qquake
Member
This is a PSI Icon pen, in chrome. The blank is a Color Grain called Festival, also from PSI. The finish is Pens Plus. I'm not totally happy with the finish, but it's not too bad, I suppose.
Icon Festival
- Thread starter qquake
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RichAldrich
Member
Nice pen!
leehljp
Member Liaison
A much cleaner process is to use a very freshly sharpened & honed skew or scraper or new carbide insert to scrape clean the surface while the blank is turning at a fast speed.
qquake
Member
I used a carbide chisel, and I turn at about 2000 rpm.
I am convinced its not the turning its the sanding the colours tend to bleed I have included two I made some time ago. They just don't seem crisp. Carbide tooling in my opinion would not alter this situation a good sharp HSS gouge will work just as well.
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leehljp
Member Liaison
I primarily use a sharp HSS scraper at higher speeds than Jim does. 2000 rpm is right at that point that it either does, or does NOT, do a good job. From my experience and many others here that do use scraping or skew with excellent results, they use 2500 to 3500 rpm.
The sliver solder dots in the pen below smear like pencil lead when sanded with ANY sandpaper, or if any rubbing compound/alcohol is used. The only way to prevent the smearing was "not to sand". It was with this pen that I learned how to sharpen with a scary sharp edge, and it was that - that allowed me to turn that pen very smooth without using sand paper. Slower speeds resulted in a more rough finish, faster speed resulted in smoother finish.
I personally do not use carbide inserts because carbide does not yet come up to the sharpness of a fine edge of a just sharpened HSS tool - for me.
30 Pieces of Silver
Elegant Beauty TI Gold Bloodwood, BOW, Holly core solder CA finish
www.penturners.org
Madman1978
Member
Very cool
I turn at 3250 rpm that's the fastest my Lathe will run I find with Standard HSS gouges of all kinds this works well for Pens. I have no fancy grinding jigs or fixtures Standard tool rest on the grinder and set at 45 deg for Gouges this works for me. I see no advantage of spending money on Carbon inserts to turn a Pen you are removing very little material to shape and size a pen.I primarily use a sharp HSS scraper at higher speeds than Jim does. 2000 rpm is right at that point that it either does, or does NOT, do a good job. From my experience and many others here that do use scraping or skew with excellent results, they use 2500 to 3500 rpm.
The sliver solder dots in the pen below smear like pencil lead when sanded with ANY sandpaper, or if any rubbing compound/alcohol is used. The only way to prevent the smearing was "not to sand". It was with this pen that I learned how to sharpen with a scary sharp edge, and it was that - that allowed me to turn that pen very smooth without using sand paper. Slower speeds resulted in a more rough finish, faster speed resulted in smoother finish.
I personally do not use carbide inserts because carbide does not yet come up to the sharpness of a fine edge of a just sharpened HSS tool - for me.
30 Pieces of Silver
Elegant Beauty TI Gold Bloodwood, BOW, Holly core solder CA finishwww.penturners.org
I am sure if you want to remove a lot of material quickly they have some advantage but again I have turned many bowls with a standard HSS Bowl Gouge.
Keep them sharp with a Standard grind and they work fine. Carbon inserts have become very popular but for me a complete waste of money.
leehljp
Member Liaison
Do they call them "Carbon" in your area? "Carbide" and "Carbon" are almost the opposite ends of the steel spectrum here, they are not even close to each other. Carbon is soft steel, carbide is quite hard but brittle (much harder than HSS). The carbide inserts here are not for removing a lot of material, and most are 3/4" (18mm) and smaller usually.
Having lived in E Asia for 25+ years, I know that words carry different meanings and values in different places.
No sorry you are correct I meant Carbide. I think Sandvik made the first Carbide tips using a Sintering process. Carbide powder was compressed in moulds to the shape of the tip then passed through a furnace. Along time ago I visited the factory here in the UK and saw the process. They were a Swedish Company I believe. I sold them some equipment for cleaning the Tips after Sintering prior to grinding very difficult to grind they used creep feed grinders.