No More Wood Pen!

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Sawdust46

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Joined
Jan 7, 2011
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Melissa, Texas
I have decided to start making pens that use only man-made materials for the body. I back up my pens with a lifetime warranty (my lifetime.) I think my CA finished woods have been very good but I have noticed after an extended period of time some issues appear. For example, one pen was birds eye maple with a celtic knot of purpleheart. After about a year the finish cracked exactly on the lines of the purpleheart and the maple. I think it was because one of the woods "moved" at a different rate than the other. There have been a few other issues.

I am interested in comments from others that may have gone to man-made materials only.
 
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I agree with you. I also have decided to go the man made materials route, if for some different reasons. Mainly wood cracking after a few years-mainly Amboyna. Plus Amboyna prices have skyrocketed right past the point of what I'm willing to pay.

I tried Ca early on and found the same as you apparently did. After a period it begins to crack and fail. After doing due diligence(finally) I found that Ca probably isn't the best choice for wood. I say this with the danger of starting a Ca war. I would just say to nay sayers, again, do your own research.

Thomas J. Glover's, Pocket Ref says Ca is "used with most plastics, rubber, and metals; not a good wood glue".

I have used a lot of Ca on large sugar pine cones, while cutting, then turning off the "petals". As a finish I've had the surface develop fine cracks, after some period of time.

Russ
 
. For me personally,pen making is an extension of woodworking. I will turn some acrylics too, but wooden pens are the reason I'm making pens.

Why not use only stabilized wood? Wouldn't that minimize some of the problems?
 
Someone said CA is a bad finish?! THIS IS NOT A DRILL, launch operation stickum. :biggrin:
I wonder if the texture of the grain and how porous the wood affects this. The hard part is to do a controlled experiment would take a year or so. My oldest pen is a bubinga slimline and has a wax finish but it has recently developed a crack in the upper barrel. I always thought CA would act as a stabilizer and keep that from happening. Be interesting to hear what others have to say.
 
I am not turning away from wood entirely. I will continue to use Some wood, but yes, stabilized woods only. I love the feel and look of wood too much and I've got way to many different woods just to give them up without trying stabilizing.

But, will mostly use PR that I do myself.(silmar 41)
Russ
 
I think that wooden pens are exactly that and no one should expect them to last forever. Since they are turned to such thin dimensions and they are made of something that expands and contracts with moisture in the air they are not something that I would give a lifetime guarantee. Everything, even non wood, changes with handling, putting in a pocket with change, keys, etc.
As for a CA finish I think that other finishes are better. However, they require more time and energy and need to be redone over time. I think one reason CA is so popular is the shine factor, but more so the time factor. I often read threads where people make 5++ pens in an afternoon and that is fine, but I often take several days to make a pen because it takes time for glue, paint, finish to dry thoroughly and then I can proceed. I have a metal pen that cracked so everything has it's limits.
 
I am a woodworker too and I appreciate the beauty of wood products. I will not stop making wood pens entirely, I will make them if a customer commissions it. But I am going to experiment with other finishes.
For my stock I will use acrylics, Tru-Stone, my own casting and metals.
 
I have not done many laminations the last couple of years, just not enough time when there are so many pen kits and so many wonderful blanks to work with. I have focused on mostly burls and spalted woods with a mixture of stabilized and not stabilized.

I like the CA finish the best these days and don't seem to have an issue with the finish cracking as was described. The woods are so beautiful by themselves that I don't feel the need to do many celtic knots or other laminations.

I also will do the various acrylics and some tru stones. They are all so much fun. I get such a kick out of the finished product - Ok, I confess to the addiction.
 
Think I will get some supplies to try my hand at making acrylics. I have been researching and it seems pretty simple and fun. I guess May will be experiment month.
 
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