Heritage blank query?

[Rob Stoakley]

I mentioned elsewhere that I'm a complete newb to pen making but I've been given a quantity of heritage oak from the headstocks of the bells of St.Paul's Cathedral. However the cross section of each bit of oak means that I can only produce a blank which is 11mm square, which might pose a problem. I've been advised that the 'Slimline' kits from Axminster using a 7mm drill would be suitable but it would appear from some reading on the forum that they're a bit 'dire', whereas the Beaufort kits appear to be far superior.

Is there a Beaufort kit available for a beginner that would suit the 11mm blanks that I can produce or am I destined to make an unending array of 'Slimline' pens? - Rob

 

[alpha1]

Check out the Web site.

Pen kits - Pen turning - Pen making

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www.beaufortink.co.uk

 

[Rob Stoakley]

Check out the Web site.

Pen kits - Pen turning - Pen making

Our exclusive high end pen kits are designed by us in the UK and made to our exacting standards to rank amongst the best available worldwide

www.beaufortink.co.uk

Thanks for the prompt reply; I've spent quite some time looking at their stuff but it doesn't answer my question; is an 11mm square blank suitable to use with a Beaufort kit of some sort? If so, what would be recommended? - Rob

Edit - the only way I could make a 'fatter' blank would be to laminate four bits together, with say, a bit of contrasting veneer along the glue lines

 

[TVS]

Any slimline kit will do look on ebay Years ago blanks for slimline kits were 1/2” square 11mm will turn a slimline but uou wont have a lot of room for error drill with care and you should be fine samm with corrian just 12mm but we turn slimlines from it

 

[Rob Stoakley]

Any slimline kit will do look on ebay Years ago blanks for slimline kits were 1/2” square 11mm will turn a slimline but uou wont have a lot of room for error...

Thanks for that; looks like I could do a few 'Slimline's' with some other material (got loads in the 'shop inc walnut, rosewood, ebony, holly, box etc) and then laminate the heritage oak to make something a little more ambitious - Rob

 

[alan morrison]

Rob, the drill bit required for a Sirocco from Beaufort Ink is 27/64.....that is about 10.5mm, meaning that you don't have much left over.
The Etesia needs 11/32 which is around 8.5mm so a wee bit to spare. If you have a bush for the Etesia you could test it at the end of your blank to see how much material you have to play with.

 

[Rob Stoakley]

Rob, the drill bit required for a Sirocco from Beaufort Ink is 27/64.....that is about 10.5mm, meaning that you don't have much left over.
The Etesia needs 11/32 which is around 8.5mm so a wee bit to spare. If you have a bush for the Etesia you could test it at the end of your blank to see how much material you have to play with.

Thanks Alan, but I think for a newbie pen maker that's cutting it a shade fine even if I were to use a 'Slimline' kit with a 7mm drill. I reckon I'm going to have to go down the lamination route for my heritage oak which means I'll eventually end up with fewer pens but hopefully they'll be better, especially if I use a Beaufort kit(s) of some sort - Rob

 

[ValleyBoy]

With timber that size and shape I would be tempted to do a little laminating, if you feel up to the task.

You could perhaps glue 4 pieces together creating 4 quadrants, maybe with a slim contrasting veneer between them to add a little detail and to disguise any grain mismatch, and it would give you a 22mm blank which would give you a lot more room for error.

To be honest 11mm, whilst not impossible, is a little bit tight and may be challenging.

So, depending how much material you’ve got, it may be worth experimenting a little to see what gives you the best chance of success.

Cheers
Ash

 

[flexi]

I had quite a lump from my bell tower, but in your case I would go down the laminated route (@ValleyBoy ) just beat me.. You could also split your 11mm blank and insert a slither in the middle of something contrasting 3mm if you did that twice you'd have a better sized blank... And something slightly more aesthetic??

 

[Rob Stoakley]

With timber that size and shape I would be tempted to do a little laminating, if you feel up to the task.

You could perhaps glue 4 pieces together creating 4 quadrants, maybe with a slim contrasting veneer between them to add a little detail and to disguise any grain mismatch, and it would give you a 22mm blank which would give you a lot more room for error.

To be honest 11mm, whilst not impossible, is a little bit tight and may be challenging.

So, depending how much material you’ve got, it may be worth experimenting a little to see what gives you the best chance of success.

Cheers
Ash

That's exactly the plan; four quadrants with a contrasting veneer between each. I was slowly coming to the conclusion that an 11mm square blank on it's own left little room for manoeuvre so one of Baldrick's cunning plans would be needed to use the material more effectively - Rob

 

[Curly]

Given that the wood is from a church I would glue two pieces along the widest surface with a contrasting veneer between. Then drill it for the tube but before tubing it cut it again perpendicular for another piece of veneer with a hole in it. Carefully glue the three parts together on the tube which would make a cross. You could glue the three pieces before drilling if you glued splints along the sides or wrapped it with cloth and glue to reinforce it. The cloth or splints get turned off. If you want to you could make the veneer from the oak too but blacken it with a solution of steel wool dissolved in vinegar for contrast. Then the whole blank is from the same wood.

Pete

 

[howsitwork?]

Given that the wood is from a church I would glue two pieces along the widest surface with a contrasting veneer between. Then drill it for the tube but before tubing it cut it again perpendicular for another piece of veneer with a hole in it. Carefully glue the three parts together on the tube which would make a cross. You could glue the three pieces before drilling if you glued splints along the sides or wrapped it with cloth and glue to reinforce it. The cloth or splints get turned off. If you want to you could make the veneer from the oak too but blacken it with a solution of steel wool dissolved in vinegar for contrast. Then the whole blank is from the same wood.

Pete

interesting idea Pete.

Maybe Holly for contrast with the blackened oak would work well ?

 

[Curly]

interesting idea Pete.

Maybe Holly for contrast with the blackened oak would work well ?

That would be up to the maker to decide. You might have a little trouble keeping the Holly looking white from sanding dust smear. It would seam to me if you blacken the whole historic wood blank it wouldn't be telling the same story and you might as well use any Oak or find some Bog Oak.

Pete

 

[Phil Dart]

I mentioned elsewhere that I'm a complete newb to pen making but I've been given a quantity of heritage oak from the headstocks of the bells of St.Paul's Cathedral. However the cross section of each bit of oak means that I can only produce a blank which is 11mm square, which might pose a problem. I've been advised that the 'Slimline' kits from Axminster using a 7mm drill would be suitable but it would appear from some reading on the forum that they're a bit 'dire', whereas the Beaufort kits appear to be far superior.

Is there a Beaufort kit available for a beginner that would suit the 11mm blanks that I can produce or am I destined to make an unending array of 'Slimline' pens? - Rob

The most slender Beaufort kit has a finished size of 11.5mm I'm afraid Rob

There's a look-up table on the Beaufort website that shows all the tube and bushes dimensions, that you might find useful

Beaufort Ink - Pen kits at a glance

Pen kits at a glance

www.beaufortink.co.uk