# Stainless Steel Barron



## Stick Rounder (Mar 23, 2009)

Hello,

Here again with another Barron, this time in stainless steel  
Please let me know what you think.
Thanks for looking.


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## tim self (Mar 23, 2009)

I tell ya, ya'll make me want a metal lathe.  That's outside my  box.  Love it.


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## cnirenberg (Mar 23, 2009)

I like it.  I want metal lathe too Tim.  I beat a piece of 1/2 to death on my Fisch and will not do that again soon.


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## BLLEHMAN (Mar 23, 2009)

Nice work!


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## sefali (Mar 23, 2009)

Beautiful. Can you post a pic with it closed?


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## RMB (Mar 23, 2009)

Are the barrels out of round, or is it the reflections?


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## Tanner (Mar 23, 2009)

I've got to give that a try.  Looks awesome!


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## Stick Rounder (Mar 23, 2009)

tim self said:


> I tell ya, ya'll make me want a metal lathe. That's outside my box. Love it.


 
This was turned on a wood lathe. JET 1024, not modified.
With hand held tools.


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## Stick Rounder (Mar 23, 2009)

RMB said:


> Are the barrels out of round, or is it the reflections?


 
I knew it!  I don't know what happen both barrels lopsided. I did figure out the finish though the only bright spot in this misadventure.  Lowe's sell metal finish compound in grades 1-6.  Basically a solid of clay, wax and sand that is supposed to be applied to a medium buffing wheel.  Well if lightly rub a fine layer across your spinning finished blank then take a paper towel and remove.  Beautiful result.  Cause' I don't have a buffing wheel.


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## Stick Rounder (Mar 23, 2009)

sefali said:


> Beautiful. Can you post a pic with it closed?


 
Here it is.


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## MorganGrafixx (Mar 23, 2009)

Damn! Just damn! Beautiful pen man. Well done.


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## CaptG (Mar 23, 2009)

Outstanding, and on a wood lathe.  I bet that took some work.


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## galoot_loves_tools (Mar 23, 2009)

It's a work of art! How heavy is it?


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## papaturner (Mar 23, 2009)

Awesome!


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## jttheclockman (Mar 23, 2009)

Stick Rounder said:


> This was turned on a wood lathe. JET 1024, not modified.
> With hand held tools.



What tools did you use to turn this and at what speed of the lathe???  Have you turned other metals and if so was this harder than any of them or easier???  Thanks and a job well done. I want to try my hand at some metal pens.


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## btboone (Mar 23, 2009)

Nicely done.  Even I don't like to turn stainless!


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## cnirenberg (Mar 24, 2009)

Stick Rounder said:


> This was turned on a wood lathe. JET 1024, not modified.
> With hand held tools.



Doug,
Did you shape the SS with turning tools?  HSS or Carbide?  I had to use the big bastard (file) on the piece I tried.  My scraper gave a rougher than normal cut.  It sure is different than aluminum or brass, but as your results show it is worth it.


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## markgum (Mar 24, 2009)

excellant


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## Stick Rounder (Mar 24, 2009)

*Heavy!*



galoot_loves_tools said:


> It's a work of art! How heavy is it?


 
Just under a hundred grams, 96 to be exact, 3.5 oz.  Don't really know if that translates but they are heavy.


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## Stick Rounder (Mar 24, 2009)

cnirenberg said:


> Doug,
> Did you shape the SS with turning tools? HSS or Carbide? I had to use the big bastard (file) on the piece I tried. My scraper gave a rougher than normal cut. It sure is different than aluminum or brass, but as your results show it is worth it.


 
Cris,

  I made the tool.  Very heavy construction 1/4" plate 1" wide, all welded together leaving a square opening centered at the end 1/4x1/4 inch for the carbide insert.  Then that welded to 1/2" steel bar, 22 inches overall.  I searched high and low for hand held tools none exist.  I am thinking of selling them.  On the three pens made and posted here over a thousand looks, surely someone would buy a tool?  
  The other thing I found was the finish was made smoother, the deeper cuts I took.  I think it was due to heating the metal.  The pictures don't tell but the cap was turned first using little timid bite, the body was turned taking agressive bites with finer string like shavings that turned blue and red due to heat.  (I saved those to cast with some alumlite)  It was a much better finish.  I sanded from 150 to 12K and the metal finishing wax made the difference.


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## workinforwood (Mar 24, 2009)

The alumilite will be interesting.  I am picturing the strands of metal being ripped right out of the plastic when you try and spin it.  That's my theory.

Pen looks good although a little fat for my taste.  I noticed the out of round which might have been caused by too much side pressure.  Maybe you should try a gentler touch with a file instead of a carbide bit.  No doubt will take longer, but time is not that important.


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## skiprat (Mar 24, 2009)

A metal lathe is nice for straight lines and drilling nicely centered holes,
but whenever I use stainless ( very often) a med or smooth file is my tool of choice when I want curves. It 'turns' down a lot quicker than you might think with a file and is very easy to control.

I think you did a neat job on it:biggrin: Well done.

Did you use the kit brass tubes?


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## Stick Rounder (Mar 24, 2009)

Skiprat,

Yes.  I am still the novice.  I want to try my hand at kitless.  I even bought a tap and die set, just not there yet.  It is still too easy to rely on the kit.


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## skiprat (Mar 24, 2009)

Doug, using the brass tubes inside stainless is actually being clever. I often even just use a short length of brass tube in the ends of the stainless when I rob kit parts. The glued brass tube will expand to accept the kit part while without it, the stainless often crushes the kit part when you press it in. 
When I need to keep the pen as light as possible then I drill it out so it is only about 1 mm thick and then make small brass bushes in the ends to accept kit parts. Cheating is allowed in 'kitless land':biggrin:


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## Rudy Vey (Mar 24, 2009)

skiprat said:


> Doug, using the brass tubes inside stainless is actually being clever. I often even just use a short length of brass tube in the ends of the stainless when I rob kit parts. The glued brass tube will expand to accept the kit part while without it, the stainless often crushes the kit part when you press it in.
> When I need to keep the pen as light as possible then I drill it out so it is only about 1 mm thick and then make small brass bushes in the ends to accept kit parts. Cheating is allowed in 'kitless land':biggrin:



That is the reason I also use the brass tubes in my Titanium pens!!


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## jttheclockman (Mar 24, 2009)

Rudy Vey said:


> That is the reason I also use the brass tubes in my Titanium pens!!



Rudy, You make titanium pens or just the kits of titanium???  If you make the pens can you post a couple pictures???  Thanks.


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## woodchip (Mar 24, 2009)

I like it.


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## Big T (Mar 24, 2009)

I wondered what that would look like. Very Nice!

I thought I saw a post on this forum where someone had made a hand turning tool that used coated carbide inserts.


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## Rudy Vey (Mar 25, 2009)

jttheclockman said:


> Rudy, You make titanium pens or just the kits of titanium???  If you make the pens can you post a couple pictures???  Thanks.



No, its real titanium metal - check some of my photos, there is a Baron and a couple of Flattops I did. I believe I was the first here who made (as a penturner) a Titanium pen. Over the years I have made at least 10-15, mostly Barons, but also a few Am. Flattops. I gave up on them pretty much when the cost for Ti was skyrocketing, and one had to buy a certain amount (weight-wise) to even get it. I think from my first time to the last time buying Ti, the price increase was about 8-10 fold within a bit over a year. But, I still have a number of blanks and may get back to make a few again....


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## Dalecamino (Mar 25, 2009)

Nice looking pen Doug !


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## Stick Rounder (Mar 25, 2009)

Big T said:


> I wondered what that would look like. Very Nice!
> 
> I thought I saw a post on this forum where someone had made a hand turning tool that used coated carbide inserts.


 
Big T,

I did. Just some 1/4" by 1 steel plate welded together with a slot cut in the end and a piece of round bar welded to that. Heavy and crude but effective.


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