2009 Pen Exchange Results

[Tom Henry]

All-

As requested I am starting a new thread for the results of the 2009 Pen Exchange. Please take photos of the pens you receive and post them for all to admire.

Thanks
Tom

[Tom Henry]

David-

Yours is on its way...Your lucky...it turned out so nice I was going to keep it...

Enjoy!
Tom

[Allen Neighbors]

How did I miss out on this? Guess I just blinked when I should have been reading.
Looking forward to seeing all the pens!!

[Rasmus Petersen]

hehe Allan.. im only exchangin with one and have no problem dooing more so if your up to it so am i .. (remember shipping to denmark, maby join in with greg)

[David Walser]

Yesterday FedEx delivered a wonderful pen made Tom Henry. The pen is made from stabilized and dyed box elder burl. The pictures do not do the wonderful grain of the wood justice. Tom did an excellent job with the turning and finishing of the blank.

Tom used a PSI Majestic Squire kit in black and gold titanium plating. I've never seen one of these kits in person before. The mechanism is very smooth and the plating is flawless. Seems like a quality, well-made, kit. For those of us who've not used the kit before, perhaps Tom can chime in with some comments on how easy or hard the kit is to assemble.

Thank you, Tom!

Now, after I take my nephew camping this evening and finish turning my wife's Mother's Day gift, I've got some work ahead of me to make Tom's pen. Tom said he likes wood and I've got some fairly straight Douglas fir 2x4's from the borg I could make some blanks out of. Or, there're those thuya burl and maple burl blanks that have been gathering dust. Decisions, decisions. Any suggestions?

[Tom Henry]

That is a great looking pen....hahahaha sooo what about everyone else...

[Mike Minto]

Here's a preview for Tim, and a quick view for those of you participating in the 'Pen Exchange'. I had never turned a pen, but bought a Jet Mini VS lathe a week before the announcement regarding the exchange (and, about 3 weeks before Jet's big sale - way to go, Mike). It's simply a slimline pen, made from Black and White Ebony (had a really hard time getting the brass tubes to adhere to the wood - wasted about 6 of them - finally a combo of expoy and CA worked) sealed with shellac and finished with laqcuer. The black bled somewhat into the white (anyone got a fix for that?) but I think it makes it look sorta aged ivory-like. Tim, it goes in the mail this week! This is actually my second pen; had to keep the first for looking back on, fondly - plus, it's not much of a looker. Mike
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[David Drickhamer]

Hi Allen,
I'm in for two other pens but the more the better . I've been turning for a few years. If you want to exchange with someone in Milwaukee let me know.
Dave

[David Walser]

...The black bled somewhat into the white (anyone got a fix for that?) but I think it makes it look sorta aged ivory-like. ...

Mike,

That's a very nice pen. I'm sure Tim will like it a lot.

As for your question about how to keep darker colored woods from bleeding over into lighter colored woods, no one has a perfect solution. Here are some suggestions:

• Would you believe (in proper Mexwell Smart voice), sharp tools and proper technique means you don't have to sand? I didn't think you'd believe it, either. However, keeping sanding to a bare minimum avoids bleeding. So, a good off-the-tool surface helps a lot.
• Seal the wood before sanding. Applying a coat or two of sanding sealer (or thinned down lacquer) helps to seal the pores of the lighter colored woods, preventing the wood from being stained by the darker wood.
• Sand from light to dark and not from dark to light. This isn't always possible -- and would have been all but impossible with your pen. When it is possible, this is good practice -- even if it requires (shudder) sanding with the lathe off.

Good luck!

[Chris Hayes]

Mike --
Nice pen. Until I started turning pens I never turned Black-n-Whit Ebony. It definitely played with my sense of "round". The density is different between the white and black is what threw me. The second set of pens I made with this wood I discovered that when you start with a higher level of sand paper the 'bleed' was significantly less. When I've finished these pens a couple of coats of Behlen's made for a very nice finish.

I think Tim will be happy with that pen -- I hope you had fun making it (as frustrating as it sounded it might have been).

[Chris Hayes]

Dave --

I'm hoping that I can get your pen made today. I think I know what I'm doing for you and I'm looking forward to the challenge...The wood looks cool in the big blank and I'm looking forward to cutting in and getting the pieces out for pens.

[Mike Minto]

Thanks for the ideas, guys - I will try the sealing before sanding - don't know if I can get a better finish off the tool, though, but will try that, too. Sanding is no fun. Yes, I enjoyed making the pen - made two more today, for step-daughter and boyfriend. It's nice to have a projet of some kind one can start and finish in a half hour or so. Having a second lathe is great - I can go to the larger one, work on a bowl or hollow form for a while, then go to the mini while CA dries in the cracks on my larger work! Mike

[Grant Davis]

I just love coming home and seeing boxes sitting next to the door that are too big to fit in the mail box. The thing is, I couldn't remember ordering anything that would require this type of delivery box. My puzzlement soon turned to excitement when I looked at the return address and realized it came from Montana where my pen exchange partner, John Graham is from. I thought to myself, this box is a little big for a single pen and couldn't get my knife out of my pocket fast enough to see what John had sent me.

Below is a picture of the contents of the box. John sent me 2 cigar pens in Black Titanium, one is turned from Bethlehem Olive Wood and the other is Dark Lace Sheoak. In addition to two beautiful pens, John sent a very nice hand written note, 2 blanks of Mountain Ash and a chunk of apple that he harvested from his property in Libby, Montana.

Many thanks to John for his contribution to me. This picture does not do these pens justice. They are beautiful pieces in person.
PenExchange1.jpg

P.S.#1
This is a cell phone picture which is not the greatest so be nice. My daughter borrowed my digital and has yet to return it.

P.S. #2
John, I am having trouble with the motor on my lathe so I will get to your pen as soon as it is fixed.

[David Walser]

Grant,

It looks like John really went above and beyond. You are both to be congratulated.

[Billy Dodd]

Who do I have to pay for setting me up with Bruce Kauffman? Bruce told me some of the things he had on hand and felt me out for what I might like and came up with this Black Titanium Statesman in trustone turquoise. A magnificent pen in itself but he through in a trustone blank for me to try since I told him I've never turned it before and a money blank he made with a few other gorgeous pen blanks along with the stand to display this excellent pen on. I think he definately got the short end of this draw. Thank you so much Bruce this will be treasured.