My first pen...

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T

ThinkBlot

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Joined
Apr 10, 2014
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15
Location
Houston, TX
Just finished turning my first pen today. Aside from the frustration of a few shoddy products from PSI... everything went pretty well. I definitely learned a lot from the process, so each successive pen should get better, faster, and easier.

This is an Olympian Elite 2 rollerball, constructed from Brazilian rosewood, with a CA finish, and HUT polish. My first pen and first lathe, so please don't be too harsh... but honest feedback, constructive criticism, and tips for the future are appreciated. Thanks!


 
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Impressive for a first pen, you are likely to become very skilled at this! My only advice is keep practicing and when you feel comfortable, go for a closed end pen!
 
Very nice work on your first pen !! Save it, and when you turn your 10th pen put them side by side. This will tell you if you are making progress or not. Jim S
 
Very nice for a first pen & that's certainly not the simplest kit for starting out.
Like Jim said, be sure to save it so you can compare your future pens to it.
 
Thank you for the kind remarks folks!

In addition to saving the pen to compare side-by-side with a later pen... I should save a time sheet! That will likely show even MORE improvement! Haha.
 
Darn good job for a first pen. Your off to a very good start. I wouldn't be so concerned about the amount it time it takes. I would instead focus on fit and finish. It's kind of hard to tell from the photos but it looks like the wood is a smaller in diameter in the center of the barrel and get larger to meet the finial and centerband ( it might just be the picture ).
As a suggestion, get a set of calipers ( if you don't already have them ) and use them to get a slight convex shape to your blanks. If you turn the same diameter from end to end it will sometimes give the illusion that the blank is smaller in the center.
 
Not bad TB! I'd suggest that instead of concave, try a little convex. There are a couple styles that use concave curves.
 
Thank you for the words of encouragement and for the hints to help me improve. I made 2 more pens yesterday (first one in acrylic, and second, another wooden pen with a CA finish), and they each came out better and better! I'm REALLY excited to post pictures of the 3rd one... but it is a surprise gift for a friend, and am going to wait until after I have given it, to post pictures.

Thanks again for the advice!
 
you learn a lot -- fast :)

Not just about pen making, but PSI as you put it, lol

Nice job on the first pen and I agree to look at the pen every so often just for kicks
 
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