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Hi from Newbie Turner

R

raybo

Apprentice Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2014
Posts
4
Location
Nottingham
Hi there turners, I have just purchased a second hand Record Power DM24X lathe and have bought all the kit for turning pens so a bit of advice from all you experts will be gladly received.

I have turned four wooden slimline pens with the kit that came with my mandrel but when I tried to get clever and turn an acrylic pen one of the blanks shattered so I think I must have gone in a bit close to the tube, or was it that my spindle gouge wasn't sharp enough ? a bit annoying because the acrylic was twice the price of the wooden blanks.

What I would like to know is are there any good suppliers of cheap pen making kits that you all use?, from what I see on the internet the average price for 5 slimline kits is around £10 plus postage which I find is a bit expensive when added to the cost of a blank and other costs such as finishes and power.

If anyone out there has any advice I would be most grateful for your help.
Raybo, Nottingham:rolling:
 
Terry

Terry

Chairman Plonker
Executive Member
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Jan 31, 2013
Posts
9,504
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An exile Geordie living in Kingston upon Hull
First Name
Terry
Welcome aboard Raybo and enjoy the banter.
Most of the lads on the forum get there pen kits from Timberbits in Australia which sounds crazy but they really are cheaper!!!!
Regarding the acrylic you have probably answered your own question. If your gouge is not sharp enough and you try to take too big a cut this will cause the acrylic to overheat which in turn will cause it to go brittle and this will shatter the blank. Or it could be that you have indeed gone too close to the tube with too deep a cut. Remember to take gentle cuts when you are near the finished article and also keep your chisels sharp !!!!:thumbs:
 
Woody

Woody

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at home
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no
Hi and welcome to the best forum a going most of us on here buy our kits from Timber bits in Oz Pen Making if you spend $80 you get fee postage
Regarding the acrylic pen blanks you will be better of turning just wood to start with till you master that properly its impossible to say what went wrong when the blank blew out on you as there are so many factors to what it could be blunt tools, to mush tool pressure wrong angle tool presentation tool rest to low or to high bla bla bla so stick with wood for a while and enjoy happy turning
 
Grump

Grump

Grand Master
Joined
Aug 17, 2013
Posts
10,504
Location
Stevenage
First Name
Brian
Hi Raybo and welcome to the madhouse.
I would say to stick with wood too FOREVER init.
I just like to wind up those who use plastic, if I want that look I will splash a bit of paint over my wood.
You are in the great Sir Woody's neck of the woods Pm him and see if you could visit and pick his brains.
cheeky ain't I but I know he would be pleased to help, and he can better than most.
Look forward to seeing what create, have fun init?
 
Woody

Woody

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That can be arranged every one is welcome you could pop over for the Midlands woodworking show in Newark on the 29th March there will be a few of us meeting up for it
 
edlea

edlea

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Blackpool
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Ed
Hi raybo ..welcome. You will get some good advice on here... and the best so far is to go pester Woody he's got nothing to do all day,just slip him a few curry pasties now and again ..he loves 'em . Remember also that if you mess up on a project you can,most of the time, recycle the kits and save a bit of cash ; so don't go throwing them in the bin !!
 
paulm

paulm

grave manibus faciendum
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Sandford
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Welcome Raybo, You have just entered through a one way door, there is no going back now. Most people on here as stated buy their kits from Timberbits who is a fantastic supplier of quality items at a better price than most places. However you will have to wait for a while to get them so I would buy 5 for £10 on ebay from penkits.uk or fun e turnz and use those. Stick with wood first off and even better stick with woods that are easier to turn such as fruit.

as others say above, Woody is your man and is brimming to the top with information and you would do well to delve into some of it before he forgets it all.
 
Kardav

Kardav

the PENsioner
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Nottingham north
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Welcome Raybo and as everyone else has said, Timberbits is by far the cheapest although you'll have to wait three weeks or more fore the stuff.......but it's worth it. Once you've turned a few cool pens you'll never stop!!!

Dave:fart:
 
PhillH

PhillH

Little Grandad
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Welcome !

Don't bin the one that cracked, just turn off the remaining bit of the blank and you can reuse the tube.

Hope that helps, other than that have fun.
 
Jimjam66

Jimjam66

Chief Battonager
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Jan 27, 2013
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Welcome - although you might regret this decision once the addiction truly has you in it's grip! Not that you'll regret the hobby - it's the wife's tongue-lashings when she sees your credit card bills that sting ...
 
Penpal

Penpal

Grand Master
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Canberra AUSTRALIA
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Raybo, All good forests have a Robin the advice given to new turners is keep it sharp buy spare tubes (cheap as) take your time think it through and join a club near you and watch/learn ask questions, be carefull if you think that price for kits is expensive look at the price of petrol etc the running cost of a car now its cheap as chips. Trust you get bthe enjoyment from your new venture.

Kind regards Peter.
 
Jim

Jim

Grand Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Posts
15,617
Welcome to the forums Raybo, i can't advise you any better than what the guys have already given you ... But i can warn you that this game is addictive, but keep it a secret from your partner .. :thumbs:
 
silver

silver

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Hi Raybo.. Newbie or not, you don't know what you are letting yourself in for..:thinks:

As others have said before, but don't pay attention to them about plastics... Turn what you want and when.. If it derails start again, simple.

If you do go with plastics, try Corian, that's a reasonable cheap one to start off with..

Why yours failed.? Boy I wish I had the spa swear to that one.. However it could be what the guys have said before, it could be all the problems at the same time...:thinks:

However, one thing for certain plastics is un forgiving.:down: make sure it's glued in well, sometimes if they are not stuck down they will give way and let go of the tube :sob:

Anyway, good OLD woody will help you out I'm sure, his expertise is certainly worth a few pies:funny:

Have fun turning.
 
yorkshireman

yorkshireman

Wood Rat
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wrexham
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Welcome Raybo. There's loads of reasons why it could have happened which have been well documented previously. The first thing to look at though is gluing the brass tubes. If there is a small area of tube that doesn't have glue then it will not show until the wood is down to nearly 1mm thick then the unglued piece will fly off. Take your time at the gluing stage and make sure all the tube is well covered. Push the tube in and out a bit as well as twisting it round to make sure the glue is well spread. Have another go and enjoy yourself.
 
R

raybo

Apprentice Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2014
Posts
4
Location
Nottingham
Thanks guy's some useful advice and I think you are all spot on about the reason for the blank shattering, probably a mixture of tools and turner not being sharp enough. The best part about it was I carried on finishing the other half of the blank and turned a wooden one to put on the back end it looks quite cool and nobody is going to have one like that are they?

Woody I would have loved to come to the Newark Show but I am out in Spain for most of March we arrive back home on 30th March just my luck. Do you go to any other shows in the Midlands?.

PhilH when you say turn the plastic off the tube does that not harm your tools?, you might be skilled enough to skim over the tube but I am a novice.

Going online to have a look at the Oz website now, thanks again all.
 
Grump

Grump

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Joined
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Posts
10,504
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Stevenage
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Brian
you might be skilled enough to skim over the tube but I am a novice.
Click to expand...
You will be skilled enough, very soon you will be honest you will just see if I ain't right init?
 
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