Thread: Pen blanks

Depends on the size and style of pen.

For instance a slimline can be turned from a blank only 15mm square.

20 mm is plenty for probably most kits. Just make sure that you drill
a very accurately centered hole.

Bently ! a lot of pen blanks are around the 3/4 -19mm , most pens are less than that finished EG sierras finish at about 1/2" or .470" to the bushes. slims and annelli even smaller, its only when you get into some of the larger rollerballs and fountain pens that you need larger sized blanks. Remembering it is not always possible to drill accurately in wood ,square and true ,drills can wander a bit so a bit of leeway is very handy .If the blanks are for sale and reasonably square ,a bandsaw cut is usually sufficient, no use having a pretty blank if you are going to lose it all in the turning ,If they are for your own use then 20 mm is a handy size without dressing ,hope that helps, cheers ~ John (and welcome to the forums )

Thanks for these two very informative replies. I bought a job lot of timber so there's more then I could use. I will put some on the forum some time in the future and see what sort of feedback I get. This really is a great website. Cheers. Paul.