Most Reliable Pen Kits

[Brian Kent]

I am thinking about making pens for next year's Christmas presents for my staff and family. Because of my particular career, I won't have time later, so I have to do it soon. (As a pastor, Christmas is my business :))

1) What, in your experience, is the most reliable mechanism?

2) What is the most reliable mechanism under $10 / kit

3) I know I can make these with or without a mandrel. Which mandrel or "between centers" do you recommend system do you enjoy the most?

Thank you everyone. I have seen threads from 2004 and 2007 with recommendations but I am looking for updates.

Brian

[Dan Hintz]

The $2 pens and the $10 pens pretty much use the same twist mechanism... if you want to be (more) sure they last, you'll want to purchase an upgraded mechanism (some guys on IAP sell them). Other than that, all pens in that range are pretty similar in terms of the other bits/baubles. You get more plating options as you move closer to the $10 range, but that's pretty much it.

For turning between centers, I use a 60 degree dead center in the headstock and a 60 degree live center in the tailstock.

[Grant Wilkinson]

Brian

The cigar kit is pretty much indestructible, I've found. I have both between center bushing and mandrel bushings. I know that between centers is the current recommended way to go, but I've not had a problem using a mandrel, and I've found it to be quicker since I can mount both blanks at the same time. When you are doing quantity, that can make a big difference.

[Steve Doerr]

Brian,
I have found that the most reliable platings are chrome, any titanium and rhodium. I carry a 24K gold cigar in my pocket all the time and I have found that the black on the center band and on the cap will wear off leaving the exposed brass. I have had really good luck with the Penn State Gatsby twist mechanism. Those with the above plating all fall within your price range. It is also a single tube pen so production is much quicker. I also like the twist mechanism on this pen much more than the Woodcraft Wall Street II.
HTH
Steve

[Brian Kent]

Anything wrong with this as a dead center?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B0Q5ZW6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1THAZDOWP300U

[Brian Morgan]

For the ladies I always use the slim pens, For men, they seem to prefer the "Comfort Pen" from Pen State. The mechanisms in the twist pen kits should not give any problems.

[Karl Stowe]

I just started turning pens a few months ago. I really like the Veretex, bolt action, any long woods, and slim lines. Slims are my main one now since I have too many people I like to give pens to. Plus they are way easier on the pocket book. I use a mandrel and really like it but have never tried the centers. The mandrel seams like a better way to learn on. There is a lot of mistake pens that are useable and that's why I recommend the slims. I would like to do more Veretex but I already liquidated all my poor husband funds. The only way my Warden will give me funds is for pens to make for birthdays and other special events. I use 4+ coats of CA glue on a shop towel and sand with the pads to 12000 grit. I recommend sanding the unfinished wood from 320 on, carefully, with the plastic finishing bushings so the metal bushings don't impregnate the wood. My earlier pens have that problem of impregnation. That's why there are a lot of give aways. My recent give aways had too much finish sanding and sanded through the finish. Took me a little while to figure out that is what was happening. Let me know if u have any other questions. I am slowly learning to. I can do about 1 pen a night given no learning problems. Which translates to about an hour for one pen and from glueing sleeve to pressing parts.

Karl

[Lee Koepke]

The cigar pens are really good one of my best sellers. I use the Patrizio as my carry pen because it's easier on my pockets. The patrizio is also good sized for either males or females

[Michelle Rich]

I have found the diameter of the comfort sized pens to be quite universal.

[Ken Glass]

Brian,
I have just started turning pens last month and have been using this mandrel:http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKMS2SET.html?prodpage=1PK I have bought several types of twist Pen Kits from three (3) suppliers and can't see much difference in the moving parts with the exception of a few Majestic pen kits that cost considerably more at $12 a piece. My guess would be if you are giving them to family and staff you would want a quality pen kit. If you buy a quantity, you can get some nice kits for $10 a piece. A few examples would be the Apex, Sculpted, Crown Jewel, Compson and Cigar just to name a few from PSI. Here is a Majestic with an inlay I just finished for someone. The picture is not good, but you can see the pen details. It has a heavy feel to it and has a quality transmission.

[Brian Kent]

Why do they sell tubes separately? Are these often messed up?

[Dan Hintz]

Why do they sell tubes separately? Are these often messed up?

Yes. But when you're in production mode, having extra tubes means you can assemble a lot of blanks ahead of ordering the kits. Of course, once you get ahead in the tube department, you have all you ever need. Also, you can also create custom-length pens.

[Rich Aldrich]

I like to have extra bodies made so if someone wants a different metal than what I have made, I can press them together quickly and have one complete. I find this especially with the bolt action pens. I have found bolt action pens sell like crazy.

[Brian Kent]

I found a nice way to have some fun with this. A set of 8 that gives me different styles and finishes to try. I ordered the 60° dead center from a store on Amazon.

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKSP105A.html?prodpage=1PK


Two Slimline Twist Pen Kits (24kt Gold and Satin)
Two Comfort Twist Pen Kits (24kt Gold and Satin)
Two Designer Twist Pen Kits (24kt Gold and Satin)
Two Trimline Twist Pen Kits (24kt Gold and Gun Metal)

[Steve Busey]

A great pen, and also the best pencil mechanism I've run across, is the Liberty kits from lazerlinez . com. (He also makes a matching pen kit) But it exceeds your $10 limit... :( American made SS. Both pen & pencil use standard Sierra type tubes.

I use the between center bushings from JohnnyCNC at penturnersproducts . com. Also American made.

[Stan Smith]

I've never tried the between centers method. However, having both halves on the mandrel at the same time, helps me get the proportions and shapes that I want for a particular style. I don't think that I could do the between centers method very well. YMMV

[Brian Kent]

Steve, it is good to know about good mechanisms at any price. The "under $10" is for round one of trying it out.
Stan, I may well end up trying mandrels later. I'll start between centers and see what happens next.

[Dan Hintz]

Brian,

I often use a mandrel for roughing out two-barrel kits, but I always finish one barrel at a time between centers. It's too easy to get an off-center bushing that goes unnoticed until you try and assemble the kit... and THEN you notice things don't match up. Doesn't happen with TBC.

[Rick Gibson]

Anything wrong with this as a dead center?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B0Q5ZW6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1THAZDOWP300U

Will work fine. Busy Bee in Canada has them for $4.99 or carbide tipped ones for $9.99. Grizzly also carries them for roughly the price of the one you pointed out.

One of my favourite kits is the perfect fit http://www.bereahardwoods.com/pen-kit/sets/Perfect_Fit_gold_or_chrome.html (http://www.bereahardwoods.com/pen-kit/sets/Perfect_Fit_gold_or_chrome.html)
It has one of the nicest feeling twist mechanisms of any and is in your price range, plus if you want to make a pencil it's just a simple matter of replacing the ink refill with the pencil mechanism.

[Brian Kent]

Thank you.

[Jim Underwood]

I have liked the Wall Street pen kits in one of the more durable finishes (Titanium, Rhodium, or Chrome). It's a one piece kit and doesn't take too long to turn and finish. The fact that it's a one piece body means that you can turn it between centers without feeling like you've lost time, like with the slimline models. Been buying mine from Exotic Blanks.

If you get an acrylic blank, then it goes that much faster. You don't have to put any finish on it, just buff it until it shines.

[Christopher Collins]

you can also get "space pen" ink refills from http://www.spacepen.com/cartridge.aspx. the same pens used by astronauts.
If it's good enough for NASA, it's good enough for me.
They write underwater, upside down, in the vacuum of outer space!, and in any temperature from -30ºF to +250ºF.

That's pretty reliable!

[Lee Reep]

I never buy the cheap gold plated kits. The few I've made wear too quickly. On the other hand, chrome kits are inexpensive, and the plating is durable. I prefer rhodium/platinum platings, and titanium gold and titanium black. One of my favorite kits to turn is the Virage (aka Princeton at Woodcraft).

My favorite slim style pen is the Streamline. It has a bigger centerband and makes a fatter pen than a regular Slimline. Timberbits in Australia sells them in upgrade platings for $3. I've had really good luck with ordering from them, and delivery to the USA is reasonable, and quick.

[Stan Smith]

Will work fine. Busy Bee in Canada has them for $4.99 or carbide tipped ones for $9.99. Grizzly also carries them for roughly the price of the one you pointed out.

One of my favourite kits is the perfect fit http://www.bereahardwoods.com/pen-kit/sets/Perfect_Fit_gold_or_chrome.html (http://www.bereahardwoods.com/pen-kit/sets/Perfect_Fit_gold_or_chrome.html)
It has one of the nicest feeling twist mechanisms of any and is in your price range, plus if you want to make a pencil it's just a simple matter of replacing the ink refill with the pencil mechanism.

Many thanks for that info. You have given me an idea for Christmas presents for this year. I had never heard of these interchangeable pen/pencil combos before.

[Brian Kent]

Yes, my 8 pen kits have arrived.
Yes, my imagination tells me I know how to do this.
Yes, I would appreciate at least a page of instructions for turning between centers and assembly.
Yes, I thank you in advance.

[Rick Gibson]

Here's a utube video that shows how. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6wTnychR1U

[Brian Kent]

1) Substitute for a barrel trimmer so I can work this morning before getting one? Forstner bit in the drill press?

2) Was I supposed to get a different kind of bushing for turning between centers?

Maybe I need to get a mandrel and barrel trimmer at Rockler before I can start???

[Fred Belknap]

Substitute for a barrel trimmer so I can work this morning before getting one?

Brian I use a small sanding disk in the lathe and a drill bit the size to fit inside the brass tube. Put the pen blank on the drill bit and slide the tailstock up to the sanding disk. Little slow but works good. I have a set of punches in various sizes I use instead of drill bits but either works.

[Dick Mahany]

1) Substitute for a barrel trimmer so I can work this morning before getting one? Forstner bit in the drill press?

2) Was I supposed to get a different kind of bushing for turning between centers?

Maybe I need to get a mandrel and barrel trimmer at Rockler before I can start???

Barrel trimmers can be tricky and I have also gone the sanding disc in headstock route. You can easily make a morse taper pattern and turn a taper to glue to a flat disc in short order. As far as between center bushings, yes they are different than mandrel bushings in that they have a 60° cone from a center drill to locate on the matching live and dead centers. Those bushings can easily be made from scrap pieces of Corian or similar on the wood lathe. Just measure and match the diameters from your mandrel bushing set. Good luck and enjoy.

[Brian Kent]

The part I don't get about the bushing is that it seems like it should have to fit inside the ends of the instead of being adjacent to the ends.

[Rick Gibson]

1) Substitute for a barrel trimmer so I can work this morning before getting one? Forstner bit in the drill press?

2) Was I supposed to get a different kind of bushing for turning between centers?

Once the tubes are glued into the blanks I trim them on the bandsaw as close as I can get without cutting the brass tube. I then place the bushings in the tube and turn the blanks to round. I then remove the bushings and mount the blank directly between centers. Now using a thin parting tool turned on it's side I trim the ends of the blanks square with the brass tube. here I am working on the assumption the brass tube was cut square and because the point of the center is at 60 deg. it will come to rest on the live center before the blank gets trimmed all the way back. If you angle the parting tool correctly and stop as soon as you see brass, when you check for square there will be a slight gap in the center where the tube is. Put the blank back on the lathe and taking very light cuts square off the end. Flip and do the other end. Doing it like this I haven't used a barrel trimmer in about 3 years. I made my parting tool specifically for this using dull high speed steel blades from my thickness planer.

If the bushings you have are not to loose you can use them, just mount them between centers and they will work. Better still if you can accurately drill the back end at 60 deg. to match the center points.

The bushings do fit inside the brass tube. The larger section on the bushings should match the pen kit hardware and is used for sizing while turning the blank down to size. Since all bushings are not created equal I generally turn close to the bushing outside diameter and then use 220 grit sandpaper and a micrometer for that last little bit. If you are not turning between centers your mandrel would run through the center of the bushings and both halves of the pen would fit on the mandrel.

[Brian Kent]

The bushings I have are not stepped. There is not a small diameter section and a larger diameter section. They are just single diameter bushings, so I can't see how to fit these inside the tube.

[Dick Mahany]

Those bushings look like the Streamline or Roadster bushings for a 7mm kit. In that case, those are one of the few bushings that do not have a step to fit inside the tube, because the mandrel fills the tubes and bushings. They are merely guides for ODs on the pen barrel ends. In the case of between center bushings, those would have a smaller step to pilot inside the tube.

To get a better idea, just check out the pen kit instructions on just about any pen kit supplier's site for "7mm" pen kits. There will be pics to illustrate.

[Rick Gibson]

Ok I see your problem. You need the B mandrel which is only used for a few kits. The B mandrel is the same size as the bushing and tube internal diameter and the bushings just sit at the end. Can't do between center turning with this kit unless you order the specific bushings. The only one I know that makes them is Penturners Products and he doesn't seem to have them listed now. He does excellent work but also has a day job that pays the bills. I don't know how he prioritizes what he makes you can always email him, there is a form on his website. For now I would think your best bet is order the B mandrel for this kit at least. I am assuming you have the Perfect fit kit. If you have the 7mm kits Dick is talking about you will have to check the instructions to see what mandrel you need. If you have a 7mm kit like the slim line you will need the A mandrel.

[Brian Kent]

I'll go pick up a mandrel from Rockler. I have a set of 8 pen kits - all 7mm. I'll take a bushing and tube with me.

This one:

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKSP105A.html?prodpage=1PK


I'll check for any updates on my phone before I purchase it.

Edit: Got it. Have no idea if it is A or B but it fits the bushings and tubes.

[Rick Gibson]

That will work Brian. It's been so long since I've done any pen turning with a mandrel I forgot the slim and 7mm euro need one. Penturners products made a set for between center turning for those kits but they are not on his site any more. I'm wondering if he is cutting back and concentrating on his day job more. I know his shop got flooded a couple years ago and he may not have recovered from that yet. I hope you got the 60 deg live and dead centers as the one's that come with the lathe will not fit right.