Hi I'm new in the forums. I need your expertise.

[Outdoorsman]

Hi! I enjoy crafting quality pens. The issue that I'm presently frustrated with is the metal finishes and how they invariably seem to lose their lustre! Are any of you aware of a kit vendor who offers solid metal parts? Such as solid stainless steel, Aluminum, Silver, or... even Gold kits? In addition to this question, do any of you have a solution for avoiding cracked barrels, several months after crafting a pen? I've made sure my moisture content is within acceptable parameters, before choosing my stock to be turned, but unless I'm applying too much pressure, when assembling the parts, I'm stumped! I sincerely want to turn out the very best quality product I can, for all our sake. I'm open to your counsel. Thank you!

 

[magpens]

Interesting topics that you raise.

PSI has some new kits, "Duraclick EDC", some of which are solid metal (Aluminum, Brass, Stainless Steel). . One of the IAP members, mredburn, makes silver parts ... silverpenparts.com.

Cracking after assembly ? ... are we talking wood, acrylic, or ?? ... and specifically which kits ? . I had the cracking problem with a couple of pens made from Lignum Vitae a few years ago. . Never did determine the reason.

 

[Curly]

Look for the Shakespeare kit. They are made in the UK and are solid stainless steel. Sold in the USA by Turners Warehouse.
Disclaimer. My wife Marla makes penblanks for them.

Keep in mind Aluminium, Silver, Brass, Copper and Bronze will tarnish/corrode over time so you will still have to polish them to keep them shiny.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[jttheclockman]

Welcome Danny

There are some questions that need to be addressed to give you better answers. Others gave you choices on solid metals and kits. All well and good. But the question I have for you is what quality kits are you using. There are plenty of kits today that that are coated. Some are coated with an acrylic and some are just better quality kits. If you are using kits with 24K gold and lesser platings than you will always have problems. Plating such as Rhodium, Titanium, Platinum and chrome have great wear resistant characteristics. Here is some reading info from Craft Supply which is a well known vendor of good quality kits.

Pens and Platings - Craft Supplies USA

Now to address your other problem about cracking. This is a topic that can take pages and pages to hit all the possibilities. I am sure you will get some more responses but I will give some highlights.

If you are getting cracks in acrylics your technique needs work so will not touch that but can be lumped in at the bottom of wood blanks as I will explain.

Wood blanks---- Some woods are just prone to crack no matter what you do such as the dreaded Snakewood blanks and there are more. Some times woods are not completly dry when worked and that is something you can correct easily by letting to dry or slowly drying in a toaster oven on low heat cycling on and off. There are plenty of threads on this stuff here and you need to do some searching unless people want to spell it all out for you then they can.

Then there is drilling these blanks and also acrylic blanks, heat is your enemy in any phase of pen turning. Sharp tools and drill bits are a must. Good turning techniques is a must. Learn to use the tools and present them to the material properly. All materials are not the same and are not turned the same. Again too much for me to go into.

Then there is the assembly of the components. Care is needed to make sure the inside of the tubes are clean from stray glue or resins if cast. The ends must be reamed. This is a step many newbies forget. If a component is hard to press on then the tube will probably need filing which can be done with small round files or reamers. You should never have to force the parts on. They must be centered as they slide on. Any amount of cocking and they will distort the tube and cause cracks.

Now cracks in finishes is another topic that has pages of info. The type of finish, the amount of finish, the age of the finish, the final sanding and buffing and remember heat is your enemy. So are you seeing cracks in the finish or the entire blank and if so what is the blank material.

But do have fun. It is a fun hobby.

 

[builtbybill]

Danny,

Lazerlinez has solid CNC machined stainless steel pen kits. I have made a few of them and think that they are nice pens.

Bill

 

[leehljp]

Welcome Danny to IAP. Lots of great information above and also in the Library here: Library Index - International Association of Penturners

John was right on the cracking - it could take pages as there are numerous reasons for cracking. Heat during drilling, heat by leaving it in the car or on a desk by a window, or in a display case by a window, or drilling the hole with very tight tolerances, or humidity swings, or residual glue inside the tube; brittle wood, cross cut wood, brittle resin and more.

 

[Dalecamino]

Welcome! Check out silverpenparts.com Mike is a member here on the forum, and has very nice silver pen parts.

I once left my collection of pen in a zippered pen case in my car during the winter months for a few hours. When I got home, I looked at the pens, and nearly all of them had cracked. Someone here on the forum said that, brass expands when it freezes.

 

[Outdoorsman]

Thanks to each of you for your great comments, suggestions and welcoming to the forum. I will take each of your comments under advisement. I suspect temperature fluctuation after crafting the pens is my enemy. As they are just fine after they are created. I work primarily in exotic woods, and I'm stabilizing them more and more. Snakewood has been one of my most frustrating woods. I'm gratified to recognize that I'm not the only dealing with that particular characteristic. I'm very excited to now have some sources for solid metal kits! Thank you all one more for all your help!! Happy turning!

 

[Outdoorsman]

Additional note. I typically purchase my kids from Craft Supplies USA. They are an excellent company with quality kits. I just really want to work with solid metal kits. Thanks again.

 

[jttheclockman]

Additional note. I typically purchase my kids from Craft Supplies USA. They are an excellent company with quality kits. I just really want to work with solid metal kits. Thanks again.

Just remember they have drawbacks as well as some were mentioned so be aware when you make that statement. You also can get into making kitless pens and using any materials as you choose. There are plenty people here do that too. You do pay more for those things. Another thing if you are selling your pens you have no control over how people treat their pens after it leaves your site.

 

[Outdoorsman]

Additional note. I typically purchase my kids from Craft Supplies USA. They are an excellent company with quality kits. I just really want to work with solid metal kits. Thanks again.

Just remember they have drawbacks as well as some were mentioned so be aware when you make that statement. You also can get into making kitless pens and using any materials as you choose. There are plenty people here do that too. You do pay more for those things. Another thing if you are selling your pens you have no control over how people treat their pens after it leaves your site.

That's a great point. You can control all the controllables in crafting a high quality pen, but we have no control over how that pen is treated after it leaves our hands. It seems a disclaimer may be appropriate in an effort to maintain our integrity in this regard.


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[Outdoorsman]

Welcome! Check out silverpenparts.com Mike is a member here on the forum, and has very nice silver pen parts.



I once left my collection of pen in a zippered pen case in my car during the winter months for a few hours. When I got home, I looked at the pens, and nearly all of them had cracked. Someone here on the forum said that, brass expands when it freezes.

I went to their website today. I do like their offerings. I guess I just need to improve my proficiency in identifying ways to pick and choose the components I want to incorporate into a design, and then just go for it.


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[Outdoorsman]

Welcome Danny to IAP. Lots of great information above and also in the Library here: Library Index - International Association of Penturners



John was right on the cracking - it could take pages as there are numerous reasons for cracking. Heat during drilling, heat by leaving it in the car or on a desk by a window, or in a display case by a window, or drilling the hole with very tight tolerances, or humidity swings, or residual glue inside the tube; brittle wood, cross cut wood, brittle resin and more.

All very valid points. Again thank you for your insights. Temperature is a huge variable after you've successfully crafted a beautiful pen, only after some time has passed to discover that it has cracked. Snakewood has been particularly.... brittle. While I can stabilize certain woods prior to turning, some woods are dense enough that stabilizing provides very little benefit, as the stabilizing polymer barely penetrates some of the very tight grained hardwoods. I work primarily with exotic hardwoods, Trustone, and occasionally acrylics, although I'm kind of a purist when it comes to wood and turned pens. I also like working in antler, bone, and even water buffalo horn. I do use cyanoacrylate as the bonding agent between my brass tubes and my turning media. Would I be better served with another bonding agent that may minimize the expansion/contraction, and the associated inherent risks?


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[1080Wayne]

Some of us use Gorilla glue or equivalent for gluing tubes in . It expands and fills in any irregularities in the drilled hole , thereby providing a bit more support to the blank as it is turned down to size . Expansion/contraction still takes place , but the foam may ? be a bit more flexible and remain bonded when the CA would not . Shouldn`t matter too much once the pen is assembled whether it is fully bonded or not .


As to the cause of the cracking you have experienced , you sound positive that it was a storage condition problem . If the pen was made in the winter and was in your house all of that time , it might have dried out a bit , causing a crack . That would mean that the wood wasn`t dry under your ambient conditions . Or , it might just be that as the internal stresses in the blank were re-distributed by drilling and the subsequent turning to size , a minor shock of any nature , thermal or mechanical , pushed part of it over the edge .

 

[jttheclockman]

Welcome Danny to IAP. Lots of great information above and also in the Library here: Library Index - International Association of Penturners



John was right on the cracking - it could take pages as there are numerous reasons for cracking. Heat during drilling, heat by leaving it in the car or on a desk by a window, or in a display case by a window, or drilling the hole with very tight tolerances, or humidity swings, or residual glue inside the tube; brittle wood, cross cut wood, brittle resin and more.

All very valid points. Again thank you for your insights. Temperature is a huge variable after you've successfully crafted a beautiful pen, only after some time has passed to discover that it has cracked. Snakewood has been particularly.... brittle. While I can stabilize certain woods prior to turning, some woods are dense enough that stabilizing provides very little benefit, as the stabilizing polymer barely penetrates some of the very tight grained hardwoods. I work primarily with exotic hardwoods, Trustone, and occasionally acrylics, although I'm kind of a purist when it comes to wood and turned pens. I also like working in antler, bone, and even water buffalo horn. I do use cyanoacrylate as the bonding agent between my brass tubes and my turning media. Would I be better served with another bonding agent that may minimize the expansion/contraction, and the associated inherent risks?


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Many more threads on this.
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f56/snakewood-cracking-can-i-dry-microwave-138413/