Latest two copper patina pens

[Peterpasha]

My two latest pens. Each takes about 2 weeks to turn, polish, patina, finish and polish. Best finish I've found yet is to hit it with spray lacquer, then sand with 8000, then apply 9 coats of CA, sand to 12,000 and polish. The top pen has the first turned brass nib (what do you call the cone end piece where the pen comes out?) glued into the end of the blank and turned to fit. That was definitely a learning curve, but the way I ended up doing it was by press fitting the hardware insert into the pen barrel, then chucking that in the lathe collet. I used a 2mm drill bit chucked backwards in the tailstock to support the brass nib while I sanded and polished it.

 

[Charlie_W]

Cool!

 

[Bats]

What're you turning the copper barrels on? It looks like they've got a nice graceful curve going, and I've never figured out a good way of doing that on a metal lathe. Well, aside from lots and lots of sandpaper. Which doesn't exactly fall under "a good way".

 

[Peterpasha]

What're you turning the copper barrels on? It looks like they've got a nice graceful curve going, and I've never figured out a good way of doing that on a metal lathe. Well, aside from lots and lots of sandpaper. Which doesn't exactly fall under "a good way".

I use a Taig Lathe with the taper attachment. As long as I take very small cuts, the deflection isn't too bad.

 

[Bats]

I use a Taig Lathe with the taper attachment. As long as I take very small cuts, the deflection isn't too bad.

Ahhh... so they're tapers, not curves. That makes things a little easier.

Y'know, I've got a Taig micro collecting dust on the workbench (I use a South Bend Light 10 for most of my metal work)... but somehow using it never quite occurred to me.

A quick search doesn't turn up any taper attachments on the market, but the prior owner did an (only slightly hacky) CNC conversion on it, which could handle the same job if I can get the software end of things straightened out. I wonder if Autodesk has gotten around to ripping lathe toolpaths out of the free version of Fusion yet.... Otherwise I suppose just offsetting the tailstock is probably also an option (something I'm always reluctant to do on the SB due to the trouble of getting it realigned afterwards).

Another question: I made a few aluminum & steel pens a couple years back, but was never entirely satisfied by the way they went together - especially where the transmission went into the upper tube (it was either too loose when twisting the transmission, or too tight to change refills). Do you press-fit your components directly into the metal pen bodies, or treat them like any other blank and glue (epoxy? JB Weld?) in brass tubes to receive the hardware?

 

[Peterpasha]

Ahhh... so they're tapers, not curves. That makes things a little easier.

Y'know, I've got a Taig micro collecting dust on the workbench (I use a South Bend Light 10 for most of my metal work)... but somehow using it never quite occurred to me.

A quick search doesn't turn up any taper attachments on the market, but the prior owner did an (only slightly hacky) CNC conversion on it, which could handle the same job if I can get the software end of things straightened out. I wonder if Autodesk has gotten around to ripping lathe toolpaths out of the free version of Fusion yet.... Otherwise I suppose just offsetting the tailstock is probably also an option (something I'm always reluctant to do on the SB due to the trouble of getting it realigned afterwards).

Another question: I made a few aluminum & steel pens a couple years back, but was never entirely satisfied by the way they went together - especially where the transmission went into the upper tube (it was either too loose when twisting the transmission, or too tight to change refills). Do you press-fit your components directly into the metal pen bodies, or treat them like any other blank and glue (epoxy? JB Weld?) in brass tubes to receive the hardware?

The Taig is a surprisingly good little lathe, although I plan on using my pen earnings to help upgrade to a Sherline. The taper attachment on the Taig is very finicky and not a good option if offsetting the tailstock is easier. I'm still getting used to turning between centers, it doesn't offer the same level of comfort as firmly chucking one end of the blank, also the Taig live center doesn't lend itself well to turning between centers. A little too much pressure on the cutting tool and the live center depresses in the tailstock enough that the whole blank and dog leaps up out of true enough to jam itself.
I haven't experimented too much on different ways to assemble the pens, I've been too focused on getting a good mirror finish on the copper and working out the kinks in the patina process. I glue in brass tubes for the hardware, although I usually end up doing it twice because the ammonia from the patina process usually dissolves the ca glue. It occurred to me last night at work (where I do most of my thinking) that I could probably solder the tubes in. One good aspect of the micro lathes, as opposed to the big standard lathes, like the SB, is being able to acquire extra parts. I have 3 chucks and 2 tailstocks, so I keep one aligned and one offset.

 

[Bats]

The Taig is a surprisingly good little lathe, although I plan on using my pen earnings to help upgrade to a Sherline. The taper attachment on the Taig is very finicky and not a good option if offsetting the tailstock is easier.

In my experience, offsetting the tailstock is pretty finicky too... but seeing as I don't have/don't see a source for a taper attachment, it's definitely less finicky than making one.

I'm still getting used to turning between centers, it doesn't offer the same level of comfort as firmly chucking one end of the blank, also the Taig live center doesn't lend itself well to turning between centers. A little too much pressure on the cutting tool and the live center depresses in the tailstock enough that the whole blank and dog leaps up out of true enough to jam itself.

Oooo... I forgot about that spring-loaded live center. That would make things... interesting. It looks like it's just barely big enough not to get lost inside a 7mm tube, too. I wonder if a short (single barrel-length) mandrel in the chuck would work any better? Although I suppose that adds the chuck's runout to any bend in the mandrel, plus the mandrel's deflection.

I wonder if it'd be possible to adapt a Sherline's MT0 live center to the Taig's straight-shank tailstock. It looks like the widest point on the MT0 is significantly narrower than the Taig's tailstock (which is the opposite of what I would've expected), so it might be possible to just make a sleeve for it. Just have to work out that finicky taper with a boring bar.

I haven't experimented too much on different ways to assemble the pens, I've been too focused on getting a good mirror finish on the copper and working out the kinks in the patina process. I glue in brass tubes for the hardware, although I usually end up doing it twice because the ammonia from the patina process usually dissolves the ca glue.

Y'know what they say - measure once, glue twice. Or... something like that? CA wouldn't be my choice for gluing metal to metal anyhow, but I suspect the glued-in tubes probably make for a better (and certainly simpler) fit with the hardware... Although a copper body could be soft enough to avoid at least some of the trouble I was having with steel.

It occurred to me last night at work (where I do most of my thinking) that I could probably solder the tubes in.

I wondered about that too - but is it possible to get the solder to wick down the length of the tube, or would it just bond the ends? Or does that even matter?

You'd have to be careful to keep it out of the tube, though - that could be messy to clean out otherwise.

One good aspect of the micro lathes, as opposed to the big standard lathes, like the SB, is being able to acquire extra parts. I have 3 chucks and 2 tailstocks, so I keep one aligned and one offset.

Oh, absolutely - and they're a lot more affordable, too. Mine had a lot of parts in need of replacement when I bought it, and I grabbed a number of other bits and pieces just for the hell of it. The whole buying spree added up to a fraction of what I just dropped on a cheap import chuck from Shars for my South Bend (which probably still cost less than I would've paid for a genuine not-3D-printed South Bend threading dial). The taig 4-jaw is still just a little steeper than I've been able to justify for a lathe I haven't actually made anything on yet, though.