Well here goes something new. I'm going to "blog" about my pen making experiences. I've been turning pens for about 5 months now and would like to think I have progressed pretty well. I made about 25 pens for relatives for christmas and besides that I have made them to give away. I am basically using this as a marketing feature and as I make some more pens and continue to photograph them I will put them up for review and if you are interested in potentially purchasing one we can work something out. All of my pens are turned by me and are finished with a few different processes.
- Wood Pens- Wood pens are glued onto the brass barrels using a combination of water thin CA glue to help seal the pores on the inside and then glued in place with thick CA glue. They are turned down to about 1/32nd larger than the finished pen and then sealed from the outside with water thin CA glue and sanded multiple times to stabilized the wood and help "plasticize" it to increase durability. The pens are then sanded down to final size and in grits progressing from 120 or 220 up to 600. After sanding I use 0000 steel wool and then finish with either lacquer, wax polish, or High Build Friction Polish. All of the finishes produce similar results and I use them on different woods depending on the type of wood.
- Acrylic Pens- Acrylic Pens are glued in using 2 part epoxy. After it cures I turn it down to about 1/32nd of an inch over and then sand starting at 220 and finish at 600. I then polish it to a high gloss finish unless a different finish is requested. Acrylic blanks are simpler to turn and polish but the downside is they are more expensive than wood.
Hope you enjoy all of my pens and continue to read this. I will try to update at least once a week depending on time and my schedule
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