Making Your Own Custom Pen Without A
Lathe
Instructions by Alice Weniger at Alice's
Workshop |
Making pens is very simple, inexpensive, and
doesn't require much time. A great gift any time of the
year.
A pen can be made in under an hour
without a lathe using the technique
below.
Ideally you would use a lathe
and a turning
set to turn pens, but not everyone has the space for
a large tool, or they just simply can't afford one.
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Tools and Materials Required:
- A saw
or any tool that can cut through 1/2" material
- Drill
Press & a
7 mm Drill Bit (24593- 7mm Metric Hex Shank
Brad Point)
- Pen
Blank
- Quick-Set
Glue (67681 - CA Adhesive, Medium 2 oz.) &
(67705 - Activator, 2 oz.)
- Pen
Mill
- Mandrel
& Bushings
- 7
mm Pen kit
- Sand
Paper
|
 Step 1: Take a pen
blank, and cut it in half using your typical miter
saw and box. Or use whatever tool you have that can cut
through a piece of 1/2'' material. |
 Step 2: Drill a hole all the
way through the center of both pieces lengthwise using a
drill press and a 7 mm drill bit.
Pen blanks are basically just a strip of
5'' X 1/2'' X 1/2'' wood or corian. You can either
cut your own out of 1/2'' stock, use pieces of
scrap you have laying around in your shop, or buy
precut blanks.
The advantage of buying
precut blanks is that you have many varieties of
woods to choose from that you may have a hard time
finding in your area. It also gives you a chance
to to experiment with different woods before you
go all out and and invest a small fortune on a
wood you know nothing
about. | |
 Step 3: Sand the exterior of
the brass tubes with 120 grit paper before gluing into
the wood. This eliminates the oil from the brass tubes
and allows for better bonding with the glue. Glue the
brass tube that comes with your pen kit to the inside of
each half of the blanks using Quick-Set
Glue. Quick-Set Glue is easier and cleaner to use
than epoxy glue.
This step can get messy. So you
may want to wear a pair
of gloves. As for the glue inside the tube, use a
pen mill to clean the glue out. A pen mill also squares
off the ends of your pen blanks to ensure a perfect fit
when it comes time to assemble your pen. |
 Step 4: Insert a pen mill into
each of the blanks, and turn clockwise. Be sure to do
both ends! |
 Step 5: Mount your pen blanks
onto a mandrel, along with 3 bushings (one on each end
and one in the middle, separating the 2
blanks). |
 Step 6: Use a drill press and a
sanding
drum to rough out the shape of the
pen.
| There is an advantage to owning sanding
drums. If you don't have any, you can achieve
step 6 by hand, by using a sander, or by using
whatever tool you may have that can round the
edges. | |
 Step 7: Mount your
mandrel onto your drill press, and use a piece of
sandpaper glued onto a piece of plywood, to make the
wood flush with the bushings. |
Step 8: This is what your pen blanks
should look like when your done sanding.
 If you plan on
applying a finish to your pen like lacquer, varnish, turning
wax, or even painting a design on it, now would be
the time to do it! |
Step 9: The hard part is over with!
Remove your blanks from the mandrel, and assemble your
pen using your pen kit. Press everything
together.
You're done! |
For the finishing touch we suggest the usage
of a sophisticated high-gloss Crystal
Coat finish.
If the above techniques don't suit your
needs you can accomplish the same tasks effortlessly
with the Jet Pen Lathe
below. |
|
 Check out the Jet
Pen Lathe . Now you can turn pens and pencils with a
smaller, easy to operate system designed exclusively for
pen turning!
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| Instructions are used by permission from Alice's
Workshop |
