Please be gentle
- Thread starter pewink
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Alan Morrison
Member
Looks good to me, Kevin, though the photograph is a bit small.
Alan
Alan
I think it may be a Jr. Gentlemen's rollerball, like this one :
Artisan Jr. Gentlemen's Rollerball Pen Kit - Chrome
Originally designed by Craft Supplies USA, the ArtisanĀ® Jr. Gentlemen's pen has often times been imitated but never equaled. Now supplied with a premium rollerball refill, the kit includes both a non-postable and postable end cap so you can choose which one is right for you. If you're looking...
www.woodturnerscatalog.com
WarEagle90
Member
First pen or not, I think you did a great job, Kevin. Very nice looking pen.
qquake
Member
Much better than my first pen!
jttheclockman
Member
Yes that is a JR gent. Looks good especially for a first. You are well on your way.
tomtedesco
Member
Well done.
sorcerertd
Member
The second pic looks much better on my screen and that is a beautiful pen!
You could be correct, but I didn't notice one that has the gold ring in the middle.I think it may be a Jr. Gentlemen's rollerball, like this one :
Artisan Jr. Gentlemen's Rollerball Pen Kit - Chrome
Originally designed by Craft Supplies USA, the ArtisanĀ® Jr. Gentlemen's pen has often times been imitated but never equaled. Now supplied with a premium rollerball refill, the kit includes both a non-postable and postable end cap so you can choose which one is right for you. If you're looking...
MedWoodWorx
Member
Thats why you should do mistakes in the right direction.
You should see my first pen...
what a mess. Very nice jobYou are seeing our skilled workmanship.
Trust us, you aren't seeing our "first", or even our "second" and "third". My first pen had a few small lumps in the feel of the lower blank, and some scratches. I haven't ever shared photos of that pen.You are seeing the results of (potentially many many years) of skill, not our first pens. Your pen, for a first pen, is very good, and that is true honesty, and is not overly generous.
I've been at this for a solid 8 months now, and I'm still learning myself. Concentricity is a real issue, and its hard to resolve, so some of my blanks don't properly align with the kit parts. These are nuances, but still...for a first pen, yours is very, very good.MedWoodWorx
Member
However mistakes are most of the time pure knowledge. Maybe there should be a thread named disasters. It would be helpful especially for us beginners. CheersYou are seeing our skilled workmanship.
You are seeing the results of (potentially many many years) of skill, not our first pens. Your pen, for a first pen, is very good, and that is true honesty, and is not overly generous.
Jans husband
Member
I would post a photo of my disasters but it would take too long to find the pieces on the garage floor and put them into some recognisable form for a photo.
Your first pen is very good, (a lot better than my first which my better half insists on keeping and using) but take it from me there will be others to follow which will be better-and a lot which will be worse!!!
Mike
Your first pen is very good, (a lot better than my first which my better half insists on keeping and using) but take it from me there will be others to follow which will be better-and a lot which will be worse!!!
Mike
studioseven
Member
I am impressed. Most beginners wouldn't tackle a Jr Gent for their first pen. Can't wait to see your 100th pen. Welcome to the site.
Seven
Seven
We picked out kits that we liked their appearance. I remember the kits we picked were a bit higher in cost, but why spend the time to make something that doesn't look nice. Could you elaborate on why beginners wouldn't choose this pen? When choosing the kits, I figured the process for any pen would be virtually the same. Is that not the case?
I don't think I'll live long enough to make a 100th pen.
Standing stationary for several hours really makes my back hurt. Doing flat work, I get to move around from machine to machine, so it doesn't get to me as much.
It's not that the Jr Gent is generally regarded as being beyond the usual abilities of a novice pen turner.
I think that it is not regarded as a beginner's pen simply because it requires making two barrels, upper and lower, rather than just one.
Most beginners feel that they have enough to cope with in bringing a single barrel to a satisfactory shape and finish for their first attempt.
Having two barrels does introduce a possible higher challenge, namely the alignment of slightly differing patterns on the two barrels.
This additional challenge would, of course, depend on the choice of materials for the two barrels.
If wood is the chosen material it's usually nice to align the grain patterns of the two barrels.
Other patterned barrel choices might present similar challenges.
Screwing the cap onto the body of the Jr Gent could result in accentuating any misalignment of patterns on the two barrels.
Just another issue for the beginner to deal with, perhaps.
But, choosing barrel materials that have a suitably uniform composition/structure would not present the same problem.
Apart from this consideration, there is nothing intrinsically more difficult about using the Jr Gent as the kit for one's first pen, AFAIK.
I think that it is not regarded as a beginner's pen simply because it requires making two barrels, upper and lower, rather than just one.
Most beginners feel that they have enough to cope with in bringing a single barrel to a satisfactory shape and finish for their first attempt.
Having two barrels does introduce a possible higher challenge, namely the alignment of slightly differing patterns on the two barrels.
This additional challenge would, of course, depend on the choice of materials for the two barrels.
If wood is the chosen material it's usually nice to align the grain patterns of the two barrels.
Other patterned barrel choices might present similar challenges.
Screwing the cap onto the body of the Jr Gent could result in accentuating any misalignment of patterns on the two barrels.
Just another issue for the beginner to deal with, perhaps.
But, choosing barrel materials that have a suitably uniform composition/structure would not present the same problem.
Apart from this consideration, there is nothing intrinsically more difficult about using the Jr Gent as the kit for one's first pen, AFAIK.
In my experience, pen making is a fairly active task around the shop. You have several phases of the process, and if you are just crafting one pen at a time, you would likely be using multiple tools and performing different tasks at different times. At a high level:
1. Blank Prep
2. Tube Gluing
3. Turning
4. Finishing
5. Assembly
Turning, once you get used to it, shouldn't take hours. I turn down most of my pens these days in about 20 minutes or less. Wood goes faster than resin. Finishing kind of turns the tables, and wood goes slower than resins, at least in my experience. Finishing a resin blank may be another 15-20 minutes, finishing wood usually takes more time, but, its not continual time standing in one place. It is more put on a layer or two of base finish and let it cure, then put on some layers of the final finish, and then I may have to let that dry overnight, then maybe a touchup/final coat the next day, and let it dry again.
With blank prep...there is measuring and configuring the blank, cutting the blank, drilling the blank, prepping the blank and tubes to be glued (may involve painting the holes, sanding tubes, etc.), then finally gluing. That usually requires cure time, so you are away (or off turning something else) while the glue cures. Assembly usually requires another set of tools, and that tends to require moving as well. I usually assemble at a table indoors, where I have a pen assembly system that I use.
mark james
IAP Collection, Curator
Your First pen? Really nice. I'll dig mine up - I think I remember where it's buried in the back yard.
Well done!
Well done!
studioseven
Member
My first pen I turned was a slimline. I chose the slimline because of cost. It wasn't that I couldn't afford better. I was just worried that something might go wrong and didn't want to waste resources in the learning process.
Seven
Seven