# My First Pen!



## BangleGuy (Jul 8, 2012)

Well I finally got the cooler working in my garage today and took my first crack at a pen. Here is a WallStreet II pen with Mango Burl (thanks to the Rebuilds). I used a CA finish, wet sanded to 8000 using MM and then polished with EEE. This was a lot of fun!!! I am hooked on pens :irishjig:

Any comments or critiques are welcome. Thanks for looking! BG
[attachment=7606]


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## EricJS (Jul 9, 2012)

Very nice! Pens are very addicting and they make great gifts, too. Plus they allow you to utilize small cut-offs that would normally be unusable.

That's a beautiful pen, hope to see another in the near future!


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## DKMD (Jul 9, 2012)

Nicely done! I like 'em just a tad thinner, but then you didn't make it for me. Great looking finish and beautiful wood!


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## BassBlaster (Jul 9, 2012)

Very nice first pen!!! Beats my first by a long shot!!! That mango burl is sweet. Guess I'm gonna have to chop up the piece I got from you.

That Sierra style pen is my favorite ball point kit. They look great and sell really well. The ladies love that style. I'm with DK, I prefer a bit thinner profile but thats a personnal thing. Many people want them fat. I try to match the profile of the componants on that kit but its kinda difficult without being able to mount the parts while you turn, lol.


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## woodtickgreg (Jul 9, 2012)

That's it, he's hooked, no more bangles, it'll just be pens now! :rofl2: All kidding aside, very nice pen, especially for your first!


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## Vern Tator (Jul 9, 2012)

Having seen your bangles, it comes as no surprise that your first pen is a beauty. I turned my first pen last week, and will post it here some time. I'm kind of a slow learner, it takes me a while to catch on, but once I do, then I can keep up. That is a thing of beauty, well done!!


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## BangleGuy (Jul 9, 2012)

Thanks guys! It was a lot of fun, and I worked on a Mexican Kingwood pen tonight! I am going to make the next one a little thinner. Do you guys think a slight curvature is preferred over a straight section? I kind of like curves...
I used the pen at work today and it worked well, but it might be a twitch fat. 

This Wallstreet II kit was about $18 at Woodcraft, but I am using another Wallstreet kit tonight for about $8. Any suggestions on kits would also be appreciated!

Thanks All


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## justturnin (Jul 10, 2012)

Very nice. I also like the wallstreet style pens. You can check out smittyspenworks.com for some nice kits. He has the LeRoi and LeRoi Elegants that are this style. His site is a members only but it is cheap and if you are going to buy a good bit you typically make it back on your first purchase.


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## davidgiul (Jul 10, 2012)

BangleGuy said:


> Thanks guys! It was a lot of fun, and I worked on a Mexican Kingwood pen tonight! I am going to make the next one a little thinner. Do you guys think a slight curvature is preferred over a straight section? I kind of like curves...
> I used the pen at work today and it worked well, but it might be a twitch fat.
> 
> This Wallstreet II kit was about $18 at Woodcraft, but I am using another Wallstreet kit tonight for about $8. Any suggestions on kits would also be appreciated!
> ...


Nice pen, Eric. My personal opinion for Sierra's is a very slight curvature. I find the 27/64 drill for the Sierra blanks a little too large so I use a 10.5 mm drill bit found at http://drillsandcutters.com/ and for pen kits http://www.bereahardwoods.com/


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## BassBlaster (Jul 10, 2012)

BangleGuy said:


> Thanks guys! It was a lot of fun, and I worked on a Mexican Kingwood pen tonight! I am going to make the next one a little thinner. Do you guys think a slight curvature is preferred over a straight section? I kind of like curves...
> I used the pen at work today and it worked well, but it might be a twitch fat.
> 
> This Wallstreet II kit was about $18 at Woodcraft, but I am using another Wallstreet kit tonight for about $8. Any suggestions on kits would also be appreciated!
> ...



Dont buy pen kits at Woodcraft. They buy kits from Berea Hardwoods, repackage them and mark them up, some of them as much as 100%. That pen is called a Sierra at Berea and I get the Sierra Elegants in black titanium/titanium gold for 11 bucks through them. Ordering 1 pen through Berea and paying shipping is still a $5 savings over buying it from WC, lol.

Another good source for pen kits is Exotic Blanks. I recently started purchasing through them. They sell kits from many different suppliers and many of them for less than the suppliers sell them for.

FWIW, Taiwan made componants are considered to be much higher quality than Chinese componants.


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## EricJS (Jul 10, 2012)

BassBlaster said:


> BangleGuy said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks guys! It was a lot of fun, and I worked on a Mexican Kingwood pen tonight! I am going to make the next one a little thinner. Do you guys think a slight curvature is preferred over a straight section? I kind of like curves...
> ...



I agree - Exoticblanks is hard to beat for selection, price, or customer service. They work closely with their suppliers & manufacturers to avoid poor quality products as well. 

Oh yeah, they give you free stuff, too.


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## BassBlaster (Jul 10, 2012)

EricJS said:


> BassBlaster said:
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> > BangleGuy said:
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The customer service is about as good as it gets. I posted a question over at IAP about somethng I had ordered from there. Within 5 minutes, Ed, the owner, replied to my question and then called me to make sure there were no further questions because he didnt want my order to be wrong. I know when many pen makers place orders, they will spend several hundred, even a thousand dollars per order. My order was 45 bucks and he seemed to care just as much. Super great people there at Exotics!!


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## BangleGuy (Jul 10, 2012)

You guys are great and this is one more reason why I call WB home! Thanks again!

Eric


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## NYWoodturner (Jul 11, 2012)

Great job Eric ! Pens are a great way to show those prize pieces of wood. I could also see you selling bangle and pens sets of matching wood... 
Scott


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## drycreek (Jul 11, 2012)

Great job!


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## arkie (Jul 11, 2012)

BassBlaster said:


> EricJS said:
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> > BassBlaster said:
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Ed is my first choice in mail order supply because he gives back so much in help to his customers. Look for him on youtube too. I also recommend woodturningz for price and speed. And whenever I can, I buy from our local woodcraft owners who gives us a place to meet and otherwise support a number of wood turning and working groups.


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## TurnTex (Jul 12, 2012)

Looks great to me, Eric! My only suggestion, as other have said, is to make it go on a diet! I do a LOT of Elegant Sierra, as a matter of fact, it is one of 2 pen kits I use exclusively (the other is Jr. Statesman). I like a little bit of a curve but not much. My personal carry pens are all Elegant Sierras. I too usually buy them from Exotics or sometimes from Berea directly. I stay away from the regular Sierras since the black enamel tends to wear off with my rough use. I also stay away from the cheap Sierra knock offs. They tend to be made in China and are not the same quality as the Berea stuff. BTW, Exotics sells Berea kits primarily.


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## BangleGuy (Jul 12, 2012)

TurnTex said:


> Looks great to me, Eric! My only suggestion, as other have said, is to make it go on a diet!




:rotflmao3: Holy Cow that was funny! I think I am making a pen in my own image!!! We both need a diet :hungry::hungry: 

:teethlaugh:


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