Ebony & Amboyna Fountain Pen with Metal Inlay

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
See more from Rolandranch

Rolandranch

Rolandranch

Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Messages
1,053
Location
Tucson, AZ
This is my first try working with aluminum. It is made from ebony, amboyna burl, and aluminum strips.

I had a little trouble with gluing the aluminum to the wood/burl. I had to re-glue some of the aluminum pieces before they stayed on. I used CA glue but am wondering if there is something else I should use.

Please let me know if you have any tips on working with metal in pens.
Any comments are welcome.

KK2X3460.jpg KK2X3461.jpgKK2X3463.jpg KK2X3456.jpg
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
I use 5-minute epoxy for jobs like that because I believe the working time is longer and I can slide the pieces around a bit until I get the clamp tightened securely. . Perhaps with the thickness of CA you used you have enough working time.

You have made a very nice looking pen there !!
 
Last edited:
Hello Seth

Very nice looking pen and photos. I have to ask, in your bio you say you are 15 years old. The pens I have seen you put out are some extrodinary looking pens and the photos are not to shabby either. Are you doing these pens or are you getting help??? I ask because there is not too many if any 15 year old pen makers here. Then to do the work you are putting out. Are the tools you are using yours or someone elses and are you familar with their workings??? The photos are also first rate and are you taking them??? There are people here that can not do what you are doing and they have been at it for some time.

How are you finding time to do this and go to school and most 15 year olds are doing other things than hanging out in a shop. :):)

Just had to ask and hope you are honest.

This is a nice job with that pen. The use of materials blends very well and the design is symmetrical which I like. As far as glues go. They have been done with both Med CA and epoxy with all kinds of cure times. I prefer epoxy.

www.penturners.org/forum/f8/brothers-arizona-133206/


I just went back to read your intro and now I am even more impressed. To do the work you and your brothers are doing at the age you are doing it is fantastic. I looked at some of your past work and you are light years ahead of many and at such young ages. I hope your love and passion continues down this path. You have come to us seeking advice I feel we should be seeking advice from you guys. There is some big projects in your future and I hope we get to see them. I do see the sky is the limit for all you guys. Having your feet firmly on the ground at this ages is amazing. I will try to jump in where I can to offer any help I can.
 
Last edited:
jttheclockman said:
Hello Seth

Very nice looking pen and photos. I have to ask, in your bio you say you are 15 years old. The pens I have seen you put out are some extrodinary looking pens and the photos are not to shabby either. Are you doing these pens or are you getting help??? I ask because there is not too many if any 15 year old pen makers here. Then to do the work you are putting out. Are the tools you are using yours or someone elses and are you familar with their workings??? The photos are also first rate and are you taking them??? There are people here that can not do what you are doing and they have been at it for some time.

How are you finding time to do this and go to school and most 15 year olds are doing other things than hanging out in a shop. :):)

Just had to ask and hope you are honest.

This is a nice job with that pen. The use of materials blends very well and the design is symmetrical which I like. As far as glues go. They have been done with both Med CA and epoxy with all kinds of cure times. I prefer epoxy.

www.penturners.org/forum/f8/brothers-arizona-133206/


I just went back to read your intro and now I am even more impressed. To do the work you and your brothers are doing at the age you are doing it is fantastic. I looked at some of your past work and you are light years ahead of many and at such young ages. I hope your love and passion continues down this path. You have come to us seeking advice I feel we should be seeking advice from you guys. There is some big projects in your future and I hope we get to see them. I do see the sky is the limit for all you guys. Having your feet firmly on the ground at this ages is amazing. I will try to jump in where I can to offer any help I can.
Click to expand...


He comes from a very talented family!
 
Last edited:
Quotes from jttheclockman:
"Very nice looking pen and photos. I have to ask, in your bio you say you are 15 years old. The pens I have seen you put out are some extrodinary looking pens and the photos are not to shabby either. Are you doing these pens or are you getting help??? I ask because there is not too many if any 15 year old pen makers here. Then to do the work you are putting out."

Hi! I'm Seth's mom and he is *supposed* to be doing school right now so I told him, I would answer the questions! An uncle visited last year and taught the kids how to turn a slimline pen. The rest is history. Seth ran with it! He has a knack for detail and has a passion for pen making. He gets a lot of his info from this forum. His brothers and dad go to him for pointers when they are making their pens.

"Are the tools you are using yours or someone elses and are you familar with their workings???"

My husband likes to buy quality tools and he has purchased tools over many years... they rarely got used until a year and a half ago when our then eleven year old decided to make his siblings wooden gifts for Christmas. I posted a picture on Facebook of him making wood toys and he started getting requests for Christmas gifts...that is when the woodworking "business" started.

"The photos are also first rate and are you taking them???"

Seth takes all the photos. My husband (his dad) showed him how to use his camera and I bought him a light box.

"How are you finding time to do this and go to school and most 15 year olds are doing other things than hanging out in a shop."

The kids are homeschooled so have a little flexibility. He is doing online school and it is demanding so he does not have as much time in the shop as he would like. He spends at least 6 hours a day doing school work. The woodshop is our "Arizona Room" (part of our house) which is handy for when he takes a break from school. He also uses his weekends to do pens like the one on this post was done on Saturday. He can't wait for summer

Thanks for the encouraging words! I think penturning and woodwork is a good use of our kids' time! The bonus is that they are making money for college!
 
Last edited:
Seth, just fantastic work. I hope you realise just how talented you are. It can take people many years to accomplish what you have done in such a short time frame and it will be interesting to see what you come up with in the future :wink:

In answer to your Q, have you tried rough sanding the aluminium so that the glue has a textured surface to stick to?
 
Yes, I did rough sand the aluminum before I glued it. I will experiment with some other epoxies to see if I get a better result.
Thanks.
 
Good looking pen. You are way ahead of the curve. Keep going.

With respect to the epoxy. Don't clamp it tight like you would white or yellow wood glue. Epoxy needs to have a thin film left in the glue joint. Clamp it lightly so it isn't all squeezed out.
 
Curly said:
Good looking pen. You are way ahead of the curve. Keep going.

With respect to the epoxy. Don't clamp it tight like you would white or yellow wood glue. Epoxy needs to have a thin film left in the glue joint. Clamp it lightly so it isn't all squeezed out.
Click to expand...
I think that may have been my problem. I clamped it really tight and like you said probably squeezed all the glue out.
 
Knotboard said:
Quotes from jttheclockman:
"Very nice looking pen and photos. I have to ask, in your bio you say you are 15 years old. The pens I have seen you put out are some extrodinary looking pens and the photos are not to shabby either. Are you doing these pens or are you getting help??? I ask because there is not too many if any 15 year old pen makers here. Then to do the work you are putting out."

Hi! I'm Seth's mom and he is *supposed* to be doing school right now so I told him, I would answer the questions! An uncle visited last year and taught the kids how to turn a slimline pen. The rest is history. Seth ran with it! He has a knack for detail and has a passion for pen making. He gets a lot of his info from this forum. His brothers and dad go to him for pointers when they are making their pens.

"Are the tools you are using yours or someone elses and are you familar with their workings???"

My husband likes to buy quality tools and he has purchased tools over many years... they rarely got used until a year and a half ago when our then eleven year old decided to make his siblings wooden gifts for Christmas. I posted a picture on Facebook of him making wood toys and he started getting requests for Christmas gifts...that is when the woodworking "business" started.

"The photos are also first rate and are you taking them???"

Seth takes all the photos. My husband (his dad) showed him how to use his camera and I bought him a light box.

"How are you finding time to do this and go to school and most 15 year olds are doing other things than hanging out in a shop."

The kids are homeschooled so have a little flexibility. He is doing online school and it is demanding so he does not have as much time in the shop as he would like. He spends at least 6 hours a day doing school work. The woodshop is our "Arizona Room" (part of our house) which is handy for when he takes a break from school. He also uses his weekends to do pens like the one on this post was done on Saturday. He can't wait for summer

Thanks for the encouraging words! I think penturning and woodwork is a good use of our kids' time! The bonus is that they are making money for college!
Click to expand...



Hello Seth's Mom.

Have to say you are raising some fine good kids. from what I have seen not only from this site but the link that he supplied, the family as whole is very talented and you all seem to work well together. Getting support like that is so important in the upbringing of today's youth. School work always comes before shop. Seth shows great signs of learning quickly and not being afraid to try new things. In that link there are many interesting projects so it shows that the family is more into all around woodworking and other crafts. This keeps the mind active.

I just would like to throw an elder statesman word out there though. make sure safety measures are always followed. Knowing how to use the tools properly, wear the proper safety gear when needed. Glasses, face shields and dust masks are so important. Some of the materials you are working with can be toxic and breathing dusts and fumes especially that early in the development of their lungs can have negative effects further down the road. There are stories here that can validate those things.

Work safe, work smart and have fun. I look forward to seeing more fine work from the entire family. :):)

Thanks for taking the time to write.
 
Jttheclockman: "I just would like to throw an elder statesman word out there though. make sure safety measures are always followed. Knowing how to use the tools properly, wear the proper safety gear when needed. Glasses, face shields and dust masks are so important. Some of the materials you are working with can be toxic and breathing dusts and fumes especially that early in the development of their lungs can have negative effects further down the road. There are stories here that can validate those things."
Work safe, work smart and have fun. I look forward to seeing more fine work from the entire family."

I really appreciate these words of wisdom! Thank you!
 
Last edited:
That is a great effort Seth - really well matched materials and pen with an excellent perspective on the segmenting. I'm also impressed with the finish - what method did you use?
 
I used a CA finish for it. I did about 10-15 coats, sanded it with 600 grit, and then used plastic polish. Thanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom