# Colored pencil blank



## eppen (Sep 7, 2017)

Hi all

Does anybody have tips and guidance on creating and turning a colored pencil blank 
I have made up blanks with CA and epoxy. 
I try take light cuts with a sharp tool and occasionally saturate the blank with thin CA
Unfortunately after trying this 5 or 6 times I am not successful.  

I am sure someone has figured it out.  

Best 

Anthony


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## JohnU (Sep 7, 2017)

They are temperamental no matter how you glue them but I have made several by casting in alumilite and occasionally hitting them with thin CA to help keep the lead in.  I put mine in the mold from corner to opposite corner / at an angle.  I use epoxy to put the tubes in and turn with the lathe as fast as it goes with a very sharp skew and light touches. After they get close, I sand them do the finished size.  Just be sure to clean them real good with denatured alcohol before the final CA finish or you will have lead pieces and colors where you don't want them.  I hope this helps.


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## Barnmb7117 (Sep 7, 2017)

Check out RJBWoodTurner on you tube he has done a couple.


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## its_virgil (Sep 7, 2017)

Anthony,
Like John U I cast pencils with a resin. i use Alumilite. Here is a link to an article I wrote. Enjoy. 

I like the way John U does them diagonally. I may have to steal that idea next time.

Do a good turn daily!
Don

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4uae0c7nz66u340/Colored Pencils Pen.pdf?dl=0




eppen said:


> Hi all
> Does anybody have tips and guidance on creating and turning a colored pencil blank
> Anthony
> Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app


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## eppen (Sep 7, 2017)

Thank you all.  Maybe I should be grinding up the failures and casting them in resin, that way I don’t have to feel I have wasted all the material. 


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## Woodchipper (Sep 8, 2017)

> I like the way John U does them diagonally. I may have to steal that idea next time.


Imitation is the greatest form of flattery.


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## BeeAMaker (Sep 8, 2017)

Wood it help to stabilize the would pencils? wait - I have that backwoods. 

Anyways, after gluing them up would stabilizing them help hold them together? I imagine the quality of pencil might have something to do with it also.


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## Fireengines (Sep 8, 2017)

All I did was to cut some sharped color pencils, tossed them in the the in mold in not particular order, and poured the resin.  Once complete, I pained the tube and the inside of the blank.


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## eppen (Sep 8, 2017)

Great approach 


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## magpens (Sep 8, 2017)

Would somebody please send Fireengines a can of insect spray ....

.... he makes nice pens but he needs to get the bugs out ....

.... very hard to have a conversation in the presence of his distracting avatar !! :biggrin:


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## Gwatson50 (Sep 9, 2017)

Love the pens 


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## stuckinohio (Sep 9, 2017)

Don, Great article. Thank you.

I have done some successful colored pencil pens with CA and never want to do another, so I will try this!


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## Crayman (Sep 11, 2017)

One thing I find is after i drill the hole I pour some thin CA glue in and let it harden, then re drill. I find this has reduced my losses while turning, it gives a better bond between pencils and tubes. I also keep some extra leads around if one comes off, I glue the appropriate color on and continue turning.


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