Oklahoma guys

[bud_008]

Hi. Just started turning pens recently. Is this forum still active? Can we make it active if it isn't? I would love to learn from some of you veteran turners. Maybe buy, sell, trade blanks. And when the time comes, if any of you guys cast then I bet a lot of us would like to learn the art of casting. Feel free to send me a PM or reply to this thread! Look forward to hearing from you guys!!

 

[Gregory Hardy]

No...it's not still active. Only a million of us wondering who writes with all of these pens we make! Welcome to the (VERY active) forum. My great grandfather went to Oklahoma in the 1920s. Married a Cherokee woman (my great grandmother) and moved back to western Upper New York State in the Depression. Still have the family photos of her home on the reservation as a child. She was my favorite. Crazy old woman from Oklahoma. Assuming you're all that way.

 

[bud_008]

No...it's not still active. Only a million of us wondering who writes with all of these pens we make! Welcome to the (VERY active) forum. My great grandfather went to Oklahoma in the 1920s. Married a Cherokee woman (my great grandmother) and moved back to western Upper New York State in the Depression. Still have the family photos of her home on the reservation as a child. She was my favorite. Crazy old woman from Oklahoma. Assuming you're all that way.

I live over in eastern Oklahoma in the heart of Cherokee Nation. How is everything in New York state?

 

[Gregory Hardy]

It is good here as it is everywhere. My Papa use to say, "I check the obituaries every morning before I put my boots on so I know I'm not wasting my time. Otherwise, I'm glad for where I am."
My great grandmother was quite a lady. He was working the oil leases in your part of the country until the Dust Bowl hit, so he brought her back home to here - two hours south of Buffalo, NY. Other side of the family came earlier - I am eighth generation in this county. Last one to stay. Damn, we are stubborn people! Nice to hear from you, brother.

 

[bud_008]

I know the feeling. It was nice to meet you too. How long have you been turning? I have officially only made 2 pens as of this moment. Plan on turning a few more this evening.

 

[Gregory Hardy]

I know the feeling. It was nice to meet you too. How long have you been turning? I have officially only made 2 pens as of this moment. Plan on turning a few more this evening.

Good for you. Make three!
I have been working with wood for longer than I can say. Only playing with pens about two years. I crossed 500 pens a month ago. Sixty hours a week at work. Twenty hours every weekend in the shop to keep my marbles in a bag...so I can work sixty hours...so I can afford to make pens. Living the dream!

 

[Gregory Hardy]

I know the feeling. It was nice to meet you too. How long have you been turning? I have officially only made 2 pens as of this moment. Plan on turning a few more this evening.

Good for you. Make three!
I have been working with wood for longer than I can say. Only playing with pens about two years. I crossed 500 pens a month ago. Sixty hours a week at work. Twenty hours every weekend in the shop to keep my marbles in a bag...so I can work sixty hours...so I can afford to make pens. Living the dream!

And...done for the night now, but private message for direct conversation so the "purists" don't have to read our jibber-jabber! Glad to talk more. Keep making pens. Maybe people will start writing again. That's our job.

 

[eharri446]

Hey your jibber jabber is instructional as well. I am a transplanted okie. Left in 69 to go in the Army and stayed on the east coast when I got out. Spent time in Delaware, North Carolina and now Georgia.

 

[bud_008]

How's everything down in Georgia?

 

[eharri446]

Starting to get leaves dropping and the temps are staying in the low to mid 80's during the day.

Other than that, it is the same here as it is there. Everyone is chasing their dreams.

 

[tomtedesco]

Welcome from Colorado.

 

[bud_008]

Starting to get leaves dropping and the temps are staying in the low to mid 80's during the day.

Other than that, it is the same here as it is there. Everyone is chasing their dreams.

Persimmon says it's gonna be a wet heavy winter. Not much green left around here. Well, there's green but ya know.

Tried my hand at acrylics the other day. Blew out 4 blanks and stopped. Using a carbide cutter with the circular radius and light passes but I think I dug in too deep. And from what I have been watching online I had my lathe too fast. Had it spinning 3000 rpm. Seems a lot of guys on YouTube have theirs around 1200

 

[Scissortail Pens]

Starting to get leaves dropping and the temps are staying in the low to mid 80's during the day.

Other than that, it is the same here as it is there. Everyone is chasing their dreams.

Persimmon says it's gonna be a wet heavy winter. Not much green left around here. Well, there's green but ya know.

Tried my hand at acrylics the other day. Blew out 4 blanks and stopped. Using a carbide cutter with the circular radius and light passes but I think I dug in too deep. And from what I have been watching online I had my lathe too fast. Had it spinning 3000 rpm. Seems a lot of guys on YouTube have theirs around 1200

Bud, Welcome from Davis. On the acrylics, using carbide, if you'll turn the cutter about 45 degrees while cutting and taking light passes as you did, it will turn without catching. Takes a little getting used to but it's well worth it. I personally turn them as fast as my little lathe will turn and watch the ribbons fly.:biggrin:

 

[bud_008]

Starting to get leaves dropping and the temps are staying in the low to mid 80's during the day.

Other than that, it is the same here as it is there. Everyone is chasing their dreams.

Persimmon says it's gonna be a wet heavy winter. Not much green left around here. Well, there's green but ya know.

Tried my hand at acrylics the other day. Blew out 4 blanks and stopped. Using a carbide cutter with the circular radius and light passes but I think I dug in too deep. And from what I have been watching online I had my lathe too fast. Had it spinning 3000 rpm. Seems a lot of guys on YouTube have theirs around 1200

Bud, Welcome from Davis. On the acrylics, using carbide, if you'll turn the cutter about 45 degrees while cutting and taking light passes as you did, it will turn without catching. Takes a little getting used to but it's well worth it. I personally turn them as fast as my little lathe will turn and watch the ribbons fly.:biggrin:

Good ol Davis Oklahoma! Haven't had me some BBQ from there in a minute. I used to live in Ada. Worked in Pauls Valley. I have a really good friend in Wynnewood and I go back and visit a lot. I also go back that way a lot to referee/umpire. It's a small world.

When you say rotate the cutter, do you mean pull the handle up or **** the tool on its side? I like the looks of acrylic but have yet to fully turn one without blowout

 

[eharri446]

Make sure that what you have is not Inlace Acrylester. It is extremely brittle and takes a while to learn to turn it.

The best to learn to turn is Acrylic Acetate or AA as you will here it referred to. It turns real easy. Another one to turn is Alumilite. It actually turns like butter and I have never had a catch with either.

 

[bud_008]

Make sure that what you have is not Inlace Acrylester. It is extremely brittle and takes a while to learn to turn it.

The best to learn to turn is Acrylic Acetate or AA as you will here it referred to. It turns real easy. Another one to turn is Alumilite. It actually turns like butter and I have never had a catch with either.

The blanks I tried were from Penn State. They were already turned round. I also have more of their blanks coming in the mail called "the referee". (Since I'm a ref and know a lot of refs i figure a good gift) and I also have 3 blanks from woodturningz called "the jailbird". Any insight on those?

 

[Scissortail Pens]

Starting to get leaves dropping and the temps are staying in the low to mid 80's during the day.

Other than that, it is the same here as it is there. Everyone is chasing their dreams.

Persimmon says it's gonna be a wet heavy winter. Not much green left around here. Well, there's green but ya know.

Tried my hand at acrylics the other day. Blew out 4 blanks and stopped. Using a carbide cutter with the circular radius and light passes but I think I dug in too deep. And from what I have been watching online I had my lathe too fast. Had it spinning 3000 rpm. Seems a lot of guys on YouTube have theirs around 1200

Bud, Welcome from Davis. On the acrylics, using carbide, if you'll turn the cutter about 45 degrees while cutting and taking light passes as you did, it will turn without catching. Takes a little getting used to but it's well worth it. I personally turn them as fast as my little lathe will turn and watch the ribbons fly.:biggrin:

Good ol Davis Oklahoma! Haven't had me some BBQ from there in a minute. I used to live in Ada. Worked in Pauls Valley. I have a really good friend in Wynnewood and I go back and visit a lot. I also go back that way a lot to referee/umpire. It's a small world.

When you say rotate the cutter, do you mean pull the handle up or **** the tool on its side? I like the looks of acrylic but have yet to fully turn one without blowout

While holding the tool straight and level lengthwise, instead of laying the bottom of the tool flat on the rest, twist or "skew" the cutter about 45 degrees as if your turning a combination lock, it makes it more of a skew than a flat scraper and what it's actually doing is making a smaller area that contacts the blank and because it's skewed, it doesn't have a flat area to grab hold of the blank. Yep, Smokin Joes is still here. Had some Sliced brisket sandwiches from them last night.

Also, as Elwin stated, make sure that whether it's inlace acrylester or not, it's a definite learning curve to turning it, it's need to be done with very slow and extremely lights cuts.

 

[Paul in OKC]

I also turn at highest speed on my lathe, 3600, I think. I use the tool in the same position as with anything else. If you do try rotating, I have found that a bit harder for me because I have to concentrate on holding on tightly to the handle because if I get toward the side of the tool it wants to pull back down flat, but......ymmv. I found on acrylics for me it works best to turn the ends from the inside out. Even with woods I will usually Knock the corners off in the middle then work out to the ends, taking them down close to finish size, then work the middle. Seems to help.

 

[SJScher]

I would love to get the Ok chapter going again as I have only been turning about 8 months now and could definitely learn a lot from more experienced persons. Live in Edmond, Ok. I do cast my own acrylic now and am having a good time doing it, but still have a lot to learn on that process also. When turning Acrylic, take your time, don't force it and use sharp tools. Just takes a little patience and practice, but well worth it when you master the art.