Looking for Blank Stretching Ideas

[egnald]

Greetings all:

I just got a custom pin mandrel from Rick Herrell today for making closed end SPW Caballero kits. My dilemma is that nearly all of my blanks are 5-inches long, however, I need at least 5-1/4 inches, would like 5-1/2 inches in order to make the pens. Five inches just doesn't leave enough meat on the lower blank to work with in turning the closed end down. It also shorts me what I need in order to turn a custom cabochon for the finial.

If I was able to cut and drill everything perfectly:

The upper tube needs 1.85" of blank leaving nothing to allow for squaring.
Assuming 1/16 inch for my bandsaw kerf, that leaves 3.09" of blank for the lower.

The lower tube needs 2.11" for the tube and 0.66" for the spring and refill (2.77") leaving only 0.32" to work with to shape the end without accidently hitting the hole for the refill and spring. And nothing left to turn into a custom cabochon for the finial.

To cover the additional and to accomodate a slight margin of error, I think I need about 5-1/2 inches of blank.

I've been thinking about trying to match a couple of Cocobolo blanks well enough that I could use one for the upper and cabochon and the other for the lower end, but Cocobolo can be tricky for matching as the colors can vary significantly when it is being turned. I've also thought I could do the same thing using Olive or Ironwood which should be a little easier to match up since both are a little more stable in grain pattern and color when they are turned down.

The other thought was of course to add some length by adding a couple of 3/8 inch Ebony or SimStone segments to lengthen the blank, but I really had my heart set on a non-segmented design.

Do you have any other ideas I might consider?

Regards,
Dave

 

[KateHarrow]

for my closed end pen kits (the Apollo and the Artemis) I often recommend a segmented center band, segmented finials, or both to help get the blanks to a longer size. I especially like mixing mediums and using a wood blank with a resin accent. Can be a slick design feature when done correctly.

 

[greenacres2]

Besides segmenting, doing some custom cutting is about it. I've got a bit of weakness for stray lumber the way some folks cotton to stray dogs, so having a stash helps. Cocobolo I've got to 18" at 1.5" square. Actually think there's a few 3/4" x 8" or so. Guess my suggestion is to accumulate wood instead of standard sized pen blanks so you can be flexible. Not helpful for you today, but it works.

Well…it works IF I ever can bring myself to cut bigger chunks of wood to the sizes I need!!
Earl

 

[Todd in PA]

Ebony looks great with everything. I'm interested in trying closed end blanks soon. The ones I've seen posted here with end caps really look sharp.

Here's an example I saw here recently—

Kitless (#3) Ebony and cast epoxy with ebonite section

I wasn’t going to post this one, but it has grown on me. #6 bock, ebony sleeved with ebonite and self cast epoxy accents. 16mmx140mm C,C and Q welcome.

www.penturners.org

 

[duncsuss]

My suggestion is to buy blanks from people who don't cater solely to kit pen makers. Quite a few folks who sell here understand there are needs for longer blanks.

Sites like WoodBarter cater to a much wider group of woodworkers, and you can post a "looking for ..." message and can often get something that matches what you're looking for. You might even find somebody who agrees to trade some of your too-short-for-closed-end blanks for some that are long enough for regular kit pen use.

 

[KenB259]

Doesn't help you much, but I buy very few pen blanks. I cut my own from boards. I have it good though, my local woodworking store carries many exotics.

 

[PatrickR]

since you have to add length, some type of segmenting will be involved. To make it look appealing keep it symmetrical.(cap/barrel)
your idea of adding a piece of the same wood will never match, so don't try and force it to. Your added piece should contrast even if its the same wood. I would also add something thin in the joint. Veneer, paper, plastic etc. since you cant hide the joint make it obvious.

 

[monophoto]

When I first saw this post, I thought it was either a delayed April Fool's gag - you know, the latest tool for pen makes to drool over is a blank stretcher - or another version of that e-mail we all occasionally get about little blue pills.

Seriously, I think there are two options. The less desirable would be to use different timbers for the body and cap portions of the pen. I consider this less desirable because the basic design of the pen already includes two elements - wood (or plastic) and metal. My design sense tells me that going to three different materials would be too busy. Likewise, a segmented solution would also detract from the appearance of the final product.

The better answer is to forgo precut blanks and instead cut your own blanks from boards. And that would be less expensive because boards sell by the board-foot, while blanks sell at a fixed price per blank. If you convert the fixed price of a blank into a board-foot price, you will find that blanks are pretty darn spendy.

My local hardwood dealer has a shorts bin where they sell odds and ends of various hardwoods. A 2' length of 4 quarter timber 5 inches wide could yield 16 blanks, each 1x1x 5.5", at a price that is dramatically less than buying precut blanks.. And that's not including any discount associated with the 'left-over' nature of the shorts bin.

Now if you want to use a plastic material, then the corollary process is to cast your own. There was a post here a few weeks ago about trying to change the standard blank length to something longer than 5". As I recall, the consensus was that because there is no standardization process that applies to pen blanks, and because its a commodity market, getting the industry to respond to a 'voice of the customer' demand for greater length would be difficult.

 

[jttheclockman]

Dave as you seen you got some basic common sense options and there is no way to physically stretch the blank. Any of these ways will look just fine. Segmenting works well. Buying larger blanks or cutting from a source that is a board works well. then there is the use of 2 different materials for cap and body. Do not be afraid to do this. It works well also and gives a different look to a pen. You see this alot from big pen names. There is no law in pen making that says the blanks have to match. It is just a look. an example of a few I did.

 

[RGVPens]

Dave as you seen you got some basic common sense options and there is no way to physically stretch the blank. Any of these ways will look just fine. Segmenting works well. Buying larger blanks or cutting from a source that is a board works well. then there is the use of 2 different materials for cap and body. Do not be afraid to do this. It works well also and gives a different look to a pen. You see this alot from big pen names. There is no law in pen making that says the blanks have to match. It is just a look. an example of a few I did.


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Beautiful JT! Gives me some ideas.

 

[egnald]

Thanks for all of the ideas.

I scrounged around in my shop and found a piece of nicely figured walnut and a warped piece of Jatoba that are big enough to cut into blanks. I also found a 1x1x12-inch spindle blank of Olive and one of Bocote that I can use. It just won't be Cocobolo or Ironwood which are my favorites!

Dave

 

[sorcerertd]

The blanks I buy from West Penn Hardwoods are typically 6" except for the Australian burls, which are 5". But cutting your own would definitely be a good way to go if you can find good stock to use.