Thread: Couple of days work

Nice selection of blanks and kits all beautifully matched and finished.

Hey mate they are awesome well done very nice collection )

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Nice mix of pens Greg. I like the tiger myrtle sedona best. The first is interesting and good way to display as selection of timbers too. I knew I was keeping blank cutoffs for a reason.

Thanks. I like the sedona too. Can't say I am all that wrapped in the Roman Harvest. It is a bit too gaudy. A simple classy fountain pen and pen set without the extras in design would be nice; something like a Waterman design. Anyone know of one?

Here's a post I put up on IAP site yesterday. Hope this helps take the pain out of the effort to apply decals.

I use Testor's Decal kit. It comes with three sheets (IIRC) of decal paper and the fixative (hobby stores). Create the decal on your computer, send it to the printer with the decal paper loaded. Spray the decals with the fixative and let them sit for a few hours to overnight.

I turn my pens and then apply a 'standard' CA finish. I then cut the decals, dip them in water and apply to the pen while still on the lathe. Let is sit for several hours to overnight again. I then apply three more (minimum) coats of CA then go through the MM grits and the auto polish routine. Works real well for me.

If you are an IAP member, there is a tutorial (pdf) in the library as well.
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Thanks Wal. That is pretty much the same method I use, although I spray a clear acrylic top coat over the decal when printed and again later in the process. I have found the slowest bit is putting the decal onto the blank as the decal, as you will see from the photos, is neither a square nor round shape and the pen blanks are thicker at the centre band end than at the nib end. This means a lot of juggling to try and get all the bubbles out and have it sit flatly on the blank. I think I have worked out a method of doing that now but it is slow. I finish with CA but apply 20 coats to fully build up a CA layer over the decal before polishing with MM. The process takes me a couple of days to allow full drying time. In strict labour hours I could probably have 3 pens made in the time it takes me to make one decal pen. That's the labour intensive bit. Although I probably have a market for them, so far I have only made them as gifts. I couldn't see it being too profitable a venture to sell them in terms of labour input needed. After all there is a limit you can charge for a basic off the shelf pen kit.

PS: You might like to give Carnauba Wax a go in place of auto polish as it brings the CA up like glass.

Excellent work as usual Greg, looks like you have the decal thing sorted