subject: 6 Steps To Turn Your Own Pen [print this page] Pen turning is an exciting, rewarding, and gratifying hobby. A turned pen is one of the easiest and most attractive objects that you can create on a lathe. You can turn pens for yourself as well as for someone else to make some extra money. You can also gift a turned pen to your dearest one as it is unique in nature with little essence of your personal touch. So, if you have decided to turn pen, then here are the basics.
As with every other woodworking hobbies, you will require tools, equipment, and some pen turning supplies to turn pen. For tools and equipment, you will need a lathe, mandrel, table saw, bench vice, drill bit, drill press, disc sander, bushings, and roughing gouge. As far as the pen turning supplies are concerned, you will need wood or acrylic pen blanks, pen kit, glue, and sandpaper. Now you know what tools, equipment, and supplies are needed for pen turning, you can buy it from local woodworking suppliers or online store. Let us get started with pen turning:
Step 1
Assuming you already got the wood or an acrylic pen blank, you need to cut that blank into two parts one for the bottom, and other for the top section of the pen. (Read the instructions provided by the blank supplier for the exact length). To cut the blank, use the table saw; however, keep in mind to cut it little larger than the specified length.
Step 2
Now you need to square each end of both the blanks. This should be done carefully as if not, it will leave holes and gaps on the pen where both the blanks meet. To perfectly square the ends of the blanks, use disc sander with precision miter gauge.
Step 3
With blanks perfectly squared, you need to drill it so that you can insert the brass tubes. However, before drilling, you need to identify the center of your blank. To identify the center of the blank, just draw an X from one corner to the opposite one. The center point of the X is the center of the blank. With center identified, mount the blank on the drill press, and carefully drill it slowly using ideal drill bit.
Step 4
Get the brass tube that is available with the pen kit, and scuff the outer surface of it using the sandpaper. Apply the glue on the brass tube, and thrust it slowly into the drilled pen blank. Let it dry, and you are now ready to turn the pen.
Step 5
Mount the blank on the mandrel using correct bushing, and secure the mandrel on the lathe. Put on the safety gears, and turn on the lathe. Using roughing gouge, you should start turning the blank slowly from left to right until you achieve your desired shape.
Step 6
Once you achieve your desired shape, polish the blanks using sand paper. Unmount the blank from the lathe, and then start assembling your pen using the pen kit. Manually join the both section of the blank, and your turned pen is ready.
