I had a little fun making this pen. I used Maple and Cocobolo cut offs from past pens and a used up J.C. Penny gift card. its not perfect but I learned quite a bit and the next one will be stellar. Regards, Bob
Great glue up and pen. I am encouraged by your protects. I did the scroll saw wave cut on some blanks today and glued in some contrasting scrap. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank you Stephen, I love hearing from other turners who try ideas from my videos. A send me a photo of one of your finished pens, I'd love to see it. Regards, Bob
Absolutely stunning. This use of gift cards is exactly what I've been looking for for my designs i have in mind. Very inspring and design provoking. Thanks for sharing another great technique from start to finish.
Bob, I have recently entered the world of pen turning and I really enjoy your videos for the great information and inspiration. Your segmented pens are so amazing, I can't wait to start experimenting with segmented pens! Keep up the fine work and thanks for sharing it with us!
Thank you Benjamin, Welcome to The Dark Side of woodworking. Turning is fun and addictive. If I can ever help with answering questions or anything, please don't hesitate to ask. Regards, Bob
That pen is what got me into pen making, what a star why you don't produce more content is beyond me. Great content, great guy, love your videos, keep it going.
Bob, This is you friend from southern Illinois about half way between Evansville and St. Louis ... I love the pen so much I just had to try one so I went to the local wood turner's supply " Dollar Tree' and got one package of plastic picnic plates one $ for a large bunch. About the same thickness as a gift card and the package had red, blue, green, orange, and yellow. I used the yellow one for the pen (modified style) which was just great thanks for the video and the ideal!!!!
+kb9beh That's Awesome! Plastic plates, who would have thought that would work. I like that there are multiple colors, you can accent just a out any wood. Regards, Bob
Fantastic pen Bob, your so right about what the blank looks like before it is turned. I always think it's like a magic trick, first it looks pretty rough and when you see it after turning, it's a real thing of beauty. You made a great choice of wood for this one, the contrast is beautiful. Great pen. All the best. Tony
Thank you Tony, I'm really enjoying myself with this simple segmenting. I keep stopping the lathe as I'm turning to see how the blank looks. It is magic how it transforms. Regards, Bob
That's awesome. I wouldn't have thought you could use things like plastic cards in turning. I just ordered a lathe so I'm getting ideas. Thanks for the idea!
Hello Chris, You're going to love turning. You can create all kinds of great stuff and make items to enhance other projects. If you decide to try pen turning let me know and I'll put together a list of wha you need. Regards, Bob
Thanks for offering help! I think I know what I need right away to get started, but if I have any specific questions I may shoot one or two your way. Thanks a lot!
Hi Bob, pen turning is very new to me but watching your videos makes things so much clearer and gives us new chaps a lot more confidence to try your fantastic ideas ,thanks very much .colin cullip england
Colin, The first thing I would check is: make sure all the parts are properly aligned. I have never turned a Mesa but I have turned the Stratus which is similar. Next make sure there are no obstructions in the cap assembly. If the plunger can't screw all the way down, the mechanism will not work properly. Finally make sure the barrel of the pen is exactly 2.25" long. If it's longer or shorter, that will cause issues. I hope this helps, being unfamiliar with the kit makes it a bit tough to troubleshoot. Regards, Bob
RJBWoodTurner Another awesome idea for a pen! I think I'm going to have to save old gift cards and give this a shot with all the short cut off pieces I have kept.
I think the pen looks great. I enjoy watching all your videos and have learned a lot about pen turning from them. I started turning pens about 3 months ago and would probably try something like this in the future. Bob
Thank you Robert, Be very careful, you may get hooked on these pens, they are a blast to make and there is no end to what you can do with the patterns. Regards, Bob
Bob, great tutorial, and the color and patterns are stunning. I'm brand new to the pen turning world, so the "trials" you experienced here were very helpful in understanding the pen turning process. Keep up the good work; you've got a keen eye for design! Cheers!
I think after watching this, Im going to gather up all our left over cards and make a pen. A pen made entirely out of gift cards........we'll see how it goes. lol. Great video!
That's a cool idea Brad, Please send me a photo when it's finished as I'd love to see it. I think it would turn well because when the tool cut it, it came off in ribbons. Just watch the gift cards, I had several there were laminated, be sure to pull the laminate surface off before gluing them up. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Regards, Bob
Well I ran into a problem. My pen mandrel is 100% stuck in my headstock. I've tried the little tool that came with my lathe. I never tighten my tailstock that hard as to not bend the pen mandrel. Any suggestions? Thanks. I would post a video but haven't started a youtube channel.
Ouch, That's a tough one. If you've already tried the knock out bar and it didn't work, I'm not sure what else to try, that's what I use. When you do get it removed, I recommend a good cleaning of the Morse Taper inside and out. I'm sorry I can't be more help here but I've never experienced this issue. Regards, Bob
Nice job Bob, looks real neat. I think we just shared a conversation about drill bit walking last week. It happens to all of us. I don't thing the recipient of your pen will worry one bit about the line being off just a tiny amount. We would never have know if you hadn't of told us!LOL.
Thank you Danny, I ended up giving that pen away to a young man who has been a mentor and somewhat of a role model to my kids. He was blown away with the pen. Regards, Bob
Thank you Harry, I hope to try many more ideas and give all my turning friends ideas they can use. I love seeing other turners run with my simple ideas and have seen some beautiful pieces. For me, this is all fun and I'm having a blast. Regards, Bob
+Daniel Edwards Thank you Daniel, Be sure to rough up the gift cards really well and make sure they don't have a plastics sticker surface on them. If you have the extra time Epoxy will work better than C/A. Just a few things I learned after making this pen. Regards, Bob
Nice job! One of the things that I have found is that wrapping the entire blank with painters tape or masking tape while drilling/barrel trimming helps to prevent separation of the sections. Hope that tip helps someone!
+Matt Iannacci Killer Tip Matt, I'm going to try that. I'm planning to use up some cut offs and this tip may come in handy. Do you remove the tape or turn it off? Regards, Bob
I've worked both ways, but I tend to try and remove the tape (assuming it didn't get stuck on with CA/epoxy during the glue-up)... Not in love with the "THWAP THWAP" of the tape on my tool rest/hands during the turning. Thanks for posting the videos - enjoyed watching!
Hi Bob, enjoy your videos. Turned for many years but always the results. Going to try my luck by combining 2 woods. Hope I can do my results like yours.
Hi Bob, I am glad you liked my credit card idea for contrasting colors and use of scraps. I just saw something interesting on pinterest that I am going to try and maybe you would like to also. Put a steel wool pad in a quart jar and add white vinegar. Let it set overnight and then it turns dark and can be used as stain on maybe light colored wood blanks. I also like the coke can aluminium idea and will try that also. All of your ideas are nice and very creative. Thanks
Thank you Gerald. I've seen the steel wool & vinegar done, it works great with oaks and other woods high in tannins. It also will turn your fingers black for a long time so use gloves. :^) Regards, Bob
Hi Bob, a really nice looking pen and one I will try and make in the future, one thing I have noticed in a lot of pen videos is the lack of cleanliness when using glue. everything we touch is covered with grease which is how finger prints are taken, glue will not adhere to grease which might have caused your failures, as an ex clock maker I am aware of what a stray fingerprint can do to your work. I use cut down pencils to hold my brass tubes when sanding and then a dry brush to clean the work before gluing. the same with any inserts I use, etc etc, cheers Dave
I think you'll have better luck drilling on your lathe. My drill press almost always wavers, but the lathe drills true. Love your videos thanks for all of the inspiration. I made a Celtic knot pen with the aluminium can for my new mother in law and she loved it. I wouldn't have even thought of it had I not seen your video.
Thank you Jess, I'm all set up to drill on the lathe now and I think that's the way I'm going as I move forward. Congrats on the Celtic knot pen, plus it never hurts to score a few points with your mother-in-law. Regards, Bob
Thank you Bill, I have been contemplating making a jig for my sander so I could ensure I was keeping the tube perpendicular. I think it would be much better for delicate blanks. Regards, Bob
I am a huge fan of your channel and I love this design. I used plastic hotel key cards to make pens with this design as souvenirs for chaperones of a recent school trip to D.C. and they were a huge hit. (I used Jatoba for the center and Black Walnut for the ends.) I notice that on some videos you use CA glue for your segmented blanks and Tightbond2 for others. Obviously speed is an advantage for the CA and time to work with the Tightbond. What are the deciding factors for you when deciding which glue to use for your segmented blanks?
I use Titebond for wood to wood. I use epoxy for mixed materials I use C/A when I’m prototyping because it dries quickly. C/A dries hard and brittle. If you drop the pen, it can shatter at the glue lines. Regards, Bob
Inspiring. I'm definitely going to give this a try! I just made a black walnut and curly maple pen with a 45° a few days ago. It would have been even better with a gift card in between. It just looks like a professionally mad inlay. I think I would just avoid the straight cuts perpendicular to the length of the pen because you do have to be so precise with the drilling and cutting.
Thank you, Those perpendicular cuts are a real tough challenge but when you get them right, they really set the pen off. I hope you do give this a try, if you do, be sure to watch the gift cards, some of them have a laminate over them and you want to be sure to pull that off. Regards, Bob
Wow. Another incredible project. Came out great. My first thoughts were that it resembles a basketball court. Maybe you could do another and sneak some Louisville or UK colors in. Lol If you do start drilling them on the lathe, try the metal method. Start the hole with a center drill. The geometry of a standard twist drill allows it to wander or drift. But a center drill has short flutes that are designed to start a perfect hole. I got some cheap at harbor freight. Once it starts the hole perfectly on center, drill it a size smaller than what you need. Then follow with a reamer. Its a lot of steps and bit changing, and would be excessive on most pens. But on those rare or precocious blanks that you want to take your time with... That's where it will pay off.
Thank you for the information Mitchell, That may be just what I need. I don't mind the drift so much on a solid blank but on something more critical like a segmented blank that takes a couple hours to make, it really stinks when I drill off center. I'm copying this info to my woodworking notes page so I'll have it on my next trip to HF. Regards, Bob
Liked the video. Very nice design. Drilling on the lathe will help a lot. Also, do not use barrel trimmer. Use a disk sander with a 90' jig = No blow outs.
Thank you Tony, Once you try a pen like this, you'll start having ideas for all types of materials you can incorporate into your pens. Send me a photo when your finished, I'd love to see what you come up with. Regards, Bob
my first thoughts were, :"no way is this going to work". I really thought that the plastic would have the same effects as wax paper and not hold at all. but you first showed the copulation that I expected. But you got it to work, and looks great. Amazes me how all you guys come up with these ideas. I wouldn't have even tried it for the reason I mentioned. Good JOB.
Thank you Jerry, If you give it a try, you can rough up the plastic card with sand paper for a better hold. Also, be on the look out for cards with lamination on them, that defiantly peels off. Regards, Bob
Nice pen. Absolutely fabulous. Add two more words to your "two words" comment: Sharp tools. As to the off-center drilling, try drilling on the lathe. And for the barrel trimming, on delicate projects I use a disk sander to trim the barrels; a lot less aggressive than the barrel trimmers.
Thank you John, I agree that the lathe is the better way to drill blanks that are more critical they be drilled straight. I have all the tools to do it, I just didn't. Bad idea on my part. Thanks for the tip on the sander, I'll be making many more of these and I'll give that a try. Regards, Bob
Very nice pen. I'm kind of inspired to try some segmented pen turning. As for drilling on the lathe, that I what I have usually done, and to be honest, I still very often get a bit of drift for some reason. I don't have any idea why.
I hope you do give this a try, it is really fun and there are no rules. I think the bits are so long they flex. I have been choking up on them in the chuck and that seems to help. The other day I predrilled with a smaller bit then the 7mm will follow that path. Regards, Bob
RJBWoodTurner that adds character to the pen we aren't made perfect....well that is what my wife keeps telling me.....lol. Great pen. when you do the barrel trimming how do you know when to stop? I did on my first pen and somehow the gold barrel showed so when i pressed the tip on you saw some of the barrel. The person i gave the pen to didn't notice but i didn't like.....
Thank you Mike, I trim until I see the brass of the barrel. I also make sure the blank all around the barrel looks like it's been scraped. If the barrel is inside the blank, this is never a problem but if you get it close to the end, you need to watch. I learned this the hard way and I try to never cut to exact length, I always leave a tiny bit extra and center the barrel. With that I know both ends will be flush. Regards, Bob
A brilliant video and stunning looking pen thamks gor sharing. Does it matter if soft and hard wood is used on the same blank? Plus does it matter if one wood grain is 90 degrees to the other wood? so the grain is head on and the other side on!
When placing grains 90 degrees to each other you will need a sharp tool otherwise it will just push the grain over and can cause tear out. It can be a tad difficult to turn but will give beautiful results when finished. The other thing I like to do with end grain is start sanding it in reverse and alternate forward and reverse between each grit of paper. Regards, Bob
Hi Bob. Absolutely staggering work and a genius idea, the pen looks stunning. I've just purchased a lathe so I may give this a go. What will I need? Thanks in advance. Regards Andy.
Bob, Just thinking a bit about your bit traveling on you. What if you were to drill out the blank before you added the gift card and then redrilled it? That way you don't have the gift card kicking the bit off course? No idea if that would work or not it just kind of popped into my head while I was watching the video. Great job by the way that pen looks awesome.
It's funny you should mention that, I did exactly that when I made the segmented bolt action pen about three pens after this one. Great minds think alike. Oh yeah, it worked great. Regards, Bob
I'm at a lose myself. My knockout tool started to curl up on the end. I don't feel comfortable using my plumbing torch as I don't want to wasp anything or melt grease in the bearings. I don't think glue got that far into it so I think I'm going to try some solvent that won't break down the grease. Maybe I will start a channel and have this as my first video. Haha
Thank you Darren, Before I'd try to put a price on one, I'd have to see just how much time I had invested. I would at least expect 1.5 times what I sell a single blank slim line for. They do take substantially more time and I need to refine my process to reduce that investment. Regards, Bob
Hi Bob, love your pen videos I re watch them quite often. Did you manage to resolve the drill drifting issue? I've had a good result with honing HSS dits when I really don't want it to drift.
RJBWoodTurner Hi Bob (honing or to hone something means to make sharper) all I've done is cut a block on my bench saw at the angle of the drill bit I'm using, hot glue the bit to the block so that it's sharp ish edge makes contact with the piece of glass I use that has a little cutting compound and oil on, then make little circles until I'm happy with how sharp it is. The difference once you get the hang of it is like cutting a tomato with a spoon then a scalpel, drift happens for me when you need to apply pressure to make something cut.
