My 3rd pen ever (& a bottle stopper)

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TheCraftyCarver

TheCraftyCarver

Member
Joined
May 27, 2021
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104
Location
Tennessee
So, I need to work on my "posing the pen" photos (& lighting!), but this is my 3rd ever completed pen (I just started using a lathe for the first time about 6 weeks ago). It's for my dad for Father's Day. It's a Wall Street 2, in 24k gold (I prefer silver, but my dad likes gold so I went with that). I made it from a scrap of Walnut I liked that had lots of figure that I found in the cut off bin at woodcraft (& it took forever to turn!! It was so dense!).
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I did a light/simple CA finish (since I'm not good at it yet & I prefer it to have it not be thick & feel completely like acrylic). Not to toot my own horn too loudly, but I think it turned out pretty well! ☺️

I also made him a Tear Drop wine bottle topper, but I finished it and wrapped it allup before I remembered to photograph it 🤦🏻‍♀️ It's my first successful bottle topper & I made it out of maple & Purple Heart with some thin Cherry veneers between layers. This is after sanding with micro mesh thru all the pads, but before the layers of CA & finishing polish. I think it turned out ok considering I made the blanks myself and had never successfully turned a topper without a blowout disaster.


I'm still getting the hang of turning, but I'm loving it! Thanks for looking ☺️
 
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WOW !!! . That walnut is "to die for" !!!

Wish my 3rd pen had been as good as yours !!!

I love the look of your pen and the CA finish is superb !!!
 
I'll second the above comments.

The walnut is beautiful.
Your turning is spot on.
Your finish is simply 'not fair' for your third pen... 🤩 - Superb as I see it.
And, your photos are excellent.

Excellent job.
 
wood128 said:
Beautiful work Lauren . Black Walnut is one of my favorite woods , which my father introduced me too when I was very young. Keep up the good work !!
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Thanks! I'm not sure the difference between walnut and black walnut on sight (& the rest of the walnut piece of wood was plain and regular grain)… or maybe they are the same thing? Lol! I'm not sure, but it's becoming a favorite of mine to turn.
mark james said:
I'll second the above comments.

The walnut is beautiful.
Your turning is spot on.
Your finish is simply 'not fair' for your third pen... 🤩 - Superb as I see it.
And, your photos are excellent.

Excellent job.
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thanks! I have been watching a lot of CA finish videos each night (RJB mostly) so I felt prepared (my first one was a disaster, but I was using regular crazy glue. I've literally seen the error of my ways and now have Mercury CA glues in the shop!). I need to find a good way to display my pens for photos (vs holding them against my walls), but I'm glad they turned out ok ☺️
 
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This is a gorgeous pen. Love the walnut, and you most certainly have become skilled in your own right. The CA finish is very fine just the way it is, in my opinion. Looking forward to number 4!
 
Wow, that came out beautifully! The finish is great, much more than I can say for my early CA finish attempts.

I gravitate toward the twisted "ugly" pieces of wood. I guess it's like Charlie Brown with the Christmas Tree. With some TLC, they come out unique and with tons of character as long as I am careful and keep the tools sharp.

regarding pictures, it is often harder to get great pictures than it is to make the pen.
 
TheCraftyCarver said:
Thanks! I'm not sure the difference between walnut and black walnut on sight (& the rest of the walnut piece of wood was plain and regular grain)… or maybe they are the same thing? Lol! I'm not sure, but it's becoming a favorite of mine to turn.
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First, EXCELLENT finish! Especially for just the 3rd pen!

Second, "Walnut" and "Black Walnut" are often used interchangeably in the US, but there are other "walnut" varieties around the world. Your variety is actually "Black Walnut", but as mentioned we usually just say "walnut."

Third,
(& it took forever to turn!! It was so dense!)
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Highly figured and dense areas of walnut are from the forks or crotch areas of large branches, while most of straight grained will be somewhat lighter weight and less dense. But there are some black walnut trees that are fairly dense all the way through, and that would be Walnut trees that grow in low lying areas next to streams their entire growth years. WHERE a walnut tree grows - determines its density. (Learned that from a lumber yard/sawmill and experience.)
 
You have a great eye for picking a cutoff that would make a very beautiful pen. It looks like you have mastered the CA finish as it looks amazing as well. Make sure you put a Schmidt 9000 refill in that pen as the standard parker refill that comes with the kit will certainly not do that beautiful pen justice. An outstanding pen deserves a great refill :)
 
David350 said:
You have a great eye for picking a cutoff that would make a very beautiful pen. It looks like you have mastered the CA finish as it looks amazing as well. Make sure you put a Schmidt 9000 refill in that pen as the standard parker refill that comes with the kit will certainly not do that beautiful pen justice. An outstanding pen deserves a great refill :)
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I went and bought a blue Parker refill (because my dad likes blue ink) but I will let him know about the Schmidt 9000! He only ever uses his fancy Mont Blanc Fountain pen, so a refill might be a moot point, but I'll be sure to let him know! ☺️
 
Kcimdrib said:
Well done I am still trying to achieve a CA finish as good as yours very well done.
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Thanks! I found something that works for me… not sure if it's anything but…
I take a white paper towel and fold it into a strip 4 ply thick, but it was still very thin & I felt like I was applying too much pressure, as well as rushing and it was digging into the Ca finish. So I started putting a layer of blue shop paper towel into the folds (2 ply thick) and the extra cushion of that iteration seems to be providing me a flat, even CA layer with each pass instead of the patchy, uneven coats I had before.
Is it a legit tip? I'm not sure. Maybe I was rushing my coats before because I was afraid of the "CA acid burn" on my fingers (even with painters tape wrapped on them); and maybe the extra cushion of blue shop towels made me more confident in touching/applying the layers knowing that I wouldn't get burnt anymore. So maybe it's all in my head?
But I can also say that switching to the Mercury brand of CA was great! The thin is TOO thin for me, but my medium arrived today & I really like it. It's thinner than a gel, but not as "thinner than water" like the thin stuff.

But I'm also an obsessive learner/reader and I consume everything I can about a subject before I jump in, so practical application/practice is my last step & so I think my background research has helped me. Or you know… beginners luck wins again! 😆
 
TheCraftyCarver said:
So, I need to work on my "posing the pen" photos (& lighting!), but this is my 3rd ever completed pen (I just started using a lathe for the first time about 6 weeks ago). It's for my dad for Father's Day. It's a Wall Street 2, in 24k gold (I prefer silver, but my dad likes gold so I went with that). I made it from a scrap of Walnut I liked that had lots of figure that I found in the cut off bin at woodcraft (& it took forever to turn!! It was so dense!).
View attachment 309693
View attachment 309694

I did a light/simple CA finish (since I'm not good at it yet & I prefer it to have it not be thick & feel completely like acrylic). Not to toot my own horn too loudly, but I think it turned out pretty well! ☺️

I also made him a Tear Drop wine bottle topper, but I finished it and wrapped it allup before I remembered to photograph it 🤦🏻‍♀️ It's my first successful bottle topper & I made it out of maple & Purple Heart with some thin Cherry veneers between layers. This is after sanding with micro mesh thru all the pads, but before the layers of CA & finishing polish. I think it turned out ok considering I made the blanks myself and had never successfully turned a topper without a blowout disaster.

View attachment 309695
I'm still getting the hang of turning, but I'm loving it! Thanks for looking ☺️
Click to expand...
Very nice.
 
Great Pen and excellent finish your certainly off to a flying start. I've just bought some Turkish Walnut not used it yet but looks good
 
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