How it is done

[Adam]

I have an interest in knowing what kind of lathe and tools you use to turn a pen. What kind of finish do you apply and what is your most sought after wood(s) for turning And even where you get your supplies.
I think this will make for a very interesting post and offer the newer people like my self a great deal of information.

My current Set up is a grizzly pen lathe, and i rough the blanks round and a little bit of the shaping with a robert sorby 3/4 Roughing Gouge
Then i use 80 grit sand paper as a final shaping tool and sand through
2000 grit i then apply CA Glue to the blank start at 600 grit and sand up to 12000 grit. After that i apply a friction polish. I currently get rid of Amboyna Burl, Olive wood and cocobolo the quickest every one seems to like those. Currently i get almost all of my supplies from CS USA and Penn State Ind.

 

[tipusnr]

I use a JET mini-lathe. The tools I use depend on the shape I'm trying to achieve - I even use parting tools to shape pens.

As far as sanding. I rarely use sandpaper to shape my blanks as it removes sharp edge lines as well as the tool marks. The better you get with the tools - the less you'll have to sand. I also don't sand past 600 grit on my woods as the friction polishes I use won't show marks past that. I'm not using CA finishes as yet though will some day experiment with them. I personally don't like the glass/plastic seal look of the CA finish on my pens (you'll find I'm in the minority on that one).

I use a variety of friction finishes and woods, solid surface material, and plastics (resins) and don't really sell them so don't have a best seller.

I get my kits and woods wherever something catches my eye or has a closeout price. I even buy off eBay!!

Hope this helps. I'm sure others will prove to be more choosy in their replies.

 

[daledut]

I'll jump in here.

I use a Hickory variable speed mini lathe. The tools I use also vary depending on what I want to do. If I am making straight or slightly tapered I use a 1/2" gouge to within a couple thousanths of the bushings.

I sand starting with 220 grit on open grain woods, but start at 320 for close grain wood like cocobolo or olivewood. Normally I sand all the way through 12,000 Micro Mesh.

I use a CA finish because I do like the high gloss finish and so do most of my customers. I have no objection to the friction polish look and I love the smell of Shellawax, but I do prefer the high gloss.

I have recently done some experiments with finish and found that if I sand one pen all the way to 12,000 MM and then do the CA and compare it to one that was sanded only with 320, then the CA. I can not see and barely feel the difference and I know which is which.

 

[Bev Polmanteer]

Hi Adam and welcome to the forum. I use several tools to achieve the looks of my pens, gouges, skews and partingtools and all. I, agree with Bill in that I don't like the glassy shine of the CA but I sand to 12000 with the micromesh and apply Mylands High Friction Polish. Sometimes I use their wood filler first . You will find if you call Ryan or Jason at Wood Turningz (1-888-pen-kits) you will get better prices and they sell everything in the PSI catalog. Slimlines are only $1.70 except tomorrow (8/3) they are $1.50 if you mention the first birthday of the penturners guild. Hope this helps.

 

[Scott]

Hi Adam!

Yes, this is a fun topic!

Don't stone me, but I use a Oneway 1224 lathe, although we do also have a Jet Mini VS lathe. I have been practicing with my skew lately, so have been using it for most of my turning. I usually use a shallow detail gouge to rough everything down to shape, but I've used everything from a roughing gouge to a scraper. I use and enjoy the Sorby tools, but have to admit that my favorites are the Glaser tools. (I know, stone me!)

It would be hard for me to pick a favorite wood - I like so many of them! Afzelia Lay is probably my all time favorite I guess. Particularly if it's stabilized. As a matter of fact, most anything from Bill Baumbeck is my favorite! ;-)

I also like the plastic materials for pens. I turned some nice celluloid pens last week that I hardly even got to look at before they were gone!

I like the CA finish on wood pens. It really is very durable, and that appeals to me. I have used a lot of Crystal Coat in my time, and I like it! I'm about to venture into lacquer - wish me luck!

I buy a lot of my supplies and kits from Craft Supplies. They have great quality, and I like the people there. I also buy a lot of kits from Jim at Berea. And I do have a couple of kits from PSI that I like and use often. And I get those through Ryan at Woodturningz, although Sheila at Pens Of Color has tempted me a number of times! ;-) Overall though, the person who gets most of my penturning money is Bill Baumbeck. And to top it off, I get any pen boxes I use from Bruce Birling, and Ken Nelsen does my laser engraving.

I hope this helps!

Scott.