pen turning set up kits?

[mike s]

iv been turning for 6 months so iv got all the tools, chucks and centers etc. i want to start turning pens
what do i need?
are their kits i can buy with everything i need?
what are the best pen kits to start making?

 

[Steven]

I have just started turning, wanted to do pens.

The simplest pen to start are the Slimline easy and cheap. I use a pen mandrel (this came with the right size bushes for the slimline), blank trimmer to square the end (can also be one with a disk sander), 7mm drill bit, 3/4" gouge. To finish I use a range of sand papers and use Boiled Linseed oil and CA (super glue) to get a glossy finish and protection.

There is plenty of suppliers on line, I joined a pen kit forum and have a link to a good and cheap supplier if you need more

 

[Melinda_dd]

I think you can get kits on e bay with all that you need. But separately bought if you don't want to buy a kit, a mandrel is a must, also a barel trimmer (personally i would go for a bigger trimmer as I bought one for 7 mm pens...now have to upgrade to a bigger one as cigar/sierra/polaris all take bigger tubes)
Do you have means to drill straight and true holes (IE a drill press or bits for the lathe to do it on there) you will need to sort this too. And have appropriate drill bits for the different pen styles.

Also if your really good you wont need them, but you can buy the bushings that help to know where to turn down to for each pen style. I didn't know this when I first turned a pen and had horrible lips... lack of research on my part!

My first pens were cigar pens as they were chunky, some people find the slimlines hard coz you have to turn them so thin.

I hope this helps and is understandable.
Someone will probably be along to fill in my gaps soon
Good luck and enjoy

 

[myturn]

You can buy a starter kit with everything in it but they are quite expensive and you don't need everything in them anyway.

You will need a mandrel to turn the pens on.

A barrel trimmer (or alternatively you can use a table/drum/belt sander) to square up the ends of the blanks after gluing in the tubes.

A long 7mm wood-drill

Some superglue and pen-blanks.

That's all you need to start with.

With a little improvisation you can use the lathe tailstock as a press to assemble the pen once turned.

Have a look at this useful guide too.

 

[mike s]

thanks all, thanks for the link myturn it really helped

 

[Dalboy]

This is not a precise list but what I use to turn the pens I make



Hope this helps others starting out

First on the list is a pen mandrel (Mine is kit form) Which came with 5 slimline pen kits

For the larger pens a large milling set

Glues for gluing the tubes into the blanks. I use super glue and polyurethane

Pen kits are a must first is a slimline which can be turned on the above Mandrel without any extras the second is a cigar pen which require bushings to be purchased separate (keep bushing in a bag with the name of the pen type on it, saves a lot of headaches)

This clamp is all I use to assemble the pens but you can go to the expense of a proper assembly clamp

Lastly some sort of material to make your pens with.

Firstly Acrylic blanks

Next Polyester Blanks

And lastly Wooden blanks

There are other materials such as Corian and I am sure there are more

Other than what I have listed a drill press or if you want to drill the centres on the lathe a chuck as below

This is only a guide and what I use. Hope this helps others in Starting out in pen turning.

Will try and answer any questions if you have any

One last thing apologies for the photo's camera went on the blink and used a phone camera instead

 

[myturn]

Depending on where you buy the kits they may or may not come with turning and assembly instructions so here's another useful link to instructions for each specific kit.

http://www.arizonasilhouette.com/Pen_Kit_Instructions.htm

Start with the 7mm Slimline Ballpoint Pen as it's the cheapest, easiest and best to learn the basics on.

Pens were the first thing I made when I started, I saw the pen kits in a catalogue and thought I could do those on my Myford engineering lathe. Once hooked I got a wood lathe and now turn all sorts of things and the hamster is never short of bedding!