European pens in leopardwood and wenge, and a kitchen update

[Patrick Taylor]

I did these yesterday with some new blanks from "woodmanmike" on the 'bay. CA/BLO and buff for both. The leopardwood kept getting hazy with the CA, and the wenge pores were tough to fill, so these were each finished about 3 times. :( Seems like I have to learn new tricks for every type of wood I use. Lately I've not only been using the CA/BLO method with good success, I've started sealing with thin CA using the sandpaper to make slurry. It's help my finish really shine by having a nice gloss before I even start the thick CA. It was a must for these woods which were both really porous. Thanks for looking.

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By the way, I can still make bowls too! I've been doing a lot of pens lately since the instant gratification goes a long way towards soothing the chaos of our kitchen remodeling. I posted some pictures a few weeks back of the demolished kitchen... well here's where we are now. We have (most) cabinets, floor tile, and appliances (yes the new fridge really is that big...). a few more weeks of countertops, trim, and electrical and we'll be back in business. No, we're not doing any of it ourselves, sorry. I have a job, two young kids, and still need time to turn! ;)

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[Keith Burns]

Great pens and a great kitchen !!

[Mike A. Smith]

Great on the pens Patrick! I'm hiding the kitchen pics from LOML!

[Tony De Masi]

Nice work Pat. The pens are good too. :D

Tony

[Phillip H Smith]

Pat...

Nice work on the pens. I've recently tried the CA/BLO finish...the results are nice...but it sure burns my eyes. Have you found a way around that?

I see you've got some duct work already in place for your planned dust collector.;)..or is that for your new stove? BTW...is that the 'fridge to the left of the stove? Sure is huge! We put in a large Sub-Zero a few years ago when we re-did our kitchen. But your unit looks to seriously out-size ours.

I'm glad that you're putting your time to good use turning, instead of obsessing over what's happening in the kitchen!

Oh...and a warning....after re-doing our kitchen for almost what we paid for the house, LOML didn't want to "dirty up the new appliances." So we've been eating out a lot...and it's been almost 10 years! I'm considering adding THAT to the overall remodel costs.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Great looking pens Patrick! Hope your kitchen gets finished soon - must be a real pain to be without the kitchen during construction!

[Wally Wenzel]

Pat, the pens look great, i really like that style of pen, my favorite one to make, i have some blanks like what you called leopard wood, mine were called fish tail oak. Wally

[Gary Herrmann]

Wow, that kitchen is going to be very nice.

Oh, and those pens are good too. :)

I'm definitely liking CA/BLO finishes.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Patrick pens are beautiful as is the kitchen. Very nice job all the way around. You should be proud.

[Patrick Taylor]

Great on the pens Patrick! I'm hiding the kitchen pics from LOML!

Why? Don't you want a construction site for a home for a few months? :rolleyes:


Pat...

Nice work on the pens. I've recently tried the CA/BLO finish...the results are nice...but it sure burns my eyes. Have you found a way around that?

...is that the 'fridge to the left of the stove? ... your unit looks to seriously out-size ours.


When I rub BLO on the thick CA while it's curing, it doesn't burn as much. When I'm sealing with the thin, I squint and step back. ;) Yes, that's the fridge. (gloat approaching) we got the subzero pro-48 with the glass door. product info here: http://www.subzero.com/products/detail.aspx?cid=1&productid=68
It's a beast. LOML already calls it "my precious".


Great looking pens Patrick! Hope your kitchen gets finished soon - must be a real pain to be without the kitchen during construction!

Yup, pop tarts for the kids and carry out for us! It's almost over.


Pat, the pens look great, i really like that style of pen, my favorite one to make, i have some blanks like what you called leopard wood, mine were called fish tail oak. Wally

I really like the european too. It has great balance. I got the leopardwood from woodmanmike8875 at the 'bay, and here's what the blanks looked like: http://i17.ebayimg.com/02/i/000/a8/36/977e_1.JPG


I'm definitely liking CA/BLO finishes.

Me too. I've gotten my method down, and I like that it's going to last for a long time.



Thanks everyone!:)