Pen holder

[Jeff Chumbley]

I am looking for a ideas to make a template for wooden pens. I have a customer that turns nice pens that need a logo on the barrel where the clip is.

Does someone out there have a template of sorts that I could make to do this?

Do you use the auto focus or manually focus. I see that what i was going to make would still allow the pen to move if I use auto focus.

TYIA

Jeff

[Joe Pelonio]

I didn't save the file but I made a template that looked like this.
I cut it from a scrap of 1/4" Oak. The pen holder fits into it then
I place it in the laser and tape it so it to the bed, and tape the
ends of the pen holder to the template. Then manual focus on
the first one.

[Nick Adams]

I made one out of a soft rubber foam that I had around here. It was blue on one side (stiff high density foam) and softer on the other side kinda like the mouse pad backing. No idea what it is or where it came from. But I cut it about 1/32 smaller then my normal pens and can press fit them in.


My end all plan in the next 2 months is to make one that will be out of honeycomb core Aluminium 5/8in thick. I will then make press fit inserts to hold pens.

Sizes will range between 12x12 and of course 32 x 20 (since that is my table size.) Maybe some of the other laser owners will see the benifit of this setup for thier production jobs.

[Thomas Hempleman]

The attached .cdr file is a jig I use to engrave pens, drumsticks, pencils - just about anything that is round and sets level on the laser table. It's just a series of 20" x .2" wide slots cut through a sheet of plexiglass. It also has alignment marks engraved every inch on the x and y axis. Once you have used the Corel file to make the jig, use the same file to lay out whatever you are engraving. If you put the jig in the upper left corner of your laser table, it should line up perfectly. The slots will keep the pens from rolling out of alignment. I use my autofocus on the highest point of the engraving area. Works every time!

[Jim A. Walters]

I have heard of using Sculpey modeling clay. Press in the pen and laser. You can bake to harden it for a permanant fixture. It's found at most craft stores.
www.sculpey.com (http://www.sculpey.com)

[Keith Outten]

I use a piece of shop scrap. I cut a piece of 3/4" lumber about 3" by 8" and cut a 45 degree V-groove down the middle. I used a piece of dowel rod to calibrate the block and marked the block so I would have alignment marks so I could set the pen in the right spot each time to engrave them.

This simple jig will also work for engraving flashlights and lots of other round items. For large projects I have a rotary attachment but for small jobs like pens my scrap block works like a charm every time.

[Mike Mackenzie]

We have sold many systems to the AD Specialty Market these guys do Thousands of pen's we started off making them out of acryllic but they either broke or warped because of loading and unloading. So we made the attached pen holder.

The customers usally had 2 per system while one was engraving they were loading the second one.

The nice thing about these is the center distance is exact they have a point to register the clips so they are always at 90 degrees and they can hold all types of pens.

I am posting another fixture we made that has been invaluable for a number of items.

[Mike Klafehn]

The multiple pen jig looks like it is made out of metal. Is that correct? If not what substrate and do you have the plans for it (i.e. CDR file)

[Mike Null]

I use the same idea as Keith but I have two. One has a deeper groove for fat pens and the other not so deep. I made a registration line on both with the laser for positioning.

Also, as somebody previously mentioned, positioning the clip at 90 degrees is important.

[Mike Mackenzie]

Mike,

Yes it is machined from aluminum. There are no corel files associated with this pen fixture.

Any good machine shop could make these.

[Mark Plotkin]

Jeff,

here is a teplete I use. it holds 16 pens at a time. I use 1/8 acrylic as the base, line up in the top left of the machine cut out the pen shapes and then turn that layer off for printing. the guide lines are for my pens as far as the cap location and centerline. Hope this helps.