Pen blank making

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Geophyrd

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Jun 7, 2010
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Yardley, PA
I've been turning pens for most of a year now, just recently found this forum. Now I read it pretty avidly.

I've probably turned 100 pens or so, with varied kits and I've gotten a little bored with the standard kits I've been making using standard blanks purchased. What I want to do is make blanks with more complexity so they turn out lovely. For example, I've discovered if you use the wood sticks in the oil pots used to scent a house, they turn beautifully and leave a nice scent on a pen.


To do this, I've been using all kinds of things in my turnings and want to get some ideas on materials. What do people turn with, besides the obvious wood, acrylic, plastic? I've got some ideas, like using aluminum foil as an inlay border, but I'm pretty sure people have tried lots of things. Can we share them?

Last question, I've seen some amazing accents but the one that intrigues me most came from the Gisi Brothers...they have metal accents that look like little metal dots. Anyone know how they do this?
 
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Just about any material you can think of can be made in to a pen, either by casting around it or just turning it. Some have used aluminum, paper, guitar pick guard material, shell, polymer clay, brass, feathers, coffee, pasta, clothing, labels, animal skin, antler just to name a few. Spend some time in the photo section and if you look long enough, you will see just about everything you could imagine and more.

As for the dots, The Gisis are certainly one of the best. The dots can be made using an index wheel on the lathe and mounting a dremel tool or the like on a platform or of you have a metal lathe in the tool rest. At each stopping point on the index wheel or wherever you want, drill a small hole into the blank, fill with silver wire and file/sand down. You have to select woods and other materials carefully so as not to get silver dust in the wood.
 
I tried aluminum foil - its a bit thin to show up. On some wood parings you can just see it, but on others it disappears. Something a little thicker I think woul dbe better. I havent tried it yet, but some have used soda cans for aluminium - be sure to sand off the coating.
 
soligen said:
I tried aluminum foil - its a bit thin to show up. On some wood parings you can just see it, but on others it disappears. Something a little thicker I think woul dbe better. I havent tried it yet, but some have used soda cans for aluminium - be sure to sand off the coating.
Click to expand...


Soligen, I did the soda can thing. I used some fairly transluscent acrylic but didn't sand off all the patterning from the can and it still didn't show up.

What did happen though was that the blanks kept breaking when I drilled them. I think that on longer blanks when drilling, you can get some pretty strong tidal stresses going on. It happened 3/3 times. I simply drilled the parts, inserted the pen tubes and glued them together around the tube. They turned beautifully and I had no problem. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
Geophyrd said:
soligen said:
I tried aluminum foil - its a bit thin to show up. On some wood parings you can just see it, but on others it disappears. Something a little thicker I think woul dbe better. I havent tried it yet, but some have used soda cans for aluminium - be sure to sand off the coating.
Click to expand...


Soligen, I did the soda can thing. I used some fairly transluscent acrylic but didn't sand off all the patterning from the can and it still didn't show up.

What did happen though was that the blanks kept breaking when I drilled them. I think that on longer blanks when drilling, you can get some pretty strong tidal stresses going on. It happened 3/3 times. I simply drilled the parts, inserted the pen tubes and glued them together around the tube. They turned beautifully and I had no problem. Thanks for the suggestion!
Click to expand...

You were using the wrong adhesive--this has been done successfully.
 
+1 ... Try using a good quality epoxy, and make sure to scuff the metal really well so that the glue has something to bond to. I mix wood, plastic and metals together all the time.
 
I use Thick CA for nearly all my segments. Drilling, I drill slow, easy and with a twist bit. I have seen bradpoints blow more blanks than I care to admit.
 
Turning blanks with metal imbedded CAN be an art, more than a science.

I was fortunate enough to turn some of Eagle's metal blanks (against my better judgement--I was afraid I would blow them up). The technique involved stopping regularly and reinforcing the blank with thin CA "dowsing".

So, you MAY have the right idea for MAKING the blank, just not enough patience in the turning. I also had several "tricks" to turning those blanks, but why bore you with all that history.

PM me if you want more specifics.
 
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