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.
Lessons Learned:
- Make sure your buffing wheels are charged with compound.
- Wear respirator while buffing. I’m not sure what the hazards are but it smells bad and you don’t need to be breathing that.
- Zac lifts and drops his blank onto the wheel as he turns the blank. I don’t know if that is what helped today but the results were excellent.
Final Thoughts:
I’m not sure I like the bulge. On some pens I like to see the barrel arc out axially. but I think i’ll keep my slimmer pens with straight sides or a very gentle dome profile.