# Pen & Pencil Turning 101



## Tin Falcon (Dec 30, 2012)

In the now-who-planing-next-year-christmas thread  I was asked for more details on making pen and pencil sets in the home shop, so here is some info. 

Pen turning is how I got started in model engineering. I was trained By the USAF as a machinist and welder. I knew I eventually wanted to build model engines.I also wanted to try making pen and pencil sets. For me it was a good move as the wholesale value of the P&P sets more than covered my initial investment in a mini lathe, a belt sander, arbor press, and a band saw. I purchased pen supplies and a few pieces of tooling just for pens. 

First of all no I do not have photos of my set ups but I can take some if needed. 
Pen turning is a popular hobby/business in and of itself and there is lots of info on the net. 



Most suppliers will help you get started, buying there product of course. 
  Penn state offers a free video dvd:pennstate DVD 

first you will need pen kits :

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/pen-kits.html


http://www.woodcraft.com/search2/search.aspx?query=pen%20kit

http://woodworking.rockler.com/search?w=pen%20kits

The selection is wide IMHO start simple. I use the american slimline cross style kits. 

you will need blanks these can be purchased or made. the blank size size will depend on the kit(s) you choose. I cut mine on my band saw from wood or corian. the choice here is vast.many wood species. many colors of corian and similar solid surface material as well as resin etc etc.  3/4 x 3/4 x 2 1/2 will cover most applications. I cut the corian to 1/2 x 1/2 x 2-1/2 for the slim line. 

Blanks need to be drilled a brad point bit is good for wood a parabolic bit from MSC is good for corian.  the slim line tubes are 7mm so that is the size bit needed. other kits larger hole. this size is driven by the tube size of the pen kit. Drill long enough to fit the pen tube not all the way through. then cut to length. I suggest making or buying a drilling jig. and drilling on a drill press. . A 4 jaw on a lathe would work as well. 

The next step is gluing the brass pen tube to the blank. gel CA or epoxy works here I tend towards the epoxy. 
Clean, rough up the brass with scotch bright this will insure good bonding. 
the excess glue will need to be cleaned from the tube and the ends of the blank cleaned and trimmed . a pen mill tool aka tube cleaner trimmer works well.(a purchased item)  A  belt  sander can also be used to trim away excess blank material. 

Once the the blank is secured to the tube the inside of the tube clean and the ends trim to size. The pair of blanks (you need two for a pen or pencil ) can be mounted on a mandrel. with bushings. the bushings are simply spacers . A mandrel and bushings are easy to make for a home machinist. or of course any pen supply company will sell you one for a price and this basic tool is often a part of a starter kit. 
I made my own mandrel simply a piece of 1/4 in drill rod threaded on one end the end center drilled for a live center and the other end held in a chuck. I use my mini lathe to turn rather than a mini wood turning lathe. 

the blanks are then turned down and polished on the lathe. if using wood that is finished on the lathe french polish  works well here. make your own 1 part denatured alchohol,1 part shelac (I prefer amber) and 1 part linseed oil. 

sand and then friction polish. 

corian wet sand to 600 then auto polish, then plastic polish. 
make sure the ends of your newly machines tubes are smooth to a lady's touch. 
The pen (or pencil can now be assembled a simple press fit . there are tools for this . I use a small arbor press fitted with plastic to prevent damage to parts. follow kit instructions  for how deep to press the pen inards too deep and you are stuck hard to get out. also gentle even pressure. cracks can be repaired but it takes time.  

You will also likely need some sort of packaging to finish off the gift or product. again available from the pen  kit supplier of your choice.


I will be glad to answer questions an elaborate if need. You should be able to do a P & P set in an hour or so but like anything else in the shop too many variable too give an exact answer. also you will likely work in batches. cut blanks,drill blanks, trim blanks, glue, let the glue dry, clean , then turn a few pieces or sets then assemble. Not something you do one piece start to finish then start another. Hope this helps .




Tin


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## KenErickson (Dec 30, 2012)

Thanks for the information and links!  I have often wondered and thought about turning a few pens in my spare time.   I just ordered the DVD from Pennstate.


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## starnovice (Dec 30, 2012)

Ken,
Check out CaptEddie on YouTube he has several videos on wood turning and some of them are directed at making pens.

Pat


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## SmithDoor (Dec 30, 2012)

I just ordered the DVD from Pennstate too

Dave


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## Tin Falcon (Dec 30, 2012)

for thos who want to make pens and want to support out troops 
http://freedompens.org/
Tin


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## Tin Falcon (Dec 31, 2012)

I found and watched the capneddie 104 video. He brings up a lot of good points .
Mainly I agree, with some I have a different perspective because I am a machinist he is a woodworker. 
1) KISS start with a slimline pen set. 
2) no need to spend $ 40 for a drilling jig. I used a piece of plywood with a piece of hardwood fastened to it then clamp another piece of wood on either side of the blank adjustable and quick to load and unload.  
3) I personalty like the pen mill tube cleaner and have mine on a handle.
4) As a machinist One can easily make a mandrel and bushings. we are not restrained to buying them as woodworkers are. 
5) there are many ways to press a pen together without buying a special overpriced tool.I have a couple of harbor freight grip clamps that cost $ 1.99 each on sale. 
I purchased a disassemble kit but IMHO a wast of time and money . Like capn eddie says be careful on assembly and you do not need one. and if you do mess up IMHO just simpler and faster to cut your losses and move on. basic kits are less than $2 each not worth the time or hastle to try to recover the kit. 
At some point get a bag of pen tubes as some will be unusable along the line . they can be recovered but again IMHO not worth the time and hassle. 
I will say he is likable fellow and the almost 20 min video moved along nicely and did not drag. 
Tin


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## starnovice (Dec 31, 2012)

I agree with all of your points Tin.  I use either my woodworking vise or my drill press to assemble.  I like the drill press the best because it is closer to eye level.

BTW, there are people who turn pens on their metalworking lathes so you don't need to buy a new lathe to get started.

Pat


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## techonehundred (Dec 31, 2012)

Some observations from a guy who made a few pens for Christmas gifts in the last couple of years. 

Yes, I would start with a slimline pen for the first couple of pens, but do not be scared of the others.  I really love the cigar pen, but realize there are quite a few different diameter brass tubes with the different pen types.  Also commercial arbors come in two different sizes and the commercial bushings that match the outside diameter of the final shape only match one particular arbor.  For those of us that have metal lathes, I found a pdf listing all of the different sizes of the collets and now make whatever bushings I need.  That way they all fit the small arbor. 
Here is the pdf.  http://www.huntcountywoodturners.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=q6eLbErU5A8%3D&tabid=378

The next thing that I made was a tool rest that would mount on my qctp.  It would stick out to the left of the qctp and I would finish with woodworking tools.  I would rough the blanks round with a metal working tool bit.  This saved a lot of chattering abuse of the arms that you get with hand tools. 

Also, personal preferrence, the resin blanks are the easiest to make pretty and do not split out as much as the wood. To finish these I sand to 600 grit and polish with white compound and they look great. 

FWIW, I just use a bench vise with aluminum jaws to assemble pens and have not messed one up yet. 

Hope this is helpful information.

Anthony


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## SmithDoor (Dec 31, 2012)

Now we have the pen how do you put how it is from and to
I do not have a cnc or engraving machine

Dave


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## techonehundred (Dec 31, 2012)

SmithDoor said:


> Now we have the pen how do you put how it is from and to
> I do not have a cnc or engraving machine
> 
> Dave



Maybe you could just use the pen you just made. :hDe:


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## thayer (Jan 1, 2013)

I've made a few pens for gifts over the years as well and all were well received. I recall a while back seeing a kit for turning a hobby knife, a DIY x-acto handle, as it were, along the same lines as pen kits. Unfortunately, I can't find anything like that now. Does anyone know if they are still available, and if so, where?

Thanks,

Thayer


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## starnovice (Jan 1, 2013)

I don't know of a kit but here is an article on how to do it without a kit.

http://penmakersguild.com/articles/exactopen.pdf

It is a large (9Mb) file with lots of good pictures.

Pat


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## thayer (Jan 1, 2013)

Excellent, thank you Pat!


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## lathe nut (Jan 1, 2013)

Thanks for all that info. been wanting to do some pen turning and probably need to get some pens to the troops, that is a great idea, thanks again, will be looking to see if there are most post, thank, Lathe Nut (the 7X10) would be good for that.


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## Cogsy (Jan 8, 2013)

I just finished turning my first pen (pic is below) and I thought I'd share my few insights.

I decided to buy the mandrel and bushings (a whole $13 and no extra shipping) and I'm glad I did. Although it's a basic thing that I could whip up myself now, I didn't realise that the bushes (spacers) also serve to give the right O.D. of the pen as well. I just turned my blank by eye to the same O.D. of the bushes and it was perfectly sized to the pen hardware. The rod is a little bent though, so I'll be making a new one soon.

I didn't use a drilling jig at all, just clamped it in the drill press and drilled away. It didn't seem difficult, but making a jig is my next job. I was slightly off square and my hole got dangerously close to the edge of the blank by the bottom. Any more and the blank would have been ruined.

The biggest thing I learnt was to completely finish the ends of the blank before turning it down. I left a small ridge and only found it after turning, so I used my tube cleaner/mill to square it. The wall thickness of the material is so thin that the force from hand milling ripped a chip out. I hid it under the clip but I'll not make that mistake again.

The last thing is that it's a remarkably enjoyable thing to do, considering it doesn't require that much effort, and people with no interest in machining are really impressed when you show them a pen you've made yourself. I'd recommend everyone has a go at it.


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## starnovice (Jan 8, 2013)

Very nice Al.  If you would like more info on pen turning check out http://www.penturners.org/. You may want to post pictures of your pen there.  They also have some great articles about making pens.

Pat


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## lathe nut (Jan 8, 2013)

Nice looking pen, great job, thanks for the info. just got the DVD and book from Pennstate, looking forward to watching it and getting started, might make the mandrel or do you think it is better to get one, thanks, lathe Nut


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## idahoan (Jan 8, 2013)

I have always wanted to have a pen turned from linen phenolic; I think it would have the look that a machinist, Model Maker and old engine guy would find appealing.

I need to talk to my brother the wood turner pen maker guy about that.

Dave


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## black85vette (Jan 8, 2013)

Another handy thing about metal working is that we usually have 1/4 and 3/8 inch HSS blanks to use for cutting tools.   You can use these and grind your own wood turning tools also.   A guy named Knud Oland is credited with developing the use of this method.  You can take a 5/8" round rod, add a handle and hold the HSS in the end of it.    Cheap and easy.   I have made a number of specialized bits for pen and other wood projects.   No need to spend a ton of money on wood turning chisels unless you intend to to go whole hog into the hobby.

Here is just one link.  You can search on "Oland Tool" and find a bunch of examples out there.

http://aroundthewoods.com/oland.shtml

I have one of my projects on my desk.  A pen made from a 50 cal machine gun casing.  It is too big and bulky to carry, but then again nobody "accidentally" puts it in their pocket and walks away.


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## Tin Falcon (Jan 9, 2013)

> might make the mandrel or do you think it is better to get one, thanks, lathe Nut


I made a mandrel just a piece of 1/4 drill rod threaded on one end a heavy washer and a nut for 7mm pens you just need some straight bushings reamed to .251 and a OD of IIRC .312. . so a piece of 1/4 drill rod and a piece of 5/16 and you are set. 
Tin


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## gus (Jan 9, 2013)

Hi Guys

"MontBlanc" move over. Here comes "HMEM".

Just cannot accept "MontBlanc" can go as high as S$40,000 or even higher.The cheapest is few thousand SingDollars. I am happy with "BIC". Just walk into a "MontBlanc" shop,the salesgirls will size you up whether you are in the class.Minimum requirement would be a Rolex on your wrist.A Vacharon Constantin best qualifications. 
Mainland Chinese customers are welcome as they go for the mid-----top range and they buy by the dozen.

In the 40s 50s 60s Parker and Sheaffers is a part of the dress code when you take girls out for a movie show. For the very first date you arrive at your new girl friends house dressed up with a Parker Pen or a Sheaffers in your breast pocket to impress her parents you are an educated man!!!!
 Parker comes in pairs.That is a fountain ink pen and a pencil pen. Ball Point were tens of years away. Parker sold at S$30-----S$50 and that is big money.

One supplier gave me a "MontBlanc" 15 years ago and I had no idea it was an expensive pen which I gave away to a happy relative.
He has one complain.The refill cost a bomb.

Did Gus open up another can of worms. Ha ha.


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## black85vette (Jan 9, 2013)

Just thought of another benefit of doing metal machinist work; some of the pen kits require really odd size drills for the hardware.   Instead I just made D reamers out of tool steel and made them exactly the size I needed for each job.

Actually I feel sorry for the wood only pen makers.  They have to buy everything they need.


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## mitchlandry (Jan 12, 2013)

Here is my latest. Since I just got the lathe and not much tooling, have to practice on something. Only parts used from pen kit are the retraction mechanism and the ink cartridge. 
Learning a lot of things as well as had to make a mini boring bar to reach all the way into the tip as my smaller drill bits aren't long enough.

I picked up a pencil kit and a stylus tip to make a matching set. The stylus tip will be easy, the pencil, not so much. Have to give that one some thought.


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## Tin Falcon (Jan 12, 2013)

Gus : can of worms not likely. I will say that IMHO the gang here has more appreciation for quality shop made products than the average bear. I think society in general is too used to disposable mass produced run of the mill stuff. 
I grew up a few years after you. I remember the bic pen commercial where they would fire a pen through a piece of plywood then write with it to show how tough the tip was. I grew up in the age of ball point. IIRC I had a schaffer calligraphy set with a nib pen and plastic ink cartridges, but never realty used them. I was never actually a fan of bic pens. .There were times in my life when a pen was one of the most important tools to have at hand . When I was In military Training I had a Parker camouflage set. in my pocket. As a cop I preferred the Zebra Stainless steel tube pens. Seemed like a little nicer pen was easier to hang on to. And I continued with the zebras . Now in a bit of an industrial situation but still needing to lots of paperwork I use the plastic zebra pens. 

When I was making and selling pens I got a lot of different reactions though.
I was selling them for IIRC $25 or $30  a set in a leatherette case. Some would say that price was cheap others would say why send $ 30 when i can get a bic for 14 cents. and some would buy them and enjoy having a nice pen and pencil set to sit on the desk for writing checks. 

Tin


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## aarggh (Feb 2, 2013)

Pen making is really great, my kids (9yo daughter and 13yo son) had a ball making pens on the lathe, and it was a huge amount of fun watching them getting right into it. In fact they so much fun they went on to make pen sets for each of their cousing this XMAS. One thing I found really handy for the lathe, was to take the mt2 taper off the mandrel, and use a straight 20mm er20 collet holder instead in the 3 jaw chuck same as the one in the pic. Saved having to take the chuck off to fit the mt2 mandrel. Although a 1m bc lathe is possibly overkill for making pens, but you can really line up the blanks on the er20 collet! When I have time I'd love to do some brass barrels with some knurling.

btw, for people in OZ, it's really hard to beat timberkits for parts and kits, they have fantastic prices and seriously fast shipping. Great to deal with!

cheers, Ian


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## gus (Feb 2, 2013)

Tin Falcon said:


> In the now-who-planing-next-year-christmas thread  I was asked for more details on making pen and pencil sets in the home shop, so here is some info.
> 
> Pen turning is how I got started in model engineering. I was trained By the USAF as a machinist and welder. I knew I eventually wanted to build model engines.I also wanted to try making pen and pencil sets. For me it was a good move as the wholesale value of the P&P sets more than covered my initial investment in a mini lathe, a belt sander, arbor press, and a band saw. I purchased pen supplies and a few pieces of tooling just for pens.
> 
> ...




Hi Tin,

Just thinking about making my own ball point pen.The first dozen will not look like pens.:wall::wall::wall:
This is make my rich friends jealous. These guys collect very expensive pens like Mont Blanc which can go up from $150 to $100,000.:wall::wall::wall::wall:

Nice n warm n humid now.:fan::fan::fan:


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## rodw (Feb 2, 2013)

You guys have got me interested too now! I am forever loosing a pen if I don't have a good one in my pocket. With a good one, you watch it like a hawk. I got 19 years out of a gold Parker 45 I was given for my 21st and then Parker replace it with a new one under warranty. The original cost about $70, the replacement had a $225 sticker on it!

Anyway, I am keen to give this a go when I get my new tools bedded down.


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## Cogsy (Feb 2, 2013)

rodw said:


> Anyway, I am keen to give this a go when I get my new tools bedded down.


 
Be warned - these things can put a stop to engine making! I haven't produced a single engine part in the last week and a half, but I have a small mountain of pens now  Pressies for all my rellies and friends sorted for the next couple of years...


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## ShopShoe (Feb 2, 2013)

Just jumping in to show a pen barrel I made as one of my first lathe projects. The original pen was a cheap giveaway from an electronics company. I kept visualizing a brass barrel and so made one. Had to try out internal threading and single-point threading on the lathe at the same time (twice).






--ShopShoe


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## rodw (Feb 2, 2013)

Cogsy said:


> Be warned - these things can put a stop to engine making! I haven't produced a single engine part in the last week and a half, but I have a small mountain of pens now  Pressies for all my rellies and friends sorted for the next couple of years...



Geez, I gotta be careful then. I have yet to make an engine part! I bought some stock and tools to give it a go then my lathe blew up so by the time I got it fixed, then sold it and bought a mill and new lathe which has given me plenty to do to set it up right.

I better not start on pens straight away, If I'm not careful, I might get banned! :fan:


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## Tin Falcon (Feb 2, 2013)

no worries mate . Pens were the first things i made on my lathe.
and I have made few engines.
Tin


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