New to turning and penmaking

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QuiltinMom

Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2014
Messages
19
Location
Indianola, Iowa
Hello,

I am the new girl on the block. I have just started using my husband's Jet Mini lathe (with a bed extension) and I am having a blast. I have found turning to be so relaxing. The time passes so quickly when I am turning.

I have decided to try some pen turning. Hubby did some many years ago, but now it is my turn. :smile: We have been busy buying pen kits and all the bits we need to help me be successful. We already had the turning tools.

I have done a couple of pens from wood, one out of walnut and one out of hedge. They turned out OK, but they could use some improvement.

Then I found a couple of acrylic blanks that we had bought a few years ago when my husband was trying to get me interested in turning. I REALLY like acrylic. I think I did pretty good with those, but we had trouble getting the pen kits to fit correctly. Still don't know what I did wrong with those. They were just too tight and wouldn't go together (yes we have a pen press).

Then I moved on to some Corian blanks that we cut years ago. Corian is presenting a learning curve for me, but I did manage to get a slim line one turned. It is light in color, not my favorite, but success non the less.

We just managed to get our hands on TONS of Corian, probably more then I could ever think of using. Colors aren't too exciting, but we will see if we can mix and match the colors.

So, that leads me to my quesitons......we glued up a couple pieces of white Corian the other day then also a couple pieces of a dark grey (two different pen blanks). When the white one turned down for a practice piece you can still see the glue up joints. We did use CA glue, but reading around here on the site it looks like we need to sand the Corian down before gluing them together. Is the medium CA glue what you are still recommending? Also, should I be wearing a mask to not inhale the dust? It is a pretty large shop, but do I still need a mask?

The dark blank seemed to hide the glue line better. And actually the grey seemed to turn down to a beautiful chocolate color with specs. :smile:

I would love to mix and match and glue up the Corian. Can it be glued up with wood, then turned? How thin of pieces of Corian can be glued up to make a multi colored pen?

Oh and I would like to also learn about casting. I have no idea where to begin, but that sounds like fun!!!

THANKS for reading my ramble. I'm just having so much fun!!!
 
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Welcome from Southern California!

I haven't turned any Corian ... yet, so am unable to offer any advice on that front. As for dust, I have a reasonably beefy dust collector in my shop that I pretty much always have on when I'm turning anything. It has an intake jet on it so it's usually about 4 inches behind what I'm turning. It's fun to watch dust fall up and into it when sanding. I should wear my respirator more than I do. My face shield is worn religiously, however.
 
Welcome aboard! For somebody that's just starting, you've already hit about half the major types of pen blanks! :big grin:

I've turned Corian a few times (or another company's version of it - not sure which)…turned nicely though very powdery.

The glue line bugged me even with sanding before gluing so I switched to a slice of Walnut between the chunks of Corian. The Walnut was maybe an 1/8" thick…it's important to drill parallel to the center strip if you go that route…or make sure you're well off parallel so it's obvious you meant to have the strip either running the length of the pen or running at an angle.

Having a center strip running almost parallel is likely to just look like a mistake.

I like the Walnut strip (the Corian is white with tiny specs so the Walnut contrasts nicely) but the buddy that gave me the Corian seems to prefer pure Corian….
 
Welcome from WV
The corian i have, has a smooth side and a rough side. Make sure you glue the 2 smooth sides together. Ask your countertop guy for help with the coloring your glue to hide the seams.

Harry
 
I also acquired a large supply of corian. They have been selling well for me as stylus pens.

I have been making the "hidden pill compartment" key ring using different colors of corian. The hide the glue line, I glue a piece of aluminum coke can between the corian. So far, that's been working very well. Just med CA and clamp. Drill the hole slowly with a sharp drill bit to avoid the segments separating.
 

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Welcome from Colorado. Glad you decided to join your husband wish I could convince my wife. Enjoy it is so relaxing and frustrating, as they say here welcome to the insanity.
 
Welcome from northcentral PA.

I like using corian for slimline pens because it is easy to turn and polishes nicely.
Looking forward to seeing some pictures of your work.
 
Hello from KC, KS

I guess I am now the new guy on this block! Hi to all!
Just moved to KC on the Kansas side (Overland Park actually), from southwest Iowa. Moved here last July. I retired in January, 2013 , set up a shop in the basement, and began using the lathe I bought several years ago, but had no time to play with it...actually, I bought it with the intention of penturning. I am acquiring new kits as I find ones that look like fun...so far, using wood and acrylic, with an eye on Corian and molding some of my own.
Several folks on here have talked about getting "lots" of Corian...I'd be interested in knowing where you guys (and gals!) get your material...care to share info?!
I've researched using books, articles, and have enjoyed reading experiences of those of you haunting this site. I am particularly intrigued with some of the terrific examples of inlays (different metals) as shown in last years IAP contest...anyone have resources that demonstrate this technique?
Many thanks to whomever put this site together and maintains its content.....it's a treasure of experience and knowledge!! Dave/av8r
 
Welcome Denise. I am surprised no one mentioned to you that we also like to see pictures.
Hope you enjoy your time here. We have a great library with lots of helpful ideas and techniques in there.

Ray
 
Welcome from Texas Denise! Try a tapered reamer to ease the inside lip of the tubes. It will make the components easier to press. Also, take extra care to make sure there is absolutely no glue inside the tube. Instead of being pushed out of the way, it will often cause your nicely turned and polished blank to crack on assembly.
 
here's a tip for hiding your Corian glue lines, from someone in my local club that turns A LOT of it...

look at your Corian from the side - the "top" of the Corian will have more/denser color than the bottom.

when gluing up, always glue top to top and bottom to bottom, it makes the change mush less apparent.

you can stack pieces and glue them top-bottom, bottom-top, top-bottom, bottom-top, top-bottom, bottom-top, top-bottom, bottom-top,etc to get the height you want.

He regularly turns segmented Corian vessels up to 8" in height.
 
Welcome from the coast of Maine!
I have found getting good results gluing up corian depends a lot on what color/ pattern. I do sand it and immediately put it in a vice after spreading the CA glue. One pattern that looks like granite has worked well for me.
Take some time to look through the library, there is soo much information there!
Also check out this OLD thread ....
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f14/if-i-had-known-earlier-46654/
 
Welcome Denise! Pen turning is an amazing hobby that allows for a ton of creativity. Here's a pic on one of my Deer Antler pens where I used some thin Aluminum around some Padauk for accent. On your Corian - perhaps this might work. Good luck and welcome to IAP!
RossVH
 

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WOW!!!! THANKS for the warm welcome. There is so much great information on this forum!!!

TimS124 said:
For somebody that's just starting, you've already hit about half the major types of pen blanks! :big grin:

I've turned Corian a few times (or another company's version of it - not sure which)…turned nicely though very powdery.

The glue line bugged me even with sanding before gluing so I switched to a slice of Walnut between the chunks of Corian. The Walnut was maybe an 1/8" thick…it's important to drill parallel to the center strip if you go that route…or make sure you're well off parallel so it's obvious you meant to have the strip either running the length of the pen or running at an angle.

I like the Walnut strip (the Corian is white with tiny specs so the Walnut contrasts nicely) but the buddy that gave me the Corian seems to prefer pure Corian….
Click to expand...

:smile: If I have only done half, what am I missing????? I guess I like to try lots of options.!!:smile: Not sure if this is pure Corian or another brand, I guess I am using that as a generic term.

I love the idea of putting in a piece of accent wood. Do you still use just medium CA glue for the Corian to wood glue up or something different? Also, it sounds really interesting to put a piece of aluminum in there. Can't wait to research that and give it a go!!

bjbear76 said:
I also acquired a large supply of corian. They have been selling well for me as stylus pens.

I have been making the "hidden pill compartment" key ring using different colors of corian. The hide the glue line, I glue a piece of aluminum coke can between the corian. So far, that's been working very well. Just med CA and clamp. Drill the hole slowly with a sharp drill bit to avoid the segments separating.
Click to expand...

These are BEAUTIFUL and kind of what I had in mind with mixing and matching the Corian. THANKS for the inspiration!!! I have some of the hidden compartment key rings on order and are waiting for them to arrive. :smile:

Edward Cypher said:
Welcome from Colorado. Glad you decided to join your husband wish I could convince my wife. Enjoy it is so relaxing and frustrating, as they say here welcome to the insanity.
Click to expand...

My husband is excited to have me join him. :smile: He would buy anything I want or need in order for me to be successful. Actually, as a family we spend a considerable amount of the winter season hanging out in his shop working on projects. This year we added a wood burner to burn all of the shop scraps and to add a little extra heat and give the furnace a break.

ironman123 said:
Welcome Denise. I am surprised no one mentioned to you that we also like to see pictures.
Hope you enjoy your time here. We have a great library with lots of helpful ideas and techniques in there.

Ray
Click to expand...

THANKS!!! My pens are not photo worthy, yet. They will get there someday. I'll think about adding a photo. :smile:

plano_harry said:
Welcome from Texas Denise! Try a tapered reamer to ease the inside lip of the tubes. It will make the components easier to press. Also, take extra care to make sure there is absolutely no glue inside the tube. Instead of being pushed out of the way, it will often cause your nicely turned and polished blank to crack on assembly.
Click to expand...

THANKS for that tip. We have some sort of special bit that cleans out the inside of the tube while you are also squaring up the end of the blank. Not sure if it is tapered though. There are several different size bits though. Will have to check in to that.

rossvh said:
Welcome Denise! Pen turning is an amazing hobby that allows for a ton of creativity. Here's a pic on one of my Deer Antler pens where I used some thin Aluminum around some Padauk for accent. On your Corian - perhaps this might work. Good luck and welcome to IAP!
RossVH
Click to expand...

WOW that is beautiful and so rich looking. How does the antler turn. Is it easy or hard? Is there any special prep work to the antler? May have to go out on a hike when the snow clears and find a piece of antler.

Again, thank you all for the warm welcome. I am really enjoying myself. I have a couple of blanks that I glued up the other day that are just calling my name!!!
 
QuiltinMom said:
WOW!!!! THANKS for the warm welcome. There is so much great information on this forum!!!

TimS124 said:
For somebody that's just starting, you've already hit about half the major types of pen blanks! :big grin:

<snip>
Click to expand...

:smile: If I have only done half, what am I missing????? I guess I like to try lots of options.!!:smile: Not sure if this is pure Corian or another brand, I guess I am using that as a generic term.

I love the idea of putting in a piece of accent wood. Do you still use just medium CA glue for the Corian to wood glue up or something different? Also, it sounds really interesting to put a piece of aluminum in there. Can't wait to research that and give it a go!!
Click to expand...

Here are a few materials I didn't see listed in your opening post: :smile:

- antler
- inlace acrylester
- poly resin
- amalgum mutts
- something you've cast yourself

The first is one of my favorites and turns much easier than I originally dreaded it would.

The last is still on my to-do list but I think I finally have all of the pieces I'll need rounded up (modified pressure pot, resin, mold, mold caddy, dyes, misc things to embed, measuring scale, mixing cups, dedicated spatulas, stir sticks, drop cloths, lucky rabbit's foot…).

Yes, I simply used CA glue to hold the Walnut and Corian together. CA loves both of those materials and doesn't seem to mind holding one to the other.

Another option would be the thin sheets of colored plastic that are sold for laminating/segmenting accents. It would give an easy-to-turn, easy-to-trim, colorful layer (or multiple bands of color). I'm drawing a blank at the moment on where to find those sheets though. (oops).
 
Welcome from the Rocky Mountains! You mentioned wanting to try your hand at casting. Fair warning… one time and you will be addicted! There is something about creating your own custom blank and realizing that it's 100% unique to you and your style. Happy turning!
 
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