Thread: need some physical help in townsville

Wish I was closer. Although someone with more experience might help more!

I learnt a lot from here on the forums. Don't be shy to say exactly what went wrong and people can tell you why it went wrong and how to stop it going wrong next time.

What sort of pen have you tried to make?

Hang in there mate, someone will come to the rescue I am sure. I was in the same boat a few months ago and had some great guys come and show me the ropes. Hope you get the same response. I am a bit too far away I'm afraid. Good luck.

I mostly learned by reading the forums and watching some videos ,munruben posted a good example here towards the end of the posts, https://www.woodworkforums.com/f69/sunday-shed-95635 should show you just how its done for starters have fun ~ John

dont feel alone
i have never made a pen , but today i lashed out while in the big smoke and bought the gear required,
bought a mandrel ,nice shiny new brad point bit ,mill kit ,10 pen kits , some EEE ,shellwax , ca glue ,stocked up with some more sand paper , hid the docket from the mrs,
problem is i have just been told i am fencing for the next couple of days ( new mob of cattle coming in ),
but soon as the spare time arrives i will be making some stuff ups too , we can compare messes if ya like , life would be boring if everything went perfect , and the bad one's will make your ( our ) good one;s look better.
have you checked out the pen making movies on you tube there is quite a few , i spent last night watching some , looks like a piece of cake

And you don't have to be a master of the tools hehe, I still struggle with the skew chisel,after a few hundred pens , doesnt stop me getting fair results, and sandpaper is a turning tool I'm told lol. Some leave the slims a bit fat to be on the safe side ,not a lot to play with on those kits ,the wood is close to the tube hehe,if you totally buggerit you can take the wood off to the tubes and try again ,wood is plentiful ( not like cash) it grows on trees we never stop learning once the addiction kicks in and the results are seen ,you'll be hiding more dockets than you care to admit lol. Have a good one or more ,cheers ~ John

hi spanna you should look up the local woodturning club up there and get plenty of hands on as well you will need to join the club but it lets you use some gear that you may not have room or afford and always a good place to swap / source wood
troy

Originally Posted by texx

dont feel alone
i have never made a pen , but today i lashed out while in the big smoke and bought the gear required,
bought a mandrel ,nice shiny new brad point bit ,mill kit ,10 pen kits , some EEE ,shellwax , ca glue ,stocked up with some more sand paper , hid the docket from the mrs,
problem is i have just been told i am fencing for the next couple of days ( new mob of cattle coming in ),
but soon as the spare time arrives i will be making some stuff ups too , we can compare messes if ya like , life would be boring if everything went perfect , and the bad one's will make your ( our ) good one;s look better.
have you checked out the pen making movies on you tube there is quite a few , i spent last night watching some , looks like a piece of cake

Texx

the benevolent dictator says that EEE not really designed for pens. Also the Shellawax in liquid form is the one to use - not the paste

hope you hid the docket well - my chancellor finds out no matter what I do with dockets receipts etc.

Spanner

check out the movies, also see if the local library has any books on the subject.
you can get by with a roughing gouge and a skew, but the skew can be a PITB to get right (I'm still learning even after expert tuition)
good luck

"the benevolent dictator says that EEE not really designed for pens. Also the Shellawax in liquid form is the one to use - not the paste"

Damn I wish somebody had told me, I'll have to stop using EEE on my pens , pity it worked well for me as long as I kept it away from the bushes { I don't think black streaks suits light coloured wood }

I mixed a bit of Glow and Shellawax cream and that works great too extends the sit on wood stage a little { what I wanted } but still gets the colour change that glow does {what I love }

Spanner

Sorry I can't help unless you want to wait until July { I'll be up there visiting rels } , I found that if you start with slimline or streamline kits it seems to be a little easier to pick up otherwise all I can give is advice

if your using CA try poly or two pack for the gluing { it works better for me } and for the finish I had a lot of trouble with BLO and CA so I just U-Beaut it now { whatever works}

Read all you can about turning pens { especially skew control , thats all I use }
cruise through the videos on you tube
Take your time , slow and easy gets there { took me 4 hours to do my first slimline , I can do them a little faster now }
Stick to it you'll get there

EEE is fine for pens ,but it is a fine abrasive designed to take the last of the sanding marks out, work from wood off the bushes then clean off the bushes very quickly to stop the black, dont work from the bushes onto the wood as it will darken your wood ,It is not a finish though ,so after using EEE polish with your choice "glow " works well ,maybe a couple of coats for a better lasting finish ,finishes are varied and many ,find something that works for you and then concentrate on that one for a while.Small amounts are best with the u-beaut products just drops is all that's needed.It's all good though at least you get results while you learn cheers~ John

this thread has the discussion on shellawax and EEE and Neil's comments. [Neil's comments start at #16]
Another comment is that most of us sand down to very fine grades before applying a finish and EEE isn't as fine as we sand

Hi Spanner,

I see you are in Townsville, there is a great Woodturning Club here in Townsville. They are over near the Pimlico TAFE and the guys are great at giving us newbies a hand with all things turning and timber. Always good to allow time to chat as there is a wealth of knowledge in there and the fellas are more than happy to help.

They have been a godsend to me. If you want some more info just PM me and I will let you know. Im no expert but if I can help here in Townsville I am happy to try.

Good luck and all the best

Jenny

Hi Spanner that was me that offered to give you a hand as we been emailing each other again. I think you figured this out. Have a good day and warning now you got the lathe that is the cheap parts the pen making is where all your money goes into the abyss..LOL
bye
Toni

Originally Posted by lubbing5cherubs

warning now you got the lathe that is the cheap parts the pen making is where all your money goes into the abyss..LOL
bye
Toni

Amen to that Toni