Assembling the Pen

The blanks are finished. They look great and all sorts of that is left will be the assembly with the kit. There are several components to every pen kit as well as the assembly order is usually different.

The first section of assembly is always to press the parts (nib and clip part) in to the brass tubes.

At first, I used a C-clamp to collect pens, then I graduated to some bench clamp but this time I use a pen assembly vice. This s a proprietary clamp designed designed for pen making. Each method proved quicker as opposed to previous one.

My first task should be to unpack the pen kit and inspect all the constituents. At times, part might be missing or poorly made. For the common pens, I buy extra bits to ensure I can finish the pens should there be any problems.

Almost all pen kits have assembly instructions and I are finding that reading them is an effective thing. Shortcuts fail to add any value for the assembly process.

Assembling a slimline of streamline pen (these pens have two blanks)

Press the nib part in the lower tube. I shape all pens in the certain way, in order that I can easily see which end will be the nib end. The nib end coming from all pens is thinner or perhaps the same size because the clip end.
Press the twisting mechanism into your other end on the "nib blank", testing the space and working in the mechanism while using refill, adjusting as necessary. Pressing the twisting mechanism too far to the brass tube requires disassembly from the pen and after that re-assembly.
Press the clip end in the other blank
Insert the centre ring in the twisting mechanism and push the clip end around the nib blank

The slimline or streamline pen is actually fully assembled.

The assembly strategy is different per pen type; however, the differences usually relate towards the assembly on the internals. Almost all pens have a very nib along with a clip! The above assembly refers to most pens which use a CROSS refill. The pens which use a Parker refill and employ a clicking mechanism usually such as a spring. Fountain pens and rollerball pens assemble slightly differently.

The pen might be photographed and catalogued in order that we do not lose a record of it. If selling the pen online, I upload the whole picture and details to your website.

Hope you might have enjoyed amazing making pens.

Finishing the Blank

Finishing the pen blank is regarded as the tedious from the tasks. The process involves sanding and applying the finishes. There are several finishes since there are pen-makers. Here, I list more common finishes that I use.

Sanding the Blank

Depending about the smoothness from the pen after turning, I pick the right sandpaper. When using softer woods, the pen blanks can be smooth as soon as the last skew cut and I might only use 600 grit to three,000 grit sandpaper, very lightly to end the pen. With harder woods and acrylics, I tend to commence with courser grits but finish with similar grit sandpaper. In each case, I stop the lathe to inspect the surface from the blank before sanding and commence with the proper sandpaper. After each sanding, I also stop the lathe and sand the blank on the grain. This helps get rid of the “lines” as a result of lathe.

With some woods, I use sanding sealer prior to last sand to get a better finish.

Finishing the Blank

There are a few ways of finishing the blanks, after sanding. I am continually trying new ways, particularly as some folk prefer satin (rather than gloss) finishes. Some of my customers have asked for the “rough” finish! I use the lathe for many finishing processes. After sanding and before any finishing, I clean the blanks with alcohol to clear out any dust and also other foreign matter that can cause problems. Below are four in the common finishing techniques that I use.

Apply several coast of wax (EEE-Ultra Shine) and at the least two coats of friction polish (Shellawax Cream). Both goods are Australian made products and provide a shiny finish, or
Apply multiple layers (around 10 coats, depending for the wood) of CA glue (super glue) for the blank. Then I sand the blank with wet (water) micromesh (micromesh is a term sandpaper) around 12,000 grit for the high gloss finish, or
Apply 2 or 3 coats of Oganic Burnishing wax. Then using sandpaper, sand the wood, leaving a pleasant satin finish, or
Acrylic blanks are wet sanded to at the very least 4,000 grit, sometimes nearly 12,000 with micromesh and handle with a friction polish to offer a shiny finish.

I have tried other finishes, like spray on lacquer, wipe on polyutherane and beeswax. They all have an exceptional finish. I am sure that new services will be offered by time to time.

Once the blanks are finished, they’re ready for assembly.