Long weekend

[Dick Parr]

Stayed busy in the shop this weekend and am paying for it today. After I finished the Freedom Pens (see FPP post), I made a couple for myself. One will go to the kid next door who will be going to Faluga/Iraq when he is done with gunnery school in a couple of weeks to join his reserve unit that is already there.

I played with some more bottle stoppers and a bowl made from persimmons wood that a friend gave me.

Thanks for looking.

[Chris Padilla]

As usual, Dick, nice work. Now go take a breather! :)

[Terry Quiram]

Hi Dick

Nice looking pens. I have a question. I see you are burning rings in the pens. Do you have trouble taking them off the mandrel after you burn them? I did this over the weekend and almost resorted to pliers to remove them. The blanks went on smoothly and I wax the mandrel fairly often. I think from now on I will make a groove and use a fine tip marker.

Terry

[Dick Parr]

Thanks Chris, don't plan on going back out until Wed. at least. :p But I did find a place to start selling some of my stuff today. A number years ago a local jewler decided to expand and start selling guns and asked me to make some show case racks for him. Made him 9 two piece red oak racks that came out pretty good. I gave him a good deal and he remembered me for it. Now he is back into mostly jewlery and said I could set up some stuff to see if it will sell. Think I will give it a try. :D

Terry, I don't have any problems getting them off after using the burn wire. I have never waxed my mandrel? :confused: Hadn't heard about that. I try not to take the ring all the way down to the tube. I lightly score the wood with a "V" chisel and then use the wire. I use the large wire where the wood is the thickest and the small wire in thin places and no problems so far.