I tend to turn the pen with the sizing sleeve already on the bushing, and when turning the tenon I'll stop the lathe and move the sleeve over it to size it up. I've also never thought about gluing the center band on. But I will say, this is my favourite pen kit! Inexpensive, attractive, and reminiscent of a Mont Blanc.
Good tip about the air compressor for getting dust off. I'm in the habit of using a shop towel wetted with acetone, but that can sometimes strip colour out of some of the colourful hardwoods.
i used to turn lots of these, infact my first order from you was probably a bunch of them! haven't turned one for a while though. i thought there was a sizing sleeve that fits over the middle bushing for the barrel diameter, you then removed the sleeve to get the tenon diameter
Just finished making this pen. It's amazing gold with ziricote wood. This will be my go to pen to make in a slim version. Looks amazing and is fun to make
As always, we really appreciate the quality videos you produce. After watching you use the pen press I have a question about ours. I noticed you had very little up and down movement when using the press. With ours the part with the 2 red turn knobs moves up past center by at least 1/2" - 3/4". Is there a way to adjust this part that I do not know about? Keep up the good work.
Thank you Chris! There are a couple of nuts on the underside of the sled. Could these possibly need tightening on your press? Shoot us an email at williamwoodwrite@penblanks.ca if you need a hand with it.
I have destroyed 2 of these pen kits because I couldn't get them to work. First time I pushed the transmission in to the lower part and the transmission wouldn't twist, it was just grinding. The second one because I couldn't get the pen apart to fix it. The refill just isn't long enough.
I notice this the first time I turned this pen. Here is how I fixed it. First of all a little clarification: The 7 mm slim line pen (not the one in this video) and the European pen (in this video) once assembled, the length of the lower part of the pen (from the tip of the pen without ink cartridge to the top of the transmission is the same length) I use a V block and a press to assemble these pens. The problem is, on the European pen the bottom portion is longer than the 7mm slim line pen. If the transmission needs to be pushed into the pen to get the same length, it will bind up and not turn very well, as you are already aware of. To fix this I just drill out he bottom portion of the pen where the transmission will go with an “F” size drill bit. Do this AFTER you turn the pen. Where a glove when drilling, the bit will grab the inner part of the brass sleeve. Only drill in about 1/2 inch. This size of bit is just enough to give some clearance for the transmission to spin freely. I have never had a problem with this kit again. Hope this helps.
The Shellawax is actually quite a durable finish. It's used as a friction polish. It has a hardener in it which is activated by heat generated during application. It goes through a cross-linking process where the hardener fuses to the raw wood. It's dry to touch almost immediately but the hardening process takes up to 3 weeks to complete
I used to use Shellawax but had lots of complaints from customers about it wearing of at the finger position. Switched to CA finish with no complaints. Great video.
Good video, but if you are showing us some thing please slow the video down so we can see what you are showing us. But all in all Well done and thank you.😀😀😀
i just finished making one of these pens but i used gold hardware with ancient bog oak looked amazing
I tend to turn the pen with the sizing sleeve already on the bushing, and when turning the tenon I'll stop the lathe and move the sleeve over it to size it up. I've also never thought about gluing the center band on. But I will say, this is my favourite pen kit! Inexpensive, attractive, and reminiscent of a Mont Blanc.
I always press on mine however, I'll epoxy it on if I accidentally underside it. I also turn a slight taper on my tenon.
It is a great, classic looking kit. I usually glue the centre band on to allow myself a bit of room for error, just in case!
Absolutely a great quality video. Thank you for sharing and keep up the great pens.
Good tip about the air compressor for getting dust off. I'm in the habit of using a shop towel wetted with acetone, but that can sometimes strip colour out of some of the colourful hardwoods.
Yes! I started doing it earlier this year and it makes all the difference
Always good info on your videos. I will be ordering the kit in a few days. Take care and stay safe. From: Petawawa, Ontario.
i used to turn lots of these, infact my first order from you was probably a bunch of them!
haven't turned one for a while though.
i thought there was a sizing sleeve that fits over the middle bushing for the barrel diameter, you then removed the sleeve to get the tenon diameter
Just finished making this pen. It's amazing gold with ziricote wood. This will be my go to pen to make in a slim version. Looks amazing and is fun to make
Nice! Sounds like a great combo
Fantastic Tutorial! Always wondered how to accuratly make these pens
Thank you, Scott!
Beautiful pen. Nice work and great videoing. Thanks.
I've always been intimidated by these kits. I know I shouldn't be because I've made dozens of pens. I should pick this one up!
Nice instructions
As always, we really appreciate the quality videos you produce. After watching you use the pen press I have a question about ours. I noticed you had very little up and down movement when using the press. With ours the part with the 2 red turn knobs moves up past center by at least 1/2" - 3/4". Is there a way to adjust this part that I do not know about? Keep up the good work.
Thank you Chris! There are a couple of nuts on the underside of the sled. Could these possibly need tightening on your press? Shoot us an email at williamwoodwrite@penblanks.ca if you need a hand with it.
Great video. Thank you.
Very Nice vídeo!
Thanks!
I have destroyed 2 of these pen kits because I couldn't get them to work. First time I pushed the transmission in to the lower part and the transmission wouldn't twist, it was just grinding. The second one because I couldn't get the pen apart to fix it. The refill just isn't long enough.
I notice this the first time I turned this pen. Here is how I fixed it. First of all a little clarification: The 7 mm slim line pen (not the one in this video) and the European pen (in this video) once assembled, the length of the lower part of the pen (from the tip of the pen without ink cartridge to the top of the transmission is the same length) I use a V block and a press to assemble these pens. The problem is, on the European pen the bottom portion is longer than the 7mm slim line pen. If the transmission needs to be pushed into the pen to get the same length, it will bind up and not turn very well, as you are already aware of. To fix this I just drill out he bottom portion of the pen where the transmission will go with an “F” size drill bit. Do this AFTER you turn the pen. Where a glove when drilling, the bit will grab the inner part of the brass sleeve. Only drill in about 1/2 inch. This size of bit is just enough to give some clearance for the transmission to spin freely. I have never had a problem with this kit again. Hope this helps.
I noticed that you’re only using the EEE and shellax finish. Does this rub off when people use the pen?
The Shellawax is actually quite a durable finish. It's used as a friction polish. It has a hardener in it which is activated by heat generated during application. It goes through a cross-linking process where the hardener fuses to the raw wood. It's dry to touch almost immediately but the hardening process takes up to 3 weeks to complete
I used to use Shellawax but had lots of complaints from customers about it wearing of at the finger position. Switched to CA finish with no complaints. Great video.
Good video, but if you are showing us some thing please slow the video down so we can see what you are showing us. But all in all Well done and thank you.😀😀😀
no human is able to cut to within a hundredth of a millimetre, much less detect the difference.. Just round the numbers to 13.1mm, 6.1mm, 10.5mm etc.