My First Artemis

[alinc100]

Threw the curve ball through the whole process. First Artemis, first time turning the stabilized hemp. Its a tough pen to make and of course the cap is a bit short. I haven't wrapped my head around the process to make it correctly, even though I had the warnings. I know based upon tips/tricks to leave the end a bit long at the joint but when you epoxy the cap on and screw it to the body for grain alignment it brings the cap insert down flush and will never 'cover' Or atleast not in my head. other crazy thought from the experience. Can you use a forstner bit to ensure flat bottom holes, especially where the cap insert seats? What if I reversed the process glued the cap up first and then epoxied the body, turning that blank for alignment? Mods: If I need to move this from Show-off to penturning please let me know. I don't want to unnecessarily duplicate the postings.

 

[Sugar Creek Pen Co.]

Don't over complicate it. Standard drills are fine. Remember when setting your depths that it is to the shoulder of the drill not the tip.

Biggest thing is to drill the cap so that the insert is about .050 (or a fat millimeter) recessed from the edge. This ensures that you don't end up with a gap between the cap and body. Often first timers will glue it flush and then you have a gap. (same applies to the Apollo).

I make quite a few of these and have a dedicated set of drills with stop collars on them that are only used for these kits. Once you get all the depths dialed in and the collars set, every one you make will be exactly the same. Another option is Rick's step drills, many folks like those for the Apollo and Artemis. I started with dedicated drill sets and have just stuck with it.

As far as aligning the grain when needed, 5 minute epoxy gives you a bit of time to adjust things. Just be very aware of squeeze out so that you don't epoxy a pen shut. Also remember, they are triple start, the pattern will only align on one thread out of the three. I remember wigging myself out early on because I knew the pattern was glued right and then it "wouldn't" align after taking the cap off. I just hadn't caught the "right thread" for alignment.

 

[d_bondi]

Ditto on everything that Frank (@Sugar Creek Pen Co.) said.

 

[Marko50]

Ditto on all the above. Another option is to head over to Rick Herrel's shop and purchase his step drills. I have the sets for both the Artemis and the Apollo and I can tell you, they'll save you oodles of time! Beautifully made by Rick, who is a Master Machinist. Last time I checked, he's charging $47.00 for the Apollo set and $52.00 for the Artemis set. Worth. Every. Penny. and reasonably priced when you realize the quality bits he's using (nothing from China!) and the work that goes into making them with precision (like all his tools!).

Here's the link. You can download his catalog of all the pen making tools he makes:

Rick's "Custom Made Tools" PDF Catalog

Attached is the recently Updated PDF Catalog of Rick's "Custom Made Tools". Revised 10-2-24 It replaces the previous lengthy thread. (Old linked to this thread) Includes a table of contents All links, web, internal and document are live links It is searchable [Ctrl F] Images are large...

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