Wood vs Aluminite vs Acrylic

[Madman1978]

First, I will be honest I am so charged up about pen turning! The only thing the slows me down is money. AS well as a lack of knowledge. But, each day I learn a tad more.

Wood vs Aluminite vs Acrylic
I only turned a few pens to date, but, I feel like spreading my wings as it were. I am wondering about the differences between these materials. I have seen a few videos but they never go into any detail about the differences. I hope I can learn what I need to get into the habit of and what I need to stay away from. Thank you for all replies in advance.

 

[its_virgil]

Welcome to the madness. Wood is not difficult to turn. Burls can be a bit problematic because of the grain pattern. Cross cut blanks can be somewhat challenging at times but can produce nice results as can burls.

There are three popular resins(plastics) used to make pen blanks: polyester resin, urethane resin and epoxy resin. Urethane and epoxy are easy to turn but polyester resin polishes better in my opinion. Some think polyester resin is brittle. Some are and others are not. It depends on the casting process. The ones I make are not brittle and I can even cut decent threads in them.

Alumilite is a brand and not a product. Alumilite makes several resins and the most popluar for pen blanks is either the Clear Cast or the Clear Slow which are both urethane resins. Their Amazing clear Cast is an epoxy resin.

Acrylic is a type of resin and cannot be cast without the proper and expensive equipment. Acrylic is not a generic term for any and all resin or plastic blanks. There are very few truly acrylic pen blanks.

Resin blanks go by lots of different names. I have turned most all of them at one time and most turn pretty much the same. A few are challenging such as inlace acrylester, which is a form of polyester resin, but the final results are often stunning.

Good luck with your penturning which ever material you choose.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

 

[magpens]

Well ..... just pick a new material and give it a try !!! . You'll learn as you go.

Alumilite is the more expensive, so maybe you want to start with "acrylic". . You can buy Acrylic Acetate blanks (often called AA blanks) for $3 or so ... they would be the cheapest for your "next experiment" ( I think you have been focussing on wood up until now).

Take it slowly with AA .... by that I mean, take very light cuts at first .... and be sure to round the blanks and square the ends before drilling.

As Don just said, "Alumilite" is a brand rather than a material, per se, but we all call it Alumilite without really knowing what we are talking about (sort of) and the vendors refer to it as Alumilite also.

From my viewpoint, Alumilite is somewhat "easier" than AA because of less tendency to chip .... it is a natural next step after wood but the price of an Alumilite blank is, perhaps 2 to 3 x the price of an AA blank. . Thing is, though, that you are probably assured of success with Alumilite.

In the general "acrylic" category, you will also come across some even more highly "chippy" varieties which you should put off for a later time.

One of these is "Rhinoplastic" which gives totally beautiful results when polished but presents some challenges for turning ... namely chipping.
I love Rhino blanks but I have learned to do the turning with very light cuts and making liberal use of sandpaper in the final stages of shaping.
BE SURE TO AVOID BREATHING THE SANDING DUST !!!!!!!!!!!

Whatever you go for .... GOOD LUCK !!! . . Keep the IAP forum apprised of what you are doing in order to get as much feedback as possible.

 

[leehljp]

I agree that it is good to just pick a few blanks and try. Concerning wood, there is a wide variation in wood that to the inexperienced, they can be totally surprised the differences. Don mentioned burls and they are different. Soft woods feel different than hard woods. Then there is desert ironwood. Some ironwoods can be hard on the skew, scraper or carbide inserts.

The key is "getting a feel" for the differences through personal experience, which is highly subjective to each individual.

A second part of getting the feel is Sharpness of the tool. Again, a highly subjective issue. What is considered sharp to one person is not to another. I, and several, keep a hone next to the lathe and swipe the tools a couple of times every minute or two in order to keep the edge pristine. It makes all the difference in the world. But if using a carbide insert, turning the insert every other pen or so will keep your sharpest edge there. I am guessing that most people will use an insert for 10 to 20 pens before turning and 20 to 40 before changing.

The POINT IS: sharpness is a portion of what determines how a blank feels when it is being turned. I have had cast blanks that were "brittle" as some say, but with experience in learning how to keep brittle blanks from chipping, I learned. It came down to personal "feel", sharpness and taking small tiny bites and not rushing it (patience) - and re-honing every minute or so.

The best thing that happened to me in pen making was when I quit trying to make every blank into a pen and took time to get the feel of the wood, the tool and the finish. My goals were to learn those steps individually, the reward was a quick step forward in making decent pens. Kind of like the Karate Kid's mentor: "Wax on, Wax off", - now you know how to defend yourself!

 

[Madman1978]

My oldest Granddaughter just asked for a hot pink pen. lol

 

[RobS]

acrylic hot pink options:

Aquapearl Hot Pink Pearl 3/4 in. x 5 in. Pen Blank

She'll be tickled pink with a hand turned pen made from this alluring and captivating Aquabright Hot Pink Pearl Pen Blank. This pink acrylic mixture emulates the rich contrasting shades of real pearl. Easy to turn with sharp tools and easy to finish with plastic polishes. For best results paint

www.pennstateind.com

Bear Tooth Woods - Bubblegum Pearl Acrylic Pen Blank

Bear Tooth Woods - Fractured Fuchsia Acrylic Pen Blank

 

[howsitwork]

Give it a go you might enjoy it. But , as Hank says, gentle cuts, sharp tools are the way to go. I use HSS and my roughing gouge gets a lot,of use but I take it slow.

 

[ed4copies]

If you are learning a new hobby, expect to pay something. When I golfed, my "lost ball budget" was significant!! When I learned to turn plastics, no one else was doing it (1995), so I ruined dozens of blanks. BUT, I turned and sold thousands of "plastic" pens, so the whole project was profitable.


I would recommend starting with Acrylic acetate, making sierra type pens--two tries out of every five inch stick!! Under $2 for each one you mess up!!

Of course, I recommend viewing my videos on turning plastics, as well--should put you light years ahead of where I started!!
Good luck--attempt a couple each night and if you have lots of problems, go back to wood for a while. This is supposed to be fun--after you master nearly all materials--believe me, it IS fun!! But there are bumps in that road!

FWIW, Ed

 

[jttheclockman]

I like Don's answer.

 

[TellicoTurning]

I definitely recommend watching some Ed Brown's (Ed4copies) videos.... I watched him do a demo some years back and learned tremendous amount about turning the "plastics" from watching him... welcome and good luck.

 

[Madman1978]

If you are learning a new hobby, expect to pay something. When I golfed, my "lost ball budget" was significant!! When I learned to turn plastics, no one else was doing it (1995), so I ruined dozens of blanks. BUT, I turned and sold thousands of "plastic" pens, so the whole project was profitable.


I would recommend starting with Acrylic acetate, making sierra type pens--two tries out of every five inch stick!! Under $2 for each one you mess up!!

Of course, I recommend viewing my videos on turning plastics, as well--should put you light years ahead of where I started!!
Good luck--attempt a couple each night and if you have lots of problems, go back to wood for a while. This is supposed to be fun--after you master nearly all materials--believe me, it IS fun!! But there are bumps in that road!

FWIW, Ed

Hello Ed! After today I will NOT be buying for PSI directly.

I like turning thus far as I have said. I need to kind of budget things as well as add any other tools I need.

 

[Waynewoodworking]

If you are learning a new hobby, expect to pay something. When I golfed, my "lost ball budget" was significant!! When I learned to turn plastics, no one else was doing it (1995), so I ruined dozens of blanks. BUT, I turned and sold thousands of "plastic" pens, so the whole project was profitable.


I would recommend starting with Acrylic acetate, making sierra type pens--two tries out of every five inch stick!! Under $2 for each one you mess up!!

Of course, I recommend viewing my videos on turning plastics, as well--should put you light years ahead of where I started!!
Good luck--attempt a couple each night and if you have lots of problems, go back to wood for a while. This is supposed to be fun--after you master nearly all materials--believe me, it IS fun!! But there are bumps in that road!

FWIW, Ed

Ed we have the same birthday lol. Just years apart.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wayne]

This is an excellent thread!

Anyone willing to compile the information in an appropriate way?

This is what many new users need to understand.

 

[Sylvanite]

This is an excellent thread!

Anyone willing to compile the information in an appropriate way?

This is what many new users need to understand.

We started that project once at https://www.penturners.org/threads/not-all-plastics-are-acrylic.148328/

 

[TonyL]

If not added above, I would also add: non-wood (i.e. acrylics, resins, etc.) blanks that are opaque. Corian is a good choice and can be found rather inexpensively - especially the 1/2" x 1/2" sizes. Opaque blanks do not require painting the tubes or inside the barrels to hide the brass and glue.

 

[Madman1978]

With Acrylic pens Do I need a buffing system?

 

[jttheclockman]

With Acrylic pens Do I need a buffing system?

No you never NEED a buffing system Some people feel they get a better shine using buffing wheels as opposed to MM or even a combination. Eye of the beholder as they say.

 

[Wayne]

We started that project once at https://www.penturners.org/threads/not-all-plastics-are-acrylic.148328/

Nice Eric,

Should we revisit that thread and combine with this thread?
Would you be willing to do this?

Regards,

 

[Scott]

Michael, thank you for asking this question! And I see that some of the real pros have stepped up to answer you! I have great respect for these people and their answers! My answer would be that it's all good! Every material has it's good points and bad points, but I find with all of them, after extensive use, I love them all! Enjoy your journey into penmaking!

scott.

 

[Madman1978]

Michael, thank you for asking this question! And I see that some of the real pros have stepped up to answer you! I have great respect for these people and their answers! My answer would be that it's all good! Every material has it's good points and bad points, but I find with all of them, after extensive use, I love them all! Enjoy your journey into penmaking!

scott.

Scott

More like a journey into madness! lol

 

[TonyL]

With Acrylic pens Do I need a buffing system?

I used sandpaper and micromesh (and polish) in the past. This is processed is still practiced by many (possibly the majority).

 

[TellicoTurning]

With Acrylic pens Do I need a buffing system?

If you want a buffing system, you can make your own very easily... I have one I made from a 12" length of 1/2" (I think 1/2 may be 3/8") all thread and two nuts and two washers for each wheel and 6" wheels I got at Lowe's.... just space the wheels along the all thread and secure with the nut and washer on either side... I mount mine in a small PSI chuck and the other end in a live center (without the point) and buff away.

I also have a system from Don Pencil that he shipped to me by mistake, but that's another story.

 

[TonyL]

many of ways to approach this. i think this is also in the library

 

[TonyL]

many of ways to approach this. i think this is also in the libraryView attachment 289676