First Pen - Sunshiny And Symmetrical!

[Kuryaka]

This is my first attempt at turning and tapping. After a year of playing with assorted sizes of fiberglass/brass tubing and wishing that things would fit together securely, I decided to get myself a set of hardware and do something about it. I practiced with a piece of scrap acrylic before starting this, but using a straight chisel is still difficult, and even some of the shaping was done with a bowl gouge. Though my tools are Harbor Freight carbon steel, I wasn't expecting to have to sharpen them after turning each piece - I'm sharpening them by hand, so could that be a reason? I think I'm turning at somewhere between 1000 and 1500 RPM once it's round, and the tools still feel fairly sharp, but I need to put some pressure on the chisel to start removing material, and it starts chipping shortly afterward.

Half of the pen is unfinished because I'm thinking of going back and smoothing out the rough patterns left by the bowl gouge, but I also wanted to try out polishing with micro-mesh. I couldn't find a die stock for my 1.25" 12mm x 0.75 die, and tried making a die holder. And then I realized that I was turning things off center. I had to cut off the barrel external threads twice and re-turn. The second time around, I just did it by hand. In retrospect I could probably make a die holder for the lathe and use that instead. The main things I've learned from this: Turn it round first, taking off part of the corners with a Dremel to speed up the process a bit. Then drill out holes and thread everything, as the blank can now be reliably centered.

In terms of design, this was built with the intention of using gel pen refills - Pilot G2 size. They're a good bit longer than Parker refills, but otherwise seem compatible. I'm currently using a Uni-Ball Jetstream refill. I'm a student and most people I know seem to either use disposable ballpoints or gel pens. I don't know if there's any sort of interest in hand-turned pens, but judging by the popularity of every non-kit-pen Kickstarter project, there's definitely a market out there. I can modify this to fit RSVP ballpoints and Hi-Tec-C, as well as either Parker or G2 refills - turns out that the thinner refills are also longer, so you just drill out a longer narrower hole for them and make sure the tip's stable.

Blanks from Bear Tooth Woods - Had to use two pieces of Baby Chick acrylic for the cap+body because both sides were just sliiightly longer than half of the blank. Used a piece of scrap from a bag of cutoffs I bought for the section. I find myself wanting more plain-colored blanks now...

I would appreciate advice on, well, pretty much anything. Would investing in a grinder and/or high speed steel tools be worth it?

[jj9ball]

You are definitely on the right track. I wouldn't try turning without hss tools. There is a reason that it is hard to find turning tools that AREN'T hss. I would definitely do the grinder and also get some sort of sharpening jig (freehand is okay but there is a learning curve). The following is just my experience with turning acrylic... keep that in mind. When I "rough" a blank I present the gouge directly to the work. This causes me to produce chips. When I am shaping and doing final turning I cut with the side of the gouge (all my tools are sharpened on a wolverine jig with a side grind bevel) and I produce really long ribbons and a very smooth surface. You could also use a skew chisel to do this. The only reason I think this is important is that the finish coming off the tool is usually good enough that I start sanding with 320 or 400 and it saves times. Also you will never (at least I haven't yet) "blow up" a blank cutting in this way. As far as speed goes I would recommend faster. This is largely a personal preference sort of thing. I turn all my acrylic at 2000-2400 rpms. I have it on this speed the whole time... from roughing to finishing. I would definitely go with a die holder on the lathe as well as a spring center for tapping. If you can cut straight threads both inside and on the outside of the pen you will save yourself a TON of problems as you go on to finish and complete the pen. I wouldn't try to make custom pens without either of those tools. You are on the right track for sure and the work looks good. Keep after and post more pictures.

Take care,

Jeff.

[DaveM]

I turn with HSS tools, and I sharpen before each pen. I then touch them with a hone a couple of times on each half of the blank. If I am turning a slightly abrasive blank, I retouch three or four times per half blank. I like my tools sharp! It makes for more controlled cuts and a nicer finish. It also reduces the chance of blowing out a blank. I turn at top speed. (Jet 1236, so not as fast as some of the dedicated mini lathes. There are times I wish I had a little more speed. I square the blank with a roughing gouge, on edge, and I take light cuts while moving across the blank pretty quickly. Then I use a 1 1/2" skew for the rest of the pen. It's a huge skew, but it is really stable on the tool rest, and I can get really fine cuts with it. You only use a tiny bit of the edge when making a pen, so sharpness is critical. The other trick to turning successfully is to keep the tool rest really close to the work. This makes for a much more stable tool and a smoother cut. I stop a couple of times to nudge the rest closer to the pen as I reduce the diameter. I also keep my tool rest smoothed, polished and waxed, and pay close attention to the part of the tool that slides on the rest. I see so many people turning with dinged up square corners on the sides of their skews, and wondering why the tool feels "Jerky" on the lathe. It really makes a difference when turning. I had those steps suggested to me once after showing off some less than perfect unfinished blanks, and I gave it a try. I smoothed everything, and got the tool sliding smoothly on the rest. I have never looked back. It made turning so much easier and the results were so much better.

 

Acrylic can be pretty touchy to turn, and some of the fancy ones are really sensitive to a dull tool, or a little slip. If you are having to put pressure on the tool, stop and hone it just a bit. I keep an extra fine diamond stone on the stand next to the tailstock. I can safely swing the tool over between passes and give each side of the edge a couple of drags across it. I also have a small slipstone for getting the inside of my gouges sharp. I could shave with my turning tools. They are that sharp. My Father kept a leather strop near by, and used that to hone his skew. I have it hanging a few feet from the lathe, but I still use it quite a bit.

 

As for using a skew vs. using gouges, they both work. If you are more comfortable with the gouges, then use them for now. The skew is a more efficient tool that can leave a finer finish, but it is a bit trickier to control. You can read a dozen books and watch a dozen videos on skews, but the best way to master the skew is just to practice with it, It took me a long time to really make the skew my go to tool. Now, I usually only have two turning tools at the lathe when I do pens. (Roughing gouge and big skew) I also have calipers and use them often. Nothing is worse than turning a part a couple thousanths under spec. (I am still waiting for the lathe tool that puts material back, but I don't think they are ever going to invent one!)

 

Good luck with your penturning, and welcome to the addiction hobby.

 

Dave

Edited August 23, 2014 by DaveM