# First attempt



## skamrath1 (Jul 12, 2012)

:RockOn::RockOn:Ok tonight I am gonna attempted my first pen. So any last minute advise is welcomed lol I will try to post a picture on here no matter how good or bad it turns out so I can get some constructive criticism hehe Wish me luck:biggrin::biggrin:


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## D.Oliver (Jul 12, 2012)

Sharp tools + light cuts.  What material are you turning (wood, acrylic)?


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## dbledsoe (Jul 12, 2012)

Don't do it! I'm warning you, if you do one you will never be able to stop. The first one is a choice - after that it's an obsession.


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## Jim Burr (Jul 12, 2012)

dbledsoe said:


> Don't do it! I'm warning you, if you do one you will never be able to stop. The first one is a choice - after that it's an obsession.


 
Resistance is futile...walk away from the light!! Take a picture of that last $20 in your wallet...


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## triw51 (Jul 12, 2012)

have fun and dont take your self to seriously.


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## Haynie (Jul 12, 2012)

Wear face shield. Scary Sharp tools. Be willing to fail


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## skamrath1 (Jul 12, 2012)

dbledsoe said:


> Don't do it! I'm warning you, if you do one you will never be able to stop. The first one is a choice - after that it's an obsession.



I am already hooked lol I have been a pen lover for a long time. My wifey calls me a pen geek lol



D.Oliver said:


> Sharp tools + light cuts.  What material are you turning (wood, acrylic)?



Gonna start with wood. I think that would be the wise choice lol


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## skamrath1 (Jul 12, 2012)

Jim Burr said:


> dbledsoe said:
> 
> 
> > Don't do it! I'm warning you, if you do one you will never be able to stop. The first one is a choice - after that it's an obsession.
> ...



Should have told me that before I bought all my tools lol Now I am digging in the sofa to find change to buy blanks and kits lol


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## JohnU (Jul 12, 2012)

Like said above, sharp tools, light cuts, and don't turn it to finished size. Leave some some room for sanding down to bushings.  Most of all, be safe and have fun.  Make sure you keep this one to show how you began.


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## skamrath1 (Jul 12, 2012)

10 minutes and counting hehe


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## Haynie (Jul 12, 2012)

Screw the 10 minutes go get bizay


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## Tom T (Jul 12, 2012)

Watch out for your feet, if they fall they may not fall blade up.  

Great times are had by all.


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## Displaced Canadian (Jul 12, 2012)

Just go for it. You should be getting a box in the mail soon.


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## skamrath1 (Jul 12, 2012)

Well that didn't go as planned lol. To start I was having a tough time keeping the blanks from spinning. I don't know if I was holding tools right or if I was using the right took at the right time. Well tomorrow is a new day and a new turn hehe


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## skamrath1 (Jul 13, 2012)

Might have to see if there is a local shop that can show me the basics


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## Xander (Jul 13, 2012)

Just my opinion but looks like your tools are not sharp. New does NOT mean sharp.
Good try, keep on practising, you'll get it.


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## firewhatfire (Jul 13, 2012)

what did you glue the tube in with?  Next time stick your tongue out the other side of your mouth.


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## Displaced Canadian (Jul 13, 2012)

New really doesn't mean sharp. When glueing in tubes I'll put a little glue in from the other side of the blank. I'll use thick CA so I have time to push the tube in and rotate, then do the same from the other side. Sometimes a spinning blank means the tube has broken loose from the blank or the tool is pushed too far into the wood. Side note CA doesn't really work with acrylic blanks. You will need to use epoxy or gorilla glue. It is also easier to blow up an acrylic blank than a wood one. Let us know how it goes tomorrow.


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## InvisibleMan (Jul 13, 2012)

At least you can type.  After my first pen I had hooves with paper towel bits stuck in there.


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## Jarod888 (Jul 13, 2012)

I would suggest watching a few of the videos on YouTube concerning turning. In particular, Capn' Eddie Castelin's is very good.  Some of his suggestions are great, i.e. letting the glue cure over night, others are OK, i.e. using a twist clamp as a pen vice.  I know that a lot of people use them because they are cheap, but I can't imagine essentially ruining one just to use it as a pen vice.  You can buy a great one for about 30$ from Woodcraft, and it is dead simple to use, plus it fits nicely on a drill press bench.  
One other suggestion, pick a blank that is generally considered hard.  Black Mesquite, Cocobolo, Lacewood, are good suggestions.  I wouldn't try anything super hard like Ligum Vitae or Desert Ironwood unless you have carbide tools. 

As others have said, sharp tools and light cuts are essential.  One last thing, have fun!!


Here is the link to the video I mentioned above.

104 basic pen turning.mp4 - YouTube


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## skamrath1 (Jul 13, 2012)

Xander said:


> Just my opinion but looks like your tools are not sharp. New does NOT mean sharp.
> Good try, keep on practising, you'll get it.



I did file the tools before I started maybe not good enough lol



firewhatfire said:


> what did you glue the tube in with?  Next time stick your tongue out the other side of your mouth.



I used a medium CA



Displaced Canadian said:


> New really doesn't mean sharp. When glueing in tubes I'll put a little glue in from the other side of the blank. I'll use thick CA so I have time to push the tube in and rotate, then do the same from the other side. Sometimes a spinning blank means the tube has broken loose from the blank or the tool is pushed too far into the wood. Side note CA doesn't really work with acrylic blanks. You will need to use epoxy or gorilla glue. It is also easier to blow up an acrylic blank than a wood one. Let us know how it goes tomorrow.



So put the CA in the blank 1st? And yea I aint gonna attempt to do a acrylic til I get the wood mastered lol


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## Jarod888 (Jul 13, 2012)

Ensure that you have scruffed up the pen tube.  Essentially it should not be shiny anywhere.  You should then put you medium or thick CA glue on the tube.  The glue should essentially cover the tube.  You then need to insert it with some "speed" while spinning the wood blank a bit.  This essentially spreads the glue around the inside of the blank and creates a better bond.


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## skamrath1 (Jul 13, 2012)

Jarod888 said:


> I would suggest watching a few of the videos on YouTube concerning turning. In particular, Capn' Eddie Castelin's is very good.  Some of his suggestions are great, i.e. letting the glue cure over night, others are OK, i.e. using a twist clamp as a pen vice.  I know that a lot of people use them because they are cheap, but I can't imagine essentially ruining one just to use it as a pen vice.  You can buy a great one for about 30$ from Woodcraft, and it is dead simple to use, plus it fits nicely on a drill press bench.
> One other suggestion, pick a blank that is generally considered hard.  Black Mesquite, Cocobolo, Lacewood, are good suggestions.  I wouldn't try anything super hard like Ligum Vitae or Desert Ironwood unless you have carbide tools.
> 
> As others have said, sharp tools and light cuts are essential.  One last thing, have fun!!
> ...



Thanks for the video. I already see that I was using the skew wrong lol. One other question I have is when rounding the blank should it be at a high or low speed?


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## BSea (Jul 13, 2012)

skamrath1 said:


> Well that didn't go as planned lol. To start I was having a tough time keeping the blanks from spinning. I don't know if I was holding tools right or if I was using the right took at the right time. Well tomorrow is a new day and a new turn hehe


WAIT JUST 1 MINUTE THERE!!!  How did you get a hold of my 1st pen .  Just kidding.  :biggrin:  But it looks eerily similar.


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## skamrath1 (Jul 13, 2012)

BSea said:


> skamrath1 said:
> 
> 
> > Well that didn't go as planned lol. To start I was having a tough time keeping the blanks from spinning. I don't know if I was holding tools right or if I was using the right took at the right time. Well tomorrow is a new day and a new turn hehe
> ...


 

Yea I had had a little mishap  lol But i will be at it again tonight after work. My wifey called me today at work and asked what I wanted for dinner and my reply was I dont have time for dinner I have a pen to turn hehehe:bananen_smilies051:


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## Steve Busey (Jul 13, 2012)

It looks like you have the wood glued on the tube "cross grain", instead of running from one end of the tube to the other. Your's is a bit trickier than typical "end-to-end" grain orientation. If you try another, try it with the grain running the length of the pen. Later you can move on to cross grain...


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## skamrath1 (Jul 13, 2012)

Steve Busey said:


> It looks like you have the wood glued on the tube "cross grain", instead of running from one end of the tube to the other. Your's is a bit trickier than typical "end-to-end" grain orientation. If you try another, try it with the grain running the length of the pen. Later you can move on to cross grain...


 
Ah that make sense I will do a straight cut blank tonight. DANG when is 6:30 gonna get here lol:rotfl:


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## Autonoz (Jul 13, 2012)

InvisibleMan said:


> At least you can type.  After my first pen I had hooves with paper towel bits stuck in there.


Now that's funny:laugh:


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## Xander (Jul 13, 2012)

skamrath1 said:


> Jarod888 said:
> 
> 
> > I would suggest watching a few of the videos on YouTube concerning turning. In particular, Capn' Eddie Castelin's is very good. Some of his suggestions are great, i.e. letting the glue cure over night, others are OK, i.e. using a twist clamp as a pen vice. I know that a lot of people use them because they are cheap, but I can't imagine essentially ruining one just to use it as a pen vice. You can buy a great one for about 30$ from Woodcraft, and it is dead simple to use, plus it fits nicely on a drill press bench.
> ...


 
High speed for rounding and turning. Some people then slow it down for sanding ( I sand at top speed). Again, sharp tools and light cuts. The 'skew' is not the easiest tool for beginners so... you might want to use something else, like a smaller spindle gouge.

Good luck and most important, have fun.


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## bobjackson (Jul 13, 2012)

Good luck and have fun.


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## Paul in OKC (Jul 13, 2012)

I run high speed on all. If your blank spins try tightening up the nut a bit. A skew is a tough tool to master, I still rarely use one. Do all my turning with about a 1/2" gouge.


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## skamrath1 (Jul 13, 2012)

Ok here goes attempt #2..... cover me I am going in!!!!!!


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## Drstrangefart (Jul 13, 2012)

Wait.... What am I supposed to be pointing this gun at again???


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## robutacion (Jul 13, 2012)

Steve Busey said:


> It looks like you have the wood glued on the tube "cross grain", instead of running from one end of the tube to the other. Your's is a bit trickier than typical "end-to-end" grain orientation. If you try another, try it with the grain running the length of the pen. Later you can move on to cross grain...



Yes, I had notice the end-grain blank used, straight away but I kept reading through to see if anyone noticed that and obviously you did so, nice catch...!

There is certainly not the best blank option to use on your first pen, anything with a angle cut, is more difficult to work with and more fragile in all aspects of the pen making, starting with the drilling...!

There is nothing to worry about and any improvement that can me made on the tube gluing, will also minimise the risks of a blow-out...!

Straight cut (with the grain) "solid wood blanks, are my recommendation at this point, leave all the soft woods, woods cut in angles and even the acrylics alone, a regular wood blank is a lot cheaper to replace than a acrylic one...!

Keep practising...!

Good luck

Cheers
George


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## skamrath1 (Jul 14, 2012)

Anyone know where a good place to get CA accelerator is?


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## Drstrangefart (Jul 14, 2012)

WOODCRAFT. And Rockler.


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## skamrath1 (Jul 14, 2012)

Drstrangefart said:


> WOODCRAFT. And Rockler.



Is it called something special?


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## Xander (Jul 14, 2012)

> Anyone know where a good place to get CA accelerator is?


 
Any good hobby store like Hobby Bench, Duncans would have it


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## Drstrangefart (Jul 14, 2012)

Just ask cor CA accellerator or activator. If they don't know what it is, you should leave.


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## robutacion (Jul 14, 2012)

skamrath1 said:


> Anyone know where a good place to get CA accelerator is?



Yep, here Accelerator and Debonder : Wooden Wonders, Your one stop glue shop...!

Cheers
George


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