pens from new pen turner

navycop · Post by **navycop** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:12 pm

Does it really rattle? What do you use and how do you get it inside?

rkh2 · Post by **rkh2** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 8:44 pm

navycop

I use what is called a captive ring chisel made by Sorby. I am attaching a link to what the chisel looks like and also a link from a woodturning site that explains how to make a captive ring rattle. Also a larger picture of my avatar. The rattle effect is the captive rings which slide on the center of the rattle. I use sugar maple for my wood and sand and buff the rattle to super smoothness then a coating of pure virgin olive oil buffed to a shiny finish. It took a few try's to get the method of turning the rings figured out.

http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/13056

http://www.woodturningonline.com/Turnin ... rings.html

[ATTACH]5520[/ATTACH]

dicksterp · Post by **dicksterp** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:50 pm

fjimp wrote:Yes well Mister Jefferson's mode of transportation didn't use fuel as fast as my tank does. Jim

Sherman or M1A1?

mikelst · Post by **mikelst** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:46 am

The live center is not included in the kit I spoke of. It is recommended to use a live center with a 60 degree point to align the mandrel so that you don't possibly damage the smaller point on the SS live center.

This is the one I purchased for doing pens.
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LCENTLT2.html
[ATTACH]5521[/ATTACH]

It works quit well but it did add about $20 to my startup cost. I feel it is insurance against needing to replace my SS Live Center.

fjimp · Post by **fjimp** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 6:10 pm

dicksterp wrote:Sherman or M1A1?

Nothing that fancy. I drive a six year old Toyota Sequoia which my grand kids dubbed "The Tank." Jim

walt300 · Post by **walt300** » Sat Aug 15, 2009 8:38 am

navycop wrote:I haven't broken my tail stock out of the box yet. Is there any special type of "center" that needs to go on the end? I heard something about a dead/live center for general wood turning. Is the mandrel all I need to get? Walt300 says to make sure the bushings match the mandrel. Are they sold separetly from the mandrel?

The bushings are sold separately and and need to match the pen or pencil kit you are using. For example a Woodcraft American Slim Pen uses a 7mm drill and the 06R03 bushing set, while the European Pen uses a 7mm drill and a 06S62 bushing set. Other companies such as Penn industries or Craft Supplies will have their own bushing sets to match their pen/pencil kits. Each companies bushings are sized to match their mandrel diameter.

I hope this clarifies the issue. Just get your mandrel and bushings from the same source as your pen kit.

Walter

navycop · Post by **navycop** » Sat Aug 15, 2009 3:32 pm

walt300 wrote:The bushings are sold separately and and need to match the pen or pencil kit you are using. Just get your mandrel and bushings from the same source as your pen kit.Walter

Let me see. If I buy my mandrel from Woodcrafters, then I have to continue to buy my bushings (these go inside the pen?) and blanks from them? Sorry for the dumb questions. If that's the case then it will be easier for me to drive to Woodcrafters when I need new kits. Aren't the bushings incl in the pen kits?

fjimp · Post by **fjimp** » Sat Aug 15, 2009 4:36 pm

navycop wrote:Let me see. If I buy my mandrel from Woodcrafters, then I have to continue to buy my bushings (these go inside the pen?) and blanks from them? Sorry for the dumb questions. If that's the case then it will be easier for me to drive to Woodcrafters when I need new kits. Aren't the bushings incl in the pen kits?

I believe we are confusing you. The bushings are not the brass tubes that are glued inside of drilled pen blanks. The bushings are steel and used as spacers at the ends and in the middle between blanks as they are mounted on the mandrel one uses to hold blanks on the lathe for turning. The bushings tend to vary in size specification between suppliers and styles. In example my first pen kits and mandrels were all 7mm and came from Woodcraft. Later I purchased supplies from three other vendors. I discovered that if mixing the 7mm bushings from one vendor with blanks from other vendors I experienced an increase in blowout due to the the differences in tolerances. For what ever its worth in my opinion Pen State offers better quality and more uniform tolerances thus I tend to purchase most blanks, mandrels and bushings from them. I do sometimes use blanks and bushings from other suppliers but am always careful to match both to the same vendor when turning the pens sets. Replacement bushing are handy to keep around as when turning and sanding it is very easy to make the bushings thinner and increase the chance of blow out.

Now I shouldn't confuse the issue further but I like doing so. I often begin turning 7mm pen blanks with two busings at each end of mandrel and one in the middle. When I have my blanks turned totally round so that there is no wood in the center covering the bushing, I have been known to remove that center bushing and turn the center joints of two blank ends next to one another thus enabeling creation of a greater center diameter. why, because I don't like the rings that accompany the pen sets. I enjoy the appearance of continuous wood with no interuption by the metal rings. I also like the ability to have some pens thinner or thicker in the center. I have even been known to use a parting tool and create one or more indented rings at or in front/behind that center joint. I aslo have three different diameter wire burning tools that enable me to burn the rinds as in woodburning. Neat artistic touch. Again only because I like to create an artistic touch. fjimp

navycop · Post by **navycop** » Sat Aug 15, 2009 7:49 pm

That explains it. I guess I will order both, my madrel and bushings, from the same place. I'll just have to store them together when I take them off the lathe.

walt300 · Post by **walt300** » Sat Aug 15, 2009 8:24 pm

navycop wrote:Let me see. If I buy my mandrel from Woodcrafters, then I have to continue to buy my bushings (these go inside the pen?) and blanks from them? Sorry for the dumb questions. If that's the case then it will be easier for me to drive to Woodcrafters when I need new kits. Aren't the bushings incl in the pen kits?

There are no dumb questions. No one knows this by magic.

You could buy the blanks from anyone as long as they are the right diameter for the pen kit you are using. The bushings are specific to pen kits because you mount a bushing, then the top or bottom section of the blank then a bushing. The bushings are different outside diameters and are used to provide a guide for the final diameter of the turned blank. For example the bottom half of the American Slim Pen is turned to a smaller diameter at the tip than the end that is the upper/middle of the pen. The instructions should show the proper order for placing the bushings for both the lower section and the upper section. The bushing gives you a diameter quide so you do not remove too much wood or acrlyic.

Normally the pen kit includes the metal part of the pen, the brass tubes that are glued inside the blank and the ink cartridge.

The bushings are purchased separately and are reusable as long as you are making more of the same style pens. If you switch to a cigar pen kit then you would need bushings for the cigar pen.

This link will show the parts in the pen kit and a mandrel with the bushings installed in the correct order.
http://www2.woodcraft.com/PDF/77A76.pdf

Just buy your pen kit, bushings and mandrel from the same source and you will not have any problems.

Walter