Alternative pen bushings and tubes...sharing a technique or three...
As a few of us "Creekers" are into pen making, I want to share a few things that I've discovered over the past couple of weeks.
#1. Problem: "Carry over" from the steel bushings when sanding and finishing pens...especially, when working with light colored woods, such as Yellowheart, Birds Eye Maple, etc.
Solution: I made some "sanding bushings" out of teflon. I drilled a series of 1/4" holes (using a drill press) in some 1/4" teflon stock, then cut out approx. 5/8" squares around the holes. I held these teflon pieces on my pen mandrel between appropriately sized bushings and turned them to size. I also made some similar bushings using nylon spacers (available at hardware stores). For these I drilled a 7mm hole and then glued the spacers on a pen tube. After the glue dried, I cut the tubes and squared the ends with a pen mill.
When I've turned a pen blank to nearly the right size, I replace the steel bushings with my teflon or nylon ones. This totally eliminates the steel dust!
These teflon/nylon busings are rather soft and won't hold up to a whole lot of abuse. But they eliminate the "carry over" problem...and it's easy to make new ones.
I'm willing to bet that these bushings would eliminate some of the "sticky" problems associated with CA/BLO finishing.
#2. Problem: Making a European pen with a "workable" wood center band.
Solution: I found that graphite arrow shafts (specifically "Deltagraphite+ 5575" have the same ID as a 7mm pen tube and will fit precisely on a standard pen mandrel. So I use them when making the upper blank of a European pen when I want a wooden center band.
Here's what I do: I cut the upper blank a bit shorter than called for in the kit instructions and glue on a piece of another wood. After the glue sets, I drill the blank with an appropriate sized bit, then glue in a graphite arrow piece cut to the appropriate tube size. When the glue sets, square the blank as usual...then turn to the appropriate bushing size.
Voila...you have an upper blank with an appropriately sized center band firmly attached...and it fits perfectly over the transmission held in the lower blank. Oh..and YES...you can press fit the clips and finials into the graphite arrow shafts. I use a dab of CA to prevent the clip from coming loose.
#3. Problem: How to use a standard pen mill to square a Wall Street II blank.
Solution: Again..the graphite arrow trick! I glue a section of graphite arrow shaft inside an aluminum arrow shaft having nearly the same ID as the OD of the graphite piece. Then I use yet another aluminum arrow shaft that has an ID nearly the same as the OD of the previous aluminum arrow. And...this second shaft has an OD that is the same as the ID of the Wall St. tube!
I rough of the surface of each of the arrow shafts with sandpaper, then apply a thin coat of Gorilla glue. As the Gorilla glue foams it perfectly centers the arrow shaft inside its surrounding shaft. I've also found that some arrow shafts can be press fitted inside one another to make these shims, so there's no gluing at all.
With my "arrows shim," I can square a Wall St. II blank with my good ol' 7mm pen mill. Obviously the shim fits over the mill's bit...and inside the pen tube.
Where to get FREE arrow shafts: Find someone who's a bow hunter and ask him/her for some old arrow shafts. Bow hunters usually have dozens of shafts they no longer use. No doubt the arrow shafts they give you will be of several different diameters. Bow hunters must be the outdoors equivalent of woodworkers--they can't throw away a slightly damaged arrow, and we can't throw away our cutoffs!
Using a "stash" of different sized arrows....your only limitation is your imagination when it comes to pen projects!
Oh...and don't forget to make an arrow shaft pen as a "Thank You" gift for the nice person who supplied the arrows. You can find the directions over at the Penturners forum....or do a Google search.
I sort of backed into this "arrow trick." A few of my "local diner, breakfast buddies," who are bow hunters took a liking to the pens I make. So I asked for some arrow shafts and "amazed" each of them with a pen made from different arrow shaft styles. In doing so, I discovered the "magic" of using the shafts as described above. (Then again...I grew up on a farm...and learned how to make all sorts of interesting things with old plow shares and bailing wire! It drives LOML nuts with the things I concoct!)
What I love, sittin' here Creekside is the learning and sharing. Hope I haven't offended anyone with my ramblings...perhaps, indeed, I've inspired someone to share a technique or two.
