Kitless journey - Pen 3 - Elm Hybrid

[PensFromNo11]

Overall I'm happy with this one and I didn't waste any material. The challenge for me with this one was using an Elm hybrid blank (1.5 blanks actually).

It's not perfect and has a couple of problems.
1. I could not get a good polish on the section. Its Alumilite. it took a thread well and the body and cap did polish up really well - I Think maybe because it was so thin and was getting hot to quickly and I didnt know how to deal with that.
2. I also not happy with the look of the threads, mainly the body thread for the cap. it works well, but its just too dull and doesn't feel great.

Any advice with those problems would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ValleyBoy]

Nice job!

Cheers
Ash

 

[alpha1]

Very nice.
Well done.

 

[flexi]

Well if our two kitless guru's abovelike it, you must be getting something right... Well done mate, as to buffing / polishing I use liquid polish which gets thinner/ wetter as I change grades which will help reduce heat

 

[PensFromNo11]

Well if our two kitless guru's abovelike it, you must be getting something right... Well done mate, as to buffing / polishing I use liquid polish which gets thinner/ wetter as I change grades which will help reduce heat

thank you...
I don't think i've seen liquid polish in grades, whats it called? could be a solution.

 

[flexi]

Auto Polishing Compound Fine Glossing 500ml - Machine Mart - Machine Mart

www.machinemart.co.uk

Is one that I use of Farcla is another

 

[TVS]

Nice job we can be our own worst critic at times again in agreement with mark liquid finish first I use big head finish then any auto polishing cream we must have gone to the same school lol

 

[PensFromNo11]

flexi​

TVS​

Thank you Mark & Woody, as the polish you suggest is cheap enough it's definitely worth a try.
I don't understand why my normal process of sanding to 800/1000 grit then buffing wheels didnt work, other than as I said the section is quite thin and the temperature was the problem...

​

 

[DuncSuss]

Darren - nice!

One thing you might try for the threads: a drop or two of car buffing compund on the barrel, then screw the cap on and off for a while. I find if I apply a little pressure as I'm screwing it on, and pull a little as I'm screwing it off, it polishes up the sidewalls of the threads. I use a soft toothbrush and water with dish detergent to clean out the threads in between grits.

The other thing I do - I always cut the tenon a little smaller than the die major diameter and polish it before I cut the threads. That results in flat top (instead of full-height) threads which are already polished and in my opinion look better.

There could be any number of reasons why the section isn't polishing as well as the barrel and cap - sometimes it's the blank itself and there's not much we can do about that. But if you can slow down your buffing wheel (I buff on the lathe so it's easy for me) and apply gentle pressure, heat shouldn't be an issue. What buffing compounds do you use? I normally use Tripoli (brown), white, blue, then 2 ultrafine compounds I bought from Caswell Plating here in the USA - one called Plas-Glo and the other one I don't think it has a name, but it's even finer. You might be able to find an equivalent source for buffing compounds in the UK. (You'd have to buy additional wheels too, one for each grit.)

 

[PensFromNo11]

Darren - nice!

One thing you might try for the threads: a drop or two of car buffing compund on the barrel, then screw the cap on and off for a while. I find if I apply a little pressure as I'm screwing it on, and pull a little as I'm screwing it off, it polishes up the sidewalls of the threads. I use a soft toothbrush and water with dish detergent to clean out the threads in between grits.

The other thing I do - I always cut the tenon a little smaller than the die major diameter and polish it before I cut the threads. That results in flat top (instead of full-height) threads which are already polished and in my opinion look better.

There could be any number of reasons why the section isn't polishing as well as the barrel and cap - sometimes it's the blank itself and there's not much we can do about that. But if you can slow down your buffing wheel (I buff on the lathe so it's easy for me) and apply gentle pressure, heat shouldn't be an issue. What buffing compounds do you use? I normally use Tripoli (brown), white, blue, then 2 ultrafine compounds I bought from Caswell Plating here in the USA - one called Plas-Glo and the other one I don't think it has a name, but it's even finer. You might be able to find an equivalent source for buffing compounds in the UK. (You'd have to buy additional wheels too, one for each grit.)

Thank you, some great insight and advice I will try.

It seems only the basics of custom/kitless pen making are easy to come by and all the details kept secret, only to be discovered by trial and error or by the generosity of the you guys on here. I mean how do you do finials, clips and mental bands??? after hours and hours of research on the web, I've only have hunches to go on.

 

[Curly]

Really nice pen. There is a Caswell in the UK serving Europe if you want to pursue Duncans suggestion.

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Pete