The project of making a pen was brought up recently and I realized I hadn’t made one in a while. So I thought I would make a pen I’ve not turned before. The Gatsby pen is a click pen that looks fancy and I’ve never done one.
After getting I discovered I needed a different bushings, I order those. Got set to turn it and come to find out, I don’t have the right drill bit. I ordered that next. Finally, after all the time preparing it was time to get turning.
The wood I choose was a pretty purplish blank that looked like it had a couple of swirls in the grain, which I determined might appear to be eyes in the wood. The Camatillo had dark streaks and vibrant color in the wood, I thought might look stunning on the pen, but it broke in the drill press. I must have pushed too hard on the bit or didn’t clear the chips.
Fingering through the pen blank box, I found a Spalted Tamarind blank. The spalting of various shapes and lines I thought would make a great substitute. I was not disappointed. The Tamarind was everything I hoped it would be. I was afraid it would be punky or really soft wood, that causes tear outs. I was very wrong.
The blank turned nicely on the lathe and finished well. I know it’s a bit of a stretch to call it a Halloween Pen, but I have a great imagination. LOL
This weeks video: Halloween Pen
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