Pen turning mandrel

flyslinger · Post by **flyslinger** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 9:36 pm

Hi guys, a question about the mandrel used to turn pens, when turning a pen do you need to add any kind of grease or other lubricant to your standard center pin on your tailstock to keep the hole at the end of the mandrel from over heating or would using a live center pin be enough to keep it from over heating?

kartoffelkopf · Post by **kartoffelkopf** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 10:05 pm

Live center will take care of your problems. I can't think of the last time I even mounted the dead center, to be real honest… seems that the live center solved a lot of other issues!

flyslinger · Post by **flyslinger** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 10:16 pm

Thanks karoffelkopf, cause I melted the end of the dead center pin (even w/lub) and just got the live center and didn't want to melt that one too.

jimthej · Post by **jimthej** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:49 pm

Don't need much pressure on the center. Just enough to keep the tailstock end supported. Pen turning requires very little pressure on the mandrel and pen.

flyslinger wrote:Thanks karoffelkopf, cause I melted the end of the dead center pin (even w/lub) and just got the live center and didn't want to melt that one too.

curiousgeorge · Post by **curiousgeorge** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:53 pm

A 60 degree live center works best. It's not as pointed and fits the end of the mandrel better.

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Pen turning mandrel

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