Bad Day

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
onewaywood

onewaywood

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2004
Messages
248
Location
Madison, WI, USA.
Have you ever had those days when nothing goes right, then your 2 best and rarest pen blanks chip out while turning them. Is someone telling me to give up tuning? Wow that was pathetic can't believe I just posted this. Guess that shows ya what frame of mind I'm in.
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
It's not what happens to you in life that matters, it's how you DEAL with what happens to you. Wait til you work on a blank for over a week and you destroy it while taking a final finish cut. I have to stop and remind myself that this is just pen turning, and if thats the biggest problem I have....then life really isnt that bad. I'll send a bill for the therapy.lol
 
I am a scroller first and foremost and I have been there and done that. I worked on a project for more than 2 weeks and when I was finishing it, it jumped out of my hands and wound up in a million pieces. After a few choice words and leaving the shop for a few days I recovered and went on to make another that was well received. You will be back. We all go through things like this. It is not the end of the world. :biggrin:
 
I had a day like that three weeks ago. I had worked on laminating an acrylic blank for three days. I drilled it, glued the tubes in, squared it up, turned it and sanded it with absolutely no hiccups...stop to think of it, that should have tipped me off right there...but then as I was applying the polish, I must've created too much heat because the next thing I know, I am feeling a bump right in the middle of the blank. When I stopped the lathe to look, there was a big melted bump right there in the center of the blank. A total loss. I still haven't gotten up the strength to start that project over.
 
Yesterday I was putting the final touches on a flawless CA finish on the cap for the challenge. 3rd buff and I was admiring it (looking for scratches in the reflection, really!) when my FIL visiting from Cali comes into the garage and sees me checking out my reflection in the finish. I hand the cap to him and he immediately drops it and it bounces around the shop. When I find it, there's a ding in the side.

I needed many rum&coke's after that to keep from strangling him.
 
I think most of us on this forum have had days like that if we were honest, go back to basics such as take lighter cuts, make sure tools are super sharp etc.. This normally works for me and gets me back on the right road again!
 
Just stay calm and collected I have been there and done that and any pen maker worth his/her weight will tell you they have done it too. I had it happen on a blank that I worked on for around 6 hours+ and I destroyed it in less than 1 second.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom