Two brass pens for an order. The brass seems to be easier to work, but requires more technique when turning. After some experimenting, the best tool was a round scraper and a light touch. I made them slightly different shapes on purpose.
Bet they have some heft, looks nice! What kind of brass btw? I dont know brass qualities myself, but i have some bits that tarnish quick, and some slow. Any protection on those beauties?
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The brass is C360. That doesn't mean much to me, I got it on the advice of others here.
No protection other than polish. My experience early on with pens and other turnings that are handled a lot is that any film finish will wear off. So wood pens I wax. It is easily renewable and I discovered they sell better than pens treated with CA. Acrylic pens just get polished. For the brass, I polished them and will tell the owner to polish them occasionally.
I make ball point brass cartridge pens,using 308 and 30-06 cartridges.I don't do any turning on them,but like Crocket advise people to keep them polished.They are one of my biggest sellers.
(08-05-2019, 08:40 AM)chips ahoy Wrote: I make ball point brass cartridge pens,using 308 and 30-06 cartridges.I don't do any turning on them,but like Crocket advise people to keep them polished.They are one of my biggest sellers.
Mel
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Hey, that looks like the one you made for me , Mel !!!!!! Beautiful work!!!!!!!!
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(08-05-2019, 09:05 AM)Timberwolf Wrote: ...............................
Hey, that looks like the one you made for me , Mel !!!!!! Beautiful work!!!!!!!!
Nice job! There's a trend these days for brass objects that age to add patina, so your finish is perfect. Wrist watches are one item where you can now find brass cases.
(08-05-2019, 04:56 PM)AHill Wrote: Nice job! There's a trend these days for brass objects that age to add patina, so your finish is perfect. Wrist watches are one item where you can now find brass cases.
Glad to hear that Alan.I buy the nibs,transmissions and rifle clips fro Australia,dirt cheap and the shipping to Canada is $8.00 Canadian,takes about 10 days.
(08-04-2019, 02:45 PM)crokett™ Wrote: Two brass pens for an order. The brass seems to be easier to work, but requires more technique when turning. After some experimenting, the best tool was a round scraper and a light touch. I made them slightly different shapes on purpose.
Where did you get the hardware? Did you start with brass rod or brass tubing? I’d be interested in trying something like this, but have no idea where to begin.
(09-16-2019, 10:48 AM)hankgillette Wrote: Where did you get the hardware? Did you start with brass rod or brass tubing? I’d be interested in trying something like this, but have no idea where to begin.
sorry for the delay, I've been very busy. I start with the Commander kit from Woodturningz - it is the best combination of finish and the smoothest writing nib I've found, though the nib is replaceable. You can order the brass online. I start with brass rod, only because I can't find brass tubing with an OD/ID that works for me. I drill it, glue in the tubes and then turn between centers. You have to watch the heat buildup. HSS tools work better on brass than carbide tools do. It has to do with the rake angle of the tool. Timberwolf could explain it better but basically the HSS encourages the brass to just lift away. The carbide wants to cut deeper and catches.
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