Unsanded Pen

[Cwalker935]

Continuing my exploration of using a micro roughing gouge for pens, I grabbed a piece wood that was waste from a slab that I am using to make a table, prepped some blanks and turned them with my new gouge. I skipped doing any sanding and slapped on some pens plus for finish. The result is this modified slim line.

With a minimal amount of sanding and more effort at finishing, I think I can produce some decent pens with my roughing gouge.

 

[jttheclockman]

Now this is just my opinion. I do not like the results. Sanding wood of any kind closes up the pores to give that smooth feel. Not a fan of your results on this one. Sorry as I said just my honest opinion.

 

[Wmcullen]

Great piece of wood with some real personality. I'm a fan of the way you modified the slimline as well as the shaping decisions you've made. It looks plenty glossy from the finish and I'm curious about how it feels unsanded. I suspect it has a bit of a "tooth." I'm curious about the micro gauge and look forward to seeing more of your experiments. Thanks for sharing this one!

 

[Woodchipper]

Like the modified design for a Slimline. My concern would be how it would feel in the hands/fingers of a customer.

 

[mark james]

I love it! . I have in the past simply used shaving to burnish some pens and was quite satisfied. No finish, just a tight wad of shavings and a tight grip until you feel the heat.

Very nice!

 

[jttheclockman]

One other point you can very easily get rid of tooling marks with a quick swipe of sandpaper. It really is not that big of a time saver. Quality is the key word I try to live by. There are times a tool is all that is needed because you do not want cross contamination of woods but a skew hands down will give you a finer cut than a gouge or scraper. It has to do with the angle of the cutting edge and how it cuts the fibers. Again just my opinion.

 

[Displaced Canadian]

I've done some pens with a lot of segmenting that I've made a final pass before finishing with a sharp skew. My thought would be that what you are trying to do could be possible but it may depend on the type of wood. I do like the more satin look of that pen.

 

[sorcerertd]

That's a nice piece of scrap wood! I've done quite a few pens mostly shaped with a roughing gouge, but always finish with a skew or carbide scraper. A few have not needed sanding at all, but I'm not good enough or lucky enough to get away with that on all of them.

 

[TonyL]

You may be on to something! Decades ago, there was no such thing as intentionally and accelerated distressed wood (nail holes, chain marks, wear marks, etc.). Pottery Barn and the like have made it their signature look.

 

[David350]

I like it too, nothing wrong with a "rustic" look on a slimline. I probably wouldn't do that with a super premium pen kit though...

 

[RichAldrich]

A (spindle) roughing gauge is for knocking the corners off of a spindle. It is not a finishing gauge it is a roughing gauge. Never use on face grain (bowls). Bowl gauges have a shaft. SRG's have a tang which can and will break. The end grain likes to pull the SRG in. Very dangerous on face grain work.
A skew works the best. Some users do not sand. I have to. Best way to go.
I used a SRG for years on my pens. You will be competing against a lot of master penmakers. After being continually humbled by their expertise; I took a lesson. I now use whatever it takes. Forward or reverse, slower or faster. Skew or spindle gauge.
The SRG does work. Others work better. Fit and finish is mostly all we have to differentiate us against our competition.

2 cents

 

[greenacres2]

I've been turning mostly bowls and boxes lately, mostly with m-2, m-42 steel, but had still been using carbide when I turned a pen. Inspired by Cody, I grabbed a buckeye burl blank (stabilized) this afternoon and went at it with a 3/4" roughing gouge. Got an acceptable finish but quick swipe with a skew put a nice sheen on. If I'd sanded, 600 would be a step back. Will try to get pics in good light tomorrow…after moving tonight's snow!,
Thanks Cody!!
Earl