americana bullet tip pens

[Jeffrey Fusaro]

here are four recently completed pens.

these were made as gifts for my wife. she picked the pen kit out of the csusa catalog and we went shopping for pen blanks.

the two on the left are "dunno wood" burls. they weren't marked, and no one in the store knew what they were. the wood has interesting figure, but it also has some "wormy" looking features that were not too pleasing to the eye once fashioned into parts small enough for a pen. three coats of satin oil & urethane.

she asked for a mulligan, and we went back to buy more blanks.

the third pen is pink ivory. she liked this one a lot better. nice tight grain with minute pores. it cuts and finishes nicely. the pink color was a plus, for her. oil & urethane - then put back on the lathe and polished with micro-mesh.

the fourth pen is big leaf maple burl. this one was an experiment, on my part. she didn't pick this one, but i figured it would make a nice pen. she agreed. oil & urethane - then put back on the lathe and polished with micro-mesh.

since she couldn't make up her mind whether she liked the pink ivory or the big leaf maple burl better, so she opted to keep both.

one's a "purse" pen, and one's a "home" pen.

comments are welcome.

thanks for looking.

[Joseph Peacock]

Welcome to the Creek! Those pens look good Mr.Jeffery!!!!!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Jeffery those are some beauties. Well done.

[Patrick Taylor]

Great work Jeffrey! My wife also has the habit of "keeping both" when she can't decide! I'm glad she's happy.

[Grant Wilkinson]

Very fine work, Jeffrey!

[Jason Clark2]

I'd guess XYLay Afzelia for the 2 on the left.

Jason

[Jeffrey Fusaro]

I'd guess XYLay Afzelia for the 2 on the left.

Jason

thanks, jason!

you may be right. i found a few pics of afzelia burl on the web. it looked similar. close enough for me!

[Jim Podsedly]

Jeffrey,

Very nice pens. I really like the big leaf maple one.

On this type of pen does the center ban slip over the bottom tube or does it just sit above it?

I tried two of these pens and neither one twists freely. I know i did something wrong but not sure.

Thanks,
Jim

[Jeffrey Fusaro]

Jeffrey,

Very nice pens. I really like the big leaf maple one.

On this type of pen does the center ban slip over the bottom tube or does it just sit above it?

I tried two of these pens and neither one twists freely. I know i did something wrong but not sure.

Thanks,
Jim

jim--

i did the same thing.

when you put the top and bottom halves together, you pushed them together TOO FAR. this is making the top tube grind against the lower tube.

unscrew the two halves.

remove the top cap and pocket clip from the top half.

stand the top half upright on a flat surface

use the head of a small nail (or similar object) to reach down thru the threaded hole of the pen cap.

rest the head of the nail on the top of the transmission near it's side - not in the center. if you push on the center of the transmission, you might damage it.

lightly tap the nail with a hammer. this will push the transmission down. 1mm or so, will do.

thread the top half of the pen back onto the bottom half.

now, gently press the two halves of the pen together until the top cap center band JUST HIDES the gap between the halves and STOP. don't push any further. you'll have to do this all over again, if you keep pushing.

been there. done that.

reassemble the pocket clip and top cap.

should work like a champ, now.

good luck.

[Ernie Nyvall]

Nice work Jeffrey. I like that bullet kit.

[Paul Heely]

Nice looking pens Jeffrey. Your finish has a nice look to it. Can you tell me more about it? Is it separate coats of oil then urethane or an oil & urethane mix?

[Jeffrey Fusaro]

Nice looking pens Jeffrey. Your finish has a nice look to it. Can you tell me more about it? Is it separate coats of oil then urethane or an oil & urethane mix?

thanks, paul!

i use "general finishes" brand of "oil & urethane". it's one part, not a mix. i bought it at rockler.

after i'm done sanding the blanks, i use a coat, or two of sanding sealer, if needed. this helps fill the pores in open grained woods. i touch up the sanding sealer with 400/600 grit, then remove the blanks from the lathe.

i wipe on an even coat of the oil & urethane and let it dry overnight.

the next morning, i rub with #0000 steel wool and apply the second coat.

that evening, another rub with #0000 steel wool, then the third coat.

you can stop after the third coat and apply renaissance wax, and call it done. i did that on the "dunno wood" (afzelia burl?) pens.

the other two pens were put back on the lathe and polished with micro-mesh to get a high gloss.

the high-gloss look is nice. but, it can get fingerprinted and shows scratches more. i kinda like to satin look on wood pens. it has a nice contrast to the bright finish of the pen components. to each, his own, i guess.

by the way, the oil & urethane comes in three gloss levels. i used the satin. they offer semi-gloss and high-gloss, too.

i am thinking baout trying some lacquer or the "enduro" product some time soon. always looking for alternatives....

good luck.

[Jeffrey Fusaro]

thanks for the feedback, all!

it's appreciated!