# Pentel mechanical pencil



## duncsuss (Dec 3, 2017)

Replacing the plastic barrel of a Pentel mechanical pencil is a nice little project for when I want to complete a turning the same day.

This one uses black and white ebony: it's very hard wood, but a razor-sharp skew chisel cuts through it like a hot knife through butter. I decided to do no sanding or finishing at all on this one -- it's exactly as my skew left it, didn't even burnish it with shavings, and feels nice and smooth and slightly waxy (even though I didn't put any wax on.)

Reactions: Like 6 | EyeCandy! 1 | Way Cool 2


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## Tony (Dec 3, 2017)

Very nice! Those are the pencils I've carried around for work for years! Tony

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## ripjack13 (Dec 3, 2017)

Duncan, how do you get the clip on there without scratching the wood?


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## duncsuss (Dec 3, 2017)

Tony said:


> Very nice! Those are the pencils I've carried around for work for years! Tony


Me too -- I've found them to be the most reliable click mechanisms of the several I've tried (side-clickers, the ones with the slide-in-and-out "lead sheath", etc.)


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## duncsuss (Dec 3, 2017)

ripjack13 said:


> Duncan, how do you get the clip on there without scratching the wood?


There's an element of luck -- but I start out by pushing the clip onto a transfer punch that's a little larger than the end of the pencil barrel. That way at least I've got it onto the barrel without forcing it. After that, it's all down to the luck of the draw.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


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## Tom Smart (Dec 3, 2017)

Nicely done, Duncan. 

I agree with you on the mechanics of the Pentel pencils. None of the component set pencils I've tried held up well. These do. The first one I made turned out fine, then I got cocky and screwed up the next 3. Stopped making them for awhile and when I started again I was rudely reminded of my cockiness. Glad I was using FOG (Found On Ground) wood, didn't hurt as much as if I had paid for it.

Reactions: Like 1


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## duncsuss (Dec 3, 2017)

Tom Smart said:


> I got cocky and screwed up the next 3.



I have two almost-barrels (as in: they got too thin where the internal diameter steps up, and I tried to make the outside smaller than the inside ) I keep them with the step-drill and mandrel as a reminder that some of these blanks are kind of expensive and I shouldn't get overconfident.

(The vintage "crushed velvet" acrylic blank was particularly upsetting.)


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## duncsuss (Dec 3, 2017)

BTW -- @Tom Smart I see you live in Leesburg, VA -- I have a cousin who's lived there for more than 30 years, she does massage therapy


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## Tom Smart (Dec 3, 2017)

duncsuss said:


> I tried to make the outside smaller than the inside


My problem exactly. I sanded through at the point of the step on more than one. 

Today I finished the only craft show I do and sold 9 or 10 of these. Mostly to engineer types.


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## Tom Smart (Dec 3, 2017)

Small world, Duncan. We have a Leesburg zip code but actually live outside the town limits in the western part of the county. My wife is originally from the area and after moving around he world for 20+ years we found ourselves back here about 25 years ago. 

Is your cousin in town?


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## duncsuss (Dec 3, 2017)

I just looked on Google Maps, she's less than a mile from the King St / Loudoun St corner in town.


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## Tom Smart (Dec 3, 2017)

Probably about 7 miles from me.

Reactions: Like 1


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## duncsuss (Dec 3, 2017)

Tom Smart said:


> Probably about 7 miles from me.



Which means, when I _finally_ get my act together and go visit her, I shall have to take ten minutes out of my hectic schedule and come say hello


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## Tom Smart (Dec 3, 2017)

duncsuss said:


> Which means, when I _finally_ get my act together and go visit her, I shall have to take ten minutes out of my hectic schedule and come say hello


You'd better.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## rdabpenman (Dec 4, 2017)

Nicely done.

Les

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Gdurfey (Jan 6, 2018)

Funny thing, this was the first time I had ever seen this conversion. I, like others in the comments, have carried and used the pen tells for years. But I never believed you could do a wood barrel for it. Well, I was at the Pikes Peak Wood Turners meeting last night in Colorado Springs and a member had one in the show and tell. Really cool and a lot of work.


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## duncsuss (Jan 6, 2018)

Gdurfey said:


> Funny thing, this was the first time I had ever seen this conversion. I, like others in the comments, have carried and used the pen tells for years. But I never believed you could do a wood barrel for it. Well, I was at the Pikes Peak Wood Turners meeting last night in Colorado Springs and a member had one in the show and tell. Really cool and a lot of work.



Thanks -- I've done maybe a dozen of them, about 50-50 wood or acrylics. (Several posted here with pix -- one snakewood and a couple cocobolo that I remember.)

I don't feel there's more work involved in making them than a pen -- for one thing, you don't have to glue tubes in and wait for the glue to cure. Since I always use epoxy glue and wait overnight, it means I can do one of these Pentel rebuilds in less time than even a single-barrel kit pen

Reactions: Like 1


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