jcm71
Member
A hemp farmer I vend with has expressed interest in buying 10 hemp pens from me. Here is a concept pen that will be a gift. It is far from perfect. The laser engraving is a little off center. Easy fix. The blank is slightly concave, and the nib end is slightly under turned. That's because I was experimenting with the laser settings and had to sand the first attempts off. I copied the engraving and flipped the copy vertically and the text horizontally. The copy is on the other side of the clip, so the pen is "ambidextrous".
Ed Brown's warning about turning hemp is spot on. Not for the faint of heart. Drilling is dicey. Recommend step drilling starting with 8mm. This is a 27/64 pen, but I finished with a 14mm brad point. Left a smoother wall and the tubes were still snug. Glue the tubes with epoxy and set aside for a day. Seal the ends with thin CA and knock off the corners before turning. i used the front left corner of a carbide R4 and starting from the rght made a 1/16 inch parting type cut down about1/8 inch. Be sure to retract the insert al the way before moving it to the left for the next plunge. Use a slight downward rake. If you feel a "catch", STOP. Flood the blank with thin CA before continuing. Tedious but it works for me.
Ed Brown's warning about turning hemp is spot on. Not for the faint of heart. Drilling is dicey. Recommend step drilling starting with 8mm. This is a 27/64 pen, but I finished with a 14mm brad point. Left a smoother wall and the tubes were still snug. Glue the tubes with epoxy and set aside for a day. Seal the ends with thin CA and knock off the corners before turning. i used the front left corner of a carbide R4 and starting from the rght made a 1/16 inch parting type cut down about1/8 inch. Be sure to retract the insert al the way before moving it to the left for the next plunge. Use a slight downward rake. If you feel a "catch", STOP. Flood the blank with thin CA before continuing. Tedious but it works for me.
