Marty Eargle
11-22-2011, 2:05 PM
Well, last night I took a break from turning Christmas ornaments for presents and an upcoming craft fair and decided to make the leap into pen turning. I want to turn my girlfriend's dad a nice pen for Christmas, so last week I ordered a few Slimline kits to get the feel of turning and finishing pens. I'm sure the nicer, more expensive kit I plan on using for the present will probably have a bit high level of difficulty to it, but I must say that this whole Slimline project was pretty much a breeze.
I didn't have epoxy on hard to glue the tubes into the blanks so I used Gorilla Glue...and other than a little extra cleanup needed, it worked very well. I finished the pen with about six layers of CA glue and then sanded it with my new set of micro mesh pads, and then with some high gloss HUT polish. I left a little too much wood near the bushings, but I actually like the edge on this particular pen kit, instead of a smooth transition. The wood is Cocobolo...my first time turning it as well. Looks nice but I wasn't crazy about the way it sanded and finished.
213517
Also, since I don't post many pieces here, I figured I've add a few extras to bulk up my post a little. I have the problem that I usually end up giving away pieces before I get the time to take photos of them.
This is a simple Ambrosia Maple candy dish that my mom requested for her desk. It's about 6 1/2" by 2 1/2" and the bottom is dished out almost like a lopsided donut. Not technically a difficult piece, but it fits the purpose well and she is crazy about it. It has a little end grain staining that I missed during the finishing. Finished with several coats of WOP.
213518
And this is a piece that I wish would have come out a lot better but I'm still quite happy with it. Also for my mother, this is a Lebanon Cedar bowl that holds decorative seashells on a coffee table in my house. It was the first time I have turned Lebanon Cedar, and not only was it a complete pleasure to turn and smell, but it is one of my favorite woods. This particular piece has some wonderful looking grain that the photo does not do justice. It is about 6" x 4". This one was fun to finish, because as soon I took the last cut with my gouge, hairline checks started to appear as the wood was fairly wet. I panicked and coated the entire piece with two coats of CA glue. Worked well but would have rather not use all that glue on this piece. Also buffed with semi-gloss HUT.
213519
So that's it. Hopefully I can get in the habit of uploading shots of my pieces so I can get some quality feedback from you guys. I also want to thank Kathy Marshall for a package of Mesquite and Sisso I received from her the other day. She's the best and I can't wait to turn these pieces of wonderful looking wood.
-Marty
I didn't have epoxy on hard to glue the tubes into the blanks so I used Gorilla Glue...and other than a little extra cleanup needed, it worked very well. I finished the pen with about six layers of CA glue and then sanded it with my new set of micro mesh pads, and then with some high gloss HUT polish. I left a little too much wood near the bushings, but I actually like the edge on this particular pen kit, instead of a smooth transition. The wood is Cocobolo...my first time turning it as well. Looks nice but I wasn't crazy about the way it sanded and finished.
213517
Also, since I don't post many pieces here, I figured I've add a few extras to bulk up my post a little. I have the problem that I usually end up giving away pieces before I get the time to take photos of them.
This is a simple Ambrosia Maple candy dish that my mom requested for her desk. It's about 6 1/2" by 2 1/2" and the bottom is dished out almost like a lopsided donut. Not technically a difficult piece, but it fits the purpose well and she is crazy about it. It has a little end grain staining that I missed during the finishing. Finished with several coats of WOP.
213518
And this is a piece that I wish would have come out a lot better but I'm still quite happy with it. Also for my mother, this is a Lebanon Cedar bowl that holds decorative seashells on a coffee table in my house. It was the first time I have turned Lebanon Cedar, and not only was it a complete pleasure to turn and smell, but it is one of my favorite woods. This particular piece has some wonderful looking grain that the photo does not do justice. It is about 6" x 4". This one was fun to finish, because as soon I took the last cut with my gouge, hairline checks started to appear as the wood was fairly wet. I panicked and coated the entire piece with two coats of CA glue. Worked well but would have rather not use all that glue on this piece. Also buffed with semi-gloss HUT.
213519
So that's it. Hopefully I can get in the habit of uploading shots of my pieces so I can get some quality feedback from you guys. I also want to thank Kathy Marshall for a package of Mesquite and Sisso I received from her the other day. She's the best and I can't wait to turn these pieces of wonderful looking wood.
-Marty