Newbie Advice

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
wcoyote

wcoyote

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2007
Messages
21
Location
Rockland, Maine, USA.
I have done a couple of dozen slimline kits and I am vey pleased with the results. I then moved on to Designer/European style (not sure which name is more used). I am wondering what other kits are good for a beginner to turn that will work off of a 7mm mandrel?

WCoyote

Jason Baird
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Almost all kits fit on the standard mandrel. The bushings "adapt" the brass tube and blank to the mandrel. Try whatever kit catches your eye and looks interesting to you. You can look in the Show Off Your Pens (SOYP) forum to get ideas of what you like and what other people make.

You can also do non-slimlines mandrel-less. I've just started doing this so I'll leave that for others to comment on.
 
You can turn any pen if you can turn a slim. Just watch out for any kit that uses a "B" mandrel. Other than that, you should have no problems. Sierra's are easy and you can get two pens out of a blank :-) Cigars are pretty forgiving too, as long as you don't screw up where you put the bushings on the madrel. Not that I ever did that ;-)
 
Like they said, Sierra/Wallstreet11 & Cigar. The Wallstreet11 is a half blank, heftier than the Slim & only one thing to press together. You might start with the 24 ct gold & see what you like, then upgrade on the 'special' ones. You can also take the Slim & make it resemble the European.
 
Another idea would be to stay with the slims, but try making each one a little different...say, a few small grooves where the customer will grip the pen....an inlay of coral or turquoise, etc......
 
You can also change the center band on a slim. So long as you don`t make the top barrel to fat you can open a whole new door to penturning and learn a lot at the same time. A Euro center bushing works well in aiding you to make a CB out of wood or plastics in contrasting colors. Good Luck.
 
wcoyote said:
I have done a couple of dozen slimline kits and I am vey pleased with the results. I then moved on to Designer/European style (not sure which name is more used). I am wondering what other kits are good for a beginner to turn that will work off of a 7mm mandrel?

WCoyote

Jason Baird
Click to expand...

Jason; Why abandon the slimline? The slimline fittings are infinitely changeable. I have made faux European style pens from slimline components! Drill the lower tube, in the upper tube drill a larger hole to receive the lower blank, and then center drill for the brass tube. I don't have any on-hand right now. I am making another box up, and I may make one or two, they go fast!
 
There are several other kits you might enjoy trying like, Cigars , sierras , Flat top Americans .
You could also do as randy was saying , modify some slimline kits . The slimline kit is one of the most versatile kits to work with . You can modify a slimline to look like several other kits just by turning the barrels a little differently and making different center bands . Search the Library for "Modified slimline" and you will find a bunch of different ideas .
Here's a modified Slimline Euro that I just made (This is a little more modified then you might want to try but the same pen can be done with a slimline kit)
1_kitlesseuro.jpg

all it takes is a little imagination and some time .


Shameless plug :bananen_smilies068:
I'm still running the Kitless Challenge in the Advanced pen turning forum , Please go check it out and maybe even contribute your own example of a kitless slimline .
 
I just recently tried making a kit less closed end slimline. I was hoping to have it done last week, but had a wisdom tooth come in and really didn't feel like doing much. That being said it may turn out really nice because I've been taking more time on applying the finish.

Another fun kit to try making is a mini bullet twist pen kit. You could also try some of the many key chain kits, as most of them use the same 7mm tubes as the slimlines and if you're lucky they may even use the same bushings. Looking forward to seeing some of your work.
 
Why move on to other kits? Play with the slimline and see what kind of modifications you can devise. Take a look at these articles to get you started:
http://www.RedRiverPens.com/articles There are several articles in the list on modifying slimlines.

Now to answer your question. There are not too many kits that are beyond the skills of most penturners. Just because they cost more or have a cap and a barrel or the pen is a rollerball or fountain pen does not make it more difficult to turn. Pick one and go for it. Read the instructions first and make sure you feel comfortable with what has to be done. You'll find most kits fun to make and not overly difficult. Some are less tolerant of tube length deviations or glue in the tubes but you will soon find out which ones these are. Some searching the archives will probably turn up some of the pens that have particular quirks. There aren't many. Ahd, oh yea, every kit available from any supplier can be turned on the 7mm mandrel.


Do a good turn daily!
Don

wcoyote said:
I have done a couple of dozen slimline kits and I am vey pleased with the results. I then moved on to Designer/European style (not sure which name is more used). I am wondering what other kits are good for a beginner to turn that will work off of a 7mm mandrel?

WCoyote

Jason Baird
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom