My first aluminum pen

[NGLJ]

I came across an article which discussed using aluminum as a material for pen blanks. I thought that I would give it a try. The article suggested using epoxy to glue in the brass tube, which sounded sensible. However, I was fresh out of epoxy and used polyurethane instead. I allowed it to cure overnight and so far so good. Using a new material, especially something not like wood or acrylic, was an interesting learning experience. Firstly, extreme patience with drilling was very clear. Things get hot very quickly! Not sure if I need special drill bits for this? Trimming the ends slush with the tube also required patience as material is only removed slooooowly! Maybe I need to sharpen the trimmer. I use carbide tools for turning which I thought might be advantage with aluminum. Turning and finishing the aluminum was the biggest learning experience. Holding the tool at the right position so that it takes shavings and not just skip along the surface was critical. Typically with carbide you don't have to worry about that too much. I sanded to 600 to try and remove most of the tool marks and then wet sanded from 1500 to 12000, followed by some polishing compound. It produced a reasonable result but I think it can be better. Something for me to work on. Has anyone got suggestions on how to get a mirror finish with aluminum?

 

[Drewby108]

For a mirror finish, I would go through your usual high grit pads, use a polish paste, then buff with a car wax. The issue would be maintaining a mirror finish for very long, especially with something as soft as aluminum

 

[Mach4]

I work with aluminum all the time….though always on a metal lathe. One thing you really don't need to do is use the brass tube. Just drill the aluminum to the final size of the fittings (the ID of the brass tubes). I normally don't need to do much sanding before finishing but I'm normally not using a complex profile. I think you'd have pretty good luck using a fine file as a first step in the finishing process (after shaping), then some sandpaper going finer to take out the scratches from the previous grit. I generally finish up with green Scotchbrite and then Mother's polish.
Depending on your kit the length might not be that critical….think Slimline for example.
Congratulations on your result with a wood lathe and hand tools.

 

[NGLJ]

For a mirror finish, I would go through your usual high grit pads, use a polish paste, then buff with a car wax. The issue would be maintaining a mirror finish for very long, especially with something as soft as aluminum

I thought about some hard wax but, like you said, how long would it last.

 

[NGLJ]

I realize that the brass tube is not absolutely essential but convenient. Right now I don't have all the appropriate sized drill bits to try and drill to the tube ID's. Plus I need more practice at drilling aluminum before I get too ambitious.

 

[Penchant 4]

I realize that the brass tube is not absolutely essential but convenient. Right now I don't have all the appropriate sized drill bits to try and drill to the tube ID's. Plus I need more practice at drilling aluminum before I get too ambitious.

Be cautious about abandoning the brass tube, especially if the finished profile of the piece would result in the aluminum being thin at the ends. Aluminum is not ductile, so the stress of the fittings being inserted can fracture the aluminum without warning. The brass would serve to reinforce the aluminum.

From an extended discussion with a metallurgist some years ago, he said that metal fractures originate inside the metal and migrate to the surface. So, IF the aluminum were to fracture under the stress of inserting the kit fittings; it could be some time later that the fracture becomes visible.

My $0.02

 

[Penultimate]

I wet sand thru all the micro mesh then finish with buffing compound. The Aluminum scratches easily during use.

 

[Curly]

Penchant 4 you can avoid that risk altogether by making the parts so they press together by hand and gluing them with Locitite.

 

[jttheclockman]

I have made a couple aluminum pens over the years and here is on. A cigar kit. I did not like the polished look so I just used a nonwoven pad to knock the shine back when all said and done. I think it hides the scratches a little better. I believe in using the tubes for it makes it easier to press in because the brass is softer and thinner. I epoxied the tubes in. One day I want to try a few different metals. On that long to do list.

 

[NGLJ]

Thanks for all the helpful input. I have no plans to abandon the brass tubes for various reasons. some stated here. My engineering education gives me an understanding of stress fractures. Still trying to decide about level of "shine" for the finish. I can see that a mirror finish might look good at first, at least to me, but in time would change. A satin finish might be the way to go for durability and often appeals to many people anyway. Please supply opinions about what kind of plating goes best with aluminum. I realize that this can be a personal choice but I am still trying to decide.

 

[jttheclockman]

I shown you mine. Nickle works well as does black.

 

[Curly]

When I comes to matching platings to blank ask your spouse. They have better colour vision, than me by a long shot.

 

[NGLJ]

Funny enough that is what I do .

 

[Painfullyslow]

Has anyone got suggestions on how to get a mirror finish with aluminum?

You will not find a better scratch-free finish on plastic or metal than Zona paper. The grit goes down to 1 micron. Finish with your favorite buffing compound. I use Novus for plastics and Britemax for metals.

 

[NGLJ]

Thanks that is new to me. I will look them up.

 

[NGLJ]

My next attempt is a single barrel slimline in aluminum. I tried copper plating and I quite like it. It gets the SWMBO approval . For a quick finish after sanding to 600 I used 2 applications of Ultra Shine by way of an experiment. It came out not too bad but I think I need to experiment some more.