Couple Pens (numbers 4 and 5 for me)

[clintfaas]

I needed a couple gifts for my mom and mother in law so I thought I'd do a couple pens.  These are the 4th and 5th pens I've made.  Getting easier, but I still need to refine the process.  Feel like it takes WAY too long for a pen. 

Critiques are always welcome!

Black titanium slimline: Confetti died Buckeye Burl (most of the pink turned away): CA Finish


Chrome Bolt Action: Mesquite burl: CA Finish

[David @ Mad Duck Game Calls]

Man, your getting GOOD! It doesn't matter how long it takes you, as long as it's fun and they look good. (Which they do!!!)

[HaMeR]

Purdy darn nice pens Clint!!

How long does it take to make these? I'm assuming you're only talking about the turning time & not the drilling & tube glueing.

Do you use the pen bushings for each kit? I use them to get the blank close then sand the last little bit off.

[Prairie Game Calls]

  Purdy right there!

Larry

[clintfaas]

Thanks for the comments!  I'm really enjoying learning with pens.  Has certainly helped me with understanding CA!

Purdy darn nice pens Clint!!
How long does it take to make these? I'm assuming you're only talking about the turning time & not the drilling & tube glueing.
Do you use the pen bushings for each kit? I use them to get the blank close then sand the last little bit off.

Really the whole process.  The actual turning time seems slow to me also, but I know I'm slowing down and taking much lighter cuts because I'm nervous of taking too much and cutting through... gun shy I guess.  I'm also too much of a perfectionist and want it to be perfect so i end up spending too much time on it.  On that note, I also think I need to adjust the bevel on my skew.  Just doesn't feel right. 

Last night I was out there from 8:30-10:45ish.  I started with 2 blanks and ended up with a finished pen (the slimline) and a brass tube with a busted piece of wood on it.   

 I guess I should ask how long it takes others to put one together?

[David @ Mad Duck Game Calls]

Shoot, as bad as I suck at pens, 2 hours isn't bad. lol   

[HaMeR]

I've had more than my share of blanks chunk right off the tube. Usually it's the oily woods & I don't think I got the inside of the blank wiped out good enough before gluing. I use a Q-tip dipped in odorless mineral spirits to swab it out. I try for 100% glue coverage by working the tube in & out while rotating. I do this from each end to ensure the best coverage.

The irregular grain in Burls will also splinter off the tube if light cuts aren't taken as you are well aware.

Rather than making the blank the same size as the bushings over the whole length I've also found it best to leave it oversized thru the middle & that has lowered the splintering chances for me.

It may not be fair for me to say how long I'm at the lathe for each pen since that's all I make. A simple crow call takes me 2hrs easily. 

My CA finish always starts with 4-5 coats of the thin CA for penetration. There's usually no need to sand any of these coats. Then I go to the medium for my top coats.

Your perfectionist mentality is what makes you & all the other call makers on here the very best there is. Don't blame things on that or ever let that go!! 

And I stand behind my comment earlier,,, Purdy darn nice pens Clint!!

[clintfaas]

I appreciate it!  Sounds like I'm on the right track from what you posted.  I usually try to turn pretty close to the bushing because I feel like what little I sand off, I rebuild with CA.  Starting with several coats of thin like you mentioned.  I like how pens are straight and smooth; it leaves a smooth CA finish with little to sand off. 

The blank that messed up on me was a very dry, mesquite burl that I now think was unstabilized.  it was for that bolt action and I think i went at it too aggressively not realizing how thin it was.  Broke out right at the ends. 

I think my biggest setback is drilling.  I need to fab one of those vises for my drill press that holds a pen blank nice and square.  That would greatly reduce my time.  Since I don't have a 4-jaw i was turning it round then sticking in a collet to drill.  (I'm not the biggest fan of drilling on the lathe, maybe because i have a cheaper lathe).  Just took too much time. 

[HaMeR]

You're Welcome Clint. Sometimes IF I sense a blank is too dry as you did I will stop the lathe & get the thin CA out. Turn the lathe by hand & apply the CA heavily. Keep turning the lathe by hand til you feel the CA has started to set good then just let it set for a few minutes. I will do this as often as I need to in order to save that blank. In this case I will leave it larger than I normally do so I can send the ends & not use the tools. As a side note I never use CA accelerator when I do this. I want the wood to soak up as much glue before it dries as it can.

Home made pen blank vises can be made by closing a wooden hand screw clamp & marking a square at a 45* angle to the jaws. Lay your table saw blade or band saw table over to 45* & cut the 2 vees out. Put the screws back in & your good to go.

I stopped using the drill press because I had a hard time getting the table set to an acceptable 90* to the drill bit.

You're doing fine with the pens. Just a matter of time & you'll have your own methods & system just like when you started making hand calls.

[Braz]

Several really nice pens there. Nice work. I frequently get on a pen turning kick where I'll make a whole bunch. It really helps my call turning as its giving me lots of practice where I really have to pay attention as the material gets so thin that it is easy to cot thru or have the tube explode. And another real plus is you can turn very inexpensively. Great way to see what new material will look like nude different finishes. Another huge plus is they make inexpensive gifts that everyone who receive them really enjoy. I gave away a lot maybe 30+ to the nurses borderline and doctors when I was in the hospital. I still get comments at some of my appoints. Makes for great relationships. I really need to get into the shop and make some more as I just gave the last of my pens away the other day. It was to a very nice waitress. Guess who gets even better service than I did before. Little things mean a lot. Especially when they are pieces of nice workmanship like you pens are.