I am posting this for my own benefit as much as others. It always helps me to list out things learned, both good and bad. I hope this helps others, and maybe someone can add to the list. Or debate any point.
All of this comes from my own observations, asking questions, mostly from Woodguy, and reading the IAP web site. Your own experiences may vary.
Assembly
- Be sure you get your pen parts going into your pen barrel straight. If they are crooked, it has a very good chance to crack the wood of your pen. Yes, I nearly cried when I figured this out.
- No glue inside your tubes. That's bad.
Pen barrel out of round? These may help.
- Do not overtighten your mandrel nut. That may bow your mandrel and cause your pen to be out of round.
- Check your mandrel to make sure it's not bent before each pen.
- If you get a catch while turning, check to make sure it didn't overtignten your mandrel nut.
- I've heard of some people rotating their blanks periodically while turning to be sure it doesn't get out of round.
Finishing
This is the most frustrating part for me. I get a design I really like, and a bad or just ok finish can completly kill a great design. Just as much as a beautiful finish can make an ok design really stand out.
Number One thing, if you're finishing with CA, do not be in a hurry, I repeat, do not be in a hurry. CA glue is not on your time schedule.
- Keep your micromesh clean. Really clean. If you see white on your MM, you, at least I, often get white sanding debris in the final finish. I found the only reliable way to remove these is go back to sanding with 400, back to the wood. Sometimes you can hide them with a squirt of thin CA, sometimes not.
- Don't put CA glue over a surface that is still wet with DNA. That produces haze.
- Put enough CA for the finish, that when you sand it smooth with 320 and 400 grits, it will not rub through.
- Speaking of sanding smooth, be sure it's absolutely smooth before you wade in with the MM. If it's not smooth after the 400 grit, it likely will not be when you finish with the MM. I have several pens with some what I call the ripple effect. Very frustrating.
- Wet sand a CA finish with your MM. Dry sanding just doesn't do a nice a job.
- Be sure you get all of the CA glue off of your bushings before you micromesh the pen. Then make sure the ends of your pen still match up with your bushings. I have a set of "good" bushings I turn with, and several sets I change out to apply CA glue with. This way I can keep one set true to size.
I have rambled enough.
All of this comes from my own observations, asking questions, mostly from Woodguy, and reading the IAP web site. Your own experiences may vary.
Assembly
- Be sure you get your pen parts going into your pen barrel straight. If they are crooked, it has a very good chance to crack the wood of your pen. Yes, I nearly cried when I figured this out.
- No glue inside your tubes. That's bad.
Pen barrel out of round? These may help.
- Do not overtighten your mandrel nut. That may bow your mandrel and cause your pen to be out of round.
- Check your mandrel to make sure it's not bent before each pen.
- If you get a catch while turning, check to make sure it didn't overtignten your mandrel nut.
- I've heard of some people rotating their blanks periodically while turning to be sure it doesn't get out of round.
Finishing
This is the most frustrating part for me. I get a design I really like, and a bad or just ok finish can completly kill a great design. Just as much as a beautiful finish can make an ok design really stand out.
Number One thing, if you're finishing with CA, do not be in a hurry, I repeat, do not be in a hurry. CA glue is not on your time schedule.
- Keep your micromesh clean. Really clean. If you see white on your MM, you, at least I, often get white sanding debris in the final finish. I found the only reliable way to remove these is go back to sanding with 400, back to the wood. Sometimes you can hide them with a squirt of thin CA, sometimes not.
- Don't put CA glue over a surface that is still wet with DNA. That produces haze.
- Put enough CA for the finish, that when you sand it smooth with 320 and 400 grits, it will not rub through.
- Speaking of sanding smooth, be sure it's absolutely smooth before you wade in with the MM. If it's not smooth after the 400 grit, it likely will not be when you finish with the MM. I have several pens with some what I call the ripple effect. Very frustrating.
- Wet sand a CA finish with your MM. Dry sanding just doesn't do a nice a job.
- Be sure you get all of the CA glue off of your bushings before you micromesh the pen. Then make sure the ends of your pen still match up with your bushings. I have a set of "good" bushings I turn with, and several sets I change out to apply CA glue with. This way I can keep one set true to size.
I have rambled enough.
