OGYT
7th December 2008, 06:17 AM
Thought this may interest some on this forum. It's good for decorating woodturnings.
I got this info from another forum, and built my own.
This is how I made mine. Bought an old type Battery Charger at a garage sale for $5, and ran the electric lead through a ceiling fan speed control switch (rheostat switch). Rigged a plug receptacle near by, and shortened the electric lead, just to get rid of some of the length of wire. (pic one)
I cut the battery clamps off the charger leads.
Took a 6" piece of walnut for the "pen", shaped it, drilled a hole through it, and then cut a flat on the big end. I ran the charger leads through the hole in the pen, and attached them to a small terminal block, which I then screwed down on the flat. (pic 2 Two of the screws in the terminal block are covered by tape. Thought that might make me know where to put my fingers when holding it. )
I stuck two short pieces of 12 gauge wire into the terminal block (heat sink?), and attache a terminal block to each, (plastic removed). (pics 2,3,4)
You can make the pen tip from nichrome wire. That's the type of wire used in electric heaters and hair dryers and such. This pen tip (pic 2,3) is what I use to write on the bottoms of my turnings. I bent the wire, hammered it flat, and then filed it to a point, which I sanded smooth with 400 grit, so it would slide when I write with it.
Pic 4 shows a tip that makes a pretty fair basket weave pattern for texturing, etc. (If you don't shake as bad as me)
The whole lot is mounted on a piece of plywood that I scabbed from something else (redneck at work). :D
Works a treat.
I got this info from another forum, and built my own.
This is how I made mine. Bought an old type Battery Charger at a garage sale for $5, and ran the electric lead through a ceiling fan speed control switch (rheostat switch). Rigged a plug receptacle near by, and shortened the electric lead, just to get rid of some of the length of wire. (pic one)
I cut the battery clamps off the charger leads.
Took a 6" piece of walnut for the "pen", shaped it, drilled a hole through it, and then cut a flat on the big end. I ran the charger leads through the hole in the pen, and attached them to a small terminal block, which I then screwed down on the flat. (pic 2 Two of the screws in the terminal block are covered by tape. Thought that might make me know where to put my fingers when holding it. )
I stuck two short pieces of 12 gauge wire into the terminal block (heat sink?), and attache a terminal block to each, (plastic removed). (pics 2,3,4)
You can make the pen tip from nichrome wire. That's the type of wire used in electric heaters and hair dryers and such. This pen tip (pic 2,3) is what I use to write on the bottoms of my turnings. I bent the wire, hammered it flat, and then filed it to a point, which I sanded smooth with 400 grit, so it would slide when I write with it.
Pic 4 shows a tip that makes a pretty fair basket weave pattern for texturing, etc. (If you don't shake as bad as me)
The whole lot is mounted on a piece of plywood that I scabbed from something else (redneck at work). :D
Works a treat.