# Banksia & Stone Closed End Specials



## Dai Sensei (Dec 21, 2009)

I thought I would give a closed end and hidden clip pen a try. In my normal fashion, althought I didn't intentionally mean to, I made the challenge even harder by using Banksias filled with turquoise and malachite 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





I started by sanding the banksia down to approx 25mm. Then I placed them between centres and painstakenly filled each hole with the crushed turquoise/malachite and CA. Each hole took 3 fills to ensure the CA penetrated. I then rough turned them back down to dia 25mm with the Ci1 (you cannot use normal turning tools with these powders, as they are real stone and very hard 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




)

I then drilled the hole to suit the sleeves to the required depth, followed by flooding the holes with thin CA. After redrilling, I used good epoxy to glue in the sleeve, and poured extra epoxy in the hole to ensure the weak points were reinforced for turning.

I already had a pin chuck made from an old pen mandrel cut off for 7mm tubes. So with help from someone else's metal lathe, I made brass sleeves for pin chucks for Churchills, Barons and GR Gent II (ie extra 6) to fit over the mandrel (ie brass sleeve fits onto the mandrel pin chuck, then the pen sleeve fits over the brass pin chuck).

I then turned the components with my Ci1 with small cuts, stabilizing with CA and refilling the holes as necessary with more powdered stone, with the tailstock in place. I then drilled the extra length holes in the long components for the pen/ink refills that extend into the blank. I also drilled the extra holes and made the slots for the hidden clip on the caps. Back on the lathe pin chuck, I then finished off the ends, sanded and applied the CA finish.

I modified the clip and placed it through the slot (after a bit of cleaning the CA out of it), taped the clip in place with masking tape, then filled the hole up with epoxy to just above the sleeve. This filled the hole and keeps the clip in place. 

With so little end caps etc I didn't like the amount of plastic for the cap joiner, so placed it in my pin jaws and turned each end of the joiner down so the plastic rings were very small (the same as the existing one between the Black Ti rings. This took a bit of effort, especially to ensure the cap when screwed on still covers the nib joiner etc.

There was a bit of fine tuning the holes for the pen/ink refills, but all the components went together Ok. Next time, if there is another one, I'll make the caps a bit shorter.

Hope you like them

Cheers


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## BigShed (Dec 21, 2009)

They look even more stunning here Neil.

Fantastic pens.


Did you tweak the photos a bit, they seem lighter.


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## mickr (Dec 21, 2009)

WOW..tons of work, but the outcome is fantastic..great pens


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## johncrane (Dec 21, 2009)

Very nice pens Neil well done mate! the Banksia nut has some real beauty, and some hidden secrets!


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## Glenn McCullough (Dec 21, 2009)

stunning! Loads of work and it paid off, well done!


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## cnirenberg (Dec 21, 2009)

Neil,
Fantastic work. The contrast in the Baksia and Malachite is stunning.  Love the hidden clip as well. Great looking pens.


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## jasontg99 (Dec 21, 2009)

Wow.  Those are amazing!


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## markgum (Dec 21, 2009)

excellant work.


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## Monty (Dec 21, 2009)

Great looking pens Well done. :bananen_smilies046:


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## rjwolfe3 (Dec 21, 2009)

WOW!!!!!


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