My PITH (Pen in the Hat) swap on IAP

Mack Cameron

In Memorium
I'm certain the penturners on FWW know of IAP. They generally hold 1 PITH (Pen in the Hat) swap a year. Somebody got a little antsy to get a swap going, so I think they are calling it the spring edition PITH swap.

The rule this time around was pens could only be turned from construction grade Pine! No Exotic woods allowed. I turned this pen below.
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And then thought I could do something much better. This is just a piece of rough cut pine I happen to have with Blackwood inlays. (Not sure if the Blackwood is acceptable to the swap rule. Whatever!)
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So here's what I ended up turning, a 360° Herringbone design, turned entirely from Pine. I am not the originator of the design, merely an imitator, with a great deal of tutorial assistance written by a friend of mine!

Both pens are one piece Long Clickers turned to appear to be 2 piece pens. The recipient hasn't seen them yet. I'm holding on to them till the uncertainty of a Canada Post strike is over. Hopefully he doesn't lurk on this forum!
 
Beautiful Mack!! I missed PITH this year, but had a ball last year and received a great closed end copper Jr Gent! Those are so much fun!! I've headed back to IAP since one of the big turning forums (not this one) is looking at pens as something lower than dirt. Nice to know they are welcome here and IAP...of course.:p:rolleyes:
 
Very nice pens, both of them. Can not pick a favorite of the two. Glade to read about you being a "imitator". Now I know you won't be upset when I post a picture of the pen I just completed. You will note that the shape of my long click looks familiar. Ya, I liked yours well enough to copy..... I'll post a picture when my wife gets home with the camera next week.
 
Very nice pens, both of them. Can not pick a favorite of the two. Glade to read about you being a "imitator". Now I know you won't be upset when I post a picture of the pen I just completed. You will note that the shape of my long click looks familiar. Ya, I liked yours well enough to copy..... I'll post a picture when my wife gets home with the camera next week.
Hi Paul; I am very flattered even though I copied that shape of a long click from a very good friend of mine!

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" so they say! Whoever they is.

I'm looking forward to seeing your copy job!:rofl::rofl::D
 
Pen Making Question

It has been rattling around in my head for a year. I keep saying to myself, "Don't just sit there; get some information on the subject."

Sometime, in the next few months, I would like to make a few pens (say a dozen) for family and friends. Is it practical to do this? Is the cost of equipment going to prorate over the dozen pens and make them cost a hundred dollars, or some other rediculous amount each?

I probably have all of the lathe equipment I need. I do not have a chuck that will hold small diameter objects. That is not part of the expense problem because I plan to purchase one of those anyway. I do have a fairly comprehensive array of typical tools (TS, DP, BS, Sanders, etc.) so my tool expenses would only be for tools specific to pen making.

Again, the question is, “Is it practical to set up to make only a dozen pens?”
Who knows, I might get the pen bug. However, at this point, I don’t think I will.

If making only a few is practical, the next part is about the pens themselves

Since I am only going to be making a few, cost of materials is not a big concern; quality IS a concern.

If you let a person use the pen, I want the kind of ink and pen tip that makes that person say, “Wow. This pen writes beautifully. What kind is it? Where can I buy one?”

I would be giving the pens to special people in my life. I want quality parts that will continue to work and the ability to purchase refills.

I am open to any suggestions for parts or kits or whatever.

Enjoy,

Jim
 
That herringbone pattern is over the top, Mack. :thumb: It's full of "how'd he do that?" Great job.

...the question is, “Is it practical to set up to make only a dozen pens?”...

You have the lathe, which is the biggest expense. For somewhere around $50 to $75, you can gather the other pen-related tools you'd need like a mandrel, barrel trimmer, and other odds and ends. For each style of pen you want to turn, you will need a set of bushings ($4 or so) and the appropriate sized drill bits ($6 to $10 each, and you might need two different sizes, depending on the pen model you choose). Quite often, you can buy the bushings and drill bits together as a set at a slightly discounted price.

The hardware kits for high-quality pens range in price from $8 on up, depending on the kit and what type of plating it has. Something like the Jr. Gent kit that is popular with a number of turners will run between $11 and $17. The end product is a pen your friends and family will be very proud to own. :thumb:

As an aside, even the cheapest pen kits use standard refills. Cross, Parker, and Schmidt are common refills used with typical pen kits.
 
Very beautiful work. I've always loved knotty pine for my bookcases,with lots of love and some walnut DO they always turn out well. Both are impressive pieces!
mj
 
Hi Mack,

Nice job. Any chance you can post how you did the herring bone? I would like to give that a try.

Jim,

I just started with pens a couple of months ago. The start up cost is not very much. A mandrel, end mill, and drill bits and bushing sets will get you going. I use my drill press with a dowel in the chuck for an assembly press, and a wooden clamp makes a serviceable vise for drilling the blanks. I would try some cheaper models first to get the feel of things and perfect your finishing techniques. I started with slimlines. They are inexpensive so you can experiment without feeling (too) bad if you make a mistake.

Tom
 
Hi Tom or Jim; I'm confused as to who's asking for the instructions to the 360° herringbone. Nevertheless here they are.

They are not done by me and I take no credit for them whatsoever. I just followed them as well as I could with a very small alteration at the start which got the originator's OK. I think you'll find them very easy to follow!

http://content.penturners.org/library/pen_blanks/360_Herringbone.pdf

You may have to register on IAP to view them. I can send them to you direct if you pm your email addy to me.
 
Wow, so there's no quick trick to making that herringbone blank. A lot of work, but the results are stunning. :clap: Thanks for the link, Mack.
 
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