Look into Rick Herrell’s pen blank sanding jig

[mmayo]

I realize you are newbies, but I wish I never tried a barrel trimmer. There are numerous reasons for this but know mine has been gone for a decade! Rick makes a jig that holds your blank in the tail stock (you need a drill chuck there too). It is used for every pen, razor, seam rippe, keychain I make. If it was stolen I would buy a new BEFORE turning anything again.

To use it you need a faceplate on your headstock with sandpaper. Mine is Velcro attached for easy changing. I use 150 and 220 grit. I flush up my newly glued up pen tubes as soon as the glue cures. I also use it again with CA finished objects to flush up the ends.

Save money, buy the items needed and give your barrel trimmer to another newbie.

Be careful once you get this as the spinning sanding disc can bite and bite hard. It is far safer than a barrel trimmer.

 

[sorcerertd]

I love mine! Somewhere around here there's a barrel trimmer collecting dust.

 

[henry1164]

I love mine. I can "sneak up" on the tube with slight touches to the sanding disk and lots of checking. Since I have been using Rick's device I have never cut a blank/barrel too short. I still have my barrel trimmer and considered giving it away but I don't want anyone to experience the issues that it can cause. Most likely will end up in the recycle bin.

 

[BULLWINKLE]

I realize you are newbies, but I wish I never tried a barrel trimmer. There are numerous reasons for this but know mine has been gone for a decade! Rick makes a jig that holds your blank in the tail stock (you need a drill chuck there too). It is used for every pen, razor, seam rippe, keychain I make. If it was stolen I would buy a new BEFORE turning anything again.

To use it you need a faceplate on your headstock with sandpaper. Mine is Velcro attached for easy changing. I use 150 and 220 grit. I flush up my newly glued up pen tubes as soon as the glue cures. I also use it again with CA finished objects to flush up the ends.

Save money, buy the items needed and give your barrel trimmer to another newbie.

Be careful once you get this as the spinning sanding disc can bite and bite hard. It is far safer than a barrel trimmer.

Snapshot doesn't show price, or who sells it. Can you please post where you got it ? Thanks

 

[AllanS]

Snapshot doesn't show price, or who sells it. Can you please post where you got it ? Thanks

The jig is from Rick - https://www.penturners.org/threads/custom-made-penturning-tools-accessories.92501/ and the jig itself is $40. He has an offset mount that increases the amount of the sanding disk you use for another $10.

He only sells that - the faceplate, mount, transfer punches, sleeves etc I got from elsewhere.

And the jig has my vote as well.

 

[BULLWINKLE]

The jig is from Rick - https://www.penturners.org/threads/custom-made-penturning-tools-accessories.92501/ and the jig itself is $40. He has an offset mount that increases the amount of the sanding disk you use for another $10.

He only sells that - the faceplate, mount, transfer punches, sleeves etc I got from elsewhere.

And the jig has my vote as well.

Thanks for the information.

 

[MainelyPens]

I really like mine as well, a real game changer as they say.

 

[RobS]

Please also note the following barrel trimming sleeves work great, with a spare mandrel mounted into Rick's jig.

Using Rick's sanding jig, a mandrel loaded into the jig and this set, you can easily square up everything.

This set was not available when Rick started making the jig, but it came out last year or so. There is a 9 piece and a 5 piece.

9 Piece Barrel Trimming Sleeve Set

9 Piece Barrel Trimming Sleeve Set

Now you can Barrel Trim any Pen Kit with any tube size with this top quality Barrel Trimming Sleeve Set. This 9 sleeve set gives you the ability to perfectly trim virtually any tube size using either a 7mm barrel trimmer or the PSI Pen Blank Squaring Jig. Slide the sleeve on the shaft of the trimm

www.pennstateind.com

5 Piece

5 Piece Barrel Trimming Sleeve Set

Perfectly trim your pen barrels with this 5 piece barrel trimming set. Slide the sleeve on the shaft of the trimmer or jig and slide the shaft into the tube. You will get an exact 90 degree squared blank every time. The 5 sleeve sizes will insert into tube sizes: 8mm, 11/32 in., 3/8 in., 10mm , 25/6

www.pennstateind.com

 

[CasePeanut]

Newbie question here. I've been sanding to square up and flush on the 5" disc built into my 1x30 sander instead of barrel trimming.

Is there an advantage to using this jig over a small disc sander?

 

[mmayo]

Newbie question here. I've been sanding to square up and flush on the 5" disc built into my 1x30 sander instead of barrel trimming.

Is there an advantage to using this jig over a small disc sander?

I use my lathe for drilling, to flush up the tubes blank, turning, CA application, sanding, buffing. Why try other items when we all have a lathe or more than one.

 

[CasePeanut]

I use my lathe for drilling, to flush up the tubes blank, turning, CA application, sanding, buffing. Why try other items when we all have a lathe or more than one.

Makes sense.

 

[randyrls]

I use Rick's sanding jig almost exclusively. Only closed end pens get a pen mill trimmer.

PS. If you are doing LOTS of tubes, the sanding disk is a good way to scuff up brass tubes.

 

[McKenzie Penworks]

I use Rick's sanding jig almost exclusively. Only closed end pens get a pen mill trimmer.

PS. If you are doing LOTS of tubes, the sanding disk is a good way to scuff up brass tubes.

For what it's worth... Use a good epoxy and you never need to scuff a tube up. Quit doing that years ago with no issues.

 

[David350]

Harry, I used to use the "sneak up" method as you describe to sand to the end of the tube when using my jig from Rick. Now I just listen carefully and I can detect the change when it goes from sanding the blank to touching the brass tubes. I can best describe the noise it makes when it hits the tube as a "shuuusssh" sound, like when you are asking someone to please be quiet. Technically, you are taking a tiny fraction off the brass tube, but in hundreds of pens I have never had an issue with a "short" tube...