Thoughts and opinions please

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
I think you will have good selection. I particularly like the aged with red paint version. I am biased though as we have 3 or 4 key pieces of furniture that have a similar aged with paint look built of reclaimed Mango.


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
The first rustic blank but I would like to see the red paint results. I like the idea but, would like to see it. Also, I really like the original blanks. The barn wood alone tells a story. Imo. Thanks for sharing.


Sent from my iPad using Penturners.org mobile app
 
And another experiment. This one just had the aging solution applied, no digging out of the grain. The grain was so tight that I thought it would detract from the overall appearance if I dig it out.

28044728069_eeb9c6ded8.jpg


I went ahead and glued in a tube to see how things would work, and I learned a few things.

1. With these angled blanks, they do NOT like to have the ends squared. You can see the top section with a different wood (walnut with aging/ebonizing solution). That's due to a blow out during squaring. I think it would be best to sand the ends square with these, but even though I've got one of Rick's offset lathe sanding jigs, I've not had much luck in getting the ends square with that method. So I clamped the end in my vice to support the grain as best I could while squaring with my drill.

2. With the Cortona pen kits, be very careful not to trim the brass tube when squaring. These kits are a little different from others I've turned. The top section presses in as normal, but the tip assembly only presses in by hand. The twist mechanism is very long and fits into the upper section to hold everything together. While fixing my blowout issues, I shortened the brass tube which didn't leave enough length to allow for the tip section to mate with the end of the blank. I'm curious to see how this design fares over the long haul.

3. When using epoxy, heat is your enemy. I used epoxy to glue on the segment at the top, and while removing excess wood on my belt sander, I got it too hot which softened the epoxy and ruined the hold.

4. Always be willing to spend as much time as it takes to experiment with things.
 
Last edited:
Still like the angled grain, you have some nice grain character/color to work with. I know with the American Chestnut barn wood I have, some is loaded with character and other is quite plain. Thanks for sharing the lessons learned.


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app
 
RogerC said:
And another experiment. This one just had the aging solution applied, no digging out of the grain. The grain was so tight that I thought it would detract from the overall appearance if I dig it out.

28044728069_eeb9c6ded8.jpg
Click to expand...

To my eye, I think you've finally stumbled upon something that has elevated this wood to a new level of sophistication. I can't say if you're done experimenting, but I think you're definitely on the right track there.

Personally, I'd side with those who say that they would prefer the feel of the smooth vs. the rough/textured version in my hand, but as far as appearance goes, this is the version I like best. Nicely done, Roger!
 
Ripper70 said:
To my eye, I think you've finally stumbled upon something that has elevated this wood to a new level of sophistication. I can't say if you're done experimenting, but I think you're definitely on the right track there.

Personally, I'd side with those who say that they would prefer the feel of the smooth vs. the rough/textured version in my hand, but as far as appearance goes, this is the version I like best. Nicely done, Roger!
Click to expand...
Thanks. I think it's really going to depend on each piece of wood as to which finish I end up using. The stuff I was using on my earlier tests had a much wider grain and didn't react the same to the aging solution as this did.
 
RogerC said:
Thanks. I think it's really going to depend on each piece of wood as to which finish I end up using. The stuff I was using on my earlier tests had a much wider grain and didn't react the same to the aging solution as this did.
Click to expand...

Years ago, I worked with an outfit that made dining tables from reclaimed Douglas Fir barnwood exactly like you're using here. Our "rustic" finish was achieved by using a two-part beaching solution called Daly's. After the bleaching we used nothing but Briwax and heavy buffing. The results were stunning.

Granted, we only buffed to a matte finish, but if you can sand that wood to the finish you've achieved above, it may be a method that would work well with the wider grained wood from your earlier tests.

Full disclosure: I'm a know-nothing when it comes to pen turning and finishing but I have worked quite a bit with that exact kind of wood and it might be just another way to get great results from that material. Just sayin'.
 
I apologize Roger (I had to reread the posts since the initial).... I like each of your trials!

Well done and please continue! Each has its appeal.
 
I was able to get 2 more pens turned this weekend, and I think I've got my technique down, at least for this particular plank of wood. It reacts very nicely to the aging solution. I've found that I do have to put some accent rings on the ends, though, because every blank ended up with blowouts at the ends because of the angled grain.

The bad news — I really don't like the Cortona pen kits at all. I'm not a fan of how they go together. I was very careful not to trim the brass tube when squaring the ends, and I still ended up with tubes that were too short, causing a gap at the tip assembly. Also, I just don't think the design will hold up over time with the tip assembly simply pushing in by hand rather than it having a section that's permanently inserted into the tube.

So for now, it's back to finding an acceptable twist pen kit for the right price.
 
gtriever said:
With an aged or well - figured wood blank, I'm a big fan of the Knurl GT Twist Pen in either Gunmetal or Antique Brass.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've turned quite a few of the Knurl GTs and really am a fan as well. They're just a bit too expensive for the price point we're shooting for on this pen, especially the brass. I've been looking at kits all morning and haven't found anything that fits my requirements, so I may talk to my guy and see if we want to increase the retail price on this one so we can do it, though.
 
I think I've finally got my process worked out and settled on a finish.

The wood is 90 year old douglas fir. The segment on the cap is walnut set off with a piece of vintage plastic from 100 year old piano keys. Not sure if it's acetate or celluloid, but it definitely wanted to catch fire when I was sanding it :eek:.

40560627982_aa0613151f_b.jpg


25732453057_5fde626e35_b.jpg


39891767074_d8fc6c4acc_b.jpg


I had to correct a lot of problems with my process in order to avoid blowouts during squaring and turning, but I think I've got it nailed down now. The segmenting on the cap on this one was the result of a large blowout when I tried to square the end with my mill. I finally got my technique perfected for Rick's sanding jig, and it worked perfectly.

The wood was treated with my vinegar/steel wool aging solution which also turned the walnut black. The pen is finished with CA.
 
Hi Roger
Big fan of your work and have followed a few of your builds over on TDPRI

A process I had some luck with as I was sanding through the grits my last step before finish was to use some scotch brite. It gave a polished surface and dug out some of the grain for a raised surface. I was turning Wenge and it came out beatiful, polished shiny with a little texture to set it off.

Sadly those two pens left faster than I could photograph them..

regards and keep up the good works

Rick
 
RogerC said:
I was able to get 2 more pens turned this weekend, and I think I've got my technique down, at least for this particular plank of wood. It reacts very nicely to the aging solution. I've found that I do have to put some accent rings on the ends, though, because every blank ended up with blowouts at the ends because of the angled grain.

The bad news — I really don't like the Cortona pen kits at all. I'm not a fan of how they go together. I was very careful not to trim the brass tube when squaring the ends, and I still ended up with tubes that were too short, causing a gap at the tip assembly. Also, I just don't think the design will hold up over time with the tip assembly simply pushing in by hand rather than it having a section that's permanently inserted into the tube.

So for now, it's back to finding an acceptable twist pen kit for the right price.
Click to expand...
Same here I bought 30 to make instead of the slim.
If you trim the body tube juse a hair it leaves gaps. And also the top inside tube needs to be at least a 1/4" longer so it can grip the tranny better. To close tolerances for this pen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom