Thread: Beefwood in Lucida

Yep!! Nice one!!

Not that you had much Beefwood to turn but how did you find it??? I find it to be dusty, dirty stuff - even if it does look good
in the long run.

Originally Posted by artme

Yep!! Nice one!!

Not that you had much Beefwood to turn but how did you find it??? I find it to be dusty, dirty stuff - even if it does look good
in the long run.

I guess it was a little bit, but to be honest I haven't cleaned the lathe bench in awhile so everything was dusty anyway. Using a skew seemed to keep nice shavings so it wasn't too bad after the initial roughing though!

Not a bad effort on that one. Keep up the good work.

Originally Posted by VikingCode

decorative ring isn't flush enough and (imo) that ruins it. I'm not sure if the elegant beauty/aero kits are any better.

I'm still having a little bit of issues with the very ends of the CA finishing tending to 'lift' and go white. Is there a good guide on how to avoid that? I guess its the left over from what was on the bushings tearing away.

What do you mean the ring is not flush enough?
When I apply CA I do it between centres, not on bushes. I wipe some WD40 on the taper of the 2 centres and fit the blank on to them. That way there is no area that you need to coat which comes in contact with a metal surface. If you do go over the ends a bit and on to the centres, the WD40 will prevent the CA from adhering solidly, therefore not tearing it away from the wood as you remove the blank.
You might want to work your way through these videos for more info.

Don't use metal bushes for applying CA. Use delrin bushes - with them you don't need to spray them with anything as CA does not stick to them like it does to metal. A simple knife score around the end of the blank will allow you to snap the blank away from the delrin. On most occasions I don't even bother with the knife, just tap the delrin on the lathe and it snaps off nicely. CA will usually only go white with moisture whether it be water or some sort of spray as it can't adhere properly to a wet surface on a blank. It will also cause the CA to lift from the end of a blank. If the centre band isn't fitting properly perhaps you are turning the blanks out of round. Practice will correct that as will sandpaper to finish off the blank.

Almost forgot to mention - when you have finished your CA application and removed the bushes, you have to square off the end of the blanks. That might help with the seating on the centre band.

Terrible photo of what I'm trying to get at (this is on a different pen)
WP_20140308_10_51_37_Pro.jpg

From what I can tell, the CA's lifted slightly on the ends - I think during the pressing? Unfortunately there doesn't really seem to be a way to pull apart the lucidas overly gracefully once both ends are put on (I need to get a punch set to try properly). Anyway, I couldn't see that white/lifted section at all until after pressing.

Using better bushings might have to wait looking at the price on some of the delrins until I can sell a few pens to recoup costs. Using a knife score, however, might be a better idea than the *ahem* brute force approach I've used. Or the centres approach - I think that may be the easier solution for me to practice with. Thanks guys!

In regards to the band not being flush, I'm not talking about against the wood. The band isn't tapered while the chrome is - the band sits maybe 0.5mm proud on one end (towards the nib). It just makes the kit feel - IMO - a bit crap, and since its on the metal side of things not a lot I can do. Thankfully the lucidas were for the wife and I.

The white section is most likely caused when you forcefully broke it away from the bushes. You can get the same effect when pressing the turned blank up against the metal section on other kits (I assume the blank just pushes on by hand on these kits like the Sierra as I haven't made any Lucindas). You need to square off the end as best you can so that when the CA comes up against the metal section, the whole end contacts so that you don't create extra force in one area. Once the CA contacts the metal, do not press any more as it will force the CA to lift off the wood and create your white spot.
I had this happen when I first started using CA as a finish, but now know just how much force to apply. You learn from your mistakes pretty quickly when you put so much effort into getting your blank finished nicely, and then damage it at the very end.

Can I suggest you make something like this out of a mandrel. Other than the cost of the mandrel (and you only need a cheap one) the rest of the stuff is probably lying around your shed. It is designed to square off the end of a blank before you press it together and works a treat.

A question. Do you know how to turn delrin down to make your own bushes? Its a simple process on your lathe - just bear in mind that delrin is hard and takes a bit of turning. A metal lathe is better to turn it but a wood lathe with wood tools will do it. All you need to do is make a cone shape that will take all size tubes. If you need a piece of delrin to make the bushes, PM me with your address and I will post a bit to you. I bought a delrin rod ages ago and I have a bit left over.

Hope this helps

Greg


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Originally Posted by plantagenon

Can I suggest you make something like this out of a mandrel. Other than the cost of the mandrel (and you only need a cheap one) the rest of the stuff is probably lying around your shed. It is designed to square off the end of a blank before you press it together and works a treat.

So its basically a dual-mandrel-with-sandpaper-to-make-it-square-as-possible? Rad.

A question. Do you know how to turn delrin down to make your own bushes?

I did not, no! First result I found was actually for premade bushings for particular pen kits, thus looking pretty expensive.

Also thats very generous, I'll shoot you through my address now.

Sidenote #1: I'd recognise that yellow lathe anywhere, I've got the same. Have you seen the new W305 is a super bright green? The yellow at least fit in vaguely with my triton router's orange!

Sidenote #2: Due to various anxieties and issues, I have trouble taking to new parts of the web (and real life) and tend to just stick to it alone, particularly since I'm such a beginner in this field. In the few posts I've made, I'm seeing that this forum is living up to its well deserved reputation of helpful, welcoming community.

It is just two Mandrels with one cut short. The cut one doesn't need a thread. Just make sure you use a good glue to mount it. CA is no good for this. The locking nuts that come with the mandrel also helps hold it in place. I glued mine in with Sika Poly available at Bunnings. I also use it to glue tubes in. Just let it dry for 24 hours.

Got your PM. I will post the rod tomorrow - no cost even though you offered. Thanks for the offer.

yeah it's a pity they changed the colour on the lathe. Woodfast are a brilliant lathe. Use it a lot and get plenty of advice from guys on here - they will go out of their way to help you out.

i saw your side note 2. From time to time we all have problems, but the important thing is to work towards overcoming them. Stick with the forum and people will help you with pen turning and as you get to know them, you may end up meeting a few and becoming friends. There are no snide comments on here that you will find on Face Book or the like - it's just a family ready to help with your chosen hobby.


take care

VikingCode

Mate I have posted the delrin so you should get it Wednesday. There is enough for you to make a full set of bushes (2 single cones and one double cone).

Have fun with it

Greg

Awesome, thank you again. Pretty excited!

Pleasure - no problems

Greg

Delrin arrived late yesterday arvo, thanks again.

I've seen a couple of posts on different process of making them, but I'm... a visual person so I guess the text just isn't sinking in. One recommended drilling a hole through it first, presumably so they'll sit *on* the mandrel, but I'm thinking any inaccuracies with that would make it worse.

Just stick it in a chuck (or between centres), turn a 45°-60° cone, then cut/part off? Would HSS or carbide tipped tool be better for it?