Celtic brass

[edblysard]

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k143/edblysard/brass008.jpg
White Corian and brass shim stock.

[gawdelpus]

A bit more subtle than some of the others ,looks like a gold inlay, which of course it almost is hehe, just on finishing do you put a protective coating on the completed pen ,eg ca or other ?, just that the brass may discolor after a time .

[artme]

Gorgeous pen!! :2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

[edblysard]

Hit it with a coat of automotive wax...
Oddly, the brass will tarnish if the pen is not used...but constant handleing seems to keep the brass somewhat shiny...even if it does tarnish, a wipe down with Never Dulls cleans it right up.
A bit more subtle than some of the others ,looks like a gold inlay, which of course it almost is hehe, just on finishing do you put a protective coating on the completed pen ,eg ca or other ?, just that the brass may discolor after a time .

[gawdelpus]

That would make a nice wedding signing pen (tying the knot) and all that hehe, I was going to try some corian but postage to Au was just too dear at the time ,but that was on e-bay so not a lot of give and take with most sellers, I get 24 blanks in a flat pack for around $12 us, they wanted about $40 US to send a few dollars worth of corian, at the moment you spend $100 US costs almost $160 AU:( .

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Very, very nice.... and the choice of kit works well!

[Big Shed]

Great pen, it looks very stylish.

Agree with wedding pen comment.

Have to keep that in mind.



White Corian and brass shim stock.

What thickness brass shim stock Ed?

[new_guy90]

ok this is a noob Q how the hell did you do that! i can see you cut it as a blank and glued shim between but ho did you cut the round .......................oh i think i worked it out as i type this :oo: you drilled the blank, shimed it and used dowel to plug it ......of course it seems so simple now :doh: well thanks for showing it looks cool might have to try something simpler but on the same lines one day :2tsup: nice pen

Patrick

[Big Shed]

Patrick, see here (http://content.penturners.org/articles/2007/celticknot.pdf) for an article on making Celtic Knot blanks.


ok this is a noob Q how the hell did you do that! i can see you cut it as a blank and glued shim between but ho did you cut the round .......................oh i think i worked it out as i type this :oo: you drilled the blank, shimed it and used dowel to plug it ......of course it seems so simple now :doh: well thanks for showing it looks cool might have to try something simpler but on the same lines one day :2tsup: nice pen

Patrick

[Rum Pig]

That is very nice:2tsup:

I think that would be a hit with the ladies that is for sure.:D

What did you use to glue the brass to the corian

[new_guy90]

Patrick, see here (http://content.penturners.org/articles/2007/celticknot.pdf) for an article on making Celtic Knot blanks.

ok i get it you make the cuts but dont go all the way through ........but to do the "eye" you drilled the blank and filled it before cutting the cross banding right? thanks for the tutorial link :thumbsup:

Patrick

Edit: ok my bad i see now how you cut it ...you cut it again at a different angle right .............ok here a Q has anyone tried to do these cuts on opposite sides (eg side 1 & 2 like normal) and then drilled a hole to be filled with some dowel at 90degrees to the sides cut (side 3 and 4)? i think this would show a cool effect

[PenTurner]

Another beauty Ed, Amos:)

[Sawdust Maker]

Extremely nice pen
top marks for the idea :2tsup:

I reckon it would look cool in black as well - with maybe aluminium, hmm

[dai sensei]

Very, very nice.... and the choice of kit works well!

:whs::2tsup:

[corbs]

I really love that pen... and as has already been mentioned, the wedding pen and the tying the knot concept is fantastic (have been asked to make a wedding pen for the Chaplain onboard too). Consider the idea... erm.... borrowed:;

(Imitation is the highest form of flattery:2tsup:)

[edblysard]

Patrick,
Look here for the jig used to cut it...nothing more than 4 cuts, each at 45 degrees..
http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=87801

if you liked the brass "knot" this should tickle you too...
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k143/edblysard/062907008-1.jpg

ok i get it you make the cuts but dont go all the way through ........but to do the "eye" you drilled the blank and filled it before cutting the cross banding right? thanks for the tutorial link :thumbsup:

Patrick

Edit: ok my bad i see now how you cut it ...you cut it again at a different angle right .............ok here a Q has anyone tried to do these cuts on opposite sides (eg side 1 & 2 like normal) and then drilled a hole to be filled with some dowel at 90degrees to the sides cut (side 3 and 4)? i think this would show a cool effect

[new_guy90]

edblysard after thinking about it all day, reading the tutorial and everyones help i finally get how you guys went about the cuts .......what i was thinking before was if you make 2 cuts on opposite sides, drill through the 2 sides that were not cut and fill it with dowel then it should make 2 crosses and 2 eyes ..........anyway your pens look great :2tsup:thanks for showing me these ideas

Patrick

[joe greiner]

This is about as basic as it gets: http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=16781

Cheers,
Joe

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Ed

You have the knot thing worked out real well. Very nice work on this one also. Have a few questions. The inlay, is that actually a sandwich of 2 pieces of brass and a piece of corian??? What saw blade are you using for your inlays??? What glue did you use to glue alll this together??? How did it turn when you got it on the lathe??? Do you mkae all the cuts first and then drill and where do you drill, lathe or drill press??? Thanks for the replys.

[schaf]

That is one class act. congratulations.

Terry

[edblysard]

I will post some photos in a while...

Ed

You have the knot thing worked out real well. Very nice work on this one also. Have a few questions. The inlay, is that actually a sandwich of 2 pieces of brass and a piece of corian??? What saw blade are you using for your inlays??? What glue did you use to glue alll this together??? How did it turn when you got it on the lathe??? Do you mkae all the cuts first and then drill and where do you drill, lathe or drill press??? Thanks for the replys.

[edblysard]

Ok,
I will do this in a couple of posting so as not to give the forum server a headache.
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k143/edblysard/corian001.jpg
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k143/edblysard/corian002.jpg
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k143/edblysard/corian004.jpg
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k143/edblysard/corian005.jpg
First photo shows cutting off the insert, note the witness mark…it is 2/32” cut off.
Adding the 2 brass shim brings the insert up to 3/32” the kerf width of my Freud blade.
Photo 2 shows the jig and the first cut in the blank.
Photo 3 shows all the parts laid out for the first glue up…scruff the brass with sandpaper and wipe with lacquer thinner…brass is lacquered at the mill to prevent tarnish; the lacquer will prevent the glue from holding.
Photo 4 shows my high tech glue up jig…2 pieces of angel iron bolted together…by the way, CA glue does not like to stick to steel, so all that is needed to “un glue” the blank for this jig afterwards is a light tap on one end, it will simply pop off.

[edblysard]

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k143/edblysard/corian006.jpg
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k143/edblysard/corian009.jpg
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k143/edblysard/corian010.jpg
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k143/edblysard/corian012.jpg
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k143/edblysard/corian013.jpg
Photo 1 my high tech center finder, photo 2 drill press set up…adjustable on 3 axis.
Photo 3 & 4 show the ends drilled,,,3 shows a counter 60 degree sink on one end, 4 shows a ¼” hole.
Photo 5 shows the 60 degree to match the live center in the lathe tailstock.

[edblysard]

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k143/edblysard/corian019.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k143/edblysard/corian023.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k143/edblysard/corian024.jpg



Photo 1 shows my fancy corner cut off rig…beats sanding it round and a lot less dust.
Photo 2 shows the blank mounted in the lathe, and yes, that is a 1/4” junk drill bit mounted tail out in the 3 jaw chuck and used as a jam chuck.
Simply tighten the tail stock up and this will drive the work quite well, and saves trying to avoid the prongs on a dead center.
Never toss old dull drill bits away, you can always find a use for them, from drives like this to center punches to pen diss-assembly tools.
Now you know why there is a counter sunk hole on one end and a ¼” hole on the other.
Photo 3 shows the drilling process….once you round out the blank, you can chuck it up in the 3 or 4 jaw and drill it…because it is already turned on dead center.
Drill a ¼” or 7mm pilot hole through and through, then follow with a 8 mm, then a 9mm, so forth and so on till you have reached the tube size of your choice.
If you are doing a slimline or other 7mm tube kit, simply drill slow and clean out the bit frequently, bigger tubes simply use a step process to get to the size you want…after the initial pilot hole is drilled, you are reaming out an existing hole instead of drilling through solid material…this keeps the brass from snagging on a drill and tearing out…trust me, if you try to drill a 27/64 Sierra hole in one shot you will destroy the blank.
I only did one cut for this demo…but once you get the first insert glued in, clean up the off the sides of the blank, flip the blank 90 or 180 degrees, (your choice) and do the second cut…you make four cuts and inserts in all, then go to the drill press and drill your mounting holes, knock off the corners, chuck it up and go…

[PenTurner]

Ed, Thanks for walking us through this, and for your time and effort taken to educate those less gifted! like me. Amos:):2tsup:Greenie for you.

[edblysard]

Thats the idea behind the forum, isn't it?
Besides, I really like you Oz folks...you act like Texans, just in another country!
You talk straight, say what you mean, and mean what you say...

[Big Shed]

Thanks for putting that info up Ed, it is very much appreciated:2tsup:

From your first remarks I take it that the brass shim is 1/64", ie 2 x brass shims adds 1/32"?

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Ed

Pictures tell 1000 words as they say. Thanks for showing it. You make it look easy. Just a follow up when you make your second and third and fourth cuts what are you lining up to???? Is that a special blade you have in your saw??? Thanks.

[new_guy90]

very nice procedure of how it all works :2tsup: couldn't help but notice the metal lathe that looks like it comes in very handy :U............wish i had one

Patrick

[edblysard]

The jig returns the blank to the same place every time...the piece of wood with the black handle and the slot is a stop...because the insert and brass are the exact thickness as the blade kerf you are not changing the length of the blank whenyou cut, you are simply replacing material.
I make one cut, do the insert, then rotate the blank 90 degrees, (flip it on the next side).
As long as you keep the same end of the blank against the stop, the blade lines up to make the same exact cut on the side facing up in the exact same spot as the previous cut, just on the next side...repeat, then flip to the next side...so forth and so on.

My blade is a 10" Freud Diablo 80 tooth 0 rake comb cut, originaly designed for cutting plywood carcasses for cabinets with little or no laminate tear out...Freud uses carbide and Titanium Nitrate in their teeth, this thing zips through just about anything, it is over 5 years old, has made thousands of cuts through corian, wood, acrylic and aluminun and has never needed sharpening...plus I modified my old table saw with a higher ratio pully and 2 hp motor...the pully on the motor is 1 and 1/2 the diameter of the one on the arbor, so this thing screams...its an old 1950s "craftsman" saw...Sold by Sears, back when it was Sears and Roebuck...craftsman was a style of tools for home workshops, not a trade name back then, Sears didn't begin using "Craftsman" as a trade name till the late 1960s.
Made by Delta/Rockwell, it weighs over 200 lbs, for a "contractor" type saw it is rock solid, all steel and cast iron.

Patrick,
For around $130. American you can get a very good 3 or 4 jaw chuck to fit most wood lathes, Delta, Jet, Rikon, Steel City and General, and the chuck in the tail stock is a Jacobs keyless drill press chuck on a #2 morse taper, $34.00 American...check this sites sponsers for Oz pricing...with a little practice you can use a skew and make round over cuts to within 100th of a inch end to end, so turning the blank round so you can grab it with the 3 jaw is easy even on a wood lathe...I started doing this stuff on a old Delta Midi lathe with skews and scrapers years before I bought the engine lathe.
Bet if you practice a little on some scrap you will find you can make a perfect 3/4" dowel rod that mics out within 100th end to end.

I use the metal or engine lathe most of the time simply because it is set up for pen turning, is precise, and allows me to do almost all the operations needed to turn a pen right on the lathe, on one machine...I havent used a pen end mill in years, rarely use my drill press to drill through blanks...I make almost all my own bushings, my own mandrels, you can cut threads with it, use a tap and die with it...it turns all materials equally well, from corian to wood to acrylic to aluminum and steel, the list goes on and on...it is simply my machine of choice...but most of the pen turnings I do can also be done on a wood lathe with a little planning and adaption.

[Sawdust Maker]

Ed
thanks for your patience and time in explaining this process :2tsup:

[schaf]

Thanks ED, just caught up with this thread and am very impresseed. Thanks for taking the time and I just love your jigs. very simple but work great.

Terry

[ciscokid]

Remarkable pen and an even more remarkable post. Thank you!:brava

[peterpiper]

Thanks Ed, first pen is pure beauty, second is technical wizardry,
jig will be reproduced many times no doubt and all future postings and tips will be avidly collected,
more please
pete

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Ed

One other question. Do you cut all your knots at 45 degrees??? Do you use other degrees and what is actually the difference???? Does a more acute angle tighten the knot or flatten it out??? Thanks.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Hello Ed

One more question. You show making one cut on this blank. When making multiple cuts you have to square the blank again what do you use to do this??? Do you use a sander or some other method??? Thanks.

[edblysard]

The 45 degree cut makes a small or tight knot...any where between 45 and 60 degrees seems to make the best looking ones, it boils down to personal preference.
I cut my inserts just shy of the same size as the blank, about 1 mm or so, they dont extend past the blank after glue up...about the only clean up I have to do is lightly sand off the over flow glue.
I do this because once you have turned it down past a given point it makes no difference how wide or tall the inserts were, you have turned past that point anyway and it removes the step of re-truing your blank each cut...just a light sand and go...
Hello Ed

One more question. You show making one cut on this blank. When making multiple cuts you have to square the blank again what do you use to do this??? Do you use a sander or some other method??? Thanks.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Thanks Ed. Very simple solution. I did not even think of that. Great. I started making the sled today and am waiting on the blade. I ordered. Hopefull i will give a few of these a try.