My latest!!

[MDWine]

I turned and finished 2 and 1/2 pens tonight! (1/2 half of a Maple pen is lying in shards on my shop floor!) This is a picture of the Kingwood pen, and there are pictures of the Bacote pencil in my album.

The Bacote pen is fair, I rushed, and this wood needs something to fill the pores I think.

The Kingwood turned out very nicely. I sanded to 800, and used the "Masters Finish" on it. I burnished the blank with a paper towel just before the finish dried, and it made a difference. I think it helped the finish, especially between the Bacote and the Kingwood.

Funny, the spot you see in the middle of the top section is not a flaw, it is the chatoyancy in the wood. When I was preparing the pictures for the web, I saw that spot, and I freaked!

This one is my best yet, I think... Thanks for looking, and comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Kingwood Pen

Bacote Pencil

 

[JimGo]

Mike, I feel your pain about the Maple - I had an entire Baron's worth of Wenge blow up on me this weekend! Worst part was, it was a gift! Nice job on the kingwood - my wife even said "wow, that's pretty" as she peered over my shoulder. The Bacote is nice too; great job lining up the grain.

So, when are we going out to visit Tom?

 

[badwin]

Nice pair of pens.
Brian

 

[Gary]

Very nice, Brian

 

[WoodChucker]

Brian, nice job on the pens and thanks for sharing!

 

[DCBluesman]

Wow, Mike. That's a lot of improvement over your first couple of pens!

 

[dougle40]

I don't recall seeing your first pens but you sure have a good fit on these 2 . Good stuff Mike.

 

[Fleabit]

I like them both. Great work on them.

 

[wicook]

Good job. I especially like the profile on the pen.

 

[Old Griz]

Nicely done Mike, I agree a big improvement over the ones you bought over to the shop...
Did you use your skew or gouge on them....
Finish is really nice... on open pored woods I find I sometimes have to sand in some blo to fill the pores.. it pops the grain and fills the open pores at the same time.. just remember to burnish it with a piece of brown paper bag... that also helps dry it quicker...

 

[rtjw]

nice pens.

 

[MDWine]

Thanks everyone! That Bacote pencil looks better in the pic than in the hand. I really rushed the job and it shows... it'll make a good shop pencil!

The Kingwood pen makes me smile! The only thing I'd like to change is an open pore or two, but overall, given my level of experience, it represents a pretty good step.

The Maple blank blew out with the skew. I think my toolrest is very rough, and is causing the problem. I worked with it a little, but went back to the gouge. I was, however, able to get a very good finish with it, because it is much sharper now! []

I think the bottom line is that I need to work with the skew and toolrest some, and get more comfortable with it.

 

[swm6500]

Michael, those are pretty nice. Know what you mean by learning to use the skew better. I still think that occasionally even the best of them has a blank blowout sometimes.

 

[driften]

Both very nice. I esp like the kingwood pen. I think you had a nice shape on it.

 

[opfoto]

Really nice Job. Good looking pair of pens.