New use for leftover ends of pen blanks...

[TimS124]

I have a hard time tossing out those little leftover chunks of pen blanks...they always look like they could be used for something. I've used some in the past for bookmarks (there's a kit that works nicely for this) but wanted something different.

I've seen pens made from a stack of leftover pen-blank ends, but I wanted something different.

Tonight, I figured out something different...and I think the "how" is fairly self-explanatory so I'll skip the details unless anybody has specific questions. :biggrin:

The second photo has a US quarter added to give a better sense of scale...

I haven't decided what I'll do about arms (other than I know I'll add some). I'll also likely add a tiny scarf as well (eventually).

 

[liljohn1368]

Never thought of this. But it looks like it would work great...... Nice snowman....

 

[TimS124]

I recommend using a dense/heavy wood for the body. The wood I used is very light so the snowman is a bit top heavy. A denser wood for the body would lower the center of gravity a bit.

This was conceived as a small Christmas tree ornament so I'll likely add a small screw eye hook to the top of it so it can be hung easier. My son says his apartment is too small to store anything so all gifts have to be tiny...figured this would be fairly easy to store.

I'll likely add a base and paint it white (snow) for the next one so it can stand alone with risking getting lost in a tree.

 

[magpens]

Clever and cool idea !!!! . Never saw those bookmark kits you referred to ... where do you get them ?

 

[jttheclockman]

pipe cleaners will work nicely. Bend arms to anyway you want then.

 

[TimS124]

Clever and cool idea !!!! . Never saw those bookmark kits you referred to ... where do you get them ?

The bookmarks are pretty cool...uses only a thin slice of a blank so they're perfect for using up the scraps of pen blanks. A bit of double-sided tape on the mandrel (or turn your own mandrel), round the edges, give it a dome...polish and glue it onto the metal.

I've seen them at multiple vendors, but here's the one I found first while looking for them just now:

Bookmark Kits (5 pack) - WoodTurningz

 

[TimS124]

pipe cleaners will work nicely. Bend arms to anyway you want then.

Thanks, I'd forgotten about pipe cleaners (and they can add a bit of color too). Last time I made a snowman, I used wire I had on hand for holding things for powder coating:

 

[jleiwig]

Very nice.

Stick it on the end of one of these:

from chefwarekits.com and I think you'd have a hot seller or gift.

 

[TimS124]

Interesting suggestion! I might have to make the snowman a wee bit longer so the yang doesn't go all the way thru but that's easy to change. Thanks for the link.

Very nice.

Stick it on the end of one of these:

from chefwarekits.com and I think you'd have a hot seller or gift.

 

[TimS124]

Found part of my stash of pen blank leftovers...looks like a herd of tiny snowmen are lurking in my future...

 

[Gary Beasley]

Pretty cool idea! I've simply crushed a handful of resin scraps of different colors and poured the chunks into a mold and cast them together with clear resin, one I turned from it on a nickel tube looked like gift wrap. I suppose opaque color fill would be just as good too.

 

[TimS124]

Had a wee bit of free time Monday afternoon so I grabbed one of the Color Explosion cutoffs that were in the pile of possible snowman hats and turned it. Made the body from some Maple pieces I caught on sale at Woodcraft a couple years ago..slightly larger diameter than the first snowman so the this second one is about a quarter inch taller. I added seed beads to imitate tiny chunks of coal for the eyes, mouth, and chest buttons.

This one still needs arms and a scarf....picked up materials to make those Monday evening and will likely give it a shot later this week (still pondering how I want the scarf to look).

Here's a sneak peak at tiny snowman #2.

 

[jttheclockman]

Had a wee bit of free time Monday afternoon so I grabbed one of the Color Explosion cutoffs that were in the pile of possible snowman hats and turned it. Made the body from some Maple pieces I caught on sale at Woodcraft a couple years ago..slightly larger diameter than the first snowman so the this second one is about a quarter inch taller. I added seed beads to imitate tiny chunks of coal for the eyes, mouth, and chest buttons.

This one still needs arms and a scarf....picked up materials to make those Monday evening and will likely give it a shot later this week (still pondering how I want the scarf to look).

Here's a sneak peak at tiny snowman #2.

Tim this should help you. Steve posted this yesterday.

www.penturners.org/forum/f45/snowman-ornament-144838/

 

[TimS124]

<snip>

Tim this should help you. Steve posted this yesterday.

www.penturners.org/forum/f45/snowman-ornament-144838/

Thanks...fancy paint job from Steve's fiancé...didn't see any arms on it though. :biggrin:

I'm thinking of arms like the one shown below that I posted earlier that I made for a local makerspace.

That one had a yarn scarf like the one Steve posted and this time I have something different in mind. Just have to sit down and make it.

 

[TimS124]

I finally figured out what I wanted to do for a scarf...only thing left to do is sign the tiny bottom and ship it off (it's part of an overdue Christmas gift).

 

[SnazzyPenz]

He's Cute

Cute Snowman - I've been trying to come up with something for cutoffs myself. When I get it figured out, I'll post something.