Show Us Your Best

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

OK I know sometimes it is hard to pick your best or your favorite anything but here you will have to. I want to see your very best pen you made and tell us a little about it. Such as wood, finish, kit used, where you got the kit, are you selling or have you sold it or gave it away, and any other tidbits you want to include. Please keep the photos within reasonable size so us dialup people do not have to struggle to see them. If you want to include a second favorite that is alright too because I know sometimes it is hard to pick.

Lets see what you got!!!!

[pops-shop]

JT - not being into turning, I will have to say that the very best hand-crafted pen that I have RECEIVED was given to me by a fellow woodworker. It is a short,fat laminated job. Since it ws made by a friend, it is special.

[PaulD]

I don't know John, I send my pens off to new homes about as fast as I make them and until my recent gallery postings here never bothered to take pictures of my creations before they flew the coop (or barn in my case). Anyway, I'm kind of getting into the modified slimline approach right now and posted some recent efforts tonight for your review (it might be a few days before our host approves them for viewing). I'm liking them because they are far from the cookie cutter feeling I was starting to get with the standard kits and I have been able to really personalize them to the point of desired "feel and balance" for the buyer.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Paul

I saw your photos in the gallery and like what you do with the simple slimline pen. I guesss with a little imagination you can spruce it up some. You probably mentioned this before but what finish do you use on your pens??? Have you had good success with it. I was playing around the other day with the CA finish and found out a few things I need to do but now I will try using the BLO/CA finish and see how that comes out. Doesn't look to hard to do because I had pretty good success with just the CA so this other method may help to improve that. My pen equipment should be here tomorrow so maybe this weekend I might be able to get into the shop and play around a little. Boy I have so many ideas in my head that I want to try that I think it is going to explode. I only wish I had more shop time. Retirement can't come fast enough. :)

[PaulD]

John, I basically use Don Ward's CA/BLO approach. I think there is a copy of it in the resources download of the Yahoo pen makers' forum and I thin kI also saw a copy of the same article in the Pen Makers Guild. A month or so I posted a comparison of this CA/BLO approach versus Behlens Woodturner finish that I think is still in this site. I've been fortunate and never had much of a problem with the CA/BLO approach -- although I have seen numerous dialogues about people that do have problems with the approach. If there is a problem it is probably tied to the thickness of the CA (either old stuff or too thick of a variety). Don in his article didn't prefer the Renaissance Wax, but I use it and have had good results. I also use the Hut UltraGloss prior to the Renaissance and have been happy with that.