Reporting in from Yuma, AZ

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Redcoat

Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2024
Messages
3
Location
Yuma, AZ
Greetings all,

Been watching pen making videos for a handful of years and wanting to get involved in this... hobby (obsession) :) I was on recruiting (no time) and then stationed overseas (no space), so I had to wait until now when I'm back stateside. I've made exactly 1 pen out of the Rockler starter kit so far and it turned out better than I had hoped for a first effort and my first time using a lathe.

Not sure what that is happening by the clip with the white discoloration, did I get the CA too hot with the micromesh? There's other beginner mistakes I can see I've made, the second one seems to be doing a lot better as far as being close to the bushings and an even shape. I've been looking forward to doing this for a long time and I'm having a blast.


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Redcoat said:
Greetings all,

Been watching pen making videos for a handful of years and wanting to get involved in this... hobby (obsession) :) I was on recruiting (no time) and then stationed overseas (no space), so I had to wait until now when I'm back stateside. I've made exactly 1 pen out of the Rockler starter kit so far and it turned out better than I had hoped for a first effort and my first time using a lathe.

Not sure what that is happening by the clip with the white discoloration, did I get the CA too hot with the micromesh? There's other beginner mistakes I can see I've made, the second one seems to be doing a lot better as far as being close to the bushings and an even shape. I've been looking forward to doing this for a long time and I'm having a blast.


View attachment 375513View attachment 375514
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Welcome! It's always so fun to see new folks enjoying pen making
 
Greetings from Nebraska and welcome to the IAP community.

From your picture I can provide two possibilities that I experienced when I started turning. First, it could be sand through or else what I think more likely, is water penetration during wet sanding with MicroMesh.

Sand through often causes dull looking or grey areas in a CA finish as it is where the CA has been sanded all the way through down to the wood. It typically occurs from sanding the CA finish either too aggressively or by starting with too large of a grit. To conquer sand through, I stopped dry sanding the CA finish all together and went right to wet sanding with MicroMesh. I personally sand each grit with the lathe running at about 1000 RPM but only for about 15 seconds. Then I sand with the lathe off, with the grain, just one time around turning the blank by hand a full revolution. Finally, I use paper towel to wipe off any excess water and slurry from the blank before moving to the next smaller grit. The exception: I usually repeat the first grit because after the first time I still see quite a few shiny, low spots, in the finish. A second sanding with the first grit usually takes care of it.

The other thing it could be, that I think more likely from the way it looks, is water penetration during wet sanding with MicroMesh. Water soaking into the wood or getting between the wood and the CA finish can cause the CA to seemingly lose adhesion to the blank, leaving a cloudy like appearance on the ends like in your picture. To resolve that problem, I started sealing the ends of my blanks with CA before wet sanding. My regimen is to apply the CA using Non-Stick (conical) bushings, followed by lightly sanding the ends to clean up any CA buildup that goes over the edge. Some refer to this as a "fingernail" that gets removed. Then, to make sure that the ends are sealed up well, I put a few drops of thin CA on a small paper towel square blotter and press the ends of the blanks down into it. The thin CA seals the end of the wood and provides a very thin wrap around seal to the CA on the surface of the blank. Sometimes I blot each end twice, but usually I get by with just a single application to seal up the ends. After it dries, I put the blank back on the mandrel using my turning bushings and start the wet sanding MicroMesh process.

Anyhow, welcome to the group, you made a fine looking pen. We hope to see many more! - Dave
 
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Welcome to the Wonderful World of Pen Making. Your pen looks nice and each one is a learning experience.
I looked at your lathe and noticed the on/off switch is located on the same end as the headstock. Mine is the opposite so to turn it off, I have to flip the switch and then reach across the lathe to slow or stop the headstock.
 
Welcome from NC! I think you are well on your way.

As far as the whitish spot, from what I can see (hard to tell 100%), it looks like the CA didn't adhere well to the wood. That, or adhesion was lost if, as Dave said, water got under it. That is a likely result of the wood swelling from the moisture. Also, the type of CA you use does matter. I started with Stick Fast and quickly learned that it does not make for a good finish.
 
Welcome aboard, John, from Bristow Indiana. I loved Yuma back in the days when our squadron visited for the month of January.
 
egnald said:
Greetings from Nebraska and welcome to the IAP community.

From your picture I can provide two possibilities that I experienced when I started turning. First, it could be sand through or else what I think more likely, is water penetration during wet sanding with MicroMesh.

Sand through often causes dull looking or grey areas in a CA finish as it is where the CA has been sanded all the way through down to the wood. It typically occurs from sanding the CA finish either too aggressively or by starting with too large of a grit. To conquer sand through, I stopped dry sanding the CA finish all together and went right to wet sanding with MicroMesh. I personally sand each grit with the lathe running at about 1000 RPM but only for about 15 seconds. Then I sand with the lathe off, with the grain, just one time around turning the blank by hand a full revolution. Finally, I use paper towel to wipe off any excess water and slurry from the blank before moving to the next smaller grit. The exception: I usually repeat the first grit because after the first time I still see quite a few shiny, low spots, in the finish. A second sanding with the first grit usually takes care of it.

The other thing it could be, that I think more likely from the way it looks, is water penetration during wet sanding with MicroMesh. Water soaking into the wood or getting between the wood and the CA finish can cause the CA to seemingly lose adhesion to the blank, leaving a cloudy like appearance on the ends like in your picture. To resolve that problem, I started sealing the ends of my blanks with CA before wet sanding. My regimen is to apply the CA using Non-Stick (conical) bushings, followed by lightly sanding the ends to clean up any CA buildup that goes over the edge. Some refer to this as a "fingernail" that gets removed. Then, to make sure that the ends are sealed up well, I put a few drops of thin CA on a small paper towel square blotter and press the ends of the blanks down into it. The thin CA seals the end of the wood and provides a very thin wrap around seal to the CA on the surface of the blank. Sometimes I blot each end twice, but usually I get by with just a single application to seal up the ends. After it dries, I put the blank back on the mandrel using my turning bushings and start the wet sanding MicroMesh process.

Anyhow, welcome to the group, you made a fine looking pen. We hope to see many more! - Dave
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Thank you for the response and advice, that finish was done using the CA glue that comes with the Rockler starter kit and no accelerator, so I'm pretty sure you're right and wet-sanding pushed some water in through a gap in the finish, or through the ends. The 2nd & 3rd efforts from the kit did not have a repeat occurrence.
 
Redcoat said:
The 2nd & 3rd efforts from the kit did not have a repeat occurrence.
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That's Great News! - Dave

PS I started out with Rockler Slimline pens too. I've learned that the design of the Slimline style is not necessarily the easiest kit to turn. Many recommend the "Sierra" style, PSI's "Gatsby", pen kits to start out with because they are only a single tube and one can usually get two pens out of a single blank. Due to the design of the components with radiused interfaces, I think it is easier to get a good fit (fit between the blank and the component parts) on these compared with the slimline's as well. (This would be Rockler's Manhattan type pen kit).

Of course it comes down to personal taste, but when you decide to try another style, one of my favorites is the "Cigar" style. (This would be Rockler's Cuban type pen kit). Like the Sierra styles, the Cigar style too has some radiused interfaces; however, the standard bushings that most suppliers provide do not take advantage of the feature. Ed Brown from Exotic Blanks, however, has designed and sells an "Improved Fit" bushing set for the Cigar style pens. Ed also has a YouTube video about Cigar pen kits that talks specifically about the fit and the cigar bushings. If you haven't run across Exotic Blanks yet, I highly recommend checking out their offerings. They have a huge inventory and they are outstanding supporters of the pen turning community.
 
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