Playing with hexagonal blanks

[Pierre---]

Hi all!

For a Vertex, one hex kit from PSI, I choose a piece of hard wood that I turned a bit oversized. I drilled it, draw some lines and with a hand plane I made a nice hexagonal blank. Then I dipped it for 2 hours in boiling water. After having prepared a tube, I took the blank out of the water and immediately grabbed it at each end (that's the difficult moment, it's really hot), I turned my hands with as much power as I could, as if I wanted to wring out the blank. Before the wood came back to its original shape, I inserted the tube coated with thin CA. As you know it sets immediately, and the wood was petrified in the spiral shape. I am rather athletic View attachment 31270 , but I couldn't believe it, could you?
View attachment 31267

To make half of this pair, I needed a hand (two hands actually) from a lefty friend, able to wring the wood in the opposite way, I can't do that:
View attachment 31268

I sometimes like to add some mother-of-pearl decoration:
View attachment 31269

C&C heartily welcome.

 

[Buckeye]

Hi all!

For a Vertex, one hex kit from PSI, I choose a piece of hard wood that I turned a bit oversized. I drilled it, draw some lines and with a hand plane I made a nice hexagonal blank. Then I dipped it for 2 hours in boiling water. After having prepared a tube, I took the blank out of the water and immediately grabbed it at each end (that's the difficult moment, it's really hot), I turned my hands with as much power as I could, as if I wanted to wring out the blank. Before the wood came back to its original shape, I inserted the tube coated with thin CA. As you know it sets immediately, and the wood was petrified in the spiral shape. I am rather athletic View attachment 31270 , but I couldn't believe it, could you?
View attachment 31267



C&C heartily welcome.

I would expect those dark grain lines to twist as well.

Peter

 

[stiofanpadraigcrafts]

I'm with peter, i was expecting some kind of joke at the end of the post, but if you're trying to be serious then that's pretty stupid.

 

[wm460]

Great looking pens Pierre.
I like the way you made these pens.

 

[Penpal]

Ripper Pierre.

Peter.

 

[fortress]

Very clever Pierre, looks great, can you blow glass too?

 

[Terry Q]

This is a fantastic design. Very impressed. How much longer is the blank compared to its finished length? How do you keep the blank straight? Which wood works best?

 

[Les ELm]

Nicely done.

Les

 

[Terry]

Very nice and a clever idea

 

[Sgreen]

I like the look of those.

 

[Woody]

love em Pierre did you do that on the pen wizard

 

[chas_41_uk]

Look great Pierre
Amazing what you can do with a Beall Pen Wizard :wink:

 

[Penpal]

Love the pens in pic 2 not keen on the inserts. I enjoy hexes and at first sight when they came out made them in straight hex shape. Hans Christian Anderson has influenced your description.

Peter.

 

[Pierre---]

Sure it was a joke, the first pic showing straight grain. I would add that I am the opposite of an athlete, and left-handed.
No pen wizard, but after drawing, rasps and files and sand paper. I wonder if the wizard is able to make the blank in the first and last pic. Any experience somebody?
Peter, what's it about Andersen?

 

[Buckeye]

Sure it was a joke, the first pic showing straight grain.

Not a very good one, if you had waited until red fish day it may have got a laugh

No pen wizard, but after drawing, rasps and files and sand paper. I wonder if the wizard is able to make the blank in the first pic. Any experience somebody?
Peter, what's it about Andersen?

He wrote fairy tales too, but good ones

Peter

 

[AllenN]

Whatever the method, they sure are lovely looking pens.

 

[Penpal]

Legacy used to make a hand operated Mill using a large (to me) Router mounted over a rail type bed that enabled a mandrel held pen blank . This was rotated in sync with exchangeable gears, hand wound to progress the cut, bit like a Pen Wizard on Steroids, every one ion my past has found them a semi nightmare and although I have I don,t use my Pen Wizard.

When I bought my Wizard I was horrified at so many aspects I modified it left right and yes centre. I rang the Designer owner of the company Beall who was disinterested in what I had done (I photographed and described all of this by E Mail to him and the IAP Forum where they had a Beall Section).

Anyway I designed and built my own Pen Mill to make hexes, I dont share this any more in this world anyone using my design if they ended up mutilated would sue the sox off me.

The Legacy enables Rope twist, Barley twist, Diamond pattern, square twist and hollow spirals. Their machine is known for noisy, dirty, loud. Pain in the bum to operate and clean, bit like mine.

With the now ever so common place threaded shafting etc necessity for C & C one day I will carry out that most vital replacement on the Beall Pen Wizard to me its biggest fail IMHO.

Loved seeing your efforts Pierre if you send me a pm I will check if France is on my cheap list to phone and have a yarn with you if you like.

Hans Christian Anderson was a Story Teller of great fame.

Peter.

 

[Freck Fraser]

Like these Pierre, great workmanship and finish.

 

[Baldy]

Wow..they looks amazing

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

 

[Penpal]

After my comments I phoned Pierre in France and complimented him on his hand skills for that is how his pens were made. This makes them stand out from the crowd in every way. Wonderful getting to know you Pierre.

I am so grateful for the heroes on this forum.

Recently I spent some time with my mate Ben who has gone away from making pens and incredible turned small and huge lathe work. He is now hardly able to cope with sales of his blanks for pens and knife scales. He stabilises as a professional with startling results. He was inspired to travel this way by a Knife Maker in our area where I hope to go back and do a pic essay of his timbers and workmanship.

We are in Wilmas birthday week (I nominated this for her 80th last Sunday), the family gave us a special pass to visit a famous attraction that covers so many acres, with a motorised unit to enable me to enjoy this visit coming up.

Peter.