pen and pencil kits from the local Rockler store near me. I make my own blanks from wood boards, reclaimed furniture, and scrapwood. I have made a few acrylic pens and pencils, but prefer natural wood. So far, I have made 44 pens and pencils, plus one seam ripper. I had a few failures - breaking apart and flying away from the tube, damage during assembly, tip too short (didn't match brass insert length perfectly), glue in tubes interfering, etc. I drill and assemble on the lathe. I mill the ends on a small drill press. I use both high speed steel (HSS) and carbide turning tools. I use Hut Crystal Coat (friction polish) or a CA finish on wood, and Micro-mesh with Hut plastic polish on acrylic. I like the natural feel of the Crystal Coat, but I am told that it does not protect as well. My pens are too new to know what happens when the Crystal Coat wears down.
I made pens as holiday gifts, plus a few more for our soldiers and veterans. Now that the gifts are out of the way, I want to make pens and pencils for my own use at work, home, and in the shop. I am also committed to make a few more gift pens for people who are helping one of my children. In my dreams, I would love to host a family day for three of my nieces, where we could have fun making wood pens for them to take home.
I am almost done with pens from this initial surge. Once I have over-saturated family, friends, and my own needs with pens and pencils, I will move on to other projects, some of which are already underway. I will keep a few kits around, ready to turn for gifts when the need arises.
I will be active on penturners.org for a little while, but don't expect me to be a long-term contributor. I get the allure of pen making, but my focus won't be on pens and pencils for much longer. (I can read your minds: "Yeah, that's what I said when I started to make pens.")
Thanks to everyone for being here to answer my pen making questions. I hope I can contribute a few answers along the way, too.
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