What's On Sale This Month
For Our Newsletter Subscribers Only:
Place TRIM11 in the coupon code space at check out and get 20% off our 7 pc. Universal Barrel Trimming Kit
(TRIMKIT)
Don't forget to press
"apply coupon"
at check out
All offers in this Newsletter will expire on
February 28, 2011 or when the next newsletter is published whichever is the latter.
Items on sale include:
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Trident Pen Kit
(TRIDENT)
1-9 $3.90 ea.
10-49 $3.75 ea.
50-99 $3.60 ea.
100+ $3.55 ea.
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Renaissance Wax Sample 1/4-oz.
(RWAXS)
$1.99 ea
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Myland's Friction Polish or Sanding Sealer Sample 1-oz.
(FPS/SSS)
$1.89 ea.
________________
Our Single Step Polish
4-oz
(FLITZ)
$8.50 ea.
________________
Stabilized Spalted Maple Pen Blanks
1-9 $4.00 ea.
10-24 $3.75 ea.
25+ $3.50 ea.
(SNW221-SNW227)
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Our 12 and 48 Pen Portfolio Cases
12 Pen Case $5.50ea.
48 Pen Case $12.10ea.
(If the CASE48 purchased in large quantity, Additional (Actual) shipping may apply. These cases are going fast and when they are gone, they are gone.
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20 ft Sanding Roll
Assortment
(ABSET)
4 Roll Set
$7.99 ea
They are almost gone, so get them while you can!
________________
Canadian Currency Acrylic Pen Blanks
$6.00 ea.
Almost gone, get them while you can!
________________
Buy 10+ of our Comfort kits and Get Free Bushings, Buy 30+ of our Comfort Pen kits and get Free Bushings and a Free Drill Bit!
(CF1-CF7)
______________
Click Here to go to our Specials Page
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Greetings!
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Dink says, Thank goodness for four paw drive when you get high centered in a six inch snow bank."
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Valentines Day is this month and you'll certainly want to endow your Sweetheart with not only gifts of the floral and chocolaty sweet variety but also with something wonderful from the lathe. Get your special project started early and don't put it off to the last minute. It takes a few days to get the necessary parts and pieces you will need. Remember, we do not utilize overnight or express mail service. Since we are so Rural, it just does not ever work. It ends up leaving both you and us disappointed and frustrated.
Here is a picture of a pen Tracey made for me. It is not three different pens, she superimposed three pictures together to show you the full view all the way around the pen. She actually made it for an entry into the Southwest Missouri Woodturners monthy turning challenge. Last month's theme was "Something Wonderful For Your Sweetheart". She won first place in her category!
It's a little late to get it ready for production in time before this Valentine's Day but she will have it ready to go for next year. We will start selling them on December the 1st 2011 and will run them until 1 February 2012.
Just a note about turning inlay blanks: If you can't use a skew, these blanks are not for you.
Tracey's two cents worth: Thank you for all your support to my topic last month, We have some of the best customers around and got tons of encouragement. Thanks again! Inlay blanks: If you purchase inlay blanks you may have noticed that some of them come pre-fitted and rubber banded, (not glued). I'm very picky about the fit of my inlays and there are some pieces that can be tricky to fit in correctly. I also like to make sure the design is consistent each time I laser cut the blanks. For this reason, I will pre-fit each blank, I figure if I'm going to do this, why not just leave it assembled and put some rubber bands on it to save you that step. You can then concentrate on the gluing and turning. I don't do this for all of them, but many. So...just in case you were wondering...now you know. That's it for this month. I'm pre-occupied with my Oldest son's wedding! I'll be heading to Florida on the 20th for his big day on the 25th. It will be a bonus because I have family that I haven't seen for a bit and they'll be there too! Tim will be on kibble duty and holding down the fort at Wood-N-Whimsies while I'm gone. Be patient, it may take an extra day for your order to ship.
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TECH TALK
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These days the only finish I put on wood, to include inlay blanks, is a CA finish. It works for everything as far as I know. Of course acrylics do not need anything except a good polishing with a dab of Single Step Polish or Micro-Mesh, maybe a good buffing with some white diamond on a polishing wheel. Acrylic takes a good finish without anything except a little elbow grease and some white diamond. I've been asked by several folks to show/tell them how to apply a CA finish. Although I have seen and tried several ways to apply CA finishes, the procedure I currently use is the only one I can get to work well for me. I have had several customers stop by my shop for a demo and this is the procedure I show them. I have used the CA/boiled linseed oil (BLO) finish with good results on dry woods such as maple and black walnut. If the wood has any oil in it at all, like olivewood or paduak and many other exotic woods, then the finish will flake with use and will quickly wear off all together leaving behind quite a disastrous looking mess. If I applied a CA/BLO finish on a rainy day with the humidity over the top, the finish would crinkle after a few days in warm dry air and feel like what I would call a sharkskin surface. My shop is not air conditioned or heated so CA/BLO finishes would have to be reserved for fair weather days. With the finish I am going to describe, it does not matter what the temperature is or whether it is raining or not. This a good all around finish that just plainly and simply looks great. Let's first make a list of the items/materials needed to apply and polish the finish. You will turn the blank in any way you want and with any tool you choose, we will just be discussing the finish. If you are blowing out your blanks on the lathe then you are using either a dull tool or the wrong tool and has nothing to do with the finish. We will reserve that topic for another day. 1. Paper towels---I use the El Cheapos from Sam's Club that come in a box half the size of my pick-up, but that's just me, I like bargains. You can use whatever brand you would like, they will all work equally as well for our purpose here.2. CA Glue---You will need thin CA and either medium or thick CA, the choice is yours. I like mine rather thick so as to build a thicker base for my finish. You will definitely need the thin though regardless of your other viscosity choice3. Sand Paper---I use the sand paper that comes on the convenient 20 foot rolls. I just tear off a little piece about 3/4 to 1 inch long from each grit to sand the blank. 4. Micro-Mesh---For the final polishing I use Micro-Mesh to get a nice bright deep shine.5. Skew Chisel---You will need a skew chisel to cut through the CA glue on the ends of the blank between the blank and the bushings.6. Paste wax---You can use Johnson's, Minwax or any other brand you choose but you need to create a barrier to prevent gluing everything together. You will see as we go. I have a can of Minwax which I have been using for several years.7. Sanding Bushings---These are a set of bushings which are basically worn out that I use so I can save my good bushings to turn my blanks to size. I get more life out of my bushing this way.8. CA Activator---I prefer the aerosol can, it gives me a much more even light coating but the pump is acceptable. Let's get started then shall we? My wooden blank has been turned to the finished size and I am ready to start sanding. I leave my blank a few thousandths of an inch proud over the bushing. This way when I finish sanding, my blank is the finished size I want it to be. I use a digital caliper just to make sure. You can get one at Harbor Freight and they are very inexpensive, about $20.00. The $200.00 Starrett will work just as well if you are an---I gotta have really good tools---buff. I start by removing my blank and the good bushings from the mandrel. I apply a coating of paste wax to my mandrel and my sanding bushings and remount the blank onto the mandrel with the sanding bushings. Be careful not to get any paste wax on the blank. If it keeps the CA from sticking to the mandrel well then guess what, That's right, it will not stick to the waxed blank either. Once the blanks have been remounted, sand the blank smooth. Depending on how rough the blank is will determine which grit you start with. I turn my blanks with a skew so they are very smooth to start with. I sand the blank with 400 grit, you can go to 600 if you like but there is really no further advantage with the finer grit. Do not go further than 600 though. If the blank is too smooth then the CA glue will have a hard time adhering, especially with oily exotics. We have a smooth surface now and we will start with the thin CA. Set your lathe to it's slowest speed. Fold a paper towel to make several layers about 3/4 of an inch wide. Apply some thin CA to the paper towel and then quickly spread the glue onto the blank in an even coating. Spread the glue until you just feel the glue start to get tacky. Now get off of the blank and hit the blank with a quick shot of activator. The paper towel is now probably glued to your fingers but it will not hurt you, it's all just part of the experience. Pull the towel off and fold it over to a clean surface and repeat the application. This time the glue will set up a little faster since it now has activator on it. Be aware of how tacky it gets and do not let the towel get glued to the blank. Shoot it with activator between each coat. Apply three coats of the thin CA in this manner. With the lathe still at slowest speed , switch to the medium/thick CA and apply six to seven coats. in the same manner as above. Be sure to shoot each application with activator. This will build up a nice coating 10 to 15 thousandths of an inch thick. Speed up the lathe to a turning speed you are comfortable with. Take the skew chisel and use the point to cut through the CA glue at the ends of the blank. Be sure to cut it all the way through. Now use the skew to push into the bushing and turn the head stock by hand to chip the CA glue off of the bushings. You need a nice clean straight edge of CA on the ends of the blank. Set the lathe speed to 700-900 rpm. If I have any bumps or rough spots on my blank, I use 400 grit sandpaper to smooth them out and then switch to Micro-Mesh. I sand through each grit all the way through to 12,000. Use the mesh in a circular motion and keep it moving. Do not stop in one place to sand. Be sure to round over the ends of the blank with each grit so that you have a nice smooth transition between the blank and the kits metal parts. You may want to reduce your lathe speed as you go up in grit with the Micro-Mesh, this will reduce the risk of melting the abrasive to the blank if you happen to stay in one spot too long. Remove the blank and the bushings from the mandrel. Save your sanding bushings for the next time. Assemble your pen in accordance with the kit's assembly instructions. Your pen now has a finish which will last forever as long as it does not get stepped on in the dirt, driven over with the family sedan, or carried around in your front pocket with coins and keys. Severe abuse will destroy any finish. |
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WHAT'S NEW
|  We have a new 30.06 cartridge pen available with an actual bullet tip which has been drilled through to make the pen tip and it's made right here in the good old US of A. The shells have been tumbler and cleaned to remove the green and black tarnish and then clear powder coated to prevent them from tarnishing again. These are pre-fired military cartridges. Since these are pre-fired, some have very small dings or scratches which are normal and will not polish out. I call them character marks. They do not hinder the operation of the pen nor make it look bad. They really just made it look as authentic as it absolutely is. I do not make these myself, but I assure you that the quality of the workmanship is superb. At $11.55 each this is a great price for a great product. We have some new neighbors up the road a piece from us who moved here from Michigan last September. They are Mike Pyeatt and Denise Petrocella. They sell exotic wood at their business, The Rosewood Shop. I have visited their shop and must say I was taken back by the huge selection and great quality of the exotic woods that they sell. The selection of maple burls and other large  domestic stock is significant. Their primary market is making kits for archery bows, however they are starting to cut knife scales as well and like I said the large turning and board stock is absolutely gorgeous. They are located at 6265 State Hwy O in Ash Grove. Take the Hall Town Exit off I-44. You can call Mike at 417-693-4226 for more information on what he has available and what he has coming. If you happen to be coming by on I-44, between Joplin and Springfield, Missouri be sure to stop in. You'll be glad you did, I guarantee it.
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COMING SOON
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Acrylics: We have some more new acrylic blank colors coming soon. Be sure to stop by our site and see them.
We have a new Self Centering Pen Drilling Vise on the way. I  have been using a demo which the manufacturer sent to us and I have fallen in love with it. It is especially great for drilling repetitive holes in the same size blank over and over. No need to re-center each time. Just drop in a blank, flip a lever and drill, drill, drill...
You can clamp the vise to your drill press table or leave it loose. I leave mine loose for drilling the antler so I can shift the vise around to get the best position for drilling through curved antler. For repetitive same size blanks, I clamp it to the table.
Inlays:
Tracey has received so many great ideas for inlay blanks she's not sure where to start. Her sister is coming to help us out for a few weeks at the end of the month and she's hoping this will free her up to start getting some of ideas on her list created into actual inlay blanks!
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