African Blackwood Pens

[KristianH]

I got some new equipment to make pens on my small mastercraft 12'' lathe . A mate of mine is paying me to make him a pen out of African blackwood. The only problem I have is that I've been only turning for about 4 months and my smallest gouge is only 1/4'' , can I do it with this equipment or am I just pushing my luck?

[Babytoolman]

Kristian,
You can use your tools. Like all work you do on a lathe it is be safe. I got myself some small chisels for doing pens. I still do use my 3/4 skew to do most of the work. I then use a small gouge to finish the deail sand and finish.

Take small bites each time with the larger tools. or go get some new tools which always a good thing.

[Ross]

Babytoolman is right, the perfect excuse to get some new tools.

I have turned pens using large tools but I find it easier using mini chisels. Your 1/4 inch gouge is a good size for the job.

Ross

[DanP]

Kristian,

I've turned a pen or two and I've never used anything other than a 3/8" gouge and a 1" skew. Never had any need for anything different.

Dan

[gatiep]

I use my 19 mm roughing gouge for pen turning. I use my 25 mm oval skew to put rings on/in the pens, otherwise the roughing gouge does it all. Sand from 180 grit up to whatever you fancy. Some pens I only sand up to 600, others to 1800 yet others even to 2500. It all depends on the material and the end use. Obviously a pen for "display only" gets the finer grits and an everyday use pen will never get more than 600 grit. Some are finished in sanding sealer or white shellac as sealer, then Hut wax. Others get Shellawax and EEE and others get superglue and EEE as a finish.

Welcome to woodturning! ( and the board as well ).

:)

[powderpost]

I am interested to learn how you apply the super glue and get an even coat.

Jim

[DanP]

Joe,

Can you explain the method of applying the CA for the CA/EEE method.

Dan

[DanP]

Jim, Beat me by that much...

Dan

[gatiep]

Jim & Dan and others.


I completely turn the pen, sand it up to 400. Then remove it from the mandrel. I have a small square of mdf with two 3" nails through it, pointing up, so that I can stand the turned pen tubes upright with the nails holding them up. First I put a piece of plastic film over the mdf with the nails protruding so that the pen bits will not glue onto the mdf. Then I use a bit of plastic on a flat surface ( well ventilated area ) and put about 3 drops of thin superglue on it in a duddle. With a thin phillips screw driver inside the pen tube, I roll it through the super glue and spread it all over the wood. Once it is soaked, I drop the tube over the nail, from the phillips screw driver to dry. Do both. Once totally dry, about 5 minutes, I clean out any superglue inside the tube with a pen mill, making sure that it also cleans off any build up on the end that was at the bottom. Then back onto the mandrel. A very light sand with 400, then 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500 and depending on the finish I want, 1800,2000 and 2500. This can be wet or it can be dry sanding. It doesn't take long and I try not to remove the superglue to bare wood. If that should happen in exceptional instances, I recoat and resand.
Finally I apply Shellawax and EEE in the normal manner or if I still have a good superglue coating, I just use EEE.
Doing cross grain ( short grain ) pens I put superglue on the wood before I start turning it. That bonds the grain and prevents it splitting off the tubes. Then finally I finish it with the above method. I also do corn cob pens this way. A quick pic of one of those is attached, unfortunately not a quality pic.

The cost is not excessive if I buy the 56 ml ( 2 oz ) bottles of Hotstuff from Carbatec at about $23-00. It lasts so long that I started using the above method rather than discarding unused set superglue after 6 to 9 months of opening.

Hope you have a lot of fun with this.

:)

[Ruffy]

Hi kristian,

I too am a relative newby at turning and started out with pens. I quickly realised that to do straight barrelled pens could be done with my existing "large" tools but to get a little more creative (would have liked to have said artistic there but not that good yet). The bigger chisels and my skill level were not a good match.

I bought a Crown Tools 3 piece Pen Making Chisel Set from Timbecon at last years Working with Wood show on special at $70 - contained a 6mm bowl gouge, a 13mm oval skew and a 3mm parting tool. I use the bowl gouge as a roughing down/shaping tool and use the skew for finishing.

Have had a lot of success with this set, Timbecon's web site is down at the moment so I cannot give you a link to the right page but in their printed catalogue they are shown on page 94, part number C-296-A and priced at $99.00

You may also want to have a look at the Hamlet 5 piece miniature set from Carabatec more money but then they are Hamlet as well Hamlet Miniature Set - HCT 168 (http://svc010.bne011i.server-web.com/catalogue/carbatec2/cache/header-953public__0-0.html?cache=no) .

I have attached a couple of pics for to see what I have been doing.

All in all you don't need specialised tools but it does make it a lot easier with the smaller ones.

Enjoy yourself

[gatiep]

Very nice work Ruffy...............I would call the pens smoothies, not Ruffies....lol. Congratulations on some excellent designs too!


:)

[KristianH]

I just have an easy question for all of you . How well does Padauk turn and how much of a blunting effect does it have on tool?

[barryr]

for those interested in finishing with Cyano then go to this link and have a quick squizz ! http://store.yahoo.com/cuecomponents/cuefinish.html

works well , especially on birdseye maple (and therefore presumably burls) , fills in the rough bits in the birdseyes excellently , can be it's own finish or a great base for lacquers . Doesn't soak in to some woods as well as others so as usual try on a little bit/waste bit first !

Gatiep , I understand using the EEE afterwards but why the Shellawax ?
With cyano on first it's impossible for the Shellawax to penetrate and bond with the wood , just seems wastefull - aren't u better off just using cyano then EEE with a little wax ?

[gatiep]

Barryr

Have you ever seen a Shellawax finish on acrylic? Try it, then you'll know the answer! Because it gives an excellent finish!!

[rsser]

Have only done a platter in Padauk. Didn't notice any exceptional blunting. As for finish, it's very open grained like Oak. Wouldn't think it would be the best timber for pens, tho if you CA'd it as above it should fill the pores.

The platter didn't take too well to my favoured finish, which is Danish oil. But some careful fine sanding and a coat of UBEAUT TRADITIONAL WAX (subtle or what?) brought it up very nicely.

[barryr]

Barryr

Have you ever seen a Shellawax finish on acrylic? Try it, then you'll know the answer! Because it gives an excellent finish!!
I've never used Acrylic (I don't turn pens) so I haven't had the pleasure but I was thinking Ubeaut recommended EEE alone for acrylic , I guess not hey ? But I still don't see how the Shellac in Shellawax could possibly soak in to acrylic , I understand using the EEE because it's using wax and tripoli powder as the polish & abrasive and therefore doesn't need to be able to soak in .
Still , if I don't ask I won't find out as "they" say !

[rsser]

....

The platter didn't take too well to my favoured finish, which is Danish oil. But some careful fine sanding and a coat of UBEAUT TRADITIONAL WAX (subtle or what?) brought it up very nicely.

Font's a bit small; surely your computing machine has bigger?

...

Finishing acrylic pens, I was going to say just use automotive cutting polish but on second thoughts use UBEAUT EEE!! (over to you ).

PS Edit: looking at the bulging shelves I figure I have almost every UBEAUT finishing product ( and a whole heap of others' besides). I really like the Trad Wax and the Shithot Waxstick - the stick did an awesome job of finishing an elm bowl. The Trad Wax beats the WA competition, and the UK Black Bison, by a country mile.

That said, I don't like putting a wax finish on a bowl that might be used for food ... and I don't know what the end users will get into their minds to do with what I sell.

All I want now is something that will put a shine on the missus' face ... so how 'bout it guys?! (NO, NOT THAT!!)

[DanP]

My method of finishing acrylic pens:

Sand, depending on how rough your turning is, 180, 240, 400, 600, 1000.

Sand 600 and 1000 wet. (I use a bit of water or if none handy a bit of spit).

EEE to finish.

I find this gives a simple glossy finish that lasts. My pen is about 18months old and the finish is still good. it has seen it's way through about 8 refills in that time. It gets used very heavily.

Dan

[RETIRED]

It gets used very heavily.

Dan
Hmmmmm :rolleyes:

[DanP]

We write more than tickets, you know.

[RETIRED]

We write more than tickets, you know.
I know. The world floats on paperwork.

[gatiep]

Barryr

In my previous life I was a pharmacist, that was in the days when pharmacists still made things, didn't gawk at computer screens all day and had to lick the labels if they wanted to stick them down, there were no selfadhesive labels or plastic containers. We used shellac as a coating on pills ( do not confuse with tablets ) mainly to seal them from the elements. ( the ingredients in the pill had to be protected from moisture, etc ) The shellac did not soak into, or bind to the substrate but rather formed a coating on the outside surface. Now smart woodworkers use the same principal by applying a few layers of shellac, then buff the shellac to a high shine. This shine covers the object that is coated which can be wood, metal, plaster of paris, plastic, set super glue, etc.
Maybe this will make it clear why shellawax can be used on acrylic.