Looking for commiseration

Re: Looking for commiseration

Fog Tanner

>Ruth,

Having turned out 98 pens is 98 more than Richard Raffin will ever make in his lifetime, so I wouldn't say that pen assembly has anything to do with turning skills. The fact that you have 98 other pens that came out OK is a sign that you are doing something right. And it doesn't sound as if they are a loss, you can still replace the mechanism. Besides, you got the joy of turning the piece and enjoying the moment for what it was and you still have the wood to look at, so all is not lost.

I got into a "Raffin production" mode over Christmas and started making boxes one day. I had watched his DVD and was pumped on making some nice fitting lids, all was going OK the first ten were as I liked. At three in the morning I fitted the lid on number eleven and it came up a bit too loose. I was disappointed, but I had the joy of making the box, it has a pleasant shape that I like, and I now have a new companion. The next two came out OK. So, it was not a loss the same as yours isn't.

And there are days that you just have to walk away. There were times when I was racing airplanes, that I just had to put the plane away. I knew that one more flight would be the last flight. A lesson that was hard learned, but life is like that. It's a learning process, from the first breath till the last. Everytime we went to a race, several of use would remind each other that life is not a spectator sport. The fact that you are making something, whether it suceeds of fails, means you are not a spectator. And you have to expect some failures, for we are but mere mortals. Even Hisownself has catchs, and you have still made 98 more pens than Hisskewness....

Keep smiling and keep turning, life is too short for anything else....

Fog

Fog, you one of those...

BubbaBob

>...nuts that take a P-51, stand it on a wingtip, and fly in elongated circles, 50 ft off the ground, real fast?

I always figgered y'all were a little bit nuts...

BubbaBob

Re: Looking for commiseration

Carole in VA

>Hey Ruth, at least it was not your fault if the transmissions were defective. When I have a pen go bad, it is usually MY fault! LOL It really is a shame to lose nice blanks to a faulty transmission.

Re: Looking for commiseration

Stuart Johnson

>Ruth, If it is a slimline type just take a 1/8 drill bit (I use a piece of 1/8" brass rod} and insert it through the twist mech., smooth end toward the tip. A few whacks with a board will drive the tip off. Insert a 1/4" bolt through the tip and drive the twist mechanism out.

I agree !!!

Fred in NC

>I do it the same way.

I bought a 1/8" brass rod from the hardware store, and cut a piece about 4" to push the tip out. Brass is good, does not do much damage.

Since the tip usually has the same diameter as the wood, I never found a good way to clamp the pen while I hammer out the tip. I just hold it in my hand. A piece of thick drawer lining, the rubbery one with the holes, is good for holding the barrel. Be careful with the hammer, don't hit the wrong nail !!!

For the transmission, a 1/4" bolt works well. Actually, a true 1/4" ROD will not fit inside a 7mm tube. The bolts are actually a bit smaller in diameter. I keep one just for this purpose. I used some fine sandpaper to smooth it.

Re: Looking for commiseration

Bruce McElhaney Spring Lake, MI

>A 98% success rate sounds insprirational to new wood turners. Look at it this way. The glass 98% full, not 2% empty. . .

Re: Looking for commiseration

Paul Porter in Phoenix, AZ

>Ruth, I would be thrilled with a 98% success rate. I suppose that's why I'm not makeing as many pens these days.

Re: Looking for commiseration

Ruth in So. Cal

>Just what I needed! Thank you all so much. As I lay in bed last night I gave myself a talking to...reminded myself that this was something fun I did ......it is not a life altering or threatening situation at all!

And Fog, having just watched his lordship's DVD maybe I was still under his spell!

thanks again so much for your wonderful support!

Ruth

Re: Fog, you one of those...

Fog Tanner

>Try a standwayoffscale DeNight Formual 1 air racer going around an oval course that's 1/4 mile at 4-20 feet off the ground and around 200-210 miles an hour. Except for that time in Oklahoma where we hit around 230-240 with a 49 mph tail wind. I still love the smell of nitro in the morning, talk about something that will clear your sinuses out......

Re: Looking for commiseration

RonZ

>I know how you feel. Except I had it happen in the middle of a demo. I figured if I'm doing this for a living, I better invest in the take down kit, which I did. You're doing fine, it's days like this that is the threshold to the next higher level.

Re: Looking for commiseration

Wood Spinner

>Ruth you are looking for the wrong thing. Sit back relax in front of a nice fire and have a nice glass of Shriaz.

98 % aint bad.

Good turning and be safe

Bill in Casa Grande, AZ.