Pen Questions

[Mike Leonard]

I recently got back from being out of town for the last couple of months and the JET VS Mini Lathe I ordered prior to leaving was delivered while I was gone. So, needless to say I have been having a ball getting aquainted with this recent shop addition. I have been like a 10 year old on Christmas morning all week. But, I digress.

My questions are:
Is there any real difference in the quality of pen kits from the different suppliers? I have noticed that many offer the same kits but at prices that may vary upto $2.00 or more for what looks like the same pen kit.

I know that many of you long time pen turners have probably ordered from most of the suppliers at one time or another. Where have you gotten the best quality of product and service for the money?

The one major problem I seem to have is getting a shiney glass like finish. I have been using the friciton polish and then applying paste furniture wax. But, it still looks somewhat unfinished. What is a good, quick, durable finish to apply?

I ordered a starter kit when I ordered the lathe and have turned a couple of pens with mixed results. My best effort yet was one I turned out of some black walnut I had. I have been using it at work. A co-worker offered to buy it from me but I refused so he placed an order for a pen and pencil set. You gotta love it!

Looking forward to progressing to bowls and boxes. The quality of craftmanship here on "The Creek" is incredible and inspiring.

TIA

Happy Holidays

[Barbara Gill]

If you would like to read a good tutorial on pen making and finishing, go to Russ Fairfield's web site http://www.woodturnerruss.com/

[Keith Outten]

Mike,

Your in luck! I have a pen making video that we made of Ken Salisbury at the 5 Barns picnic. I just finished making a copy of the video for the Old Rebel and you can view it when you visit my shop.

If anyone wants a copy of the video you will have to ask Ken....I don't have rights to distribute :)

[Julie Wright]

yahoo has a penturners group that can answer all your pen questions.

[Noah Alkinburgh]

Mike,

As to your question of quality. There is some difference. It is mostly witht the plating method and the gold. The more gold parts, and the better the quality of the plating the higher the cost.

Also, there are only 2 or 3 actual manufactures/supplier of parts everyone else is a reseler. (This is what I have found and I could be wrong) Berea Hardwoods, Craft Supplies, and Penn State does a few of their own.

When looking only for pens I highly recomend Berea (or talk to Ken he still might have some kits available). When looking for other turny type kits, you will want to shop around in the different catalogs.

Best of luck and we sure would like to see a pic of the walnut pen.

Noah

[Ken Salisbury]

My questions are:
Is there any real difference in the quality of pen kits from the different suppliers? I have noticed that many offer the same kits but at prices that may vary upto $2.00 or more for what looks like the same pen kit.
I know that many of you long time pen turners have probably ordered from most of the suppliers at one time or another. Where have you gotten the best quality of product and service for the money?


It is like everything else - different suppliers have different prices for identical products. I have purchased kits from all of them from time to time. (re:Woodcraft, Penn State, Packard, Berea, Rockler, etc.) My favorite supplier far and away is Berea Hardwoods. They have the best prices/service and are actually a supplier to some of the companies listed above. I purchase more than 90% of my kits from them.



The one major problem I seem to have is getting a shiney glass like finish. I have been using the friciton polish and then applying paste furniture wax. But, it still looks somewhat unfinished. What is a good, quick, durable finish to apply?

I use Hut's Crystal Coat and Hut's PPP sticks which provides a durable shiny finish.


Mike,

Your in luck! I have a pen making video that we made of Ken Salisbury at the 5 Barns picnic. I just finished making a copy of the video for the Old Rebel and you can view it when you visit my shop.

If anyone wants a copy of the video you will have to ask Ken....I don't have rights to distribute.

I haven't seen the video yet myself :). I plan to edit/add to the video when I get it and hopefully it will be good enough to market some time in the future along with a pen-making book I plan to write early next year. If you are interested in the "raw" video from the demo at 5 barns you can e-mail me. It is against the rules to market a prouct on this board.

[Dale Thompson]

Mike,
I'm sure that I am stupid and do not use their products correctly. The fact is, however, that I have tried both Myland's and Behlen's woodturner's finish. Neither have worked for ME. I always seem to get a "gummy" finish which is not acceptable. I don't know if it's lathe speed or skill (probably the latter) but they don't work for me.

My favorite finish is sanding to a 400 grit (some folks go to 1200 or 1500). I'm not sure that I see the need for this but, remember, I am a klutz. That said, the next step is EEE-Ultra Shine. WOW!! My next step is a witch's brew that I stole from someone on one of the boards. If I could remember the source, I would certainly give him/her the credit. Anyway, it is 1/3 boiled linseed oil, 1/3 denatured alcohol and 1/3 CLEAR shellac. If I want the turning to SMELL good, I throw on a coat of finishing or carnuba wax. My wax rag is so old and screwed up that I have no idea what's in it. Whatever, it smells good.

This has worked for me on everything from Cocobola to Oak to Kingwood to Padauk to deer antlers and everything in between. In any event, don't forget that I was one of those dinosaurs who thought that the world was flat -- until I got addicted to turning. Your BEST bet would be to save your sanity and dump your lathe in the nearest river! :)

Dale T.

[Scott Greaves]

Hey Mike!

Congratulations on the new Jet! The one I ordered should be here in a few days, and I sold my old one today!

The walnut pen looks good! I generally don't like plain wood, but that one looks real classy! Maybe it's the prop! :D

As Noah indicated, there are only three places that make their own kits. Berea is a great place, and they even own the factory in Taiwan. Craft Supplies is another, and they offer some very nice different kits. I am torn between these two places being the best. The other place is Penn State Industries. They are perceived as being of lesser quality, but I use a couple of their kits all the time, and am pleased with them. I use their Titanium slimline all the time.

Different prices could mean a lot of things. Mostly it's the plating, but it could be as simple as one company wants to make more. Unless something really strange happens, I don't buy gold plated kits anymore. Their durability is unsatisfactory, no matter whose kits. If you like the gold look, go titanium gold. Chrome and platinum are also very durable. Berea sells a black titanium that looks cool and is very durable. Plan on paying a little more for good kits, but it is worth it.

Ken and I both preach HUT Crystal Coat. It is a great friction polish! I had to laugh when Dale Thompson described his "Witches Brew"! The reason is that those ingredients are what's in most of the commercial friction polishes, like Crystal Coat, Mylands, etc. (See Dale, not so "dumb" after all!) There are differences in proportions, and most also have some dissolved wax. The theory behind a friction polish is that after you apply it you use friction to heat it up and it cooks off the wax and alcohol, leaving you with a modified shellac finish.

But as far as shiny finishes, I have to admit I have been lured into using CA (super glue) as a finish! There really is nothing quite like it. Maybe a good lacquer finish will match it. I really didn't like CA finishes for a long time because they were difficult (tricky) to apply, and it took a certain amount of finesse to make it look nice. Besides, I usually ended up gluing my fingers to something in the process! But I have now found a way to get the CA finish I want with much less hassle, and a lot more reliability. I really wasn't going to just blurt it out, because a friend and I are working on an article - his article, I'm "consulting". But I can say it involves not only the CA glue, but also Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO) and paper. Write me if you need to know more.

Sorry to be so long winded. If you stick with Ken's advice, you'll never go too far wrong! Have a great Holiday!

Scott.

[Jason Roehl]

Scott, now I know I'm a newbie at this pen thing, but the last I read on the Hut's Crystal Coat bottle, it is actually a lacquer-based finish, not shellac, which as I understand it, would make it more durable. When I was at Woodworks 2003 in Indy a couple months ago, I did notice that Stuart Mortimer uses a spray-can of lacquer on his turnings (among other things) and buffs it out somehow (I didn't see him do any finishing), but the finish he ends up with is GLASS. The first pic shows him turning an item that has a couple mist coats of lacquer sprayed on, no buffing. The second is of some of his finished work.

To wit:

[Dave Smith]

Hi Dale,

I have been suggesting the use of witch's brew for turning small items such as pens since I started turning which hasn't been very long. I read the recipe in a Wood Magazine article before I got a lathe. I found that shellac made from flakes is far superior to canned shellac. The canned shellac has too much wax IMHO. For light woods such as holly I use tung oil instead of BLO. The heat from friction causes the oil to cure. A couple of coats will give a deep shine. I have found that wiping down oily wood such as cocobolo with alcohol produces produces a better finish.

You may want to reconsider sanding to at least 600 before finishing. Stop the lathe after 600 and sand with the grain. Wipe the dust off. Some people like to use alcohol when removing the dust. I like to use Scott's white shop towels for finishing. I cut them into small pieces then fold in half then fold into thirds. This provides a nice cushion between your finger and the heat.

Most of all have fun.

Dave Smith

Pretending I know something in Longview, WA.

[Jim Shaver, Oakville Ont]

Hi Ken,

I enjoyed watching you turn pens in Anderson Ind in April, I would be very interested in seeing your video as well, keep me informed please.

Take care,
Jim

[Mike Leonard]

Thanks for all the responses. I stopped into the new Woodcraft store in Virginia Beach yesterday and picked up some supplies. Great store and really nice people running things.

I am a lot more satisfied with the results I achieved on some kingwood and some mesquite.

Sanded to 600, burnished with wood shavings, 2 coats of Mylands Cellulose Sanding Sealer per instructions, 2 coats of friction polish until my finger got hot, 2 coats of Hut PPP high gloss.

This mini lathe is the most fun I have had with my clothes on in a long time.

I will try and post some pictures later. The Yuletide is putting a crunch on my time.

Thanks again
Mike