More pen turning questions

[flyslinger]

Yay, heard for shopsmith today and they sent my new bandsaw yesterday....so it won't be long now before it's here....just got my live arbor for the lathe today and I'm going to give the Pen turning thing a try....So here's a question for you experienced pen guys , the mandrel I got has a tapered end for a standard lathe, so would that go in the tail stock and the live arbor go in the jacob drill chuck ? or should I remove the tapered end of the mandrel and put that in the drill chuck and put the live arbor in the tail stock. what do you guy do?

[curiousgeorge]

flyslinger,
The arbor goes to the tailstock. As far as the mandrel goes, yes you can remove the taper and put it in the chuck (not recommended). I would go to Penn State Industries ( http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKM-CL.html ) and get a mandrel that fits the Shopsmith. They are on sale right now for $17.95 (reg $24.95). That is also a good place to pick up a lot of pen turning goodies.

[flyslinger]

Thanks, that helps alot.

[flyslinger]

curiousgeorge,
That was exactly what I've been looking for, again thanks for the help....

[curiousgeorge]

Hey! No problemo. That's what we are here for.

[RobertTaylor]

you could also remove the mandrel from the taper and use it in the shopsmith 1/4" router chuck. that make a setup as good or better than penn states.

[anneb3]

First, my plan. I intend to make about 20 pens from local mesquite, which is very plentiful in this area. My firewood pile. Very hard and gnarley, but I can handle that, using a metal lathe. I ordered a catalog from Penn State, which seems to have more styles than anyone could ever want.

OK. Question #1. It is already getting HOT in Tucson (91 a couple days ago). Is the ink in the actual pen part doing to dry out before Christmas. ?? I tried to resurect an older pen by dipping it in What else but WD 40. Seemed to bring it back. I would hate to give a Christmas gift and not have the darn thing work.

Should I just order extra guts and test each one before assembling?

Question #2. None of the pictures I looked at seemed to have caps but did have clips so a person could stick it in a pocket. Do most folks just lay them on their desk as something pretty to look at?

Done
Anne

[fjimp]

First, my plan. I intend to make about 20 pens from local mesquite, which is very plentiful in this area. My firewood pile. Very hard and gnarley, but I can handle that, using a metal lathe. I ordered a catalog from Penn State, which seems to have more styles than anyone could ever want.

OK. Question #1. It is already getting HOT in Tucson (91 a couple days ago). Is the ink in the actual pen part doing to dry out before Christmas. ?? I tried to resurect an older pen by dipping it in What else but WD 40. Seemed to bring it back. I would hate to give a Christmas gift and not have the darn thing work.

Should I just order extra guts and test each one before assembling?

Question #2. None of the pictures I looked at seemed to have caps but did have clips so a person could stick it in a pocket. Do most folks just lay them on their desk as something pretty to look at?

Done
Anne

Anne,
Pens come in many styles. When starting out I used numerous styles from several vendors. I ended up making a number of the slimline pens from PSI (Penn State Ind). I liked the fact that they all used the cross standard refill. Some refills seem to last forever others fail almost immediately. To guard against unhappy recipients I purchased a number of the cross refills at a local office supply and gave one with each pen along with a warning that some refills don't last long. Many pens do not have caps on them. If you want caps simply purchase kits that come with instructions and suggestions which bushings are appropriate. What ever styles you decide upon be certain you buy the appropriate bushings for style. Now one little idea I discovered. As mentioned earlier I like the slimline style pen. Early on in my pen making I realized I like the wood but not the metal center ring. In fact I like making some slimline pens fatter. Thus once I have both blanks rounded on the lathe. I remove the center bushing and place the two centers together and finish pen any way I wish. Some are fatter from one end to the other, others are larger on one end and smaller on the other end. Every pen is different. As far as how do people use the pens you give. Everyone is different. One good friend is English and placed his pens in a china cabinet along side a picture of the Queen and his Wedgwood china. Another has literally worn his out. Some folks display them other place them in a box of treasures and never use them. I congratulate you for your new hobby and wish you the very best. You will find much information available here and a lot of really helpful folks. Fjimp

[pennview]

Anne, if you're going to keep the pens until Christmas, don't test them as there is a waxy substance on the tip of the ball point pens that keeps the ink from drying out. Even if you were to remove that substance, you probably wouldn't have a problem, but to be safe just don't try to write with them.

When you get the Penn State catalog, simply read the descriptions of the various pens for details on whether they have caps or are twist pens or click pens, fountain pens, etc. You can also download instructions for making the pens from the Penn State's web site, which should also help. They'll also give you a free DVD on turning the pens.

Penn State also sells boxes to store the pens.

[tradertom]

F.Jim Parks,

I am new to this forum.

Just got a used Shopsmith 510.

What form of pen mandrel do you use on the Shopsmith. I have turned pens on a small lathe but not on the Shopsmith. Do you use a 1/4" router chuck or a pen mandrel?
When making the fatter pens using the 7mm blank how do you handle the lack of length when you remove the center band?
Do you have a shorter tool rest that you use for pens?

Any suggestions for turning small projects on the Shopsmith will be appreciated.

Thanks for the help.

Tom Boardman
Tifton, GA