My first pen.

[Doghouse]

This is my first attempt at turning.


This is my second, and first pen.




As you can see, I’m no photographer either.

 

[fortress]

That's a nice looking pen Gavin, well done. A couple of years ago, I showed my first pen, it was terrible. Iv'e still got it. keep yours.

 

[Les ELm]

Looks great.
Nicely done.

Les

 

[alan morrison]

You're off to a good start, Gavin. Keep on turning

 

[Doghouse]

Thank you for the compliments. Not sure if this is the right place to ask questions, but here goes.
How close to the bush do you turn, before sanding?
Is there a general rule regarding the shape of slimline pens?

Many thanks.

 

[Penpal]

Rafferties rules abound in shaping your Slimline friends. Over countless years for me the shape you chose has been the most familiar. Everything depends on something as surely how close you turn to the bushes before finishing,personally I disregard bushes using them only as a guide and depending on the use of calipers for the final fit, that something includes what finish you intend to use.

Welcome into the privilige of penturning so called by me because of the satisfaction I have had turning them over a long time now that has never diminished or failed to satisfy. This forum can assist you and me to share regard in turning.

Kind regards Peter.

 

[Lons]

Don't take it to heart but the top one is too thick and has no nib :wink:

Great first attempt, bet the family are suitably impressed.

 

[Phil Dart]

That's a cracking first pen Gavin. There are no rules about the shape of any pen, nor pen police to tell you off. Common sense, ergonomics and aesthetics need to be high on the agenda though, as some shapes will look just wrong or will be impractical from the point of view of actually using the pen.

Personally I turn slimlines so that they're parallel, which entirely subjectively, I think looks better that way. I've seen others though that are really quite fat indeed - quite the opposite of slim in fact. There's no right or wrong, but I do wonder just how easy the fat ones are to hold and to write with.

You'll get used to how far down to the bushes you need to turn. The material you're turning will have quite a lot to do with it, as will the extent to which you need to pretty up the tooling with abrasives. Soft pine will abrade much more readily than say an exotic hardwood, so turning both of those down to the same extent may possibly result in the exotic hardwood being on target by the end of the process, and the soft pine being under sized. Just experiment and enjoy the journey, that's my advice. You'll pick up masses of knowledge along the way with the benefit of experience, and even with a zillion pens under their belts, everyone has a failure from time to time, so don't be afraid of that either.

 

[AllenN]

That is a great first attempt. Peter’s advice is very wise. Using callipers to confirm the best size, slimline components can vary quite a bit. It is difficult to say how much to leave for sanding since it rather depends on the finish you can get from your tools. With sharp tools you hopefully should not need too much sanding.

 

[angelo49]

Excellent first pen Gavin!!!!
*Looks Great*

 

[flexi]

Excellent first pen.....Phil has given really good advice, you will get a feeling for how close to the bushes you get and as to shape, I defo don't like a " fat girl with a tight belt"
Strange as it seems we all start with a slimline pen( probably because their cheep) but it's actually the hardest pen to get right!!
There's not a lot of meat left on a slimline tube, it's two pieces so grain orientation matters, as mentioned 'shape', They are also nearly the smallest/thinest pen to do.
If you can do these well, then you can turn pretty much any pen kit.......great start.....welcome to the club..and yes do keep your first

 

[pittswood]

Nice looking pen with a good grain.
Don't be afraid of experimenting with shapes and sizes, some do look brilliant and others look totally daft.
A persons style of writing, hand size, touch and a preference to a particular shape will dictate your turning of these pens.
Again, well done on your second attempt, keep them coming!
Kelvin

 

[Chriscb]

Well done for jumping onto the fray - good looking pen. Phil's right on the money regarding shape - you gotta hold the pen to use it and I guess people like Parker have refined the best shape over many years of pen production. I'm not a fan of a pen with lumps and bumps.

Regards,

Chriscb

 

[Bill Mooney]

A nice first pen Gavin.
I place my thumb nail on the bush & push my nail against the end of the blank. If my nail sticks against the blank I turn it down a bit more. If my nail flicks onto the blank then I’m ready for sanding. I hope you can understand ok, it will make sense when you try it.

 

[wm460]

That is a great looking pen Gavin, well done.

 

[WHCreations]

Great work Gavin. Make sure you keep that one. Love showing people how to make their own pens. Always say to keep your first... unlike your ex's...

 

[Bucks]

Very nice pen Gavin, keep up the good work

 

[Frederick]

Not bad at all for a first effort. In fact it's very good indeed. Better than my first effort. Keep at it and the rewards will be great. It's a good feeling when you make and achieve something.

Cheers
Frederick