Engraving Around a Pen

[Tim Bateson]

I do a lot of pens but only up and down the side. Has anyone figured out an attachment/modification to the rotary to work around a pen?

[Steve Busey]

Are you talking about something like a spiral running around the tube? Could you somehow fiddle with the Y-length of the form, and Y-height in the print driver, so it would somehow make the rotary go through multiple rotations? Haven't tried it, but it's an interesting thought exercise. Hmmm...

[Stephen Sullivan]

In your layout, instead of straight, lay it out the angle you want it to spiral around the tube. And the rotary should (my theory) rotate the pen and engrave it at the angle, giving it a spiral look on the pen tube. (my theory, meaning my laser is due in Friday, and I can't try it) of course it will depend on the pen and rotary working/rotating smoothly.

[Tim Bateson]

Two issue using the standard rotary - #1 The pen diameter is so small the air assist will hit the rotary. #2 Light weight objects tend to not rotate accurately.

[Mike Null]

Tim

Do a search as I'm pretty sure there are a few threads on this.

[Dan Hintz]

Could you somehow fiddle with the Y-length of the form, and Y-height in the print driver, so it would somehow make the rotary go through multiple rotations? Haven't tried it, but it's an interesting thought exercise. Hmmm...
Look back a few years for some posts I made on this... say you want an image to wrap around the pen twice. Make your page twice the circumference of the pen.

[Martin Boekers]

You may want to check in the "turners" forum, as Mike said this was addressed quite a while back I believe there
were a few ways some have had success with this.

[Dee Gallo]

Chuck Stone has this down to a science - check out his old posts.

[Dan Hintz]

Two issue using the standard rotary - #1 The pen diameter is so small the air assist will hit the rotary. #2 Light weight objects tend to not rotate accurately.

My reply to you, Tim, must have been lost in the confusion. My rotary is a direct drive, so I don't have the exact same issue as you, but similar. The trick is to make some heavy wheels to ride on your drive wheels, and the pen is mounted along the axis... a little double-sided sticky tape right in the center of one for the cap end of the pen, and a small indention in the center of the other for the nib end. I suggest metal as you can make them heavy without making them large in diameter... don't forget, your page size is now based upon the new wheel diameter, not the pen's.

[Tim Bateson]

Thanks. I'll keep researching this.

[Steve Busey]

- #1 The pen diameter is so small the air assist will hit the rotary.

I've had this problem too, and typically mount the blank on a dowel rod, "Set XY Off", position the red dot either centered or left edge of the blank, then "Set Home" at that position. Make sure to physically remove the rotary device from the laser before cycling your laser power off and back on!! DAMHIKT.

[Adrian Hernandez]

Tim,

I believe there is a rotary attachment to engrave (laser) a pen. I don't know if I can say the name of the seller; send me a message and I'll give you the name of the company.

[Real Mercier]

I have several penturners who I engrave pens for. If I need the rotary, I ask them to bring me the blanks before they assemble the pen. The pen mandrel fits very nicely on the rotary and has a nice weight.

And as Dan said, you have to adjust your graphic to the diameter of the pen mandrel and not the diameter of the pen.

Real Mercier