Spalted Maple Slimline Pro

[James Combs]

Got a customer that wants a slim line click pen. I always do a practice one if I have never made it before. This is the practice unit. I had all kinds of trouble with this one. Not the pen exactly but I have been using CA lately as part of my finishing technique. On this trial run the CA wicked into the area between the bushings and the brass tube and glued every thing together. I liked to never got the bushings out of the tubes. I broke the upper tube severely including the brass tube inside the wood getting the bushing out. I was able to CA every thing back together and insert a short section of extra brass tubing. With all the spalding its hard to tell that it has been broken and repaired. Look very close at the top of the upper tube. The clip is hiding the worst of the repairs.

The results aren't too bad and the click mechanism works like it should. I will be keeping this one for my self. Without a continuous brass tube in the top barrel the clip and finial could break off so I won't be selling it. Makes a good demo though.

Like I indicated above, the finish is about 3-4 coats of thin CA with one coat of Hut Wax Stick.

BTW the spalted maple is from the same chunk as my "Aladdin's Other Lamp" hollow from.

[John Keeton]

JD, I looked, and I don't see the repairs. But, I take your word for it!;):D

I like the pen, and the spalted maple has some beautiful color to it. Makes up very well in this style.

[Donny Lawson]

James, the pen looks great. I don't see any repair at all.I noticed you said you used CA and Hut polish.Did you not use any BLO with the CA?I've not tried the CA by itself.I wonder if the CA alone would leave a better shine than the CA/BLO finish?Is your CA the thin or med?
Donny

[James Combs]

James, the pen looks great. I don't see any repair at all.I noticed you said you used CA and Hut polish.Did you not use any BLO with the CA?I've not tried the CA by itself.I wonder if the CA alone would leave a better shine than the CA/BLO finish?Is your CA the thin or med?
Donny

I had purchased some BLO with the intention of using it and CA together but I found that the CA by itself did such a good job that I didn't bother with the BLO. I use the thin CA and apply it in very thin coats with a plastic bag (the ones the pen parts come in) over my finger. If it is an inexpensive slim line I will use one coat but for more expensive ones I increase the number of coats with very fine sanding in between. Have gone as high as 5 coats. After that many coats you can treat the pen barrel like acrylic ones and use the same polishing compounds. I had been using Hut Crystal Coat as one of the final coats but I am getting away from that. Crystal Coat stays tacky too long and I have notice that some of my first pens that used Crystal Coat are becoming very dull. I am not seeing any dulling of CA finished pens.

One thing I am going to have to do is coat the bushings with some kind of release agent. I will try a heavy coat of wax first and see how that does. There has to be a seal between the bushing and the end of the pen blank/tube or the bushing gets glued to the inside of the tube. As mentioned above I had to bust (not intentionally) the end of the blank/tube off (about 1/4") to get my bushing out. I actually thought I had destroyed the blank/tube when it broke.

[Robert Parrish]

James, try using a little Johnson paste wax between the blank and the bushing before you turn. Just a small amount! Works for me.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very nice looking pen! Beautiful wood and a great job on the finish!

[David E Keller]

The pen looks nice, James.

Waxing the bushings helps a lot. I've found when the bushings get stuck that I can remove the blank/bushings from the mandrel and give them a sharp rap on a hard surface(I use the cast iron base of my drill press). Usually banging them a time or two will break the bond. Also, if glue builds up on the bushings, it makes them less accurate so I touch them up with a skew from time to time.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really a nice pen and a great save. I also wax the bushings to keep from gluing things together.

Donny I also stopped using BLO as I find the thin CA in 3 or 4 coats will buff up just fine with the buffing system. I use Ren wax also on them.

[Paul Douglass]

Spalted is beautiful. Nice pen.

[Joe Wiliams]

Nice save!:D

The finish, grain and spalting makes it look like marble:)

[Maylon Harvey]

James, The next time you glue the bushings in the tube. Soak it over night in a small jar of acatone. Should pull apart the next day. Of course you will have to re-do your finish, but nothing should get broken.