FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How long does it take to make a pen?
This is probably the one question that I am asked the most. The short answer is 15 minutes to 6 hours. The long answer is the time it takes to learn the art of turning which
I’m beginning to discover is something that keeps happening. But I digress.
First of all you take a pen blank which is usually about ¾ x ¾ x 5 inches long. The blank is cut on a bandsaw so that the two parts of the pen barrel will fit inside. If the bandsaw is really accurate you can get it cut to the exact length (my bandsaw is not accurate).
The next step is to drill a hole down the middle of each blank so that the pen barrel will fit. The two parts of the barrel are roughed with sandpaper so that the glue that you put on next will get a better grip. There are different types of glue that can be used but I prefer a polyurethane glue, which takes about six hours to set. I’m not a totally patient person so I’m not going to sit around for six hours waiting for the glue to dry. I usually cut, drill and glue a number of blanks on one day (usually an evening due to the fact that I have a day job).
The next day (evening) I will sand down the ends of the blanks (remember the inaccurate cuts?) so that the barrels are flush with the wood (this is not the most exciting part of the art).
The third day, the fun begins, I can start turning. The next few steps are all done on the lathe. Turning to the desired thickness, sanding to the proper thickness (I usually start with an 80 grit and work my way up to 2500 grit. Some turners will only go to about a 400 grit and for many woods this is sufficient, but I’ve found in making these pens that some woods will still sand to higher grits and the result is shown in the beauty of the wood.
The last part on the lathe is the finishing and I’m still experimenting with this. Most of the pens are finished with a mixture of shellac and wax but I’ve done some with just wax and some with a turner’s polish. I’m not sure any of them are perfect and one of the great debates among turners is how to finish a piece. Right now I prefer the shellac/wax process due to the beautiful shine that I get. But wax will wear off with use and the wood will pick up the secretions from the skin, giving the wood a fine patina. I may change in the future, but time and knowledge will tell. Finally we arrive at the assembly of the other pen parts, the tip, clip, center band and the inside mechanism.
So how long did all that take to complete? I’ve seen someone make a pen in about twenty minutes and one turner I know made 26 in a few hours. I suppose I will be able to get to that point someday, but right now I like to dawdle and enjoy the work that I do. There are adaptors that you can get for a lathe that will take a pen pattern and
turn it out in a few minutes and you just keep loading on the blanks and you get a number of pens quickly. Some of my work is done in an assembly line fashion (see the beginning) but the actual turning, sanding, finishing and assembly is done one pen at a time. I’ve done these last steps in an hour with some woods, and I’ve spent 3 days
agonizing over a completely different wood.
I hope this answers your question, but I do want you to know that I put a lot of work into each pen, and I enjoy making every one.
Do you have a favorite wood?
Yes, the one I’m working on at any given moment.
The finish on my pen is dull, is it defective?
No, the pen isn't defective. If this is a pen made from wood, the only finish I used was
wax to bring out the beauty of the wood on its own. Over time, the oil in our hans will
wear the wax down, giving the finish a fine patina. If you want to bring back a sparkle
to your pen, just use a good quality furniture polish.
What If you send a pen and I’m not happy with it?
Just send it back and I will refund your money.
What if I want to buy a large number of pens, do you have reduced prices?
Sure, just contact us at lfr(at)klcrafts.ca
Do you make anything besides pens?
Yes, I'm do a few things. Out-of-the-Woods site on the menu bar.
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