My first pens

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Aeternyx

Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2021
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13
Location
IL, USA
Hi everyone,
I just thought I would share my first few pens. My wife bought me my lathe for Christmas in 2019. I was very excited but I'm embarrassed to say it took me 11 months to get the garage cleared and a spot made for it. Since then I've turned 4 pens (and blown up 2 others. RIP)

The first was made from olive wood which I gifted to my wife. The next 3 were deer antler bullet pens which I am gifting to my father-in-law and two brother-in-laws, all of whom are avid hunters.

So far its been a ton of fun and I'm really enjoying it. Looking forward to going back to wood for a bit though. The antlers are pretty but I don't love working with them.
 

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These do not look like someone's first pens.
They are well turned and a great start.
I am sure that your pens were well received.
And, Welcome to the forum.

Alan
 
alanemorrison said:
These do not look like someone's first pens.
They are well turned and a great start.
I am sure that your pens were well received.
And, Welcome to the forum.

Alan
Click to expand...
Thank you! What you can't see is the 4-5 blanks I destroyed because I can't drill a straight line, or the one I super glued to the bushing and destroyed getting apart. But the upside of having an 11 month delayed start is I had a lot of time to read and watch YouTube videos so I learned a lot about CA finishes and whatnot from that. It's really enjoyable and I look forward to making more. :)
 
Aeternyx said:
Thank you! What you can't see is the 4-5 blanks I destroyed because I can't drill a straight line, or the one I super glued to the bushing and destroyed getting apart. But the upside of having an 11 month delayed start is I had a lot of time to read and watch YouTube videos so I learned a lot about CA finishes and whatnot from that. It's really enjoyable and I look forward to making more. :)
Click to expand...
If you drill your blanks on the lathe then you should not have any problems drilling straight.
You also know the old saying...'The man that never made a mistake never made anything '. Everyone could fill pages with the mistakes they have made and that's how you improve. When I finish a pen I always look to see how I could have made it better.
Alan
 
alanemorrison said:
If you drill your blanks on the lathe then you should not have any problems drilling straight.
You also know the old saying...'The man that never made a mistake never made anything '. Everyone could fill pages with the mistakes they have made and that's how you improve. When I finish a pen I always look to see how I could have made it better.
Alan
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, I don't have a Chuck yet so I don't think I can drill them on the lathe? But my parents gifted me a rockler drill guide for Christmas and that seems like it will help tremendously.
 
Welcome. Have to agree those are awfully nice first pens! I personally feel that the bolt action pens are nice to start with, even if they are a little pricier than some other options. It's almost an instant cool pen!

The accessories can add up fast, but for making pens, the $30 for a chuck will be worth the investment for the time you save. Of course, then you will need a chuck and pen jaws to hold the blank, too. Hmm, and then... well, I still don't know where that road ends. Anybody else know? At least it's an enjoyable ride.
 
sorcerertd said:
Welcome. Have to agree those are awfully nice first pens! I personally feel that the bolt action pens are nice to start with, even if they are a little pricier than some other options. It's almost an instant cool pen!

The accessories can add up fast, but for making pens, the $30 for a chuck will be worth the investment for the time you save. Of course, then you will need a chuck and pen jaws to hold the blank, too. Hmm, and then... well, I still don't know where that road ends. Anybody else know? At least it's an enjoyable ride.
Click to expand...
Yeah the chuck/jaws will be my next big purchase but that will have to wait a month or two. Looking forward to it though!
 
Aeternyx said:
Hi everyone,
I just thought I would share my first few pens. My wife bought me my lathe for Christmas in 2019. I was very excited but I'm embarrassed to say it took me 11 months to get the garage cleared and a spot made for it. Since then I've turned 4 pens (and blown up 2 others. RIP)

The first was made from olive wood which I gifted to my wife. The next 3 were deer antler bullet pens which I am gifting to my father-in-law and two brother-in-laws, all of whom are avid hunters.

So far its been a ton of fun and I'm really enjoying it. Looking forward to going back to wood for a bit though. The antlers are pretty but I don't love working with them.
Click to expand...
Alchemist said:
Nice looking pens! We can't see the blown ones because you didn't post a pic- therefore, they don't exist. So! No worries!! We've all destroyed blanks. It happens. Just keep at it.




Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app
Click to expand...
Great job. I have only made 2 antler pens and not a big fan of them yet I did sell one.
 
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