Getting started... finally

[bfrikken]

A while ago, I posted about some trial turning I did on my FIL shopsmith. This past weekend, I finally was able to locate a nice used benchtop lathe. Came complete with tools (sharpened too), a pen mandrel, a bunch of pen kits. I purchased a Drill Press as well to drill out some blanks for pens.

I have a cherry panel a coworker gave me that was cracked after it was joined and glued. I'm going to slice off the scrap and make them into some pen blanks. Got the board ready last night, and also got some 1/2" plywood ready to be made into a pen vise so I can drill out the inserts. Cleaned up a workspace so I don't have to monkey with that either. Gonna try my hand at a slimline to start. Wish the work day was over.

[BobSch]

And so the slide into lathe addiction begins...

Have fun and be sure to post pic of the end results.

[bfrikken]

Last night, I cut my cherry panel. I cut the "cracked" side from the board. Gave me a 2 1/2" - 3" wide board that was closet to 28 inches long. I cut a 1/2" long piece from that, and chopped up 6 cherry pen blanks. I picked one blank that appeared to be clean of any challenges to be my first pen.

I built a mocked up pen vise from some 1/2" plywood I had. I can't find the thread that gave me the idea, but it is someone's on the board. Basically, one flat piece, and another peice perpendicular to it on the side. I then put half a blank in, and I clamped mine because I didn't have a hold down clamp. Had trouble drilling out the the first blank. The press only wanted to go about 1/2 way to 3/4 way through. However, I realized my press had a stop for depth engaged. I didn't know it was on that model (the press is new). So I crossed my fingers and tried to drill in the same spot I had started before. It worked just fine, suprisingly enough. The 2nd half of the blank went real easy.

I used LockTite super glue to glue the pen tubes inside the blanks. That went well, I hope it's the right glue

I set the lathe up with the blanks on the mandrel. Turned the lathe on and it was humming nicely. I started with the small gouge to round the pieces. I bought the lathe and tools used, and everything looked ready to go. Boy was I happy to see how sharp the tools were. The cherry turned really nicely. My hope is that it doesn't look like someone's first pen, but it probably does

I'm picking up some sand paper today, and will paly with the finish too. Will that Locktite work for finish? I have some boiled linseed oil (is that correct?) that I was going to use.

[Russianwolf]

which style kits are you going with?

Go have a look over at www.penturners.org more info there than you can shake a tree's worth of sticks at.

I recommend losing the mandrel and switching to between center turning when you get a chance. You have to buy custom bushings for the 7mm pens, but they are well worth it. The non7mm pens can be turned on the standard bushings.

I'm not familiar enough with CA/BLO finish as I don't do it. I prefer lacquer since it's a natural material.

[bfrikken]

It's a slimline kit that I got with the lathe. something to get started with. I don't know what you mean by the between center turning. The mandrel seems easy enough, so I don't understand what i'd gain by losing it? It's a rod with some spacers, then a blank, then another spacer/bushing, then a blank, then another spacer or two, then a nut that locks it in place.

[BigguyZ]

I personally don't even use busings to turn my pens. Too many issues withthe bushings themselves being out of round, or not the actual diameter of the kit.

Pick up a HF digital caliper right away. That way, you can measure the kit's actual diameter, and turn a little past that. Then, build the finish up to the final diameter. The transition from the barrel to the kit components is one of the most important things, IMHO.

I also do a BLO/ CA finish. My technique gives me consistent results that are pretty quick... I sand to 400 grit paper, then the first 2 grist of Micro Mesh. Then I hit the pen with the BLO, and use friction to heat it up a bit. I let that sit for a minute or two, and then I start the CA finish. To apply the finish, I use my finger and Nitrile gloves. Get the gloves from HF when they're on sale. The CA I use is the medium viscosity from Rockler. I also use the aerosol accelerator a lot.

I put about 3 drops worth of the CA on my index finger and spread it on the pen while it's turning. The trick is to get an even coat. You don't want to mess with it too much while applying the CA. Then, but about a foot away, spray the blank witht he accelarator while the lathe is running. Add a few more coats as necessary. Sand the blank with 220 or 320 grit paper, and measure the thickness on the ends. At this point, you can add more layers of CA if it's too thin, or sand away the CA if it's too thick. Then, once you're close to the finished size you want, go to 320, 400, then all the way through the MM grits.

Finally, I use 3M rubbing compound to give the pen a nice high gloss shine.


If you want a more matte finish, you can sand down to a lower MM grit, after youv'e gone through the highest grit. That'll give you an even surface and a finish that looks more "close to the wood".

I've also had good results applying the CA with 400 grit 3M wet/dry auto paper. the CA creates a slurry of sorts, and fill any pores on the wood. You can then lightly polish with the first few grits of MM, and end up with a protective, yet more natrual looking finish.

I'm looking forward to seeing the pics!

[Uncle Cracker]

Got a Woodcraft where you live? Might wanna check out the pen turning classes. Cost you a hundred bucks, but you'll learn a whole lot about pen turning, and get to try out some stuff and perfect some techniques before you invest in them. Another thing you can do is find out who teaches their classes (he's usually one of the store employees), and just hang around when he's working and ask a lot of questions. The website Russianwolf mentioned does indeed have a lot of info, if you've got the time to rummage through it. Their search function can be a little tricky, but you'll eventually get there. Well worth it to a noob. Turning between centers means not using a conventional rod mandrel, but turning with bushings chucked directly into the lathe, or even just the lathe centers straight onto the brass pen tubes. Takes a little getting used to if you've been a mandrel turner, but not so much if you're just starting out.

[Russianwolf]

It's a slimline kit that I got with the lathe. something to get started with. I don't know what you mean by the between center turning. The mandrel seems easy enough, so I don't understand what i'd gain by losing it? It's a rod with some spacers, then a blank, then another spacer/bushing, then a blank, then another spacer or two, then a nut that locks it in place.

The problem with mandrels is they bend. a bent mandrel will make the juntion between the wood and hardware not meet correctly. So when you use you mandrel, be careful of the amount of pressure you put on the tailstock, and also make sure you don't overtighten the nut on the mandrel as you can crush (the wood on one side will crush slightly making the blank not square any longer) the blank which will lead to the same issues.

I now turn between centers. I bought a 60degree dead center ($5) and a 60 degree live center ($15) to replace the stock centers. Then like UC said, you can either use bushings between them or just staright to the brass tube (careful with the preassure if you go to the brass).

I also buy my bushings from a guy on IAP that makes them specifically for between center turning. They are much more accurate as they are made one at a time on a cnc mill. They cost more, but that last MUCH longer and yeild better results.