Question for pen turners

[Anton Smolka]

I bought some pen making stuff from Wood craft. Umm, how do you know what length to cut the blanks? There were no directions with the pen kits.

Stuff I got: Vise, pen press, 7mm bit, pen mill, mandrel, pen kits, a bag of cherry blanks, bushings. Everything thjat was listed on the diy tutorial. http://www.diynet.com/diy/diy_kits/article/0,2019,DIY_13787_2277341,00.html

Thanks!

[Rob Littleton]

I bought some pen making stuff from Wood craft. Umm, how do you know what length to cut the blanks? There were no directions with the pen kits.

Stuff I got: Vise, pen press, 7mm bit, pen mill, mandrel, pen kits, a bag of cherry blanks, bushings. Everything thjat was listed on the diy tutorial. http://www.diynet.com/diy/diy_kits/article/0,2019,DIY_13787_2277341,00.html

Thanks!

Head off to www.woodcraft.com

click on Product Instructions over on the right and put in the stock number or description. You will get a pretty pdf (my hard drive is full of them) that will tell you all you need to know.

Happy turning

[Dick Parr]

When you buy pen kits at Woodcraft they can supply you with the instructions for each type of pen. Their web site also has the instructions on it for each pen type. Take a look on the web at the type of pen kit you bought and there should be an instruction button to the right, click on that to see it.

As far as the length, just cut the blanks about an 1/8" longer then each tube.

Good luck and have fun.

[Julie Wright]

to cut pen blanks, use the brass tubes to measure and cut the blanks slightly longer.
http://www.woodturner-russ.com/Pen10.html
check out this link. Great tutorial

http://www.penturners.org/forum/portal.asp another great site for pen turning information

[Anton Smolka]

to cut pen blanks, use the brass tubes to measure and cut the blanks slightly longer.
http://www.woodturner-russ.com/Pen10.html
check out this link. Great tutorial

http://www.penturners.org/forum/portal.asp another great site for pen turning information

Thanks!

Well I made my first pen but somehow screwed up. The ink cartridge does not protrude even after twisting it. Can't figure out where I went wrong.

If it helps, I'm using Woodcraft kit #123052.

Thanks again!!

[Dick Parr]

Try to press the twist mechanism it small increments until the ink cartridge protrudes correctly. Keep trying until the fit is what you want. Be careful not to press it in too far cause you will play heck trying to get it back out.

[John Miliunas]

Do what Dick suggests and that will take care of your little problem. It takes a bit of getting used to, so in the meantime, what you may want to try is this: Once you get the depth set for proper protrusion of the cartridge, cut yourself a small block of wood to that length and use it as a stop on your press. Granted, a bit awkward to hold it and the tube, but you won't have to worry about getting the mechanism too deep. Once you do a few, you can get a pretty good feel and visual and get them real close just about every time. :cool:

[Mark Patoka]

The twist mechanism should have an indented band on it, usually on the lower half. I'm not sure if this is a standard on all pen kits but on the ones I purchased from Woodcraft and the ones I received from Ken, that indention indicates how far you need to insert the mechanism into the pen tube. I've found that as soon as the indention disappears it is the correct depth.

[Julie Wright]

Check out Penn state industries for instructions on pen kit assembly.
I think they have some of the most detailed instructions....