Holly pen

Jim Burr

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Reno, Nv
This is some Spalted holly sent to me by a really nice guy ( I think I still owe him a pen:eek::doh:). I put this on a Jr Gent Black Ti for another really nice guy. There is no way to tell from the from the pic's, but wow!...this one came out nice, looks just like Ivory...LOML never saw it so it made it to the USPS. Vaughn gave me a tip on wet sanding...I'll never forget it, it makes a lot of difference!!:thumb:
It's no monkey, but it is pretty!;)
 

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Looks sweet, Jim. :clap: What was the wet sanding secret? Whatever I told you, I've forgotten...I've slept since then. :p

Did you wet sand the bare wood, or after you applied the CA finish? (I'm assuming you used CA for the finish.)
 
OK OK...my arm has been twisted! :rofl::rofl:
Holly cuts so nice that I did the last 1/8" with a skew and went to 600. I taped the bushings...no Delrin yet...so the grey from the bushing wouldn't move to the blank. 2 coats of thin CA and knock down with 0000 steel wool. One more coat of CA and then wet sand with a MM pad...8k to 10k. I keep some (4k to 16k) in a little tupperware filled with water when I do a pen now. Wipe it off and Shazzam!!
I had an issue with rattle can lacquer orange peeling on me. Vaughn said "Oh...just wet sand it...it'll go away" CA doesn't peel, but I use a paper towel and there are some little streaks here and there. Steel wool was ok...but there was a loss of sheen?? i guess. Im not a fan of gloss, but sheen is cool. Wet sanding smooths out the paper towel stuff and really brings out a luster.
Clear as mud :huh::huh: Hope that explains it...if I can clear something up..lemme know! :wave:
 
Nice looking pen. I'm now a fan of the BLO/CA finish method, but it give a very glossy finish. It could also be cut back to a sheen with steel wool I guess. I've never tried steel wool on pens.
 
Nice one there! I got some holly blanks last yr and love it. With my shellac fetish it does look a lot like bone and finishes very nicely. I've never seen spalted holly - gotta be very beautiful.
turn on,
mj
 
I like that, Jim! Makes me want to dig out some of the holly I've got in the wood bin and give it a shot. Good tip on taping the bushings. :thumb:
Rather than taping the bushings, why not turn a set of bushings from Delrin. It neither sticks to CA (if that's your choice of finish) or leaves a grey dust on your blanks.

If you can't be bothered turning your own, get these from John Gooden http://penturnersproducts.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2_4

I use both his steel bushings and his Delrin bushings exclusively!
 
I'm headed that direction Mack. The holly was a last minute idea so no Delrin this time. I'd like to try and make them, but given the low quality (that's changing) of some of my tools (old HF drill press, real old craftsman bandsaw) buying the bushings would be a better option.
The only bushings I use are from John...can't be beat!
 
Rather than taping the bushings, why not turn a set of bushings from Delrin. It neither sticks to CA (if that's your choice of finish) or leaves a grey dust on your blanks.

If you can't be bothered turning your own, get these from John Gooden http://penturnersproducts.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2_4

I use both his steel bushings and his Delrin bushings exclusively!

Or....you could try the 'no mandrel' method of turning.
http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15152
 
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