Comments before watching: Oh, this is a video I've been wanting to find! I saw one where a guy cut his colored pencils into bits and poured them into a reservoir, filled with resin, cut them into blanks and turned them. It was an experiment and sadly it failed. Lesson learned: a colored pencil pen blank needs to be planned or the angles will create plain acrylic voids and pencils at incorrect angles. I wanted to watch a planned blank and you posted one today! Comments through the process: nice tip on rolling the wood out so the hot glue doesn't mess up the working area! And it's such fun to watch you plan and lay out the pencils, and nice explanations as you go. Great tip for putting the backer at an angle for more usable blanks. It would have been nice for you to know that one from the get-go, but I appreciate learning this for myself! The blanks turned out GREAT! Can't wait to see the turned pens! :) Thanks for taking the time to put this super video together for all of us to learn and enjoy. :) Finally, I can offer a tip!! :) Go to your local dollar store for 10-packs of colored pencils! That's better than 50% off for the pencils this way! :)
+Janet Brien Thank you Janet, I searched all over locally and the only pencils offered are round. The hobby store had hexagonal but there expensive. Regards, Bob
hi bob, awesome video as always! cant wait to see the finished pen,i think it will be one of the best you have done! keep up the great work love your channel your one of my top 3 tubers. thanks jon
Nice one Bob . My grandsons are with me this morning . They couldn't believe you were glueing all those pencil crayons together lol . So I showed them the vid. of the pen you made with them . Now they think it looks really cool . Great job , take care .
Great stuff. I'm not sure if I wrote to you before on another video but I have a BIG BIG problem I'm sure a lot of wood workers would love to have. I inherited most of the wood from my Uncles wood shop of over 60 years. I have buckets and buckets full of cut offs of all sizes and boards of all species from maple walnut,cheery pecan oak apple lilac and some pieces I can't even identify and even pieces of beautiful almost black ebony. I have huge slabs of Walnut and other woods as well weighing in at several hundred pounds. I still have several more trips from his old shop to my shop which could take weeks and some I can't haul in my truck I used to do wood working and now that I'm retired I can do it all the time unless I'm fishing. I really want to make clocks and pens to sell and might even sell some of this wood cause if I lived to be 100 I couldn't use it all. My question is how do I safely cut some these pieces into pen blanks. I have a nice Jet lathe and many other good tools. Have you ever made a jig for safely cutting bigger cut offs into pen blanks. I'm hoping to find some sort of wood working group here in Northern Michigan. Again thanks. Hope you have some ideas for my so called problem.
they look great . with the color sceam looks like your going for the business style on that one end. I'm hoping to post a small video of sawmill setup and some of the lumber I'm cutting with the neightbors help. I'll let you know when I post it.
Awesome Bob! I think the cost of the pencils was reasonable too and you got 4 full blanks and maybe two short ones. Can't wait to see you turn them into pens.
Hey Bob, I love watching your videos just by the way you explain everything it’s very helpful just out of curiosity could you possibly do a 2021 version of your ideal Christmas list for pen turning accessories that you don’t have and don’t necessarily need but would really want? Looking for my own ideas to add to my little shop thank you!
Hello Jared, That is a tough question, I’ve tried to stop wanting more and work with what I have. I am into simplification and making things as easily as possible. Just invest in the best quality tools and sharpening systems you can afford. “Buy once, Cry once.” And focus on skills at the lathe. Regards, Bob
When you mix the epoxy for the second (and later) go around, use a fresh chunk of blue tape. The semi-cured epoxy will affect the cure on the new batch (at 9:10).
Thank you for the advise Dan. I appreciate the information about the epoxy. I hadn’t thought about the semi curing stuff effecting a new batch. Regards, Bob
Will do. If not, I will make my grandkids sand the sides down, for me. They are out, of school, for the summer, and the yard has already been mowed.ThanksTim
+Robert Johnston I wasted the pencils to be at an angle on the blank instead of straight across. If you stagger the pencils, you can almost eliminate the waist.
lol, Bob triggered my OCD with the orange and yellow pencils! I was screaming at the computer, "BOB!!! Don't you see it?!!" lol, like it would make any difference to the turned blank...I know...I know...
Absolutely! Penn State carries several kits. I just turned 4 of the 2mm pencils which are perfect for woodworking. They also have a wide selection of .07mm kits and add-on packs to modify pen kits such as the Stratus, Vertex, bolt actions, bullet pens, Executive and others. They carry a huge 3mm sketch pencil too. a future project I want to try is turning a tube that fits the guts of an over-the-counter Pentel P205, 207 or 209 pencil. Directions for this can be found in The Pen Turner's Bible: The Art of Creating Custom Pens by Richard Kleinhenz, one of the creators of the IAP website. Directions for this might be found there too, I haven't looked.
You could try resins but that wasn’t the idea for This video. With resins you need a pressure pot and a mold. It will work great but not everyone has those tools. Thanks for the comment. Regards, Bob
RGB just adjusting insert a taking out the pencils you can just lay some CA on the top of the colored pencils that'll just be able to save time and if you mess up you can just add some water to make to see a nonstick a bowl and then you can restart by using a brush By smoothing it it out
Hey Bob, nice video, as always. But why don't you put the block you talk about at minute 5:50 already at an 45 degree angle, I mean, so that the pencils are at the 45 degree angle. That would make for even less cutoffs, wouldn't it? Sincerely, Paul
Hi Bob! Nice work on those blanks! My channel was formerly my name, Robert Dedinsky, but I changed it since I decided to actually try the TH-cam thing. Anyhow, you mentioned in your live stream video that you had a list of pen turning supplies needs vs. nice-to-haves. I'm still a ways off from saving up for a lathe, but would you be willing to share that list with me? Thanks for being an inspiration.
+Cross Cut Creations What you need for pen turning. If I were starting over again, I would probably go with the Easy Wood Carbide tools. There is a set with a square cutter, round cutter, and a diamond shaped detail cutter. These tools are fairly easy to master and when they get dull, you just replace the cutters, no learning to sharpen or expensive sharpening systems. I'm going to assume you want to start with ink pens and tell you what you need for that. When you purchase a pen kit, the seller will tell you what bushings and what size drill bit you will need to make that pen. Bushings can be used over-and-over and bits only need to be purchased once. The first pen is expensive due to this overhead. Medium C/A glue, or Epoxy for gluing tubes into Acrylics blanks. Both work on wood too. You do not need a Pen Insertion tool, you can use a screw driver. They are nice to have but not a necessity. Purchase a barrel trimmer set with the four most common sizes: 7mm, 8mm, 3/8", and 10mm. This is a must have. You will need a mandrel, I personally like the Mandrel Saver setup that Penn State sells. A mandrel is a must have.
+Cross Cut Creations For Acrylics, the easiest was to an amazing finish is Micro Mesh pads. Sand paper is to coarse for Acrylics and should be reserved for wood. Get a box with 4 or 5 different grits. You will need a finish for your pens. Finish for Acrylics: I like Hut Ultra Gloss. It's quick and the results are great. Finish for wood: Thin C/A is my favorite. Shella Way is nice for beginners, as is Hut Friction Polish. C/A is the toughest to master but looks the best and lasts the longest. A pen press is nice to have. You can use a clamp or the lathe to press your pens together. Laney Shaughnessy has a video on his channel that shows how to build one. It's really good. Otherwise, purchasing a press can be expensive. That is pretty much everything I can think of. Below are the links to three videos I made several years ago about what you need to turn pens. They are a bit long but contain a ton of good information. Also, feel free to ask questions as many things have changed in my process over the years. th-cam.com/video/HZShe5ntDJY/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/-7izWhLDo6g/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/dAvj-qj-VwI/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps. Regards, Bob
+Willem Kossen I thought about that after I had already made the blank and I did mention it in the video so others wouldn't make that mistake. Regards, Bob
Great how to video Bob. Thumbs up.
+OG Timbercraft Thank you.
Regards,
Bob
Comments before watching: Oh, this is a video I've been wanting to find! I saw one where a guy cut his colored pencils into bits and poured them into a reservoir, filled with resin, cut them into blanks and turned them. It was an experiment and sadly it failed. Lesson learned: a colored pencil pen blank needs to be planned or the angles will create plain acrylic voids and pencils at incorrect angles. I wanted to watch a planned blank and you posted one today!
Comments through the process: nice tip on rolling the wood out so the hot glue doesn't mess up the working area! And it's such fun to watch you plan and lay out the pencils, and nice explanations as you go. Great tip for putting the backer at an angle for more usable blanks. It would have been nice for you to know that one from the get-go, but I appreciate learning this for myself!
The blanks turned out GREAT! Can't wait to see the turned pens! :) Thanks for taking the time to put this super video together for all of us to learn and enjoy. :)
Finally, I can offer a tip!! :) Go to your local dollar store for 10-packs of colored pencils! That's better than 50% off for the pencils this way! :)
+Janet Brien Thank you Janet,
I searched all over locally and the only pencils offered are round. The hobby store had hexagonal but there expensive.
Regards,
Bob
Oh GOOD POINT! I didn't think about the SHAPE of the pencil!! That makes a difference! :D
Thanks for that Bob, looks great. Look forward to seeing them turned.
+Val Borchardt Thank you Val.
Regards,
Bob
Another very interesting video! Can't wait to see the finished pen.
+BlueBoy9055 Thank you.
Regards,
Bob
Cool Blanks, i like the way you turned the other one, can't wait to see these.
+DesertBum WoodWork'n Thank you.
Regards,
Bob
That's going to look wicked. Looking forward to that video
+Tommie Strydom Thank you Tommie.
Regards,
Bob
Again very excited to see your videos as always
+Tokoyami Dark shadow Thank you.
Regards,
Bob
hi bob,
awesome video as always! cant wait to see the finished pen,i think it will be one of the best you have done!
keep up the great work love your channel your one of my top 3 tubers.
thanks
jon
+Jon Seswick Thank you Jon.
Regards,
Bob
Nice one Bob . My grandsons are with me this morning . They couldn't believe you were glueing all those pencil crayons together lol . So I showed them the vid. of the pen you made with them . Now they think it looks really cool . Great job , take care .
+Glen mckelvey That's awesome,
Maybe we inspired the next generation of pen turners.
Regards,
Bob
RJBWoodTurner
May be . In their words that was way cool haha.
+Glen mckelvey Yeah, I'll take that as a complement.
Bob
Great stuff. I'm not sure if I wrote to you before on another video but I have a BIG BIG problem I'm sure a lot of wood workers would love to have. I inherited most of the wood from my Uncles wood shop of over 60 years. I have buckets and buckets full of cut offs of all sizes and boards of all species from maple walnut,cheery pecan oak apple lilac and some pieces I can't even identify and even pieces of beautiful almost black ebony. I have huge slabs of Walnut and other woods as well weighing in at several hundred pounds. I still have several more trips from his old shop to my shop which could take weeks and some I can't haul in my truck I used to do wood working and now that I'm retired I can do it all the time unless I'm fishing. I really want to make clocks and pens to sell and might even sell some of this wood cause if I lived to be 100 I couldn't use it all. My question is how do I safely cut some these pieces into pen blanks. I have a nice Jet lathe and many other good tools. Have you ever made a jig for safely cutting bigger cut offs into pen blanks. I'm hoping to find some sort of wood working group here in Northern Michigan. Again thanks. Hope you have some ideas for my so called problem.
Hello and that is a wonderful problem. Check out this plat list:
th-cam.com/play/PLd8OGJeP3Pxk5N4yA-mSczBC1OyJbxxNg.html
Regards,
Bob
@@RJBWoodTurner Thank you very much
Good looking stack of colored pencils.
Thank you.
Regards,
Bob
they look great . with the color sceam looks like your going for the business style on that one end. I'm hoping to post a small video of sawmill setup and some of the lumber I'm cutting with the neightbors help. I'll let you know when I post it.
+BEE HAPPY Wood Working and honeybees Thank you,
Looking forward to seeing your video.
Regard,
Bob
Awesome Bob! I think the cost of the pencils was reasonable too and you got 4 full blanks and maybe two short ones. Can't wait to see you turn them into pens.
+Ordinary Woodworker Thank you.
Regards,
Bob
Hey Bob, I love watching your videos just by the way you explain everything it’s very helpful just out of curiosity could you possibly do a 2021 version of your ideal Christmas list for pen turning accessories that you don’t have and don’t necessarily need but would really want? Looking for my own ideas to add to my little shop thank you!
Hello Jared,
That is a tough question, I’ve tried to stop wanting more and work with what I have. I am into simplification and making things as easily as possible.
Just invest in the best quality tools and sharpening systems you can afford. “Buy once, Cry once.” And focus on skills at the lathe.
Regards,
Bob
@@RJBWoodTurner I as well try not to want more and more but then I see all these beautiful pens and have the urge to want more
@@jarededmondson7063 LOL, I fall into that trap all the time. I have so many tools I only used once. It’s a slippery slope. 😃
@@RJBWoodTurner definitely finding that out but at least it’s a fun slope
The blank turned out fantastic, My wife loved it also, so guess what lol. Would you be able to use a acid brush to apply the epoxy?
I don’t see why an acid brush wouldn’t work. I say give it a try 😃
looks great can't wait to see the turned pens. Wouldn't you have gotten one more blank if your bottom stop had been place at a 45?
+Tom Dolan Yes, I mentioned that In the video. I could have gotten two more blanks.
Regards,
Bob
Sorry missed i that.
Nice, just a thought , if you lay the pencils with the ends in line with your pencil mark you would have a lot less waste and more blanks.
That never occurred to me until I started cutting the blanks and had a ton of waist. Hindsight.
Regards,
Bob
Could you use a pressure pot to help with glue up?
+Love2boat92 I'm sure it would help. If I had one I'd love to give it a try.
Regards,
Bob
When you mix the epoxy for the second (and later) go around, use a fresh chunk of blue tape. The semi-cured epoxy will affect the cure on the new batch (at 9:10).
And wear gloves!
Thank you for the advise Dan.
I appreciate the information about the epoxy. I hadn’t thought about the semi curing stuff effecting a new batch.
Regards,
Bob
Looks great. Guess, it is time, for me, to go out, and find some colored pencils.
+Tim Wilson Make sure you get the hexagonal ones.
Regards,
Bob
Will do. If not, I will make my grandkids sand the sides down, for me. They are out, of school, for the summer, and the yard has already been mowed.ThanksTim
This is a great video. I am going to attempt this myself today. May I ask why you cut them on an angle?
+Robert Johnston I wasted the pencils to be at an angle on the blank instead of straight across. If you stagger the pencils, you can almost eliminate the waist.
lol, Bob triggered my OCD with the orange and yellow pencils! I was screaming at the computer, "BOB!!! Don't you see it?!!" lol, like it would make any difference to the turned blank...I know...I know...
+Tenspeed TheBikeHanger LOL,
I didn't see the pencils get out of order until I was editing the video then I saw I grabbed the wrong one.
Regards,
Bob
Is it possible to turn a mechanical pencil somehow? Are there kits anywhere?
Absolutely! Penn State carries several kits. I just turned 4 of the 2mm pencils which are perfect for woodworking. They also have a wide selection of .07mm kits and add-on packs to modify pen kits such as the Stratus, Vertex, bolt actions, bullet pens, Executive and others. They carry a huge 3mm sketch pencil too. a future project I want to try is turning a tube that fits the guts of an over-the-counter Pentel P205, 207 or 209 pencil. Directions for this can be found in The Pen Turner's Bible: The Art of Creating Custom Pens by Richard Kleinhenz, one of the creators of the IAP website. Directions for this might be found there too, I haven't looked.
+Tenspeed TheBikeHanger Thank you, this is great information.
Regards,
Bob
+Matthew Patterson I couldn't have said it any better. The info provided is detailed and accurate.
Regards,
Bob
RJBWoodTurner I was just thinking and wondering. Now if you stabilized those blanks would there be less lead leakage when you turn them?
+Jim Nottingham maybe, but I have no way to stabilize so I have to do without.
Bob
Wouldn't you get more blanks if you arranged the pencils along your 45 degree line instead of directly side by side?
+Daniel Gardiner yes, two more, I mentioned in the video that it occurred to me to do that after the fact.
Bob
Lots of work there. Does this classify as a segmented blank? Nice job.
+Lynn Lacey Not really sure about that,
I never really separated the blank so maybe I'll call it a modified or enhanced blank, LOL.
Regards,
Bob
Do you think it would have been easier if you used resins?
You could try resins but that wasn’t the idea for This video. With resins you need a pressure pot and a mold. It will work great but not everyone has those tools. Thanks for the comment.
Regards,
Bob
Hey Bob, maybe slide the pencil across the epoxy to save time. All in all, great video. Thanks for sharing.
+Denny Skerb Nice tip,
I'll try that next time. I'm also going to make the blank on a 45 to get more blanks out of it.
RGB just adjusting insert a taking out the pencils you can just lay some CA on the top of the colored pencils that'll just be able to save time and if you mess up you can just add some water to make to see a nonstick a bowl and then you can restart by using a brush By smoothing it it out
+Tokoyami Dark shadow Thank you,
Good idea.
Regards,
Bob
very nice
+Miller's Custom Wood Products Thank you.
Regards,
Bob
If you put the pencils on a 45 degree angle to start ou could have gotten another blank and wasted less wood.
Hey Bob, nice video, as always.
But why don't you put the block you talk about at minute 5:50 already at an 45 degree angle, I mean, so that the pencils are at the 45 degree angle. That would make for even less cutoffs, wouldn't it?
Sincerely,
Paul
+Paul Urbaniak Hello Paul,
I realized that after it was to late but I did mention it in the video.
Regards,
Bob
Oh, sorry, I didn't notice that the first time watching the video. I look forward to watching you turn this amazing blank!
Sincerely,
Paul
+Paul Urbaniak No problem Paul,
Thank you for watching and I will turn this blank very spine.
Regards,
Bob
Nice! Did you ever turn YOUR pencil blanks?
+Steve Hasebroock I've turned a couple of them, they turned out pretty good.
Regards,
Bob
well explained! nice video!
+Erik Anderson Thank you Eric.
Regards,
Bob
Hi Bob! Nice work on those blanks! My channel was formerly my name, Robert Dedinsky, but I changed it since I decided to actually try the TH-cam thing. Anyhow, you mentioned in your live stream video that you had a list of pen turning supplies needs vs. nice-to-haves. I'm still a ways off from saving up for a lathe, but would you be willing to share that list with me? Thanks for being an inspiration.
+Cross Cut Creations What you need for pen turning.
If I were starting over again, I would probably go with the Easy Wood Carbide tools. There is a set with a square cutter, round cutter, and a diamond shaped detail cutter.
These tools are fairly easy to master and when they get dull, you just replace the cutters, no learning to sharpen or expensive sharpening systems.
I'm going to assume you want to start with ink pens and tell you what you need for that.
When you purchase a pen kit, the seller will tell you what bushings and what size drill bit you will need to
make that pen. Bushings can be used over-and-over and bits only need to be purchased once. The first pen is expensive due to this overhead.
Medium C/A glue, or Epoxy for gluing tubes into Acrylics blanks. Both work on wood too.
You do not need a Pen Insertion tool, you can use a screw driver. They are nice to have but not a necessity.
Purchase a barrel trimmer set with the four most common sizes: 7mm, 8mm, 3/8", and 10mm. This is a must have.
You will need a mandrel, I personally like the Mandrel Saver setup that Penn State sells. A mandrel is a must have.
+Cross Cut Creations For Acrylics, the easiest was to an amazing finish is Micro Mesh pads. Sand paper is to coarse for Acrylics and should be reserved for wood. Get a box with 4 or 5 different grits.
You will need a finish for your pens.
Finish for Acrylics:
I like Hut Ultra Gloss. It's quick and the results are great.
Finish for wood:
Thin C/A is my favorite.
Shella Way is nice for beginners, as is Hut Friction Polish. C/A is the toughest to master but looks the best and lasts the longest.
A pen press is nice to have. You can use a clamp or the lathe to press your pens together. Laney Shaughnessy has a video on his channel that shows how to build one. It's really good. Otherwise, purchasing a press can be expensive.
That is pretty much everything I can think of.
Below are the links to three videos I made several years ago about what you need to turn pens. They are a bit long but contain a ton of good information. Also, feel free to ask questions as many things have changed in my process over the years.
th-cam.com/video/HZShe5ntDJY/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/-7izWhLDo6g/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/dAvj-qj-VwI/w-d-xo.html
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Bob
RJBWoodTurner Thanks! I'm still saving for the lathe and everything that comes with that, but pens are definitely something I want to get into.
Always a good job Bob.
+Karl Becker Thank you Karl.
Regards,
Bob
Did someone teach you how to make collets pincel blank
+Tokoyami Dark shadow No,
It wasn't that hard to figure out so
I just went for it.
Regards,
Bob
👍
Thank you. 😃
Great video Bob! I can't wait for the pen video.
+Terry Lucas Thank you Terry.
Regards,
Bob
ok if you put the end block at 45 degree and push your pencils against it you ca get more blanks and the same effect....
+Alex P.W. Thank you Alex, I mentioned that in the video.
Regards,
Bob
Robert, why don't you cover your "cardboard" with waxed paper or plastic wrap to keep from gluing your blanks to it.
.
I just get impatient and don’t take time to cover everything. That would be the best thing to do.
If he had laid the pencils out in a step system, he would have gotten more blanks. The back ends of the pencils should be staggered. at 45 deg.
Live and learn.
put your end block at a 45 degree there will be no wast
+Mick Coates I made that comment in the video.
Bob
That small bit of wood at the bottom of pencils
Was also the fist i was thinking
Would make a lot more blanks.
Why didnt you stagger the pencils to the 45 degree line? That would be a lot more efficient...
+Willem Kossen I thought about that after I had already made the blank and I did mention it in the video so others wouldn't make that mistake.
Regards,
Bob
Use a acid brush to put the glue on.
+Jerry Mc Guire Thank you Jerry.
Regards,
Bob
If you staggered them at 45 degrees you would have less wastage
+Roddy Frame I realized that as I was editing the video and mate a text comment on the screen saying that.
Bob
Not as fiddly as I thought... well doesn't look like it! Off to raid the kids pencils and glue myself to them!
+Locks and Keys LOL,
It's a relatively easy blank. Good luck.
Regards,
Bob
put the pencils on a 45 so you can have even blanks
+Bobby Henderson I did mention that in the video as an after thought.
Regards,
Bob