Thread: My first attempts at pens!

Nick that looks like a fine start to what will now become an obsession, I would suggest that you persist with the method that you have started with until you are proficient with it. Look closely at the finish and ask yourself if you would buy this pen. Once you are getting consistant results that you are happy with then start to vary the finish. Dont be in a rush to change things to early as this will prevent you from getting the best results. Ask for help here if you are unsure or stuck at any stage as there are some very accomplished pen makers here who are only to willing to help. Keep up the good work.

Well done, some nice texture there as well as interesting shapes!

You have certainly jumped in at the deep end starting off using CA on your first pens. If you take 2 hours at the start so be it, don't rush. As TDRUMNUT said, it's the end result that counts. Make sure you sand enough after applying the CA to remove all low spots in your finish, and then use the micromesh pads to finish before polishing. You will know when you have sanded enough of the initial finish as you will not see any shiny spots on the surface when it stops spinning. Always sand wet. I am not sure if that is what Timberbits is recommending without seeing his blog recently.
I use the Brasso after micromesh, and then I use Maguires Plastix polish, which I believe gives an even better sheen as I think it is finer.
You have started well and your output will increase as you gain confidence and technique. Applying CA is not a quick system (not for me anyway), but the result is fantastic if done carefully.

I agree with you, the brasso doesn't seem to help, (makes it worse from my POV).

the MicroMesh sanding is where I stop.

I also use Maguires plastix polish on CA and acrylics, for me it just seems to make em pop

as everyone else has said your off to a great start

after i finish my final CA coat, i then wet sand with micro mesh but only the top 6 grades, then i have a cloth wheel on my grinder and i use a white buffing compound which is meant to buff aluminum, it seems to not only polish further but applies a coating that seems to resist finger prints, i also use this final coat on Acrylics and resins

keep it up

MIK

You are on a well worn path hehe you'll soon find what works best and consistantly for yourself, I am not sure of oil and CA ,some use BLO and CA with great success (BLO boiled linseed oil ) CA is one of the dark arts which can give great results and a lasting hard finish ,but can also be a bit frustrating , at this point Time is less important than getting it right. Generally the turning is the easy and quickest part of the process ,unless you go for a friction finish which is very quick , but not long lasting . Keep up the good work and you will be surprised how quickly you progress if that is your desire cheers ~ John

Lots of fun here shapes,sizes, finish wonderful start have more success certainly on the right path.

Kind regards Peter.

Great work for a first attempt. Don't worry about the time it takes you to finish a pen as you will become faster, but it still takes a lot of time and I doubt anyone could get down to under 30 minutes from commencement, gluing, turning, sanding and polishing.

I sand my blanks to 600 grit and then sand with 0000 steel wool, then stop the lathe and use the steel wool along the blanks to remove any fine scratches from the sand paper. Just to make sure they are all gone, I then spin the again and wipe a paper towel soaked in metho over the blanks repeatedly. That tidies them up nicely, removes any very fine scratches and very minor indentations in the blanks. After applying the CA and MM wet sanding, I then apply a coat of Carnubra wax and polish it in at high speed with a piece of sheep skin pad - brings it up like glass.

I noticed on one of your pens that it had not been turned down to meet the nib of the pen. It you don't get the cut close enough to the bush with a tool, just revert to sandpaper to finish the job. It gives a neater appearance. Also, don't forget to square off the blank after you have polished it. It removes any excess CA from the blank ends and make a much nicer fit to the pen kit. There are posts on here about how to make a jig to fit into your lathe to make the blank square. They are simple to make when you have 10 minutes to spare and well worth the effort.

Good luck with the pens and great first effort.

welcome to the pen turning addiction
it gets under your skin
Regards Michael