Melinda asked for tips re finishing.....
So here we have....
Hints'n'tips from Nicks lips.... (homer)
Having seen Mark Sanger work his wonders with hollow forms and how he always uses the 2/3rds rule, i thought i'd try the same with a pen.
Normally i just curve/bulge them slightly in the middle of the shaft to give them a bit of shape. But this time i thought i'd try an everso slightly different technique, and try and get the curve 2/3rds up the shaft i.e. a bit fatter near the nib end. I think i sort of managed to get it right(ish), and hopefully this is what kept Roger coming back to mine.... i.e. the 2/3rds illusion... :?
As for finish..... sand it, fill it, sand it some more, fill it some more, sand it yet again.... until you've filled ALL those little voids (fill using CA and fine sawdust). Note... when i'd finished roughing the nib half down to the sort of shape i was after, the voids in my blank were soo severe you could see through to the brass tube..!!
When you've done that, keep sanding through the grades right down (or up, which ever you prefer) to 800 grit. Then hoover (or Dyson) it off, followed by a clean cloth, then... sanding sealer. Let it dry, de-nib and repeat. At this point it should look and feel great, almost like it doesn't need anything else. Above all else.... DON'T BE TEMPTED TO RUSH..!!
Choose your finish.... wax, stick, friction etc. For this particular one i wanted a high gloss finish and i'm not keen on using the CA method, so i chose Melamine Lacquer. This stuff (according to the tin) takes up to 7 days to fully cure and harden. I cheated slightly and stuck it in the airing cupboard over 2 night to speed things up a little. I'd managed to get a couple of minute bubbles and a hair in the resin so decided to lightly rub down apply some more and repeat. After a further 3 days in the airing cupboard a quick wet and dry using micro mesh pads finishing with a piece of 30,000 grit glass polishing paper i've got. Then a final buff using (cant think what its called now) the white polishing compound used for acrylic blanks.
Carefully assemble the bottom half first. Push in the top and clip the the upper barrel. Screw the upper barrel fitting onto the lower half first.... then offer the cap to it and slowly rotate to align any grain you wish to see together... then gently push top on until it just holds, remove from lower barrel and push all the way home. Finally screw together and see that the whole jobby looks like....
Well thats how i do (did) it.... some may do it differently.... (hammer) (hammer)
Hope this helps....??
Now, get out there and try with another of Rogers blanks... (hammer)
Nick
Next week we'll cover "Taking a 'better' photo of your pen..." :wink:
(mine was taken using a small hand held Canon Ixus and 2 pieces of white A4 paper, and nothing else...)