Pen Mandrel Purchase Question

Dan Mosley

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Location
Palm Springs, Ca
Christmas time and have someone that likes the pens that people turn - Thought I may order one as a present - I know Pen state has alot of stuff but thought someone may know what exactly to buy - broad question I know but I don't turn pens so looking for some suggestions ..........Thanks Dan
 
Yes, it is a loaded question. You will need more than just a pen mandrel. You need pen bushings for the type pen kit you select, correct size drill bit, method of squaring the ends of the blank with the tube once it is glued in the blank, i.e., a pen mill, sander jig or such. Insure get the correct size mandrel for the pen kit. There is an "A" and a "B" size. "A" for smaller kits and "B" for the larger pens. You need a live center for your tail stock that has a 60' angle to it. Pen mandrels have a 60' indentation in the end.

My suggestion, if you have never made one before is to get a video. PSI use to have a free on, which is pretty good. As far a purchasing from PSI, it is not a favorite for a lot of people. They are slower than most, but I have never really had any problems with them. For faster service and good products there are a bunch of places on the internet. You also get better prices if you stay away from PSI, Woodcraft or Rocklers those types. Here are a few:

http://www.arizonasilhouette.com/

http://www.beartoothwoods.com/catalog/

http://www.woodpenpro.com/pen_kits/index.html

That is just a few, there are many.

You may know about the http://www.penturners.org/ if not it is a good place to learn any and everything you want to know about pen making.

I'm sure others will chime in here.
 
no matter what you do, you are going to order and have to reorder, till you get a grip on all of it.
I suggest finding someone near you from here, or from another pen turners site, and go hang out with them for a few hours so they can give you all the little pointers you may not get from videos.

I call people from this site, Ive always found them more than happy to share their experience.
 
Dan, are you buying the mandrel for yourself to turn pens or for someone else that has a lathe and you think they want to get into turning pens?

Let's assume it is a mandrel for yourself and your lathe. Which morse taper your lathe has (1 or 2) determines which taper you get on your mandrel of course. The price of the adjustable mandrels is very comparable and for different pens or projects requiring a mandrel it is quite useful to be able to adjust the length of your mandrel so I would suggest an adjustable mandrel. Common diameter 7mm.

Again, if it is for you, pick a pen style. Slimlines and or Saturns are quite easy to turn. Since you mentioned PSI, they generally have a starter package that is a little more economical as it includes 3 or 4 pen kits, the correct drill bit and the correct bushings. With this starter kit and the appropriate number of pen blanks, quite easy to get into the pen turning vortex.
 
I am buying it for a gift to one of the kids that wanted to try pen turning - But I also will be the one setting it up and using it to I suppose sing as it will be on my lathe - Thanks for the tips and comments ill check the websites - A kit would be easiest for starters - Squaring the blanks I would use my mitre box saw I guess - Ends sanded up on a drill press with a disk in it - pressing with a clamp or in the drill press - watched some U-tube videos interesting even though im really not into making pens but who knows after I set it up - LOL.................
 
Jonathan is right but if you have done this before that statement might be confusing. What's crucial is that the ends are trimmed at 90 degrees to the glued tube, not to the edges of the blank. If you square up to the blank and the tube is not square to the blank, you'll get noticeable gaping in the final, assembled pen.


--dave
 
CSUSA has a good pen starting kit. I'd move away from mandrels as soon as you/they can. You don't have to be an expert pen turner to appreciate BTC pens. Stay as far away from a mitre saw with a pen anything as you can. They are to small and can't be held in a secure manner...DAMHIKT. Disc sanders are a well accepted idea, but you have to make sure you are 100% level on X and Y planes. If you are just doinig Slims, get a 7mm barrel trimmer and save yourself a lot of grief. Or...you could head up here for the day and we can make any kind of pen you want...as soon as I figure it out!
 
Jim - Thanks - after watching alot of U-tube what I ended up ordering was a slim line pen mandrel, 7mm dril bit, 7mm barrel trimmer, nylon blocks to use for pressing, DVD on Pen turning, and 10 slim line pen sets, and some ebony blanks - That should make a the gift a complete set to start - I have a bandsaw and making a pen sled should be pretty easy - If they decide not they can also order more blanks but the one thing I noticed was pen blanks (small little things) are expensive - Woodturners Catalog has some $7 and up in price each - but there are other sources to explore if they get into it, plus I have alot of mesquite, Walnut and Red Euc laying around that I can cut up.............I have the CA glue-BLO or friction polish on hand they can use so I think I have everything to start - I did read about all the problems people have using the CA but It seems to be trial and error and possibly the DVD will make things less problematic to start (ill be watching it to as it all goes on my lathe)........

If you would have asked me before I would have told you that you - you will never see me turn pens - how boring - Now that someone in the family is interested in it I have started to get into it to and i may change my mind................LOL will see.........................but thanks for all the advice
 
You can turn your own wood or limbs from a favorite tree. To speed the process, you can dry it in a microwave. Weigh it, put it in for a few seconds (don't want it to get HOT) when it gets real warm, let it cool. Each time you remove it from the microwave, if it has lost weight, it has lost moisture. Eventually it won't lose any more weight which means it doesn't have any more moisture to give up.
 
I'll caution against using friction polish (like Myland's) on pens. The finish will look great at the beginning, but it won't hold up well as the pen is used. CA, wipe-on poly, or even a wipe-on varnish like Antique Oil will hold up better. (The poly and AO will take a bit longer to harden than the CA, though.)
 
I'll caution against using friction polish (like Myland's) on pens. The finish will look great at the beginning, but it won't hold up well as the pen is used. CA, wipe-on poly, or even a wipe-on varnish like Antique Oil will hold up better. (The poly and AO will take a bit longer to harden than the CA, though.)

Amen!! I missed that. Mylands or Renwax are poor pen finishes.
 
Most of the video i have watched show the finish to be CA/BLO - some do many coats of each back to back then knock down with 600 and buff out or some combination there of - I did order a DVD for them (and me) to watch on turning slimline pens - shipment not here yet - even though there is plenty of utube stuff out there it raises alot of questions on technique to me - ill have to wait and watch the video and go from there.

I do not use Mylands - but I have Shellawax and EEE - this may be ok to use after the CA/BLO and light sanding instead of buffing - not sure its just a thought

I am still wondering about this : you have sanded to finish on the mandrel and ready to apply the coats of CA/BLO - sleeves still on holding the two pcs in place - I would think the CA would adhere to the metal sleeves and pen parts on the mandrel - One utube says a little wax on the ends of the pen parts and sleeves will fix the issue - thoughts ?

Then with a barrel trimmer - although squares up the ends nicely - the sleeves set into it if the blank when secured onto the mandrel - you then have to cut down very lightly to avoid cutting into the sleeves I would assume.................ahhhh well ill find out soon i guess............LOL
 
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