# Pen (hardware) photos



## KateHarrow (Apr 21, 2022)

Needed to take photos for my website of our new/improved kit so while it’s not quite pen photography, this was the closest forum I found.

The hardest part was getting the pieces to line up for the group shots. I should’ve used a dot of clay or a glue dot or something to hold things in place and then photoshopped it out but I was being impatient


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## duncsuss (Apr 21, 2022)

Museum Wax is designed to hold things in place - it seems to last forever with the tiny amount needed to keep pen parts from rolling around.


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## McKenzie Penworks (Apr 21, 2022)

AND.. museum wax is AWESOME for casting hybrids. Tom Barron turned me on to that several years ago and I think I still have almost half of my original container lol


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## tgsponge1 (Apr 21, 2022)

Pics look great. The Apollo is a very nice product


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## KenB259 (Apr 21, 2022)

McKenzie Penworks said:


> AND.. museum wax is AWESOME for casting hybrids. Tom Barron turned me on to that several years ago and I think I still have almost half of my original container lol


Thanks for this, I'm getting me some


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## MedWoodWorx (Apr 21, 2022)

KateHarrow said:


> Needed to take photos for my website of our new/improved kit so while it’s not quite pen photography, this was the closest forum I found.
> 
> The hardest part was getting the pieces to line up for the group shots. I should’ve used a dot of clay or a glue dot or something to hold things in place and then photoshopped it out but I was being impatient


Nice photoshoot, did u use a lightbox?


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## KateHarrow (Apr 21, 2022)

duncsuss said:


> Museum Wax is designed to hold things in place - it seems to last forever with the tiny amount needed to keep pen parts from rolling around.


I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. I have a theater background and we use that stuff all the time!


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## KateHarrow (Apr 21, 2022)

MedWoodWorx said:


> Nice photoshoot, did u use a lightbox?


Nope, just a roll of construction paper and natural lighting plus some good editing skills


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## MedWoodWorx (Apr 21, 2022)

KateHarrow said:


> Nope, just a roll of construction paper and natural lighting plus some good editing skills


Really? That is natural light? Very nice


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## Painfullyslow (Apr 21, 2022)

MedWoodWorx said:


> Really? That is natural light? Very nice


You can do literal magic with the right software and some good post-processing skills. I wrote a tutorial with a junky free piece of software here. With Photoshop I can make a 5yr olds crayon drawing look like the Mona Lisa.

But to keep on topic @KateHarrow I use the tiniest spec of blue fun-tak under all of my pieces when taking pictures. It hold everything perfectly, leaves no residue when removed, and is completely reusable. Sold at staples, lowes, HD, etc so very easy to get as well.


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## MedWoodWorx (Apr 21, 2022)

Painfullyslow said:


> You can do literal magic with the right software and some good post-processing skills. I wrote a tutorial with a junky free piece of software here. With Photoshop I can make a 5yr olds crayon drawing look like the Mona Lisa.
> 
> But to keep on topic @KateHarrow I use the tiniest spec of blue fun-tak under all of my pieces when taking pictures. It hold everything perfectly, leaves no residue when removed, and is completely reusable. Sold at staples, lowes, HD, etc so very easy to get as well.
> 
> View attachment 333444


Yea i red it its very informative. The thing is i use my phone to take photographs and then upload them. I must upgrade my gear i suppose.


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## KateHarrow (Apr 21, 2022)

MedWoodWorx said:


> Yea i red it its very informative. The thing is i use my phone to take photographs and then upload them. I must upgrade my gear i suppose.


All of these photos were taken on my iphone


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## MedWoodWorx (Apr 21, 2022)

KateHarrow said:


> All of these photos were taken on my iphone


I am afraid my phones camera is not as good as an iphone's. It says 13 mp but i don't think that the lens or the software are capable. I am also crap at photography. The only thing i know is how to build a lightbox to avoid glare. There is so much to learn about photography that is overwhelming. It is however important since a bad picture can't get you anywhere; you can't present your work,  you can't get feedback, you can't sell your pens etc. Its part of the penturning thing for many folks and i think that its a skill crucial to a penturners evolvement.
 Well at least i won at the loosers train competition, cheers.


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## duncsuss (Apr 21, 2022)

McKenzie Penworks said:


> AND.. museum wax is AWESOME for casting hybrids. Tom Barron turned me on to that several years ago and I think I still have almost half of my original container lol



Tim ... I'm not following you. Do you mean using the wax to create a temporary mold to pour resin in and around the "scrap wood"? (I'm not a caster - yet - so I don't know how well that could work.)


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## KateHarrow (Apr 21, 2022)

duncsuss said:


> Tim ... I'm not following you. Do you mean using the wax to create a temporary mold to pour resin in and around the "scrap wood"? (I'm not a caster - yet - so I don't know how well that could work.)


I think he means using it to hold the wood down to the mold so it doesn’t float in the resin


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## KMCloonan (Apr 21, 2022)

I have been using several small (pea-size) drops of hot glue on the top of the wood in the mold, where the wood meets the side wall. Just a couple of spots around the perimeter. The glue sets up instantly, and is strong enough to keep the wood from floating up in the resin. 

I had tried putting the glue on the underside of the wood, but all that did was raise the wood by the thickness of the glue, and gave the resin a place to run to. No Bueno. 

My only issue is that if I use mold release, the hot glue does not stick very well.


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## duncsuss (Apr 21, 2022)

KateHarrow said:


> I think he means using it to hold the wood down to the mold so it doesn’t float in the resin



Great idea - something for me to try if I ever repeat my attempt to copy Rebecca de Groot's project from last year's virtual AAW Symposium.

Thanks!


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## farmer (Apr 22, 2022)

POTN    Photography on the net Forum


MedWoodWorx said:


> I am afraid my phones camera is not as good as an iphone's. It says 13 mp but i don't think that the lens or the software are capable. I am also crap at photography. The only thing i know is how to build a lightbox to avoid glare. There is so much to learn about photography that is overwhelming. It is however important since a bad picture can't get you anywhere; you can't present your work,  you can't get feedback, you can't sell your pens etc. Its part of the penturning thing for many folks and i think that its a skill crucial to a penturners evolvement.
> Well at least i won at the loosers train competition, cheers.


But a light box creates electromagnetic polarized waves ( Glare ) on all nonmetallic smooth surfaces like wood and acrylic pens
Anything that scatters, reflects or Refracts light creates polarized light .

Who goes to the lake fishing or sail boating without Polarized sun glasses?


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## McKenzie Penworks (May 3, 2022)

duncsuss said:


> Great idea - something for me to try if I ever repeat my attempt to copy Rebecca de Groot's project from last year's virtual AAW Symposium.
> 
> Thanks!


Sorry... I'm slow and missed this but yes. A tiny dab of museum wax on the underside of any wood I put into the mold holds it down just fine, even on HDPE molds.


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