Handmade Pens, Pen Blanks, and Gifts
My coworker love his BMW and wanted me to make a pen using their emblem as my inspiration. I decided that this was my chance to try making a segmented blank.
I cast three individual blanks for this project. One each white, black, and the best approximation of BMW’s Estoril blue that I could manage. I wanted black rings at nib and band with alternating white and blue sides. Aluminum sheet will separate each segment. Continue reading “Segmented Pen Blank Inspired By BWM Emblem”
To get the best finish possible, my pen sanding process includes sanding, polishing, and buffing to remove any tooling marks leaving a glassy smooth pen.
All sanding should be at low speed to reduce heat build up which could cause your blank to melt, or discolor. Always wear personal protection (PPE) equipment while using the lathe. Since I primarily work with resins, I sand wearing with both eye and lung protection. Some woods are irritants and shouldn’t be turned without protection either, you can find a list of hazardous woods at The Wood Database, if interested . I suggest everyone get in the habit of wearing eye and lung protection whenever sanding.
Continue reading “Pen Sanding and Finishing Process”
I turned another Funline pen today. After watching some videos on YouTube I thought i’d try a 1/3-2/3 approach on this pen. That means a bulge 2/3 up the body of the pen for visual interest and grip. The blank I chose is a black and orange crush blank from Penn State Industries. This blank came with the 30 Funline Pen Kit and Funline Pen Blank Special. I chose a gunmetal finish that went well with the blank. I considered a copper finish but didn’t like it as much as the gunmetal when I compared the two.
I also tried to buff the pen according to the way Zac Higgins from NV Woodworks does in his video on Buffing Acrylic Pen Blanks with the Beall 3-On system. This pen turned out much glassier than my previous pens. I was happy with the finish on my previous pens, but Zac’s method resulted in a vast improvement.
After turning the pen to size I realized there was a bubble in the blank which resulted in a hole all the way down to the tube. I filled it with medium CA and used a scraper with a really light cut to shear off any excess glue once it dried. The finished result isn’t bad at all. Continue reading “Funline with bulge”
This is the first pen I’ve made from a blank I cast myself. The blank is Allumilite with brown resin with brown PearlEx mixed into white resin. The picture here shows a chrome Funline kit, but when it was time for assembly I decided to go with a gold kit to enhance the warm feeling of the blank. Continue reading “First Pen from My Own Blank”
I’ve finished three new Funline pens. This will be a short post just showing my progress. 
I completed this Funline pen today. This is an Aquabright Light and Dark Green blank. I liked the first blank turned more but I forgot to true the blank and chipped the end when I tightened up the tailstock. There is a slight eccentricity on the nib end of the pen. I believe this is due to the mandrel being too short. The mandrel saver is resting on the threaded portion of the mandrel when two blanks are on installed. I did do the majority of shaping this time with only a single blank at a time. That the blank is still eccentric means i’ll have to do some research and measurement to make sure the lathe and mandrel are in good working order. Continue reading “Gun Metal Funline in Light and Dark Green Acrylic”
This is another Funline pen kit from Penn State Industries. The blank is one of their blue and white Funline Crush blanks. The kit is satin gold. Continue reading “Funline Pen with Blue/White Funline Crush Blank”
Today’s third attempt to turn a funline pen was a fail. I’ll put my notes in here as a learning experience. Continue reading “Third Funline Pen…almost”
Turned my second pen this morning. This time it took me about an hour and a half from start the finish; about half the time of my first. I sharpened my tools before I started and again about half way through. Sharpening made a noticeable improvement in cutting speed. There was also less complaint from the lathe with the sharper tools. While turning the first pen I noticed some vibration or maybe chatter from the blank towards the tailstock side. I’m assuming it was from excessive force while cutting that end. I did not experience the same problem this time.
I turned my first pen. I purchased a variety pack of funline pens and acrylic blanks from Penn State Industries to get started. This is a Funline/Slimline Satin Pearl pen with their Aquabright Purple Crush blank. I took me about three hours from start to finish but allowed me to use some of the tools I’ve purchased over the last two years but hadn’t yet used. I did not take pictures of the process, but I’ll post one of the finished pen. Continue reading “Turning my first pen”