My First Pen

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smw6442

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Oct 13, 2011
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Fargo North Dakota
This is My first Pen i turned...made from Orange Citrus Wood .. helpful hints are welcome..steve
 

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For one u need to take better pics. I use white paper and two energy saver light lamps ( cone shades) and a book. second I don't think ur endeges are flush ( if they aren't they can crack) but over all a really good pen!!!
 
WOW!!! Tough crowd. I do feel sorry for you though because you have officially been sucked into the vortex and it has a strong appitite for wallet contents, be it paper or plastic. Great looking pen. My suggestion is this and this alone. Use your bushings to get you there but use your Calipers to fit it exact. I love this link and share it with everyone. Check it out. Lots of great tips.

http://kurthertzog.com/demos.htm

The top portion has great articles, 'Woodturning Design Magazine "Journey from Penturning to Penmaking" Column'
 
Justturnin said:
WOW!!! Tough crowd. I do feel sorry for you though because you have officially been sucked into the vortex and it has a strong appitite for wallet contents, be it paper or plastic. Great looking pen. My suggestion is this and this alone. Use your bushings to get you there but use your Calipers to fit it exact. I love this link and share it with everyone. Check it out. Lots of great tips.

http://kurthertzog.com/demos.htm

The top portion has great articles, 'Woodturning Design Magazine "Journey from Penturning to Penmaking" Column'
Click to expand...

You are off to a great start.

+1 Great website for info. I too just started a few weeks ago and this guy has some great info for turners of all levels.

+1 on Justturnin advice.

Be sure to check out the library section of this forum. Lots of great info. My head is swimming with ideas and I have a hard time figuring out what to do next.
 
the best tip i have for you is use a wood file when you get close to the end keeps you form going to far and you can form it better.
 
Luke Putman said:
For one u need to take better pics. I use white paper and two energy saver light lamps ( cone shades) and a book. second I don't think ur endeges are flush ( if they aren't they can crack) but over all a really good pen!!!
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Luke, I think the OP's picture is in better focus than yous, and also doesn't have the distraction of the paper joint, which may actually help some pics of pens.
For the guy's first time it looks pretty good, it' looks like it's a bit proud of the bushings, and a pretty decent IN FOCUS picture.
Lets see your first pen and picture!!
 
That's a pen to be proud of for sure! Great Job!
Read everything you can on this forum, keep experimenting, spend some money( ok, a lot of money :), and six months from now see how much you have progressed. You will be amazed!
 
For a first pen this looks really nice. I for one would not use a file to finish the ends, learn to use a skew or get a carbide tool or even make one and you will see tons of difference. Well done
 
Good first pen, Steve. Keep at it and you'll be amazed at your learning curve as you progress. Don't be afraid to try a larger diameter pen. I think you'll find they are actually easier to turn and learn from. Good luck.

John
 
BURLMAN said:
Good first pen, Steve. Keep at it and you'll be amazed at your learning curve as you progress. Don't be afraid to try a larger diameter pen. I think you'll find they are actually easier to turn and learn from. Good luck.

John
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To add on, a Cigar pen is a great one to learn on. Not complicated, and generally gives a nice finished pen. There are a lot of people here who sell them cheaper than most commercial places.
 
Congrats on you're first pen. You're doing better than me cause it took me 3 months to discover this forum. You can learn a lot viewing all the pens here and checkout the articles in the library.
 
Good looking first pen and a real good start. Looks a lot better than my first pen. Come to think about it, it looks a lot better than any of my first dozen pens. :biggrin:

Someone mentioned earlier that starting with a larger pen is helpful. I heartily agree with that. Pens such as the Sierra are much easier to turn and learn on than those tiny slims. :wink:

I'm also not a fan of using a file to shape a pen blank. Too easy to turn down the bushings at the same time and make lots of metal dust to impregnate the wood grain. :frown:

Keep up the good work. :smile:
 
Good start! welcome to the addiction! make sure to save this pen, and a year from now, look back and see how you have changed as a turner. My first pen still sits in my shop and makes me smile when I see it!
 
Great pen! As has been said before, welcome to the addiction!

I tried to "follow the rules" on my first pen and turn the barrels straight, I like it that you have rounded the profile. You will learn something with every one you turn; I've turned about 70 (nothing compared to some here) and learn or try something new on every one, tons of fun.

Now you need to double what you thought the max you would ever spend on pen making and add a little...:rolleyes:

All the best,
Chris
 
The guy did not ask about his pic, he asked about his pen, which, for a first time looks pretty good to me.

And, before you critique a pic you should take a much closer look at your pics and work on correcting them.



Luke Putman said:
For one u need to take better pics. I use white paper and two energy saver light lamps ( cone shades) and a book. second I don't think ur endeges are flush ( if they aren't they can crack) but over all a really good pen!!!
Click to expand...
 
Na, Na, Na, Na, Na. You slamed on that one Luke. All kidding aside this pen is a great start and one you will want to keep it, just so you can go back and say " remember when I stated" holy cow.

Lin.
 
Haynie said:
The guy did not ask about his pic, he asked about his pen, which, for a first time looks pretty good to me.

And, before you critique a pic you should take a much closer look at your pics and work on correcting them.



Luke Putman said:
For one u need to take better pics. I use white paper and two energy saver light lamps ( cone shades) and a book. second I don't think ur endeges are flush ( if they aren't they can crack) but over all a really good pen!!!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Mark, I had the same thoughts as you when I read Luke's post. I almost fired off a response that would have been similar to your own. However, after checking his profile and reading a few of his posts, I see that he is only fifteen, and seems very enthusiastic about this hobby. I'm sure that he didn't intend to seem negative and condescending, though it could be taken that way. I'm sure he only meant to be helpful, so I let it slide.
 
I'll join with others in saying this is a very nice first pen.

An odd thing with this hobby that the first pen looks amazing, but when you look at it again a year later you are astonished at how far you've come since then.
 
take that pen and put it up. Now that you have a model to compare everything else to. It will be an amazing amount of progress as you go along. I have been at it less than a year and my first has never seen the light of day(AT LEAST HERE). Keep thinking how can I get better and then go for it(even if you think it is out of reach). Usually my best stuff starts showing up right after I think I WONDER?

Phil
 
Bobalu said:
Mark, I had the same thoughts as you when I read Luke's post. I almost fired off a response that would have been similar to your own. However, after checking his profile and reading a few of his posts, I see that he is only fifteen, and seems very enthusiastic about this hobby. I'm sure that he didn't intend to seem negative and condescending, though it could be taken that way. I'm sure he only meant to be helpful, so I let it slide.
Click to expand...

Courtesy should be expected at any age.
 
That is a good looking first pen. I agree that courtesy should be expected at any age.
 
smw6442 said:
This is My first Pen i turned...made from Orange Citrus Wood .. helpful hints are welcome..steve
Click to expand...

Well for your first pen, pretty good! Yes the blank is a bit proud of the mating parts but I've seen that in pens made by folks making pens for years.

If I could make one suggestion, try another kit like the Sierra. They aren't that much more expensive than the Slimlines and in my opinion they are hands down the easiest pen to make and they look nice.

Whatever you do.... DON'T grab a file to turn the blank down! Learn to turn and sand if you have to but don't file! :eek:
 
Luke Putman said:
the best tip i have for you is use a wood file when you get close to the end keeps you form going to far and you can form it better.
Click to expand...

There are times when a file can come in handy, but a much better tool to master is the skew. With practice you can get the exact profile you desire and really reduce the amount of time (and expense in consumables) required in finishing. I typically can go to 320 or 400 paper after finishing with a skew.

Part of mastering any chisel is mastering how to sharpen them as well.

Great start on pen turning and welcome to the crowd.
 
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