cwasil
Member
I finally went out and bought a bunch of tools and equipment for turning pens after lurking around here for around a month. I got a Jet 1014vs and their starter kit from Hut and a starter kit from PSI just to see who I'd want to deal with in the future. Honestly, I think I'll go with Hut after waiting nearly 10 days to get my stuff from PSI vs. 3 days for Hut. Anyway, I finally got most everything yesterday and even though I didn't have everything I needed according to this board, I started anyhow. Now for the questions...why is it important to drill so straight through a half blank? My pen mill made the perpendicular cut like I'd hoped it would. Matter of fact, one of few blanks I drilled that was centered up at the beginning and end actually split on me on the lathe as I tried to turn it. What typically causes these splits...dumb luck, drilling to fast, etc.? Turning for the first time ever (I've never ran a lathe in my life) was a trip. I had no idea how to use the tools but a little common sense (don't hold the sharp end) and a little trial and error and I managed to turn the wood down relatively fast filling in the voids and tear outs with the little slurry mixture of CA and dust that I read here. It actually looked kind of nice. I did learn to turn down a little closer than .08 oversized. A person could sit there for quite awhile trying to sand that down. Both kits only got me sandpaper up to 600 grit (my MM is on the way) which leads me to my next question. I used the CA-BLO finishing method and although the final pen is shiny I would certainly say it's not like glass. Is the low grit sandpaper be the cause of this or because I suck at it? Why do you put on a lacquer after the CA-BLO process? What do you typically put over it? To me, it seems like putting a bulletproof vest over a tank. Anyway, my end product, after assembly, is a nice, usable honey locust pen. I'll try to post a picture tomorrow. After building my first pen, along with a keychain because I blew out one of the blanks, I must say that building a nice pen isn't particularily hard but to build the special ones that you guys do that are multimaterial with a glass finish will take awhile. Thanks to all of you for helping a beginning woodworker get a start. Summarizing my questions:
1.Why is it so important to have all these specialize jigs and fixtures just to drill a straight hole through the half blank when a pen mill will solve problem?
2.What typically causes the splits in the blanks as your turning them (drilling to fast, straightness of hole, etc.)?
3.Is the 600 grit sandpaper much to low to get the mirror finish you all are striving for?
4.Why is a lacquer or wax put on after the CA-BLO process?
5.What finish do you put over the CA-BLO?
Thanks again to everyone
Chad
1.Why is it so important to have all these specialize jigs and fixtures just to drill a straight hole through the half blank when a pen mill will solve problem?
2.What typically causes the splits in the blanks as your turning them (drilling to fast, straightness of hole, etc.)?
3.Is the 600 grit sandpaper much to low to get the mirror finish you all are striving for?
4.Why is a lacquer or wax put on after the CA-BLO process?
5.What finish do you put over the CA-BLO?
Thanks again to everyone
Chad