Chris Stolicky
03-02-2010, 10:25 PM
Its been a while since I have posted a pen. Actually, I haven't made one in a while. Been busy with exploring larger things on the bigger lathe when I get time away from work, the baby, and pushing snow around...
Anyway, here is my attempt at making a pen that looks like a cigar when it is closed. I have been trying to expand beyond using standard kits. It is wenge, and a couple of pieces from a baron kit. I may try a nicer nib on it once I get some. Wenge is definitely a challenging wood to work with. There was a blow out and an actual whole chunk of this pen that went flying, but some patience and CA goes a long way! Oh, good thing I have a pre-separator before the dust collector that caught the chunk for me in a pile of large shavings.
I usually use a gouge of sorts to rough down a pen and then finish with an oval skew. I actually used my 1/2" Thompson shallow spindle gouge for this whole pen and had to sharpen and hone it several times. This is really hard wood, yet it splinters so easy?! Definitely a challenge.
Comments welcome.
Anyway, here is my attempt at making a pen that looks like a cigar when it is closed. I have been trying to expand beyond using standard kits. It is wenge, and a couple of pieces from a baron kit. I may try a nicer nib on it once I get some. Wenge is definitely a challenging wood to work with. There was a blow out and an actual whole chunk of this pen that went flying, but some patience and CA goes a long way! Oh, good thing I have a pre-separator before the dust collector that caught the chunk for me in a pile of large shavings.
I usually use a gouge of sorts to rough down a pen and then finish with an oval skew. I actually used my 1/2" Thompson shallow spindle gouge for this whole pen and had to sharpen and hone it several times. This is really hard wood, yet it splinters so easy?! Definitely a challenge.
Comments welcome.