Thread: A batch of Executive Clickers

First cab off the rank is the Wodjil. Even over here you don't see a lot of this timber as it's a just a shrub really, 0.5 to 5.0 metres tall that doesn't yield a lot of wood. It's hard and has that somewhat buttery feel when you turn it, though not to the level that something like Gidgee does. Visually you really need to see this in the flesh to appreciate it, to hold it up to the light and move it around to catch that light at just the right angle. Because of the rarity and the understated beauty of the wood it's rapidly becoming a favourite of mine. Quite pleased with this one though I'm on the fence about the Executive Clicker style. Not sure I'm a fan, looks a bit inelegant to my eye. Anyhow, have a look.....

Biggus

I like the work in progress concept. Keep them coming. Will they all be the same style?

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Biggus

I like the work in progress concept. Keep them coming. Will they all be the same style?

Regards
Paul

All six of these blanks will be Executive Clickers but I'm also working on other styles atm. I'm unsure whether I should post the other styles in this thread or start another, along the lines of a more generic "Adventures in penmaking" work in progress style.

Incidentally I'm not all that wild with the Executive Clicker style and they're a bit of a pain to make, so after these six I probably won't revisit them again any time soon.

Next on to Gidgee. Anticipation and trepidation both at play here as it's a nice blank cut from a crotch with the resultant interesting figuring, it's also brittle and has random fissures here and there. I gave this one a slightly curvy profile rather than the more boxy lines of the Wodjil one. Is it an improvement? Dunno, but the wood is gorgeous, however like the Wodjil you need to pick it up and have a good look to see it in it's best light.

Next to the swamp sheoak (Casuarina obesa). This one has a bit of a chocolate and vanilla thing going on. Interesting but doesn't have the colour depth of the first two. Still mucking around with the profile.

I had one of those pens (a version called a Longwood Click) at work for a least 3 years. I must have run a couple dozen refills through it in that time. It is one of the longest barrels around and is perfect for showing off nice blanks like you are doing.

Pete

Thanks for taking us on this journey Biggus, you are showcasing some very nice timbers there.
I turned a few of those long clickers years ago, like you I had trouble warming to them. It is difficult to get a pleasing shape. I ended up going with pretty much a straight barrel, with a very slight bulge , maybe 1-1.5mm bigger diameter in the middle of the blank than on the ends. I found the clicker was a bit too clunky for my liking, but they seem to work OK.
I sold all the ones I made, they never came back for repair, so hopefully the owners never had a problem with them.

Thank you Biggus, very nice work, very nice indeed. Are the mechanisms difficult to install?

Originally Posted by Old Hilly

Thank you Biggus, very nice work, very nice indeed. Are the mechanisms difficult to install?

No mate, they're super easy to assemble, it's drilling the blanks that is the painful bit. Overall the brass tube is about 114mm long so you tend to make the blank a minimum of 120mm, with some timbers prone to splitting or blow out closer to 125mm, so you need a long drill bit and in my case I had to manually clear the flutes in the bit several times while drilling each blank.

Originally Posted by Ironwood

Thanks for taking us on this journey Biggus, you are showcasing some very nice timbers there.
I turned a few of those long clickers years ago, like you I had trouble warming to them. It is difficult to get a pleasing shape. I ended up going with pretty much a straight barrel, with a very slight bulge , maybe 1-1.5mm bigger diameter in the middle of the blank than on the ends. I found the clicker was a bit too clunky for my liking, but they seem to work OK.
I sold all the ones I made, they never came back for repair, so hopefully the owners never had a problem with them.

Yes the clicker mechanisms themselves do not have a particularly satisfying action, it feels cheap and inexact.

Originally Posted by Biggus

No mate, they're super easy to assemble, it's drilling the blanks that is the painful bit. Overall the brass tube is about 114mm long so you tend to make the blank a minimum of 120mm, with some timbers prone to splitting or blow out closer to 125mm, so you need a long drill bit and in my case I had to manually clear the flutes in the bit several times while drilling each blank.

That puts it well outside the travel of an ordinary drill press so do you drill the blank in the lathe or sort in the drill press and finish off by hand? My drill press does a squeak over 75mm but that would be a good start if I was careful with a hand held drill.
Anyway, it's a good looking pen.

Originally Posted by Old Hilly

That puts it well outside the travel of an ordinary drill press so do you drill the blank in the lathe or sort in the drill press and finish off by hand? My drill press does a squeak over 75mm but that would be a good start if I was careful with a hand held drill.
Anyway, it's a good looking pen.

What I did was when I reached the full extent of the travel of the drill press was stop the drill and put a block under the blank and start again with the drill bit inside the hole, get another 20-25mm down before the flutes clogged again, lift the chuck, pull out the block, pull the blank off the drill bit and clear the flutes again......you can see where this is going, as I said they're a pain to drill.

Now for the Jarrah. As a general rule I don't get to excited with Jarrah as it's everywhere over here, but this piece was a really nice surprise. Even before I turned it it was plain it was a very pale example, but the real magic didn't become apparent until after I'd turned it. Although the photo doesn't show it to it's best it has a full barber's pole helix thingy going on. Spin it one way......wheeee it goes up, spin it the other down she comes. I must be a simple man but I actually did this for a minute or two while sniggering along. It's a real giggle of a pen. Shown with a twist pen made from more generic Jarrah to highlight just how unusual this sample was.

I am surprised that some enterprising person involved in pen turning hasn't developed a track for a hand/battery drill that would hold both the blank and guide the drill bit into the blank. I can see the idea in my mind but getting it out and into reality could be the problem.