Pen & Pen kits

Re: Pen & Pen kits *LINK*

Russ

>Look at my website pages on pen crafting. They may answer some of your questions.


Making a wooden pen

Hi Robert

Jim Shaver Oakville, Ont

>Ahh, You've made it to pen turning, well, it's lot's of fun!

There are several amazing pen turners here on this site, they are inspiring and supportive, I am sure they will post to your questions.

I think I am okay but not great. Here are some answers to your questions from my prespective.

Realise that I live in Ontario and buying from US sources is not that easy on the Canadian Pocket Book.

Q 1. Which company makes the "highest" quality

pen/pencil inside and outside, best plating?

A: Well there will be a great deal of variety in the answers here but my experience is that the finish on the cheaper plated kits wear off easily within a year with daily use. I know they are less expensive, actually a great place to start turning, but I like the kits that advertise that the finish is "Platinum" or for "Life". They are more expensive so I think for beginings you should get your technique down on kits that are less risk. I find that I buy almost all my expensive kits from Craft Supplies and that I focus on just a few styles. As I sell pens and turn a few hundred each year I keep to about 4 designs and find that these sell really well.

Q2. What store-internet/web and/or brick is best?

A: I buy about 75% of my kits from Lee Valley and the balance from Craft Supplies. I have never bought from Berea and I did once from Penn State and was not pleased with the kits or the bushings or the instructions, it was frustrating for me. The Penn State bushings fit was sloppy on my mandrel while all the Lee Valley and CS bushings fit really well.

Q3. Which highly figured woods are recommended?

A: I think I turn mostly figured woods, I like curly maple and curly Koa, I have turned curly QS white oak and ambonya burl too. I turn cocobolo and olive as well as kingwood, zebra wood and spalted maple. I am going to start colouring some wood this fall to see how that looks too!

Q4. Should the blanks be purchased stabilized?

A: I only turn dry wood, not sure if I ever needed to worry about stabilized wood, but soft wood with some degree of decay or variation in hardness I am told needs to be stabilized.

That is what I do with pens, not sure if that helps or exposes some of my process problems but it works for me and I have many repeat and happy customers.

TAke care,

Jim

Re: Pen & Pen kits

Scott Greaves, Blackfoot Idaho

>Hi Robert,

Yes, please do check out Russ's site. And if you have the opportunity, get one or both of his videos as well!

I also agree with what Jim says. My very favorite plating is the Platinum Series from Craft Supplies. It is actually Rhodium, which is in the platinum family of metals, but is even more durable and expensive than regular platinum. My favorite kits in this plating are the Father Sing pen and the Gentleman Junior pen.

My second favorite plating is the black Titanium from Berea. Very durable and very classy! But the chrome finish from Berea is almost up there too, very durable.

The only thing I would use in a gold finish is actually a Titanium Gold, and it is good, but I've about given up on gold kits.

Berea and Craft Supplies are both of the highest quality! I could not pick one over the other. Berea sells pen kits to a number of other sellers who put their names on them, such as Woodcraft and HUT, so many of their kits are the same quality as Berea because they are the same. Craft Supplies is pretty much the only place to get their kits, although there are some places that still have some stock they are selling.

Realize, there really is no "Best" - all of the manufacturers have good and bad kits. My favorite slimline kits are from Penn State!

As for material, that is going to have to be personal preference. Many only work with wood, other only in plastics. I enjoy turning most anything that can be turned!

I will tell you that some of the nicest pen blanks on the face of the earth are the stabilized wood blanks from Arizonasilhouette.com .

And while I love Wood Central, I also encourage you to visit some of the penturning sites on the Internet, such as the YAHOO Penturners Group, and Penturners.org .

Good Luck!

Scott.

Re: Pen & Pen kits

Robert Case

>Thanks Russ, Jim, and Scott for the help. Now to place some orders, and preactice, practice, and practice! I will try to post a picture soon-gotta get a camera first....

Thanks,

Robert