Becareful, it's Lit

[James Combs]

I saw something like these on the IAP site and was telling my son about them. He smokes one on occasions (no cigs though) and ordered three, one for himself and a couple of friends.

Stats:
Wood = Walnut (the ash is natural buckeye burl)
Hardware = It uses the nib and modified center from a Churchill kit
Finish = The "unlit" one is only waxed. The "lit" one has only a couple coats of CA then wax. I am experimenting with the finish to get a "cigar" look.
Size = 3/4" x 5.5" Large "Stogy" size.

[Bob Bergstrom]

Neat idea! I'd really prefer one in pink bubble gum though.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Now those are just to cool James.

[Jon Lanier]

Not a smoking fan, but got to say that those are really cool!!!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Pretty cool work there James! First I've seen of anything like them! Nice work!

[Don Nicholas]

Very nice work James. Is your finish over the cigar band or???

[Mark Hubl]

James, Those are way cool. They look great. When I first viewed them on my phone I thought "Why is he posting cigars?" They both look great, I like the Cohiba. I bet these would be good sellers at some high end cigar stores. (you may have TM problems though) Plus now you can make a humidor to hold them. You still do flat work don't you?

[Keith Christopher]

James. I SO need a tutorial on those. perfect presents to a couple of friends !

[Dan Forman]

Very interesting effect. How does it feel to write with?

Dan

[John Keeton]

Really neat, JD!! On the lit one, the irregular edge between the walnut and the buckeye is perfect! Looks very much like real ash. I don't smoke, and know nothing about cigars, but these sure look like dead ringers to me. I wonder if one could take a tobacco leaf from a twist of tobacco (if they are still available??) and actually wrap something for a casting of a blank. I don't do pens, so this may be something that is already done.

[Donny Lawson]

I agree with Keith. we need a good tutorial on this. These would make great presents. You make them look good. Thanks.

[James Combs]

Neat idea! I'd really prefer one in pink bubble gum though.

Bob, that would be my flavor also if I smoked em:D.



Now those are just to cool James.


Not a smoking fan, but got to say that those are really cool!!!

Bernie, Jon, thanks guys, I am not a smoking fan either but I use to smoke several decades ago but not anymore. I don't care for my Son smoking but at least it is only on occasion. These were something different to do for my boy.



Pretty cool work there James! First I've seen of anything like them! Nice work!

Thanks Steve, these are fairly common on the IAP so there is nothing original here. Just something my son requested.:)



Very nice work James. Is your finish over the cigar band or???

Don, I am working on that. The Cohiba bands were provided by my son and they are embossed which makes it a little more difficult to embed in the finish. The red one is from a cigar I purchased as a model and is flat and would be much easier to finish over.:)



James, Those are way cool. They look great. When I first viewed them on my phone I thought "Why is he posting cigars?" They both look great, I like the Cohiba. I bet these would be good sellers at some high end cigar stores. (you may have TM problems though) Plus now you can make a humidor to hold them. You still do flat work don't you?

Mark, some of the folks on the IAP do and others are working with cigar stores and cigar companies to get past TM issues and to sell them at cigar stores. I got no plans too, just a gift on occasion. I don't care for doing the same thing too often.:D



James. I SO need a tutorial on those. perfect presents to a couple of friends !

Keith, check out the IAP site, there is loads of info there on how to's for all kinds of "kitless" pens. That's were I got the idea and how-to from.



Very interesting effect. How does it feel to write with?

Dan

Dan, I would say these are desktop displays, definitely not your everyday writing instruments. They aren't terribly bad to write with but will do in a pinch. I wouldn't want to do more then just sign a document or something with them.:D



Really neat, JD!! On the lit one, the irregular edge between the walnut and the buckeye is perfect! Looks very much like real ash. I don't smoke, and know nothing about cigars, but these sure look like dead ringers to me. I wonder if one could take a tobacco leaf from a twist of tobacco (if they are still available??) and actually wrap something for a casting of a blank. I don't do pens, so this may be something that is already done.

John, the edge is simple free handed band created with my archiving pen. I lit up the one I purchased for a model and took some photos of the ash so I could try and match it. The bad side is it sure stunk up the shop.:mad::)
186080
Someone on the IAP mentioned casting tobacco leaf but I didn't see any examples.

[Curt Fuller]

Looks like the official Bill Clinton Presidential Pen! ;)

[John W Dixon]

James I have seen these over on IAP but you did a wonderful job. Looks really nice and is sure to be a hit with your son and his friends.

John

[Larry Dice]

James,
Those pens are very cool. I think you have a hit on your hands.

[Raymond James]

Hey JD! those really look Fantastic!
I have been trying here for the past week to turn one similar to yours and keep coming up somewhat out of round and have tried turning between centers and with a mandrel and still not getting it right. I'm using the EL Grande Streamline kit from Berea Hardwoods but not using the upper barrel clip and trim. Will appreciate any all advice you have.

As always, Constructive Criticizem accepted. Thanks for sharing

Sincerely,
Bean213036

[Jim Burr]

[QUOTE=Curt Fuller;1658101]Looks like the official Bill Clinton Presidential Pen! ;)[/QUOTE

HA!!!!!! You should be banned from pen/cigar comments just for that Curt!! :eek::cool::D:D:cool: :p:D I'm still laughing about that one!!

JD...I want a PM about those ASAP!!! I have bands, buckeye for the ash and walnut...severe lack of skill on my part!
Well done sir...those are great!!:D:cool:

[Jim Burr]

Hey JD! those really look Fantastic!
I have been trying here for the past week to turn one similar to yours and keep coming up somewhat out of round and have tried turning between centers and with a mandrel and still not getting it right. I'm using the EL Grande Streamline kit from Berea Hardwoods but not using the upper barrel clip and trim. Will appreciate any all advice you have.

As always, Constructive Criticizem accepted. Thanks for sharing
Sincerely,
Bean213036


Raymond your right on track!! Stay away from mandrels on any pen! Collet or pin chucks are the best for these...start with a pen blank of approximate size and drill the correct hole for your pin/collet shaft. Use the tailstock as you will want to taper the end of the cigar for either a traditional or torpedo cap...taper cut with a skew and sand while on the "whatever" chuck.

[James Combs]

Hey JD! those really look Fantastic!
I have been trying here for the past week to turn one similar to yours and keep coming up somewhat out of round and have tried turning between centers and with a mandrel and still not getting it right. I'm using the EL Grande Streamline kit from Berea Hardwoods but not using the upper barrel clip and trim. Will appreciate any all advice you have.

As always, Constructive Criticizem accepted. Thanks for sharing

Sincerely,
Bean213036

Thanks Raymond, my Son was really pleased with them.

I noticed that Jim Burr did not recommend a mandrel but that is what I used. However, they were custom homemade mandrels. You can read the details of their construction here. (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?161958-Homemade-Closed-end-pen-Mandrels&highlight=) That being said I also used a collet chuck with at 3/4" collet to do the finish turning and finishing. I turned them round to about 3/4" using the custom mandrels and then transferred them to the collet.

This posting was the first ones I had tried. One of the issues I ran into was maintaining grain alignment and concentricity of the two pieces. Mostly it was due to the center coupler(I used a Churchill) having triple start threads(and most do). I don't know if you are familiar with these threads but basically the cap can be "start threaded" in any of three positions each 120 degrees apart. The problem is that grain alignment and concentricity occur at only one of the three positions and as far as I am concerned it is next to impossible to get concentricity in all three positions. Basically every thing fits perfectly at only one position. What you are see as "out of round" may be this same problem.

BTW for proper grain alignment and concentricity the initial assembly method of the center coupler to the two halves is important. Here is how I did mine.
I first glued in the nib coupler into the main barrel and made sure the nib fit properly. After the glue was good and dry(I used 5min epoxy) I then glued up the other half of the coupler and installed it into the cap. I let it stiffen up a little for 2-3 minutes then assembled the cap to the main barrel. When the threads bottomed out I kept turning through the stiff glue until the cap was about 1/4 to 1/8 turn "short" of grain match. I then let the glue set in this position. After making sure the glue was fully set, an hour or two later I tighten the cap to what I thought was "a reasonable and proper tightness" to see how short I was from grain match. There is no way to get it tight enough with the glue still uncured. You will always be able to turn the threads a "just a little farther" after the glue cures. After tightening it if it didn't match I chucked the cap into the 3/4" collet and then "gently" removed a "smidgen"(technical term:D) of material from the flat surface that mates with the barrel at the end of the cap. If the grain did not match I kept repeating the process (i.e. removing smidgens) until it matched at what I considered proper tightness. I would fit the main barrel to the cap still in the collet to repeatedly check for match. Now you have a pen that has good grain match when the cap is assembled reasonably tight. However, you are not done yet. Chances are good that now you do not have good concentricity between the two mating barrels. There is a good chance that if you run your finger tip across the mating surfaces of the barrel and cap you will feel a slight mismatch someplace around the circumference. It will be probable be in two places on opposite sides of the pen. I fix this problem with the two parts assembled together(using proper tightness) I will reverse them in the 3/4" collet putting the barrel in the chuck instead of the cap. I will then turn the two pieces down together using extreemly light cuts until the mismatch is gone. If the mismatch is fairly extreme you may have to turn all the way to the end of the barrel and reverse the pen in the chuck again and turn to the end of the cap but luckily I only had to do that on one.

I know this has been long winded but I hope it is helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions about my methods.