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Post by mapleman on Nov 25, 2009 22:47:16 GMT -6
well, attached (i hope) is a pic of my first ever pens. simple things - white oak, slimlines. the top is a fat style with copper finish (not a big fan). bottom is skinnier and gun metal - i like that one much better. the fatty feels good in my paw -- but i hate the copper... i dunno. maybe a different kinda wood maybe. these kits are from Woodturningz... So far so good!  sorry for poor pic quality -- never been good with a camera... couple things ---- the copper pen is tung oil and carnuba. finish is ok. gunmetal is CA only. HONEST CRITIQUES ONLY  i definitely see things to improve upon. finish being the biggest. i sanded only to 600 - some woods i am sure would need to be sanded further... but the WO was fine, it seemed to me. but finishing was another story... how do you get the CA to go smoothly? i applied quickly with paper towel. some places it was nice - others not good at all. do you apply and then hit with accelerator or let it dry on its own? and how do you buff it out?  thanks for the help all, john |
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Post by TDHofstetter on Nov 25, 2009 22:54:15 GMT -6
Is that a scuff mark I see on the lower (narrower) pen, on the bottom tube, between midpoint and the center band? Or is that the WO's flake surfacing, or is it just an edge of the reflection?
600 is a fine finishing grit for any of the oaks. In fact, I'm not sure I'd've gone beyond about 400.
The copper... seems like it'd want a darker wood - not like cocobolo, which already has some coppery color, but... hmmm. Copper's a tough one to match up to really well. Harewood might do it - I'll hafta' try that one of these days.
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Joe Lyddon
WoW Member
Banned.
Sam Maloof & I Dec. 2, 2005
Posts: 2,507
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Post by Joe Lyddon on Nov 25, 2009 23:01:57 GMT -6
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Post by sachbvn on Nov 25, 2009 23:38:23 GMT -6
Hey John,
In regards to the shape - I like them, I think you really did a nice job on both. I am more of a fan of the Gun Metal too.... I dunno - I do have a copper kit from woodturningz that I have not used - still trying to find that "just right" wood to match it up with. We'll see.
I use a friction polish to finish my pens - I do two coats. Then I buff with the Beall system.
Never really tried the CA finish - Marc posted a "how to" on CA finishing, I should really try it.
Zac
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Post by Ruffnek on Nov 26, 2009 5:38:38 GMT -6
Not bad at all, John...especially for your first two.
While I'm not a fan of wasp-waisted pens (like the top one) that's a strictly a personal perference. What I do see on the top pen is that the wood part is slightly larger than the nib and the cap, in other words, they were not turned down far enough.
I get them about that close and then take them down to the bushing diameter with sandpaper. I think most dedicated penturners now use digital calipers to check that the blank diameter is the same as the bushing diameter.
The only other thing is, as you noted, the finish. Marc has a great tutorial on applying a CA finish here on this site. You could also experiment with lacquer, either sprayed or dipped, and Poly as bright durable pen finishes.
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Post by woodmangler on Nov 26, 2009 8:27:11 GMT -6
I like the copper... seems to go well with almost any wood in my opinion... but Doug recently pointed out that the plating is not really durable... so I am going to put the copper kits into the same category as the gold... cheap pens only...
I used to make lots of wasp-waisted pens ... then I guess I just evolved or something.... don't make them that shape at all any more. I have noticed that the folks who sell pens never make the wasp-waisted pens. But the nice thing about making your own pens is you can do whatever you want!
The CA finish gives people fits sometimes... read the tutorial to get an idea of the process... although there are as many variations on applying this finish as there are pen turners...
Basically you are trying to build up enough CA on the pen so that you are polishing the finish and not the wood. You also cannot trap a not-yet-dry coat under another coat. So... I use thin CA, and apply a couple of coats then sand with 1500 micro mesh, then repeat. I also use thick CA as the final coat now... something I was not doing before. I save some time this way, and I have no problems with it as I am applying CA over CA at that point. Once I get enough CA on the pen, and at that point each coat is going on smoothly, I sand it once more with 1500... very lightly, then buff with the Beall.
Like I have said before... I use to take 30 minutes to turn the pen and 5 minutes to finish it... now it is just the opposite!
Your first pens are waaaayyyyy better than the ones I did... so you are off to a great start!
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Post by maverick31 on Nov 26, 2009 10:30:29 GMT -6
I am a beginer pen turner also. I have turned about 30 pens so far and I am not a fan of the top style pen. My thought is if you like larger pens buy a bigger pen kit. I like the bottom pen much better. I really like the gun metal finish on those slimlines and so does everyone else that sees them in person from my experience. Doug b pointed me to iaps website where they have a tutorial on ca/blo finish on pens and it works great for me except on a few species of wood. I sand down to 600 than apply ca/blo. Depending on any flaws I may only apply 4-5 coats and sometimes if i get crazy I may do 7 or 8. I also let glue dry between coats a minute or two. I usually have a bunch of stuff going on at the same time so this is not a big deal for me. once all ca coats are done I wet sand with 2500 ( no micormesh yet) then polish with eee. works good for me. I have also done a few with wipe on poly, takes for ever to do but is definately worth the wait.
oh one thing i forgot is that when i finsih sanding and am ready to move to next finer grit I sand the pen with lathe off going cross ways. once i started doing this I pretty much eliminated any and all minor sand scratches. hope this helps
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Post by boodrow on Nov 26, 2009 10:55:30 GMT -6
Congrats on ur first pens , and they be lookin real good. I gues im the odd duck , I like the shape of the top pen the best. Reminds me how i like women to look.
Boodrow
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Doug B
WoW Member
[b]Rescued Firewood[/b]
Posts: 1,938
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Post by Doug B on Nov 26, 2009 10:59:49 GMT -6
Nicely done John! Those are fantastic first pens. Try using BLO with your CA finish to get a smooth finish. And don't be afraid to sand the CA finish if it does not suit you - you can smooth it up just a little, or take it completely off and start again. I almost always use Micro Mesh to sand a CA finish (sometimes between coats if needed) and then I use EEE to give it a final polish. I think copper kits go with antler the best. As Cody mentioned, your lower barrel is a little "proud" of the nib hardware. To me that is the most critical fit on the entire pen because your finger is constantly in contact with that transition so you will notice even the slightest of differences. It is also one of the hardest things to achieve and is the reason that I only turn a single barrel at a time and use digital calipers to measure the pen components (not the bushings) and turn the wood barrel as close to that measurement as possible. One thing I have been noticing lately is that the pen kits seem to have more variation in the hardware sizes than they use to so I measure the components and make the pen to fit. You will find that you will be your own harshest critic when it comes to making pens...no one else will notice the minor flaws as much as you will. Now, when you get all those little details working just the way you want them to, we can start on picture taking  That's a whole 'nuther ball game. Keep up the good work! |
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Post by mapleman on Nov 26, 2009 20:41:55 GMT -6
Tim, Joe, Zac, Cody, Marc, Maverick, Boodrow, an Doug: THANK YOU! the kind words AND the criticism. i did not realize how important it was for the ends to be dead flush until i put it together --- and boy you are right - the finger feels even the tiniest discrepancy. the copper has grown on me a bit today - but, like Tim said, the darker wood would look better. i though about doing a dark watco... but i didn't - lazy. and thanks for the tips on finishing. i will look up the primers you all mentioned... will try again this weekend, i hope, and let y'all know the results! and Doug - the pictures will be problematic. i have a point and shoot that i have no clue how to operate... oh well john |
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Post by CajunRider on Nov 27, 2009 5:52:16 GMT -6
The first pen looks like some one put a Victorian waist cincher on a good looking pen.
The second pen looks so much better. The proportion definitely improves.
I've yet to make a pen on my own so you are way ahead of me.
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Post by dicklaxt on Nov 27, 2009 6:15:18 GMT -6
No C & C from me John just congratulations,hows the water?
dick
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i definitely see things to improve upon. finish being the biggest. i sanded only to 600 - some woods i am sure would need to be sanded further... but the WO was fine, it seemed to me. 
That's a whole 'nuther ball game. 