Tips on composed blanks

[Niels]

Hello,
I've been working on my pens for a while and I look at some pens people make and I would like to try segmented pens.
I'm not talking super complex designs but for instance two colours with a brass detail in between.
Can you work brass with a skew or is the brass what it is and you make parts and then glue it?

I'm inclined to think you make a Tennant on one part and drill a hole in the other. then glue it to a solid blank, optionally with a brass rivet in between and then drill and form it. But meaby that's not the way.

Does anybody know any good videos on the topic? For now I don't have a clue where to start or where to buy brass for this purpose.

Thanks Niels

 

[Alan Morrison]

Niels, if you are using the brass as a spacer between two pieces of timber then I suggest that you pre-drill the brass and timber and then epoxy them unto the tube.
Brass is available in sheet form and can be turned with skew or carbide.
If you check out brass sheets for sale on the internet you should find plenty of suppliers.

 

[Dalecamino]

Niels, this tutorial might interest you. There should be a pattern sheet you can print.

Curved Metal Segmenting

Making blanks with curved metal and wood segments. This is an extremely thorough tutorial with loads of photos and diagrams that will help you master this very popular technique. Click on the image below to begin download of PDF. Author...

www.penturners.org

 

[Drewby108]

Leave as little to do on the lathe as you can. It work hardens easily and becomes a pain to turn. Also make sure you have a rough surface to epoxy to, both wood and brass.

 

[Niels]

I dont use tubes. I make bespoke pens only and I use alumilite and acrylic only so far. Wood does noet really appeal to me for Pens. I like working with wood but somehow not for pens so far.
But this makes a lot of sense. I bought a tube of CA glue medium the other day for in case I wanted to experiment.

So if I glue two blanks together with a sheet of brass in between. Let's say 2 mm thick that is enough? Is that strong enough really? I was figuring you had to make at least a tube like this on the photo. Sorry for the rough sketch. I'm just having my morning coffee.

 

[Niels]

but then, I just realise, if you drill it. There hardly remains anything left of the tube I guess. That must be some strong glue.

 

[Drewby108]

Use epoxy. I spent several days making a segmented blank with a few woods and aluminum. CA glue does not hold and I have shattered fragments to prove it.

 

[jimgodoy]

If you're making kitless/bespoke pens and want to use segmented blanks, I would strongly encourage you to sleeve the blanks to help improve the structural integrity.