A Presimo pen

[Lew]

I was recently asked to create a pen as a birthday gift for a graduate of Texas A&M whose school colors are maroon and white. I decided to make a pen that was a little different to showcase how different A&M is from most other schools. I chose a Presimo kit from PennState and used purpleheart for the body. I used a propane torch to heat the wood after it was turned but decided not to make it solid to represent the varied nature of A&M. In addition, I made two rings around the body filled with plastic from an old security firm sign. I offset the rings to make them non-symmetrical for the same reason as above. I finished the pen with CA. The customer was very satisfied with it, and I got several more requests for pens from others who she showed it to. The photo somehow emphasizes spots from the torch, but the actual pen blends much better.

 

[derekdd]

Hey, Lew, that is lovely work.

Did you grind the plastic from the sign to make the inlay or shave off thin strips?

I've used a heat gun with purpleheart while still on the mandrel to get it to darken. The red background really makes the pen look more the A&M maroon.

I've not turned the Presimo kit before but just bought the starter pack. What do you think of it?

 

[Lew]

Hi Derek
The sign was exactly the width I needed to fill the gap I made in the blank, so I just cut off some strips, sanded them and expoxied them in place. I have also used a heat gun before, but to get the effect that I wanted I felt it was better to use the torch.

I like the Presimo kit. It's easy to make and a lot of people like the rollerball rather than an ordinary ink pen refill. I like a ceramic rollerball so I replace the one that comes with it and keep it only for those I give away or keep for myself.

Thanks for the kind comment.

 

[derekdd]

Hi Derek
The sign was exactly the width I needed to fill the gap I made in the blank, so I just cut off some strips, sanded them and expoxied them in place. I have also used a heat gun before, but to get the effect that I wanted I felt it was better to use the torch.

I like the Presimo kit. It's easy to make and a lot of people like the rollerball rather than an ordinary ink pen refill. I like a ceramic rollerball so I replace the one that comes with it and keep it only for those I give away or keep for myself.

Thanks for the kind comment.

Thanks for the reply. That's a clever idea with the sign plastic.

I turned a couple of Presimos yesterday and agree. It's an easy kit and really looks good.

 

[jcm71]

Pretty pen, Lew. If you aren't already aware of it, the retaining nut inside Presimo caps has a tendency to back off, causing the whole cap assembly to fall apart. The fix is to unscrew the nut, remove the screw, apply red loctite and reassemble. I made myself a nut removing tool using a 5mm socket and a transfer punch. Saw the top half of the socket off with a hacksaw. Insert an appropriately sized transfer punch halfway into the socket, using red loctite. When dry insert the punch into a drill and using a disk or belt sander, sand the socket diameter down until it fits in the cap and over the nut. Be careful not to over do it. Check often. Whenever I get a Presimo order in, I always disassemble the caps and apply red loctite to the nut. Here's a picture of mine. Not pretty but it does the job.

 

[Lew]

Pretty pen, Lew. If you aren't already aware of it, the retaining nut inside Presimo caps has a tendency to back off, causing the whole cap assembly to fall apart. The fix is to unscrew the nut, remove the screw, apply red loctite and reassemble. I made myself a nut removing tool using a 5mm socket and a transfer punch. Saw the top half of the socket off with a hacksaw. Insert an appropriately sized transfer punch halfway into the socket, using red loctite. When dry insert the punch into a drill and using a disk or belt sander, sand the socket diameter down until it fits in the cap and over the nut. Be careful not to over do it. Check often. Whenever I get a Presimo order in, I always disassemble the caps and apply red loctite to the nut. Here's a picture of mine. Not pretty but it does the job. View attachment 353890

Thanks. I was not aware of that. I'll give this a try.

 

[bzahn]

That's very unique. It's no wonder they liked it.