My first go at turning a pen.

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MJS613

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Oct 6, 2020
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Hi All,

Just thought I would share my first and second go at turning a pen. Well the first one is actually a pencil kit that Darrin1200 sent me. It is made with red wood, 3 coats of thin ca and 8 coats of med ca, then some Polish, I think it turned out pretty good for a first attempt. My only complaint is I didn't quite get close enough to the bushings so there is a bit of a ridge.

The second is a streamline pen I made for my uncle for Christmas. Gonna give a bit of background on the wood the pen is made out of. About 7 years ago my uncle cut down a poplar tree on his property and milled it into rough planks. My son was taking shop class when covid hit and schools shutdown so as a project for his shop class we built a little free library. I asked my uncle if he had any spare wood we could use for the project and he gave us the poplar boards. We milled it down to size and built the library. I still had some scrap left over and was able to make some blanks out of it and made him a pen to say thank you.
 

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jttheclockman

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Feb 22, 2005
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NJ, USA.
Very well done and welcome to the vortex. Nice story to go with it and I know will be well received. Thanks for showing.
 

qquake

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Feb 8, 2004
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Northern California
Much better than my first pen! I love wood with a story, your uncle will be very happy with it. Just a tip, the PSI Gatsby pens have "beads" on them, so turning to the bushings isn't as critical. They're more forgiving. And the Gatsby Grande has a slightly larger body, but takes a 3/8" drill bit, so the material is thicker.

 

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MJS613

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Joined
Oct 6, 2020
Messages
19
Location
ottawa
Much better than my first pen! I love wood with a story, your uncle will be very happy with it. Just a tip, the PSI Gatsby pens have "beads" on them, so turning to the bushings isn't as critical. They're more forgiving. And the Gatsby Grande has a slightly larger body, but takes a 3/8" drill bit, so the material is thicker.

Great pens will look into those
 

Mortalis

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Aug 19, 2013
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658
Location
Bardstown, Ky
Hi All,

My only complaint is I didn't quite get close enough to the bushings so there is a bit of a ridge.
A tip I got from a long time pen turner was to chamfer/round the edges slightly after turning. that way any mismatch on the blank O.D. and the kit O.D. will be greatly minimized and to the owner will be almost impossible to recognize as it buffers the sense of touch to the kit parts.

Great first examples though. The CA finish looks great and you are off to a marvelous start.
 
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