Chrysalis of a Pen

crowie · Feb 9, 2019

G'Day Ducky,
While I appreciate writing with a good fountain pen of the ink kind, I have little interest in making them.
I'll leave that to those such as yourself with first class lathe skills and heaps of patience.

TheWoz · Feb 9, 2019

Another fine pen and article by the Duck!
Hope all is well, any recommendation for turning pen blanks with brass embedded?

recycle1943 · Feb 9, 2019

that's a beautiful pen but like crowie said, I'll do my thing and let you experts do yours

GR8HUNTER · Feb 9, 2019

good tutotial BUT no way im jumping in dat rabbit hole pen turning is like owning a B.O.A.T :<))

Dutchy · Feb 9, 2019

Like to see your skills and knowledge, and maybe there will be a time to try it by my own.

rad457 · Feb 9, 2019

LOL! Made me want to go check the firewood pile for my next pen blank! Well seeing that a lot of my past pen blanks came out of the scrap burn box in the shop??? Nah will wait until it warms up some, still in the - 30s here.

robscastle · Feb 9, 2019

Interesting stuff LBD, now a question or so,

1. Where on earth did you come up with the word chrysalis from? I know you dont read much but that one blew me out. I had to go look it up even before getting into post!

The reference to possibly some XXXX present got my attention, so after waiting ages for the file to arrive.
Thinking there was going to be some hot material included as I waited so long, but it was just a pen file!
I then scoured it for hidden interesting information.

I found I needed to ask more questions.

2. 7/32 What sort of timbermate it that and why have you reveresed it so we cannot see the type?
3. 12/32 What do you call that odd looking countersink bit
4. 21/32 Nice job on the velcro grit graded sanding blocks, do they work OK?
5. 23/32 I hope that is a Parker pen insert you have used, again I cannot read the manufacuterers details as they have been hidden again.

6. Finally where is the XXXX material ? I saw nuffng as Shultz would say.

Apart from some information missing you have done a great job and presented a very comprehensive little story, ... and a credit to you. (Worth writing home about)

LittleBlackDuck · Feb 9, 2019

rc, I shall attempt to answer all your questions… Chrysalis is a Hungarian Fern cutting term for a sharpened duck feather sticking out of an ink well.

Sorry about the XXXX… but I am a gentile man and only go for XXX. The missus put the X on me which is where you may have got the extra X, however, in her eyes I had to remove an X… and XX is less revealing than the page 3 girls from The Truth so I deleted those pages.
7/32 is a jar of peanut butter that I secret in my workshop as I am nut intolerant in the kitchen.
Actually I call it an odd looking countersink bit, however, some members of the aristocracy refer to it as a pen reamer.
No they don't work… that's why they are sitting on the bench and not in my hands. I heard rumours that some quack cuts strips (100, 150, 180, 240 grits) from bulk stock (not 1" wide rolls) so it can apply more pressure to sand faster.
This jig is used

to butcher bulk stock
Mais certainement! Ran out of Mont Blanc refills.
They're in Hogan's barracks… after all, we now know all about Bobby Crane.

robscastle · Feb 9, 2019

XXX it is, ... sorry about that Chief! XXXX I must have been thinking about beer

robscastle · Feb 10, 2019

OK its me again,

I just realised I had made some errors with the references
those being:-
23/32 is actually a questionrelating to some beaded chain, so whats that for please?
and the parker pen question is actually 27/32 whic I think you have supplied a satisfactory andwer.

BTW do you happen to know what Corelz125 means?

LittleBlackDuck · Feb 11, 2019

OK its me again, OK its me again, (too)

..... 23/32 is actually a questionrelating to some beaded chain, so whats that for please?.....
- robscastle

For a minute there I thought you sprung me,

with the keys to my handcuffs,

Then I had a closer look and rest assured there's little kinky stuff (by that I mean not big and not necessarily too much),

happening in my workshop!

..... do you happen to know what Corelz125 means…..

- robscastle

Is this a trick question? Isn't that a pen for 125 sleeping sheep? Or is it corelz125!

bushmaster · Feb 12, 2019

Never have turned a pen, always like to try new things but the cost of getting the equipment and kit to expensive to just have one fancy pen sitting on ones desk. No market in the rural far north. I remember going to a small country school as a kid. Old wooden desks with a hole for the ink glass insert. Dip pens and the ink would freeze in cold weather overnight. We had to light the wood fire and carry water from the creek every day. Out houses too. Some kids would come on horseback that lived far away. Imagine that in grade one. some walked up to 3 miles, summer and winter. Last part of grade 6 they closed the school and we then had to go by bus 17 miles to town.

LittleBlackDuck · Feb 12, 2019

Never have turned a pen, always like to try new things but the cost of getting the equipment and kit …..
- bushmaster

bushie, for a turner that surprises me. Every woodworker should make at least one pen in their lifetime… especially us oldies that remember how to write.

They're a great little project if you want to just veg out in the workshop. I know you have all the ancillaries (lathe, drill press, drill bits, chisels, sandpaper, CA glue and finishing polish) and would only need a mandrel ($16), set of bushings ($6) and the pen kit.

Most people start on a slimline which is OK for a novice woodworker (by that I mean woodworker not a novice penturner… I believe you know which is the pointy end of a skew). Would suggest a cigar ($8) and I'll bet you'd eventually kick yourself if you only bought one. The blank can come from any scraps (preferably exotic), however, also consider a LOSR (Log On Side of Road) or a BOOMBY (Branch Out Of My Back Yard… thick rose clippings

would surprise you… OK you missed out on the cigar).
You can always use a bench vice (carefully) for a pen press and a sanding disc/belt (sound familiar) to square up the blank's ends (with care).

The beauty of a pen is you can keep it economical and not go crazy like me and try to buy every model… steer clear of the high end ones as few people are prepared to part with their retail value in shekels. I always recommend cigars for the boys and Sierras (Elegant Beauties) ($8.50 + a set of $6 bushes) for the girls, though it goes without saying the girlie one will cost you more.

My first cigar was made out of black palm with a gold plated kit,

I still carry it around in my top pocket (all my upper body coverings have a pocket for that reason… I discard T-shirts without pockets) everywhere since it's creation over 10 years ago. The gold plating has worn off and I have replaced refill countless times, but I'd feel more uneasy leaving home without my pen that trousers and knickers.

Chrysalis of a Pen

Project Information

Gallery

Comments

crowie

TheWoz

recycle1943

GR8HUNTER

Dutchy

rad457

robscastle

LittleBlackDuck

Attachments

robscastle

robscastle

LittleBlackDuck

Attachments

bushmaster

LittleBlackDuck

Attachments

More in Projects

More in Projects