u/Business_Sky3486

I could use some advice for pen turning. I've turned about 10 - 15 pens, with varying degrees of success. I've attached photos of three of my most recent pens. But, I am struggling with a couple of things that I would say ruin about one out of every 3 pens.

- I am having issues with blowing out the blanks - I currently use standard medium hold CA Glue. This typically happens near the ends of the blank.
- I am also not getting the best finish on the blank ! ! am using carbide tools and I sand from 80 - 600 with 6 different levels of sanding paper and finish with EEE - Ultra Shine after sanding followed by a pen friction polish.

Any advice would be appreciated!

I could use some more advice on making blanks with a drill press. I recently got some Gatsby kits I wanted to try out (27/64 bit size) and I’m having some trouble with drill out the blanks.

The wood is birch - and it seems quite easy to drill but, my drill bit keeps getting stuck while drilling. The quick jig I made to keep it in place seems to be working - but the drill still get stuck about an inch of the way down.

I am not using a brad point drill bit (seems more like a twist)- and I went a little quickly just for the video but I’ve gone quiet slowly other times.

Any advice would be appreciated - eventually I’ll get a Jacob’s chuck but that’s a little further down the line.

I have some pieces of old oak barn wood from the 40s that my family requested I turn into a pen. The photos provided are the turned product - without any changes as well as the before. I am relatively new to pen turning - still working on clean cuts and sanding - but this is a long term project to think through.

What I am wondering is if there is any way to add some craftsmanship and contrast without ruining the character ? My plan currently is to go with a single tube pen kit - roughly 3 inches or so. I could use the advice on any of the following options that might add something to the pen without ruining the character:

- stabilizing the wood with one or two dyes
- adding a small contrasting wood / acrylic segment about a half to a quarter of an inch down the pen blank
- adding a brass inlay (I do not think this would work but wanted to through out the option)

I also wanted to know if anyone had any finishing recommendations ? I typically go with a friction finish and will get some wax eventually to add after the friction finish.