Last night I didn't have much time to work in the shop. I decided to see how fast I could make a simple slimline pen. I am new to penmaking and have just been giving all my stuff away to friends at work. Normally it has been taking about 1.5 to 2 hours for me to complete a pen (minus the blank prep). My thought is that by going fast I can highlight the areas where I should be spending more time and speed up in areas where I am spending more time than necessary. I started this pen with a 3/4 X 3/4 X 6" patagonian rosewood blank and completed in about 45 minutes.
My thoughts:
1.) a casual observer (guys at work) probably can't tell the difference
2.) I overturned a bit. I need to make sure I take the extra time getting flush with the bushings
3.) I don't have a drill press, normally I bore on the lathe but I used the cordless to save time. Also, I use a disk sander to barrel trim. Since my hole wasn't centered, I didn't get the trim flush with the tube. It is worth the extra time to bore on the lathe... or I need to buy a drill press
4.) I went much faster on the CA finish and I still like the result. I was normally spending 30-45 minutes on my finish alone, did this one in 5.
5.) I had been using 5 minute epoxy on the tubes. Medium CA glue seems fine for "give away" pens. I'll probably do 5 minute epoxy for special pens in the future, but medium CA otherwise. The epoxy is so messy!
My thoughts:
1.) a casual observer (guys at work) probably can't tell the difference
2.) I overturned a bit. I need to make sure I take the extra time getting flush with the bushings
3.) I don't have a drill press, normally I bore on the lathe but I used the cordless to save time. Also, I use a disk sander to barrel trim. Since my hole wasn't centered, I didn't get the trim flush with the tube. It is worth the extra time to bore on the lathe... or I need to buy a drill press
4.) I went much faster on the CA finish and I still like the result. I was normally spending 30-45 minutes on my finish alone, did this one in 5.
5.) I had been using 5 minute epoxy on the tubes. Medium CA glue seems fine for "give away" pens. I'll probably do 5 minute epoxy for special pens in the future, but medium CA otherwise. The epoxy is so messy!