Pen Making Tips
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Sometimes when I turn an acrylic blank, the brass tube shows through on the finish turned pieces. If the blank is
black and white and the brass shows through the white, it doesn't look very good.
There is a way around this problem. Paint the brass tube before gluing it in place. Yes you can paint the brass
tubes. You need to sand the outside of the tube with sandpaper. Make sure you sand the entire tube. I then
use a wire inserted through the tube and bend at the end to hold the tube. I then use spray paint to paint the
tube, then hang the other end of the wire up till it dries. Use a spray paint for metal like Rustoleum. Use a color
of paint that matches the lighter color in the blank.
Once the paint has dried, you can glue it in normally. I use an epoxy glue, seems to work better for me than CA.
black and white and the brass shows through the white, it doesn't look very good.
There is a way around this problem. Paint the brass tube before gluing it in place. Yes you can paint the brass
tubes. You need to sand the outside of the tube with sandpaper. Make sure you sand the entire tube. I then
use a wire inserted through the tube and bend at the end to hold the tube. I then use spray paint to paint the
tube, then hang the other end of the wire up till it dries. Use a spray paint for metal like Rustoleum. Use a color
of paint that matches the lighter color in the blank.
Once the paint has dried, you can glue it in normally. I use an epoxy glue, seems to work better for me than CA.
Brass Show through on Pens
Plastic Blanks
When drilling blanks made of plastic blanks. Go very slow, If you go to fast, The heat will melt the plastic and it
will clog and maybe even split the blank. The drill bit needs to be very sharp or the hole may tend to oval out at
the top.I like to use twist drill bits on plastic and brad point bits in wood. The brad point seems to want to skate
around when I use them on Plastic.
I have switched to epoxy for all my gluing of pen blanks but gap filling CA glue may be used.
I some times use a sander to round over the blanks before putting them on the lathe.
Once on the lathe, you must take light cuts and again you have to use very sharp tools.
When drilling blanks made of plastic blanks. Go very slow, If you go to fast, The heat will melt the plastic and it
will clog and maybe even split the blank. The drill bit needs to be very sharp or the hole may tend to oval out at
the top.I like to use twist drill bits on plastic and brad point bits in wood. The brad point seems to want to skate
around when I use them on Plastic.
I have switched to epoxy for all my gluing of pen blanks but gap filling CA glue may be used.
I some times use a sander to round over the blanks before putting them on the lathe.
Once on the lathe, you must take light cuts and again you have to use very sharp tools.
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LATHE SPEED
What speed should you set your lathe to when turning different projects?
I have guidelines that I use when selecting what lathe speed to use. The speed you use should allow the blanks
to turn with little or no vibration. So if you turn the lathe on and there is vibration, shut it down and lower the
speed.
I always wear a face shield, which is a good safety practice.
My guidelines for turning wood are as follows:
Pen Turning 3000 RPM or higher
Stock smaller than 2" can turn at 3000 RPM
Stock which is 3" can turn at 2000 to 2800 RPM
Stock which is 5" can turn at 1200 to 1800 RPM
Anything over 6" should be turned at less than 1000 RPM
When sanding I always slow my lathe down to 500-600 RPM
When applying finish, I set it to it's lowest speed. Which for me is 500 RPM
These guidelines are for wood, if you turn other material, these may not be right for you.
These are only guides, try different things and see what works best for you.
Always wear a face shield or at least safety glasses when turning. And if it doesn't feel right shut it down. Do not
turn wood with defects, cracks or knots.
What speed should you set your lathe to when turning different projects?
I have guidelines that I use when selecting what lathe speed to use. The speed you use should allow the blanks
to turn with little or no vibration. So if you turn the lathe on and there is vibration, shut it down and lower the
speed.
I always wear a face shield, which is a good safety practice.
My guidelines for turning wood are as follows:
Pen Turning 3000 RPM or higher
Stock smaller than 2" can turn at 3000 RPM
Stock which is 3" can turn at 2000 to 2800 RPM
Stock which is 5" can turn at 1200 to 1800 RPM
Anything over 6" should be turned at less than 1000 RPM
When sanding I always slow my lathe down to 500-600 RPM
When applying finish, I set it to it's lowest speed. Which for me is 500 RPM
These guidelines are for wood, if you turn other material, these may not be right for you.
These are only guides, try different things and see what works best for you.
Always wear a face shield or at least safety glasses when turning. And if it doesn't feel right shut it down. Do not
turn wood with defects, cracks or knots.
Which lathe tools do you use to turn pens on your mini lathe? There are four main chisels I use when turning
pens.
1. A parting tool 1/8"
2. A roughing gouge 3/8"
3. A. Skew 1/2"
The 4th tool is more a choice than something you really need.
4. A spindlemaster by Robert Sorby tools.
All tools should be made of (HSS) high speed steel, they will stay sharp longer and will have less heat build up. I
use a Delta slow speed grinder to sharpen my tools.
And you will need sharp tools if you every turn plastic pen blanks.
Let's go back to the spindlemaster, I have both the 1/2" version and the micro version. The micro version has
become one of my favorite tools for turning pens and other small projects. The advantages over the skew are:
ease of use, no sharp corners to dig in, it will plane, cut coves and beads and it is easy to sharpen
pens.
1. A parting tool 1/8"
2. A roughing gouge 3/8"
3. A. Skew 1/2"
The 4th tool is more a choice than something you really need.
4. A spindlemaster by Robert Sorby tools.
All tools should be made of (HSS) high speed steel, they will stay sharp longer and will have less heat build up. I
use a Delta slow speed grinder to sharpen my tools.
And you will need sharp tools if you every turn plastic pen blanks.
Let's go back to the spindlemaster, I have both the 1/2" version and the micro version. The micro version has
become one of my favorite tools for turning pens and other small projects. The advantages over the skew are:
ease of use, no sharp corners to dig in, it will plane, cut coves and beads and it is easy to sharpen
Pen Making lathe tools
| Robert Sorby Spindlemaster | |
| It beads, coves, planes, trims end grain and much more! |  |
Rattlesnake Pen
I used a rattlesnake pen blank and a Black Titanium Carbara Pen kit to build this rattlesnake pen. These blanks are more difficult to turn
compared to wood or regular acrylic. Care must be taken because the acrylic can be easily lifted off the surface of the snakeskin because of the
chemicals used to tan the snake hides. Sharp tools must be used.
The blanks come with the brass tube already inside the skin and acrylic. Therefore you do not need to drill and glue the brass tube.
You will however have to size the blank and square the ends. The sides of the blanks are also removed during the sanding process. See the
drawing that came with the blank for this detail.
The edges were sanded and the blank was placed on the lathe. I used a spindlemaster lathe tool to turn the blank down to size. The lathe tools
must be extremely sharp. I stopped 4 times to hone the tool while cutting the blank to size. I stopped cutting short of the bushing size. Sandpaper
was used to complete the projects. I used micro mesh and an acrylic finish to complete the blank. The blank was assembled using a pen press.
More ideas can be seen at my web site:
http://nokeswoodworks.com/
The rattlesnake blank and pen kit came from Arizona Silhouette.
I used a rattlesnake pen blank and a Black Titanium Carbara Pen kit to build this rattlesnake pen. These blanks are more difficult to turn
compared to wood or regular acrylic. Care must be taken because the acrylic can be easily lifted off the surface of the snakeskin because of the
chemicals used to tan the snake hides. Sharp tools must be used.
The blanks come with the brass tube already inside the skin and acrylic. Therefore you do not need to drill and glue the brass tube.
You will however have to size the blank and square the ends. The sides of the blanks are also removed during the sanding process. See the
drawing that came with the blank for this detail.
The edges were sanded and the blank was placed on the lathe. I used a spindlemaster lathe tool to turn the blank down to size. The lathe tools
must be extremely sharp. I stopped 4 times to hone the tool while cutting the blank to size. I stopped cutting short of the bushing size. Sandpaper
was used to complete the projects. I used micro mesh and an acrylic finish to complete the blank. The blank was assembled using a pen press.
More ideas can be seen at my web site:
http://nokeswoodworks.com/
The rattlesnake blank and pen kit came from Arizona Silhouette.
Sierra Pen Kits using
Acrylics.
Acrylics.