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Full Version: Todays Project - What did you do today?
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couple more ..
Nice work on the pens from the both of you.

I have never made pens but always thought it would be therapeutic, I take it its a hobby that really pays for itself, where do you get your product out on the market?

Anthony.
(02-20-2017, 03:57 PM)texx Wrote: [ -> ]i have been making and selling pens for about 10 years and i stopped using a mandrel about 8 years ago , i only use the mandrel for the 7mm pens all the rest are turned between 2 centres on custom bushes that i made, makes for a much better end result .
i stopped using the barrel trimmer about the same time and i have my own method of trimming them now which is a lot better and quicker .

johno

Hello Johno,

Beautiful pens you made.  I don't know if there is a market here for unbranded pens.  Else it will be a fun way to make some money to fund my hobby.

While I was deciding what to buy together with the kits and blanks,  I was thinking of making custom bushings which is also a mandrel when I read about folks bending their mandrels while tightening the whole setup.  With this, I can either hold the one end in my 4-jaw scroll chuck or turn between centre and the other end in a live centre.  But due to my inexperience and don't know size pen I'll making most of the time, I decided to try out what's available in the market first.

As for trimming the blanks, I'm using facing cut on my proxxon PD400.  Its a longer process but I don't have to buy another piece of tool just for the purpose.  I saw on YouTube one gentleman using a sanding disc at the headstock end and the blank sliding on a hole locating punch in a chuck at the tailstock end.  I may try that out.

Would you be able to share how you are doing it?

Thanks!
Wong
turning between centres i use a morse taper dead center in the headstock end and a live centre in the tail stock . for a lot of years i just used the bushings that you can buy and they work fine on those centers , but i now use for some of my pens styles longer bushings that i have made and with a bigger 60 degree counterbore for the centres to drive on .

for trimming the blanks i now use some fixtures that i made on the metal lathe but i started with wooden ones my curent ones are stainless steel i will put a couple of pics at the end of the post . i have made these in sizes for each of the brass tubes so i have one for every kit type i use .

i bent about 4 mandrels before i gave up using them . i did buy and still use sometimes a special tailstock end live centre with a hole in the middle that the mandrel goes in which means you dont need the nut on the end of the mandrel and also you have less mandrel unsupported.. .
i will include a pic of the tail stock live centre with the whole in the middle for the mandrel it is handy when you just have to use a mandrel but like i say i almost never use a mandrel just turn between centers on the pen bushes . i do all my turning useing 1/2 and 3/4 inch skews ( very sharp ) and i have no trouble getting enough friction to drive the blanks using just the centres .
these stainless steel jigs are a good snug sliding fit for each of the brass tubes i use . they are no good if they are to sloppy . also they are 10mm or so shorter than the brass .

johno.
ok first pic is the special live centre i bought with the through hole for the mandrel , dont use it much now but it is handy sometimes .
hope you get the gist of how i turn on the bushes between centres , makes for a much better pen in the end . mandrels are a pain and cause all kinds of problems .

johno
Thanks for the pics and info. Very helpful indeed.

As the current kit design I bought uses only a single section, I'm able to keep the mandrel short, with most of it in the bore of the headstock and the spacers against the 4 jaw scroll chuck's jaws. I didn't buy the skew but turn using HSS lathe tool. Initially I thought the blank will turn out to be straight and unattractive, but I realized that I can still shape it a little with the sand paper to give it a gentle curl. Kind of fun to do that.
be carefull shaping with sand paper your guide bushes will finish up undersize after not many pens at all if they get sanded to much , then you finished turning will be smaller in diameter than the pen hardware.
if you make your next purchase a hss skew chisel about 3/4 or 1/2 inch you can with pratice get a very good finish straight off the tool with very little sanding needed and with only the finer grits . it takes me no more than 3 or 4 minutes to turn a wooden pen (single barrel )and have it ready for whatever finish is going on it using a sharp skew .
actualy annoying that the fun part is over to quick , the worst part drilling and glueing takes longer and is no fun specialy with deer antler and buffalo horn .

johno
(02-20-2017, 12:50 PM)Wongster Wrote: [ -> ]Hope I'm not off topic...

Hi Wong - this is an open thread, so there is no way you can go off topic if you post something that you have done.

Nice work on the pens  Smiley-signs107
Texx, that braided metal pen is pretty cool!
Yes I liked the braided one. How did you do it?
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