PITH Pens for TerryF

[TerryDowning]

I just got notified by terryF that he received the pens I sent him. His camera is broken so here are some photos I took before I sent them.



I started with this scrap of construction grade pine that was a trusty shop assistant for all kinds of things over the years. I figured this would be a fitting end for a reliable companion. I used the pine PITH as an opportunity to experiment and try new things.


This is my first attempt at a completely kitless pen. The only difference not photographed is that I modified it to have a postable cap as the length of the pen seemed short in the hand. The front section and finials are turned from a rigid urethane material similar to alumilite. The tubes are 3/8" from a local hobby store and have a larger wall thickness than standard pen tubes. This allowed me to tap the cap and barrel with a 3/8" X 24 thread. The barrels did flare a bit while taping but were holding the section securely. The clip is laminated from 4 sheets of veneer alternating walnut and maple formed with a home made press and CA glued to the cap. The refill is a parker style ballpoint, a roller ball refill would not fit in the constraints of the section. The wall got too thin and buckled when I tried. I need a larger diameter (7/16"? 1/2"?) to accommodate a true roller ball. I only have a standard SAE tap and die set at present so my options on threads are currently limited by tool selection.



I also sent a segmented slimline with a satin gold finish. The blank was cut with a scroll saw, the inner segment is walnut veneer glued with yellow carpenter's glue and pressed into place with some clamps and left to dry.



The finish on both pens is CA.

Sadly, Terry informs me that the kitless pen did not survive the trip to South Africa but he will try to repair.

An album of full size photos can be seen on my sky drive galleries

Thanks for looking comments are always welcome.


Terry

 

[terryf]

Thanks Terry, both pens are stunning - the slimline made it in one piece but alas as mentioned, the kitless didn't make it. On closer analysis in the shop this evening it seems that someone tampered with the pen (took it apart in other words), customs perhaps, and when trying to re-assemble bent the tubes/threads.

I didn't continue as I need more time to figure out the way forward but will post here once Ive had a go at repairing it.

Thanks again Terry, the slim was in my top pocket today

btw, did you make the slim blank or did you get it from someone? Id love to know how to segment waves like that!!

 

[TerryDowning]

I made the blank for the slimline and here is how I did it.

I cut the wave into a square blank with my scroll saw. A coping saw will do the job if that is all you have. I then trimmed two sections of 1/16" veneer off of a sheet that I had laying around from another project. Trim the veneer to the same width as the blank. In this case 3/4" wide.

Here is the tricky part. BEFORE Applying any glue DRY FIT the veneer against the wave to make sure it will bend to fit the shape of the wave. You may need to soak the laminate to loosen the fibers so it follows the wave correctly. Once the veneer matches the wave, spread a thin coating of yellow carpenter's glue (or glue of your choice as long as it doesn't set too fast.) on each piece of laminate and the freshly cut wave. Then clamp it all together and wait for the glue to cure. Once cured, cut and drill as usual.

I used a similar technique on the clip for the kitless pen. Using a scroll saw, I cut a piece of scrap to the desired curve for the clip, trimmed up some maple and walnut veneer to the thickness of the form, instead of gluing the form, I only applied glue to the sections of veneer for the clip. I then clamped it all together and let cure (overnight). Remove from the form carefully as some of the glue may have spilled out and stuck the clip to form. From here shape the clip to the final size using tools and abrasives of you choice. (a utility knife , a file, and sandpaper for me)

It's really not complicated at all.


Terry

 

[terryf]

Thanks Terry, I must give that a try!