drill an oversized hole for the brass insert then fill it with a colored resin. let cure in pressure pot then drill out the correct diameter for the insert
Nick, its the imperfections within a seemingly perfect object that make the thing a whole. The final result was stunning, one of a kind, and quite cheeky to use a pencil to make a pen barrel.
Just wanted to say, I stumbled upon your channel awhile back when you were turning a MONSTER of a burl. Since then I have tried to catch all your new videos as they come out. I really dig the eccentric style you bring to your work, and as a beginner woodturner (starting with pens), I have found much of your information to be extremely helpful as I venture forth. Thanks for the great content! God Bless.
Hi Nic, Another good video. The way it's usually done is to paint the inside of the blank with acrylic paint, then glue your brass tube in when it's dry.This way the glue doesn't show through the paint. Always drill your blank just a fraction on the big side to leave room for glue and paint if your'e painting it. Otherwise the glue etc, is wiped off when the tube is inserted. Hope you don't mind me saying? Stu.
Hi Nick, I'm Dennis... and I make pens as well... just watched your vid. and had a couple of words of advice, if you're interested... When sanding your blank, prior to using the CA glue, sand a little below the surface of the bushing. This will give you a little relief as the CA glue builds up. I use Micromesh sanding pads that start out at 1000 grit, and end at 14000 grit, sanding while they are wet. You will not need to polish afterwords as this will leave you a mirror finish. Seriously. This is just the way that I do my pens. Follow your gut on this, but I think you will love the results. It takes a little longer, going thru all of the increasingly finer grits, but the results are well worth it. Happy turning! Dennis
Mr Zammeti, your videos are an inspiration. I'm about to learn pen turning and seeing how you made a blank off the top of your head, inspires me more. Love the vids. Lots of love from Canada bud.
Nick, I received the pen today and I LOVE it. It's such a great conversation piece and the brass looks like a gold background. Thanks so much for sending this out quickly. Also, I love your new Zipper Vase video ... you always find the neatest things to try and to demonstrate. I look forward to more videos (love the pencil ones best!)
I know this video is almost 2 years old, but I've just watched for the first time. I would like to comment that I really like the way you show your mistakes and learn from them. The resin split when you drilled it, fine, let's try using the CA glue and give it a go! OK, the glue is showing through where it split, that's ok too. You are more interesting to watch than others who never show mistakse happenngi. (See what I did there?) Keep it up!
Hi Nick, an old friend of mine makes pens and uses the ca glue technique and he always gets a great finish every time. Enjoyed the video and look forward to watching my way through as many as possible. Take care, Norm.
I think it looks neat to be able to see the inner workings of the pen.However you are seeing it in real life so it may look different than what I am seeing on the video. Keep up the good work.
Black dye mixed with the resin similar to mosaic pins on knives.. (you could also use glow in the dark powder/liquid too!!!) The black resin with the colour contrast of the pencils would look cool! Really enjoying the videos... inspired me to get a lathe sorted!!
I think it looks great Nick!! You did a fantastic job on it. There are a couple ways to deal with the tubes and glue. Painting the tube does help a lot, but you usually can see glue in there. If you paint the inside of the blank, it will cover both the tube and glue up. Only tough part is getting an even coat of paint on the inside of the plastic. I went with a nickel tube on the one I made and that worked pretty decent, but you could see some glue here and there. Thanks for the shout out too!! Waffle on my friend =D
Oh wow it came out nicer than I thought it was going to. Not saying that I didn't think it was going to look nice. It just came out better. I'm impressed.
Nice Pen Nick I be made some pens encasing pencil shavings into resin and they are awesome. Same problem though I had to colour the brass tubes and I painted inside the drilled out blank. Result was well worth it. Pat
We all make mistakes. I can find a mistake in pretty much every project I've done. I'm constantly learning new things. I just ordered a mandrel kit and press. I have a bunch of blanks already. I'm sure I'll mess um several when I first start turning some pens. Good video Nick, don't fret the small stuff. Happy New Year!
To help with trimming the ends especially with these type of blanks make a small disk sander from a round block of wood to be held in the chuck. Get e set of punches and you can even use them to disassemble pens but find the one the tube fits over and grip in a Jacobs chuck in the tail stock. Put the tube on it then bring up to the sanding disk. This will be less aggressive as the barrel trimmer. Now I have to go find an excuse to use a box of screws. Great video.
Hi Nick, you can paint the blank not the barrel, as in the tube hole inside the blank. then apply glue to the barrel as normal. Sometimes you need to drill a hole slightly bigger than the brass tube...only a smidge! or the paint inside the barrel will be scratched off as you insert the brass tube. Also, you seem to have a rotating mandrel saver on the tailstock of your lathe...therefore, you don't need the brass thumb screw to secure the blanks...Your tailstock and mandrel saver can apply all the pressure you need to secure the blanks. Great video again!
Nick, I might offer a couple suggestions. Most barrel trimmers are not very sharp from the mfg. You will notice that there is a flat side and a curved side on each of the four cutters. Place the flat side down on a credit card sharpener/hone or a diamond hone and sharpen each of the four cutters. When using the trimmer use very light pressure. The second thing, and could also have contributed to the blank splitting, is the brass tube seemed to fit way too tightly. This can cause glue starvation as the tube is inserted and could contribute to the blank splitting.
I love all your pencil projects, but all your projects are fascinating to watch. I especially loved your 'pencil' pen so much that I just purchased it. Thank you for putting this up for auction ... I will always have your first 'pencil' pen! Love your series, Nick. BTW, I especially loved the project you did with your daughter .. she's adorable!.
Hey , I've just sold that Pen, was that to you ? sweet. thanks so much, I hope it will be a good talking point when you pull it out the bag. ill get this in the post asap for you. take care and thanks so much for the message
It was me, and I've been waiting for a pencil project to come up. It will be a great conversation piece, and I'll use it with pride. Keep up the awesome work.
Nice first attempt! I think it came out pretty great. One thing I'd recommend, between each sanding grit, stop the lathe and manually spin it while sanding in the perpendicular direction. This will greatly reduce the sanding marks caused by the sand paper moving in one direction. 🤓👍
@Leann - If you want to see a real gorgeous clip of Nick, check out the video where he makes a belt buckle using kinetic sand... yum yum. Love to watch his videos!
Hey Nick, love to see the experiments. I personally like how this one came out. Seeing the workings of the pen is a rather fun idea. Don't be so hard on yourself! Thank you for showing us the whole thing!
When I use the sanding disks, I take the one I'm done with and put it on the bottom of the stack so I have the same thickness of pad and my fingers don't get hot. Folding them back can crease the paper a bit much.
Why not try stacking the pencils all in one direction either crosswise, lengthwise, or diagonally so they don't leave such large voids full of resin to see the barrel through?
You can etch a design into the barrel, noting fancy but something that catches the eye and that way any portion of the barrel you see through the resin will look nice instead of just a blank barrel.
Hi nick great video great pen. Paint inside the tube before you put tube in might help with glue being seen and also do not overdo the ca activator as that causes the white sheen i had same problems when i started. keep up great work nick. Also i sent you a couple of the blanks ive made for you and charlie. Pam
If you never had a pressure pot what would you suggest using to cure the resin please or say you were doing a larger piece that would not fit in to the pot?
i think the scattered look makes it way cooler compared to aligning the pencils (at least in line with the pen). maybe if all the pencils were aligned, but at an angle to the blank. ive been watching all you RUclips lathe stars and i am going to buy one and get back into the hobby. (used to do it in high school)
I made some PTFE teflon tapered bushings for my mandrel so after all the sanding is complete I take the sanded blank off the pen bushings and insert the tapered teflon bushings into the blank and mount them on my mandrel to apply my CA glue coatings. That way your pen bushings won't stick to the blank and you won't have to buy pen bushings so often (the bushings get CA glue buildup on them and your future pens will start coming out too thick and cause mismatch to the kit). The teflon bushings are reusable. I buy the teflon rods from Amazon cheap. You can remake them if you have to. The CA glue won't adhere to them. Also I use epoxy on the brass inserts. They are easier to insert (you don't have to hurry the process) and the epoxy won't come loose like CA glue will sometimes do. I also found people like the skinnier profile. I buy extra tubes in case I don't like my results. And you may want to get a disassembly kit in case you brake or crack a blank or don't like how the pen looks when/after you assemble the kit. You can make that yourself if you don't want to spend the money. I usually color the brass inserts a color that won't show or clash with my blank before I install them.
Nice work; even with the imperfections you pointed out. Micromesh has blown my mind. I've been taking my corian stuff up to 12000 and then buffing with car polish.
I think it looks awesome, You could add colour to the resin problem solved. Your idea was a good one keep going thank you for the video Nick. I also liked the idea that even when things go wrong you can fix it. That is much better than throwing it away and starting again. That was a great tip Thank you.
Hey Nick, awesome video, and love that you show your mistakes and how you corrected the crack. To prevent the resin from cracking try using your sander disk or belt to trim it down. Not as aggressive as the barrel trimmer. Hiding the brass can be a bit trickier I have tried both painting the tube or barrel a white or black first but ca(superglue) will break it down and allow the brass to show. If you paint either use epoxy two part and mix just a small amount to put on the tube not as caustic as glue so doesnt break down the paint. Oh check out RJB Turner I think I know its RJB he does almost exclusively pen turning
Awesome video and a really interesting project! I was wondering, to fix the gaps issue, in the future would lining up the pencils before adding the resin help? I thought that might eliminate the gaps between the pencils and make it harder to see the barrel and the glue.
BIG LIKE! what about making acrylic pieces loaded with glitter? I love the way you try things out & don't give up, oops and all we are only human. BIG SHOUT OUT!! from the STATES, North Eastern Wisconsin .
I colour my resin with common food dye and have actually added glitter to wood that has developed a shake due to shrinkage, I don't mind telling you it looks pretty good.
Mr nick I so love watching your videos, your creativity is amazing. I do really enjoy watching someone try something new and not always having it go flawlessly but still having the determination to make it work. You are inspiring!! I just ordered some swag and stickers off of your website. I was wondering if at all possible could I get you to put your John Hancock on the sticker. I want to have it be the first sticker on my lathe. Thanks Matt smith. ps. I tried making a colored pencil blank this week, they are kinda a booger to turn :)
Beautiful. I thought the CA glue dried clear. I might coat the inside of the tube with glitter and let it dry before adding the pen tube. Well, anyway, you have a new fan.
Nick, have you made anything with pencils cut into discs, like tiny circles? If not, I think it would be cool, especially in small projects like this pencil pen.
Hi, Any chance you could show how to set up the pen turning mandrel. I have recently purchased the Charnwood mandrel (I have a Charnwood lathe) but the mandrel did not come with instructions. I have worked out what I think is correct but it would be good to have benefit of your experience. Others may be perhaps be a bit perplexed on how to properly set up the mandrel. Love the pens your are turning. Bryan
Nick, I was in NZ last year and purchased a couple wooden flowers that had been turned. I would love to learn how to do this and was wondering if you had nay experience making these. Cheers, Alan
mix some glitter or metal dust in th resin and that would obscure the barrel from showing through. or run the pencils inline and drill out a center pencil th put the barrel in?
very cool. I was thinking that if you were to cut the pencils a bit shorter there would be fewer gaps because they would be closer together but you would probably loose the wrap around effect. keep up the great work
I would've left a like for just the blank video but when you went into making the pen I had to leave the like lol love the videos inspired me to start hand carving again and I'm looking into starting resin projects soon
Hi Nick, apologies for the late feedback. I have a few idea's of how to camouflage the pen blank tube! What about puting colourful rubber bands around it! or why not use the shavings from sharpening the pencils and superglue them to the tube! The pencil pen blanks look incredible mate, I imagined them to be like your bowl pencil blanks with the pencils lined up in regiment. I'll have to write the details down... hmmm now where did I put my pencil?.... oooh Nick lol. Apologies for the late reply, have a great week my friend 👍 😆 👍
Hey buddy, Yes. I just had another message on this, great idea, ill get right on it. .. hope all is well buddy. and you had a nice bank holiday weekend. you will like this Fridays projects mate. well I hope you do anyway lol. its a bit different
Nick Zammeti NZ WoodTurning Just getting over feeling ill, so I cancelled Bank Holiday til later this week lol. This Friday is going to be different! a little bit different! Can't believe that mate... now if you said "a lot different " that would be easier to believe you doing lol. Now you have me thinking, that's the best thing about bad memories you could do a video standing at the side of your lathe... there would be day's of me thinking "Oh brilliant I hope he can use that lathe!" It's also nice to see that the professionals can make mistakes... guttering but still nice to see... in a nice way that is. How many sleeps before Friday? lol, take care and have a great week my friend 👍 😆 👍
Hi, Can I ask why you use CA glue as a finish on resin. Most people say just a good polish with fine paper is normally good enough. I tried CA glue finish on resin & wood but always seem to get cloudy marks under the CA & end up sanding it all down again. Any advice ?
Ive checked out a few videos on SCA glue/super glue finishes, everyone seems to be using shop towel. Is there a problem with lint/fibres gluing to the surface from the towel?
I like the brass being visible. However, if you do not, try drilling out the hole larger than you need. Then filling it with opaque resin. Then re drilling the hole for the brass.
You could use clear epoxy as glue... Wont be able to see that through the resin im sure. You'll of course paint the brass tube before gluing it in. Cutting the pieces of pencil even shorter might help with filling in the gaps better, might also make it a bit more colorful... Love your work and your videos... Thanks!
I had an idea before I saw some previous comments, but still. Would colouring the resin jet back be any better? It would make a better contrast and you coulnt see the barrel, and it would sort of look like a galaxy. Or you could mix some glitter or something like that in it haha
Try painting the brass tube with different coloured nail polishes....it will look like the pencils.... then glue it into the blank with clear epoxy glue.
I dont know squat about making pens but i honestly can say i really like the pen even if u can see the barrel i think its cool like a see through pen awesome
I am no expert so don’t take my word put couldn’t you have covered just the gap with a little more resign? That way the glue does not go into the crack. I am sorry it is late. Also don’t be to hard on yourself Nick. You are great at what you do even if there are a bit of flaws. Don’t think to hard on it because it is great either way!!
drill an oversized hole for the brass insert then fill it with a colored resin. let cure in pressure pot then drill out the correct diameter for the insert
honestly think it's cool you can see the brass. I like knowing how things work. it's cool to catch of glimpse of what's inside your pen
Hey Justin, thanks buddy. glad you liked this one. hopefully you will enjoy this Fridays project. Its a weird one..... all the best mate
I like seeing thru to the gold because it really makes the pencils more 3-d.
Awesome job!
thanks Colleen. hope all is well.
Nick a tip for the barrel showing through, paint the inside of the blank before you glue in the brass tube. you wont see the tube or the glue.
That's a good idea....
hey thnaks for this buddy, i will try this next time round haha all the best
This would be cool because you could still see all the pencils through in layers, as opposed to adding dye to the resin that might hide inner pencils.
I appreciate the fact that you share your mistakes. I think the pen looks awesome! Love your projects and videos! Peace :)
Beth Keel thank you Beth all the best
Nick, its the imperfections within a seemingly perfect object that make the thing a whole. The final result was stunning, one of a kind, and quite cheeky to use a pencil to make a pen barrel.
I have a pen, I have a pencil... UHHH.... pen pencil... I have a pencil... I have a pen.. UHHH Pencil pen blank pen!
lol.. this cracked me up.. haha. now I have this song in my head again lol
Just wanted to say, I stumbled upon your channel awhile back when you were turning a MONSTER of a burl. Since then I have tried to catch all your new videos as they come out. I really dig the eccentric style you bring to your work, and as a beginner woodturner (starting with pens), I have found much of your information to be extremely helpful as I venture forth. Thanks for the great content! God Bless.
Hi Nic, Another good video. The way it's usually done is to paint the inside of the blank with acrylic paint, then glue your brass tube in when it's dry.This way the glue doesn't show through the paint. Always drill your blank just a fraction on the big side to leave room for glue and paint if your'e painting it. Otherwise the glue etc, is wiped off when the tube is inserted.
Hope you don't mind me saying?
Stu.
Hi Nick,
I'm Dennis... and I make pens as well... just watched your vid. and had a couple of words of advice, if you're interested...
When sanding your blank, prior to using the CA glue, sand a little below the surface of the bushing. This will give you a little relief as the CA glue builds up.
I use Micromesh sanding pads that start out at 1000 grit, and end at 14000 grit, sanding while they are wet.
You will not need to polish afterwords as this will leave you a mirror finish. Seriously.
This is just the way that I do my pens. Follow your gut on this, but I think you will love the results. It takes a little longer, going thru all of the increasingly finer grits, but the results are well worth it.
Happy turning!
Dennis
Mr Zammeti, your videos are an inspiration. I'm about to learn pen turning and seeing how you made a blank off the top of your head, inspires me more. Love the vids. Lots of love from Canada bud.
Nick, I received the pen today and I LOVE it. It's such a great conversation piece and the brass looks like a gold background. Thanks so much for sending this out quickly. Also, I love your new Zipper Vase video ... you always find the neatest things to try and to demonstrate. I look forward to more videos (love the pencil ones best!)
I know this video is almost 2 years old, but I've just watched for the first time. I would like to comment that I really like the way you show your mistakes and learn from them. The resin split when you drilled it, fine, let's try using the CA glue and give it a go! OK, the glue is showing through where it split, that's ok too. You are more interesting to watch than others who never show mistakse happenngi. (See what I did there?) Keep it up!
I love that the blank has pencils going at all angles the 3D effect is amazing! Love your channel! Keep on Waffling!
Hi Nick, an old friend of mine makes pens and uses the ca glue technique and he always gets a great finish every time. Enjoyed the video and look forward to watching my way through as many as possible. Take care, Norm.
Don't apologize for trying to do your best ! Carry on and learn frim your mistakes. You're doing great ! Loved the lighthouse !
I have to say I'm really glad you didn't just stop at the blanks. I love to see it from start to finish. :)
I think it looks neat to be able to see the inner workings of the pen.However you are seeing it in real life so it may look different than what I am seeing on the video. Keep up the good work.
Hi Nick lovethepencil pen blanks & pen. Could you make a blank using coloured pencil SHAVINGS from a sharpener?
Dawn Mason hey dawn yes I could that's a good one 👍🏽👌🏼
Look forward to seeing those blanks. Got a special anniversary comng up & want to buy His Nibs a special pressie.
I like it with the brass showing through. Makes it look like the pencils are floating inside.
Black dye mixed with the resin similar to mosaic pins on knives.. (you could also use glow in the dark powder/liquid too!!!)
The black resin with the colour contrast of the pencils would look cool!
Really enjoying the videos... inspired me to get a lathe sorted!!
Glad you carried on and finished the project, nice one agree with suggestions below either colouring the resin, you could make it translucent maybe :)
I have that same Robert Sorby pen turning set. I've used it for years and I highly recommend it.
I think it looks great Nick!! You did a fantastic job on it. There are a couple ways to deal with the tubes and glue. Painting the tube does help a lot, but you usually can see glue in there. If you paint the inside of the blank, it will cover both the tube and glue up. Only tough part is getting an even coat of paint on the inside of the plastic. I went with a nickel tube on the one I made and that worked pretty decent, but you could see some glue here and there. Thanks for the shout out too!! Waffle on my friend =D
Hey thanks for the advise Zac buddy , thats a great help. all the best mate
Try 5 Min Epoxy but colour the epoxy
Oh wow it came out nicer than I thought it was going to. Not saying that I didn't think it was going to look nice. It just came out better. I'm impressed.
Nice Pen Nick
I be made some pens encasing pencil shavings into resin and they are awesome.
Same problem though I had to colour the brass tubes and I painted inside the drilled out blank.
Result was well worth it.
Pat
We all make mistakes. I can find a mistake in pretty much every project I've done. I'm constantly learning new things. I just ordered a mandrel kit and press. I have a bunch of blanks already. I'm sure I'll mess um several when I first start turning some pens. Good video Nick, don't fret the small stuff. Happy New Year!
Nice work Nick!
Can't wait for a Pencil Pen Blank Pen 2.0!
To help with trimming the ends especially with these type of blanks make a small disk sander from a round block of wood to be held in the chuck. Get e set of punches and you can even use them to disassemble pens but find the one the tube fits over and grip in a Jacobs chuck in the tail stock. Put the tube on it then bring up to the sanding disk. This will be less aggressive as the barrel trimmer. Now I have to go find an excuse to use a box of screws. Great video.
Nick, don't ever worry about these videos being too long. They can't ever be too long.
Hi Nick, you can paint the blank not the barrel, as in the tube hole inside the blank. then apply glue to the barrel as normal. Sometimes you need to drill a hole slightly bigger than the brass tube...only a smidge! or the paint inside the barrel will be scratched off as you insert the brass tube. Also, you seem to have a rotating mandrel saver on the tailstock of your lathe...therefore, you don't need the brass thumb screw to secure the blanks...Your tailstock and mandrel saver can apply all the pressure you need to secure the blanks. Great video again!
Nick, I might offer a couple suggestions. Most barrel trimmers are not very sharp from the mfg. You will notice that there is a flat side and a curved side on each of the four cutters. Place the flat side down on a credit card sharpener/hone or a diamond hone and sharpen each of the four cutters. When using the trimmer use very light pressure. The second thing, and could also have contributed to the blank splitting, is the brass tube seemed to fit way too tightly. This can cause glue starvation as the tube is inserted and could contribute to the blank splitting.
Very nice job Nick your realy getting better every time you do things keep it up love the pen .
I love all your pencil projects, but all your projects are fascinating to watch. I especially loved your 'pencil' pen so much that I just purchased it. Thank you for putting this up for auction ... I will always have your first 'pencil' pen! Love your series, Nick. BTW, I especially loved the project you did with your daughter .. she's adorable!.
Hey , I've just sold that Pen, was that to you ? sweet. thanks so much, I hope it will be a good talking point when you pull it out the bag. ill get this in the post asap for you. take care and thanks so much for the message
It was me, and I've been waiting for a pencil project to come up. It will be a great conversation piece, and I'll use it with pride. Keep up the awesome work.
I love how excited you get to make a project❣️Great job❣️
Nice first attempt! I think it came out pretty great. One thing I'd recommend, between each sanding grit, stop the lathe and manually spin it while sanding in the perpendicular direction. This will greatly reduce the sanding marks caused by the sand paper moving in one direction. 🤓👍
My god, this dude is gorgeous
lol.. thanks Leann all the best
Cmon this isn't a dating site lol
Amen😍😍😍😍😍
@Leann - If you want to see a real gorgeous clip of Nick, check out the video where he makes a belt buckle using kinetic sand... yum yum. Love to watch his videos!
Spock, no kidding! Lmao
Great pen nick, really good idea doing the blanks with pencils.
very nice!.....I've seen the reccomendations already but I will repeat. I recommend painting the inside of the blank after you drill for the tube!
Hi Nick. I usually paint the inside of the blank, and use epoxy to glue the tube in.
I like it don't mind seeing the barrel at all. I like seeing how things work and that's one way to show it. as always great job thanks for sharing :)
Aside from coloring the resin you could also add different colored mica powders to the resin. Give it a glittery effect.
Hey Nick, love to see the experiments. I personally like how this one came out. Seeing the workings of the pen is a rather fun idea. Don't be so hard on yourself!
Thank you for showing us the whole thing!
Use Testors Enamel Model Paint to paint the barrel whatever color you would like before you glue it into the blank.
There are white pen tubes you can get that might help
yes awesome , ive just found some . thanks buddy
That's a cool looking pencil pen! The brass give it another dimension, at least I think it is.
The blanks look great!
This is so educational for those who want to learn how to do tho. Wow. Beautiful!
Hey Nick just back paint your blanks prior to gluing the tubes, works great.
I love watching you, the ideas. You come up with are brilliant xx
When I use the sanding disks, I take the one I'm done with and put it on the bottom of the stack so I have the same thickness of pad and my fingers don't get hot. Folding them back can crease the paper a bit much.
Why not try stacking the pencils all in one direction either crosswise, lengthwise, or diagonally so they don't leave such large voids full of resin to see the barrel through?
Loved it! turning pens is my favorite, I also turn deer antler and corian. thanks for the video.
You can etch a design into the barrel, noting fancy but something that catches the eye and that way any portion of the barrel you see through the resin will look nice instead of just a blank barrel.
Hi nick great video great pen. Paint inside the tube before you put tube in might help with glue being seen and also do not overdo the ca activator as that causes the white sheen i had same problems when i started. keep up great work nick. Also i sent you a couple of the blanks ive made for you and charlie. Pam
Pam, painting inside of the tube is useless, you need to paint the inside of the blank.
Len
lol yeh thats what i ment thanks for correcting me len
Almost look 3 D, man, GROOVY! Very nice. I love it.
If you never had a pressure pot what would you suggest using to cure the resin please or say you were doing a larger piece that would not fit in to the pot?
Wow. These are going to be stunning
i think the scattered look makes it way cooler compared to aligning the pencils (at least in line with the pen). maybe if all the pencils were aligned, but at an angle to the blank. ive been watching all you RUclips lathe stars and i am going to buy one and get back into the hobby. (used to do it in high school)
I made some PTFE teflon tapered bushings for my mandrel so after all the sanding is complete I take the sanded blank off the pen bushings and insert the tapered teflon bushings into the blank and mount them on my mandrel to apply my CA glue coatings. That way your pen bushings won't stick to the blank and you won't have to buy pen bushings so often (the bushings get CA glue buildup on them and your future pens will start coming out too thick and cause mismatch to the kit). The teflon bushings are reusable. I buy the teflon rods from Amazon cheap. You can remake them if you have to. The CA glue won't adhere to them. Also I use epoxy on the brass inserts. They are easier to insert (you don't have to hurry the process) and the epoxy won't come loose like CA glue will sometimes do. I also found people like the skinnier profile. I buy extra tubes in case I don't like my results. And you may want to get a disassembly kit in case you brake or crack a blank or don't like how the pen looks when/after you assemble the kit. You can make that yourself if you don't want to spend the money. I usually color the brass inserts a color that won't show or clash with my blank before I install them.
Nice work; even with the imperfections you pointed out.
Micromesh has blown my mind. I've been taking my corian stuff up to 12000 and then buffing with car polish.
I think it looks awesome, You could add colour to the resin problem solved. Your idea was a good one keep going thank you for the video Nick. I also liked the idea that even when things go wrong you can fix it. That is much better than throwing it away and starting again. That was a great tip Thank you.
it is so satisfying to watch the carving parts.. lol
Looks very nice nick how about put a slight colour in the resin?
glad you continued the video. turned out great!
Hey Nick, awesome video, and love that you show your mistakes and how you corrected the crack. To prevent the resin from cracking try using your sander disk or belt to trim it down. Not as aggressive as the barrel trimmer. Hiding the brass can be a bit trickier I have tried both painting the tube or barrel a white or black first but ca(superglue) will break it down and allow the brass to show. If you paint either use epoxy two part and mix just a small amount to put on the tube not as caustic as glue so doesnt break down the paint.
Oh check out RJB Turner I think I know its RJB he does almost exclusively pen turning
That pen is quite Funkadelic.... good job Nick....Rock on🤘🤘🤘
Awesome video and a really interesting project! I was wondering, to fix the gaps issue, in the future would lining up the pencils before adding the resin help? I thought that might eliminate the gaps between the pencils and make it harder to see the barrel and the glue.
BIG LIKE! what about making acrylic pieces loaded with glitter? I love the way you try things out & don't give up, oops and all we are only human. BIG SHOUT OUT!! from the STATES, North Eastern Wisconsin .
Amazing work as always Nick! I wonder if they have clear barrels? Then again you'd see the inside of the pen...
What about coloring your resin
yeah thats a cool idea Ashlee. thank you for this
try to use resin as the glue to hold the barrel in..?
"Pencil Wank"
I wouldn't do that buddy, that could cause some serious damage to your goods pal .
I colour my resin with common food dye and have actually added glitter to wood that has developed a shake due to shrinkage, I don't mind telling you it looks pretty good.
Mr nick I so love watching your videos, your creativity is amazing. I do really enjoy watching someone try something new and not always having it go flawlessly but still having the determination to make it work. You are inspiring!! I just ordered some swag and stickers off of your website. I was wondering if at all possible could I get you to put your John Hancock on the sticker. I want to have it be the first sticker on my lathe. Thanks Matt smith. ps. I tried making a colored pencil blank this week, they are kinda a booger to turn :)
I bet the color pencils would look cool set in black resin!
Beautiful. I thought the CA glue dried clear. I might coat the inside of the tube with glitter and let it dry before adding the pen tube. Well, anyway, you have a new fan.
If you drill some random small holes through the barrel, then glue via the inside of the barrel, a bit like tack welding?
Nick, have you made anything with pencils cut into discs, like tiny circles? If not, I think it would be cool, especially in small projects like this pencil pen.
Hi Nick,you can glue the barrel in with epoxy resin,the you would not see the glue .
Hi, Any chance you could show how to set up the pen turning mandrel. I have recently purchased the Charnwood mandrel (I have a Charnwood lathe) but the mandrel did not come with instructions. I have worked out what I think is correct but it would be good to have benefit of your experience. Others may be perhaps be a bit perplexed on how to properly set up the mandrel. Love the pens your are turning. Bryan
Nick, I was in NZ last year and purchased a couple wooden flowers that had been turned. I would love to learn how to do this and was wondering if you had nay experience making these. Cheers, Alan
mix some glitter or metal dust in th resin and that would obscure the barrel from showing through. or run the pencils inline and drill out a center pencil th put the barrel in?
very cool. I was thinking that if you were to cut the pencils a bit shorter there would be fewer gaps because they would be closer together but you would probably loose the wrap around effect. keep up the great work
Loving the waffle sign!
My dad has odds n junk in sheds and bored now he's retired. So I've sent him link to this. Thanks
Hey thanks Amelia, all the best to you and your pop. take care x
just came across this video and really enjoyed it, great idea with lots of possibilities for sure, thanks for your great channel content.
Would an amber tint to the resin help obscure the brass? Looks nice no matter....
I would've left a like for just the blank video but when you went into making the pen I had to leave the like lol love the videos inspired me to start hand carving again and I'm looking into starting resin projects soon
Yes! You say garage the right way😄👍
Another great video thanks a lot. Where is best to get the finishing sanding pads from?
This one was in my suggested videos 🥰
Gave me an idea. Why not try re-doing some old videos and do a comparison from now to then at the end... 🤷🏼♀️
Hi Nick, apologies for the late feedback.
I have a few idea's of how to camouflage the pen blank tube!
What about puting colourful rubber bands around it! or why not use the shavings from sharpening the pencils and superglue them to the tube!
The pencil pen blanks look incredible mate, I imagined them to be like your bowl pencil blanks with the pencils lined up in regiment. I'll have to write the details down... hmmm now where did I put my pencil?.... oooh Nick lol.
Apologies for the late reply, have a great week my friend 👍 😆 👍
Hey buddy, Yes. I just had another message on this, great idea, ill get right on it. .. hope all is well buddy. and you had a nice bank holiday weekend. you will like this Fridays projects mate. well I hope you do anyway lol. its a bit different
Nick Zammeti NZ WoodTurning
Just getting over feeling ill, so I cancelled Bank Holiday til later this week lol. This Friday is going to be different! a little bit different! Can't believe that mate... now if you said "a lot different " that would be easier to believe you doing lol.
Now you have me thinking, that's the best thing about bad memories you could do a video standing at the side of your lathe... there would be day's of me thinking "Oh brilliant I hope he can use that lathe!"
It's also nice to see that the professionals can make mistakes... guttering but still nice to see... in a nice way that is.
How many sleeps before Friday? lol, take care and have a great week my friend 👍 😆 👍
Hi, Can I ask why you use CA glue as a finish on resin. Most people say just a good polish with fine paper is normally good enough. I tried CA glue finish on resin & wood but always seem to get cloudy marks under the CA & end up sanding it all down again.
Any advice ?
Looks great, love the channel! How about painting the barrel then casting it into the blank so there is no glue.
Hi nick, do you just use your normal resin to mix your pen blanks with colour pigment.?
Keep up the great work.
Thanks jb
Ive checked out a few videos on SCA glue/super glue finishes, everyone seems to be using shop towel. Is there a problem with lint/fibres gluing to the surface from the towel?
Ideas, Miniture Figure painter for the barrel. Clear dry glue ... like clear resin.
I like the brass being visible. However, if you do not, try drilling out the hole larger than you need. Then filling it with opaque resin. Then re drilling the hole for the brass.
You could use clear epoxy as glue... Wont be able to see that through the resin im sure. You'll of course paint the brass tube before gluing it in. Cutting the pieces of pencil even shorter might help with filling in the gaps better, might also make it a bit more colorful... Love your work and your videos... Thanks!
I had an idea before I saw some previous comments, but still. Would colouring the resin jet back be any better? It would make a better contrast and you coulnt see the barrel, and it would sort of look like a galaxy. Or you could mix some glitter or something like that in it haha
Try painting the brass tube with different coloured nail polishes....it will look like the pencils.... then glue it into the blank with clear epoxy glue.
I dont know squat about making pens but i honestly can say i really like the pen even if u can see the barrel i think its cool like a see through pen awesome
I am no expert so don’t take my word put couldn’t you have covered just the gap with a little more resign? That way the glue does not go into the crack. I am sorry it is late.
Also don’t be to hard on yourself Nick. You are great at what you do even if there are a bit of flaws. Don’t think to hard on it because it is great either way!!