# Another Simple Segmented pen



## jttheclockman (Mar 20, 2017)

The back has been feeling better these past few days so I decided to get back in the shop and completed one of my projects I had on the work bench.  I will add this to my series of black and aluminum pens. Have shown those here before.

 This pen is a Sierra Vista chrome kit with black acrylic and aluminum knot. Spun and polished to a nice shine. Thanks for looking and any comments or questions are always welcomed.

Will be working on a few more designs for this series.


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## DJBPenmaker (Mar 20, 2017)

Very very neat, I like the chunky aluminium. How did you stop the drill wandering when it hits the metal?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## liljohn1368 (Mar 20, 2017)

Great looking pen, John...


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## CREID (Mar 20, 2017)

Looks sharp.


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## skiprat (Mar 20, 2017)

'Another *simple* segmented pen'?? :wink: Yeah right !!!

JT, As you well know, there is a lot of effort and skill in making something look simple!!:wink:
Starting with a perfectly squared or perhaps perfectly round blank, selecting the best angle for the cut, matching the material with the kerf, re-squaring the blank (or rounding ), cutting the black to get the cross centered, drilling the blank accurately down the middle and without generating too much heat to wreck the glue and then turning it down to virtually B2B pucker zone so it doesn't look like a pregnant salami, .............simple??? Hardly!!!

You still got it old man!!!   :biggrin:


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## thebillofwrites (Mar 20, 2017)

That is really nice John.

Very classy looking!

Bill


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## skiprat (Mar 20, 2017)

DJBPenmaker said:


> Very very neat, I like the chunky aluminium. How did you stop the drill wandering when it hits the metal?
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk



Derek, if the blank is made accurately like John has done, then the four pieces of aluminium form a funnel that keeps the drill centered as the drill contacts all 4 at the same time. :wink:


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## Jim15 (Mar 20, 2017)

That's beautiful work.


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## DJBPenmaker (Mar 20, 2017)

skiprat said:


> DJBPenmaker said:
> 
> 
> > Very very neat, I like the chunky aluminium. How did you stop the drill wandering when it hits the metal?
> ...


I see, thank you. Going to try that. Should be fun. I've done similar in wood, but thought that a decent thickness of aluminium might be a problem.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## LouCee (Mar 20, 2017)

John, that's a beauty! Very nice work!


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## OZturner (Mar 20, 2017)

Glorious Pen, John T.
Superb Celtic Cross, In a Fantastic Black Acrylic Blank.
The Combination of the Aluminium, against the Black Is Perfect.
I love the thin Black Line where the Aluminium Section Cross, 
Did you also Dye your Adhesive Black? Great Effect.
Magnificent Fit and Outstanding Finish, all Assembled, on the Ideal Chrome Sierra Vista Pen.
Congratulations,
Brian.


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## leehljp (Mar 20, 2017)

VERY GOOD! You DO make pens! :biggrin:


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## jttheclockman (Mar 20, 2017)

skiprat said:


> 'Another *simple* segmented pen'?? :wink: Yeah right !!!
> 
> JT, As you well know, there is a lot of effort and skill in making something look simple!!:wink:
> Starting with a perfectly squared or perhaps perfectly round blank, selecting the best angle for the cut, matching the material with the kerf, re-squaring the blank (or rounding ), cutting the black to get the cross centered, drilling the blank accurately down the middle and without generating too much heat to wreck the glue and then turning it down to virtually B2B pucker zone so it doesn't look like a pregnant salami, .............simple??? Hardly!!!
> ...




Boy Skip you made that sound hard. I guess I was lucky. Thank you for explaining to Derek about drilling and you are very correct. 



OZturner said:


> Glorious Pen, John T.
> Superb Celtic Cross, In a Fantastic Black Acrylic Blank.
> The Combination of the Aluminium, against the Black Is Perfect.
> I love the thin Black Line where the Aluminium Section Cross,
> ...




Thank you Brian. I have to say you and a few others are very very in tuned. I did use some black paint in the epoxy just in case the glue line did show some. It was a tight fit but you can not make them too tight because you do need to allow for glue or else the joint will get starved and fail. The thing though with dyed or colored epoxy when it gets thinned it is transparent to a point. I am dealing with this on another blank that I have on the bench to try. I failed with this one twice before because I am casting the blank. Hopefully third time is a winner. Remains to be seen.



leehljp said:


> VERY GOOD! You DO make pens! :biggrin:




Thank you Hank. Yes I do still turn a pen or two. Have a few more ideas to hope get done.


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## Woodchipper (Mar 21, 2017)

Nice looking pen with a lot of thought and work in the design of the blank. 
This from the other John T.


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## TonyL (Mar 21, 2017)

Beautiful finish - I find black the least forgiving. Do you mind sharing your finishing/polishing process? Thanks either way - very nice work!


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## moke (Mar 21, 2017)

Very, very nice John.....what was the thin material you used as a "shadow"


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## jttheclockman (Mar 21, 2017)

TonyL said:


> Beautiful finish - I find black the least forgiving. Do you mind sharing your finishing/polishing process? Thanks either way - very nice work!



Tony I basically do the same polishing technique I use with all my pens, wood (with a CA finish) and acrylic. I had to do do a bit more sanding with this blank because I could not get the skew to corporate properly. I believe it was because the change from hard material to softer material in the acrylic was causing grabbing. So I started with 600 grit wet paper (automotive paper) and took up to 2000 and then switched to MM Then I polish out with my Micro Finish pre wax and wax. I have shown those before here. I have been using that product ever since I started making pens and have not changed. On rare occasions I will take it to the buffer. 

Have to say I am not that particular with loops looking for micro scratches when it comes to my finishes. I feel if it is good enough for these blind eyes it is good enough:biggrin:






moke said:


> Very, very nice John.....what was the thin material you used as a "shadow"




The thin aluminum is 1/16" aluminum. This it just right with the tablesaw blade I was using. It left just enough room for the epoxy to bind. I use System III T88 epoxy on all my segmenting blanks. I really did not feel pressured when turning this. I felt very confident drilling and turning. I did knock off the corner before turning. I used a round carbide cutter to do most of the cutting and switched to my skew to get as close to final dimensions. Then finished it off with the sandpaper as mentioned above. With these kits I try to leave just enough of a bulge to conform to the kit shape because it is wider on the top than the nib. I did mix some black testors paint in the epoxy just in case there were any slight gaps. There were none but the colored epoxy did help in disguising the joints sort of. 

Hope that answered the questions.


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## Bob in SF (Mar 21, 2017)

Beauty!


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## TonyL (Mar 21, 2017)

Tony I basically do the same polishing technique I use with all my pens, wood (with a CA finish) and acrylic. I had to do do a bit more sanding with this blank because I 





> could not get the skew to corporate properly. I believe it was because the
> change from hard material to softer material in the acrylic was causing
> grabbing. So I started with 600 grit wet paper (automotive paper) and took up to
> 2000 and then switched to MM Then I polish out with my Micro Finish pre wax and
> ...


 
Thank you John....beautifully designed and finished.


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## jeff (Apr 11, 2017)

Looks nice on the front page! :biggrin:


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## LouCee (Apr 12, 2017)

John, congratulations on the front page!


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## leehljp (Apr 12, 2017)

Hey John T, you made it to the front page! :highfive: :bananen_smilies051:
Congratulations!


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## jttheclockman (Apr 12, 2017)

jeff said:


> Looks nice on the front page! :biggrin:











Talk about a surprise. Thank goodness I was sitting down After 12 years of being a member I finally can join the ranks of the famous. I  for the very first time get to feel what it is like to have one of my pens front page worthy. Thank you Jeff. I feel honored. I can now cross one more thing off my bucket list This is a WOW moment. Feels good.


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## Rolandranch (Apr 12, 2017)

Congrats on the front page! Awesome pen.


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## CREID (Apr 12, 2017)

:bananen_smilies046:Congratulations.


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## elkhorn (Apr 12, 2017)

Great job, John!  Great contrast and well made and executed.  Congrats also on making the front page!


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## OZturner (Apr 12, 2017)

Congratulations, John T,  you said "Wow" and I say "Well Deserved"
And I still Love that Back Epoxy, it makes the Aluminium "Sing".
Regards,
Brian.


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## JohnU (Apr 12, 2017)

Very elegant looking.  Everything about that pen - material, color, parts, and craftsmanship-really compliments each other.  A fine work of art.  Congrats on the front page!


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## BobGast (Apr 12, 2017)

Very nice. If everything goes according to plan, I will learn to do a celtic knot pen this weekend at the Chicago chapter of penturners meeting this Saturday.


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## jimmyz (Apr 12, 2017)

I've made a few of these and know all the challenges, especially when adding metal accents.  Great looking pen!


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## jttheclockman (Apr 12, 2017)

BobGast said:


> Very nice. If everything goes according to plan, I will learn to do a celtic knot pen this weekend at the Chicago chapter of penturners meeting this Saturday.




Bob,they are easy to do once you get the basics down. Key factors are match the inlay material with the size kerf your saw blade cuts. Use strong glue, I like epoxy. And keep alignment exact. I like to use a perfect square blank to start with. Just takes out some of the wonking things that can happen when gluing. Also most knots you can get away with not cutting all the way through the blank, thus allowing for easier alignment when gluing in inlay. There are types of knots that you must cut all the way through and i will be showing a couple in the near future. Good luck.


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## thewishman (Apr 12, 2017)

Gorgeous pen! Love the contrast between the materials.


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## Charlie_W (Apr 12, 2017)

Elegant! Elegant! Elegant!

The Front Page is this pen's rightful place! 

Congrats JT!

(This pen belongs in The IAP Collection!)


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## skiprat (Apr 14, 2017)

Is Jeff ok? Can someone check please !!!  






Well done JT, and well deserved of course.:wink:


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## jttheclockman (Apr 14, 2017)

skiprat said:


> Is Jeff ok? Can someone check please !!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I had to ask the same question Skip. :biggrin:


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## Dalecamino (Apr 14, 2017)

Very suitable on the front page. :good:


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## BKelley (Apr 14, 2017)

John,

I'm jealous!!

Ben


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## jttheclockman (Apr 15, 2017)

BKelley said:


> John,
> 
> I'm jealous!!
> 
> Ben




Ben there is nothing to be jealous about. Your work is great. I just happen to do something I have not seen done here and that is what probably caught Jeff's eye.


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## jttheclockman (May 9, 2020)

Wow my one and only front page pen got another like. Did not think anyone looks at that any more thanks iamrohn


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## Dieseldoc (May 9, 2020)

John  It may be old work but it's still  a Stunning pen, great work  John!!!


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## jttheclockman (May 9, 2020)

Dieseldoc said:


> John  It may be old work but it's still  a Stunning pen, great work  John!!!


Thank You


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## jttheclockman (May 9, 2020)

Again thanks for the likes on this pen. I know it is an older thread but new likes have just shown up from a post recently and it is appreciated. I just noticed back in 2017 I was having back problems too when I did that pen. seems like a never ending problem and this time is the worst of all times and not getting better. With this virus so many things are still closed and the fear of going near a hospital is real. My brother's wife is a nurse and she is telling horror stories. Nj got hit hard and still seeing it. Anyway thanks again and stay safe everyone.


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## howsitwork (May 10, 2020)

One question as I am new to aluminium in pens. Did you rough u0 the resurface of the aluminium before gluing to ge5 a better ” key” of the glue to the metal?

Stay safe , the horror stories are sadly true.


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## mick (May 10, 2020)

John, since I've been away awhile that's the first time I've seen this pen. It's a thing of beauty! I've got a thing for making pens in black because of the challenge of polishing it to the point no visible scratches. I'm like you in that if you can't see them with the naked eye you've done good. Yours looks flawless! 
I learned long ago there's a fine line and a light touch needed to get such a shine and I haven't even mentioned the Celtic knot. Prefection!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## jttheclockman (May 10, 2020)

howsitwork said:


> One question as I am new to aluminium in pens. Did you rough u0 the resurface of the aluminium before gluing to ge5 a better ” key” of the glue to the metal?
> 
> Stay safe , the horror stories are sadly true.


Yes always always roughen up any metals when gluing. I used epoxy glue as always with my segmenting pens.


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## jttheclockman (May 10, 2020)

mick said:


> John, since I've been away awhile that's the first time I've seen this pen. It's a thing of beauty! I've got a thing for making pens in black because of the challenge of polishing it to the point no visible scratches. I'm like you in that if you can't see them with the naked eye you've done good. Yours looks flawless!
> I learned long ago there's a fine line and a light touch needed to get such a shine and I haven't even mentioned the Celtic knot. Prefection!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


Yes there is a fine line but those that use loops and magnifiers are beyond my concept and if it works for them fine but I find naked eye and I have 20/25 vision so it passes my eye test. remember one thing when the very first person goes to use the pen it will have scratches in it from use. No way around it and I do not care what finish you use. I poish all my pens the same way and have been for over 12 years or however long I have been turning them. Thanks for the kind words and stay safe.


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## howsitwork (May 11, 2020)

John

I use slow,setting 24 hour epoxy which makes for more adjustment but does need very safe clamping or securing. I found the faster setting stuff goes soft after about 5 years ( model radio controlled aircraft making  in my youth ) . What’s been your experience please ?


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## jttheclockman (May 11, 2020)

howsitwork said:


> John
> 
> I use slow,setting 24 hour epoxy which makes for more adjustment but does need very safe clamping or securing. I found the faster setting stuff goes soft after about 5 years ( model radio controlled aircraft making  in my youth ) . What’s been your experience please ?


If you ever read any of my posts on gluing things I have always tauted my use of System3 T88 epoxy glue which is  24 hour glue but always leave an extra day or two. They do have 15 min epoxy also that I have used on occassion and been happy with. I use the T88 for all my pen tubes also. Never had a failure.


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## TonyL (May 12, 2020)

OZturner said:


> Glorious Pen, John T.
> Superb Celtic Cross, In a Fantastic Black Acrylic Blank.
> The Combination of the Aluminium, against the Black Is Perfect.
> I love the thin Black Line where the Aluminium Section Cross,
> ...


good to see and hear from you.


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## TonyL (May 12, 2020)

Marvelously done. Sharp lines. Thx for sharing and inspiring.


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## Bryguy (May 12, 2020)

That is one supremely gorgeous piece of work. Fabulous finish & great precision. A real classic!


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## jttheclockman (May 12, 2020)

Wow still getting some comments and likes on this pen. Done awhile ago I guess it does not fall out of favor because of materials and the segmenting. Thanks again for all that liked this pen. I hope to soon be able to get back into shop and maybe show a pen or two. Still battleing the bad back but my Chiropractor is going to open on a limited basis next week so hopefully he can get me turned around and on a road to healing more quickly.


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## TonyL (May 12, 2020)

It popped up as New so I commented on it. It did look familiar though.


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## Ironwood (May 12, 2020)

Classics never get old John.


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