Wood-N-Whimsies LogoWeb: www.woodnwhimsies.com 

Email: Sales@woodnwhimsies.com 

Phone: 800-820-1099

The after dinner garbage disposal and dishwasher pre-wash cycle crew are mustard & stand at the ready!
October 2011
What's On Sale This Month:

For Our Newsletter Customers Only, Get 10% Off Of The CA Wood Finishing Kit. Enter "SET10" In The Coupon Code At Checkout

__________

  

Stabilized Redwood Lace Pen Blanks Are On Sale For Only $5.50 Each

__________

Gabon Ebony Pen Blanks Are On Sale For Only $2.05 Each
__________

Jobillo Pen Blanks Are On Sale For Only $1.50 Each
__________

Tracey's New Snowboarder Inlay Blank Is Introductory Priced At $12.75, Reg Price Is $15.00
__________

Trident Pen Kit:
    1-9     $4.00
10-49     $3.85
50-99     $3.70
 100+     $3.50
__________

Reusable Resin Casting Mold MC-4 Is Only $2.99
__________

The TUBE3006: Pre-cut 7mm Tubes For The 3006 Shell Casing Are On Sale For $1.19 Per Pkg Of Five
__________

7MM Football Pen Clips Are Only $.99 Each Any Quantity



Click "HERE" To Go To Our Specials Page To Take Advantage Of These Savings 
Join Our Mailing List!

Greetings! 


line
     Thank goodness that the cooler weather is
Dink says, "My knee is all better now, so when do me and Hanna-Bee get the Ribeye?"  
finally here. We have been spending a lot of time in the shop of late trying to get a little ahead before the really cold weather sets in and we are freezing our butts off out there.
  Tracey was in Connecticut for a week last month and I had to pull it all off by myself. Hopefully I did it right and nobody was inconvenienced too badly by her absence. It will be her turn in March, I will be off to New Zealand for two weeks to spend some time with my Auntie Lisa. She lives near Wellington on the north island. I have never been to New Zealand so it will be quite the adventure for me.
    We have gone through the last barrel of polyester resin (PR) and have ordered another new barrel. This is Silmar resin and is premium stuff. We have paid a little extra for the UV protectant to prevent the resin from yellowing. It is UV light which causes resin to turn yellow and to get that cloudy appearance.
     We have constructed a climate controlled area to store and package the resin in. Temperature is no longer a concern. During shipping the resin may be subjected to extreme temperatures but as long as you allow it to return to room temperature before use, it will be OK. If you put it up on a shelf in the garage and leave it for a year, there is no guarantee as to what you will have when you decide to use it.
     As you will see with some of my latest wood/polyester creations in this newsletter that you can use PR for a wide variety of pen making aspects. From solid PR in virtually any color combination to just making small accent pieces to set off your work from the rest of the crowd. Nature meets science, it's the latest craze in pen turning. And, oh what fun it is to see what you can make.

Tracey's Two Cents Worth:
  As we approach the busy Holiday season, remember we will be in and out of the workshop much more frequently throughout the day working on stock.  You would be best served, if you need to call, leaving us a message so we can call you back.  If we are in the office we will answer the phone.     Although we consider ourselves to be an internet business, we know some folks prefer to pick up the phone and call.  We do provide our customers with a toll free number as a Thank you for doing business with us.   However, that call costs us each time it is placed.  We have run into some issues as of late where a person may be in a spot where they need something ASAP so they will dial the toll free number several times just a few minutes apart.  It frustrates them that we don't answer the phone, but truly we are out of the shop for a bit or we would be happy to take the call.  If you call us to place an order or to just get a little information and we don't answer, please leave a message with your phone number. We promise you, we will get back to you as soon as is feasibly possible. We are closed on Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Your call will be returned by the next business day at the latest.    

Article Headline
TECH TALK  
     When I drill a hole in my pen blank, the hole is larger than the

This hole above was drilled with a 27/64" drill on the lathe without pre-drilling a smaller hole. As you can see, the result is less than desirable 

tube on one end and the tube does not fit snugly all the way through. Is my drill bit defective? What's going on!!! I'm pretty sure my drill bit must be bent. No, your drill bit is not defective or bent, the problem is the procedure you are using to drill the hole. I have watched many YouTube Pen Making videos and each and every time I see the host of the video break out just the right size drill bit and load it into the chuck. They take careful aim to make sure that they are drilling as close to center as they can and then with a steady hand, a whisp of dusty wood chips, and a few squeeks and squeels a hole is drilled through the blank.
     The idea is to have a blank that has a hole which will accommodate the tube and not have the tube bouncing around inside the blank on one end. In order to get the perfect size hole you cannot use the exact size drill you need from the get go. When a professional machinist drills a hole in a piece of metal on a lathe or milling machine he follows a procedure which will result in the perfect hole for the application he needs. To

This hole was drilled with the exact same drill bit but by following the described Tech Talk procedure, What a difference!

do this he drills a centering hole with what is commonly called a center drill, not very deep but deep enough so that the next drill bit will not walk around on the metal surface and start out crooked  from the start. Next they will use a drill bit which is a few thousandths of an inch smaller than the final hole size they need and drill through or as deep as desired. They then follow this with what is called a reamer which will produce the perfect hole diameter. After this he may take a countersink bit and clean the burs off of the hole opening. Presto, everything fits snugly.
     When drilling a hole in wood we do not have to be quite as precise but accuracy is good though. The larger the hole you are trying to drill the more the wallowing will effect your final result. Try this next time; drill your first hole with a bit just slightly smaller than the hole you desire. Say you want a 27/64" hole. Use a 10mm drill bit to make the first cut and then retool the drill chuck with the 27/64" drill bit and follow through center of the initial hole. Be careful not to move the workpiece between bit changes, a firmly mounted centering vise will suit your needs in this application. It is also a good idea to not use a brad point bit for the final cut. Instead us a jobber bit for far better accuracy, a brad point will not follow the hole since the drill point is not a fully tapered angle.
     Now remove your blank from the vise and test fit your tube. I guarantee you will get a much better result and there will be no sloppy gap between your brass tube and the inside wall of your blank. A very small gap is preferred since you do need room for the glue. Too tight and all the glue gets pushed out and the tube will later spin in the blank when you are squaring the ends.
     If you drill your blanks on the lathe you can still follow the same procedure and the results will amaze you. I use a center drill to make my first initial cut. I had gotten away from doing this until Tracey had a problem with the acrylic blanks used on her Military Yellow Ribbon Blanks. The blank was wallowed on one end. I went back to to following basic machine shop rules and that problem was solved just like that.
    
     A piece flew off of my blank and landed somewhere in the massive carpet of wall to wall chips & dust on the floor----I'll just have to give this one up and try again, I'll never find the piece! It is a good idea to start with a clean area to turn in. Keep a shop vac handy and clean up your work area around your lathe. As you turn, stop a couple of times to clean up the chips and then proceed. Then when that little chip/chunk pops out of your blank, you can look down and see it right away and get it glued back into the blank.
     I have had many blanks come apart on me on the lathe. Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to find that little piece and then you either have to fill the hole with something else or scrap the blank. Scrapping a high dollar blank is very disappointing. A little house keeping before during and after turning will eliminate all of the frustration.
     I have seen folks hang a sheet from a curtain rod which is suspended from the ceiling to contain the exhaust of chips from the chisel. I know when I turn large objects, I sometimes have chips coming off like string and flying twenty feet away. I just make sure that they are landing where I want them. 

Article Headline
WHAT'S NEW

We have been overwhelmed with requests for it and now we have it---Click the picture below to watch the informative YouTube video. This product will revolutionize the CA pen finish forever.  

 



Stick Fast CA Wood Finish and CA Polish system

Click here for CA Wood Finish technique instructions 

 

We now carry the CA Wood Finish Starter kit for $29.00. A quick and easy way to finish your  projects with an extremely durable coat. Finishing process from bare wood to glass surface on your pen barrel in less than six minutes. New CA Wood Finish Formulation. The CA Wood Finish Starter Kit includes the following supplies:

 

CA Wood Finish Thin 1 oz

CA Wood Finish Medium 2.5 oz

Aerosol Activator 3 oz

CA Polish Satin 1 oz

CA Polish Gloss 1 oz

Sample Mirka Abranet 400g Mesh Abrasive

Instruction Sheet 

 
CA Wood Finish Key Features:

  • Extended application working time of up to 60 seconds
  • Slightly flexible for an extremely tough and durable finish that polishes to a glass like surface.
  • Ideal for pen finishing and can be used for larger projects such as bottle stoppers, small bowls and pepper mills
  • Two viscosities:
    • Thin 20 cps for first coat application allowing CA to absorb into the wood to help stabilize and keep from future cracking.
    • Medium: 100 cps for multiple coats with quick build up yet thin enough to be leveling, reducing the ridges during application.
  • Aerosol CA Activator for quick cure between coats
  • Little or no sanding between coats
  • 2.5oz available now and 4.6 ounce coming soon 

CA Polish:

  • Quick cutting polish
  • Non-wax, non-silicone, no crystalline silica
  • Water based for easy clean up with soap and water
  • Easy application
  • Two polishing products:
    • CA Polish Satin: polishes to approximately 1500g
    • CA Polish Gloss: polishes to a 2,500+g glass like surface; for optimum results  use after the Satin polish application
  • Polish Acrylics instead of Wood with CA Wood Finish? Yes! CA Polish also works well on acrylics!
  • 1 ounce bottle available now 

CA Activator: New formula

  • Reduced foaming and discoloration (clouding): Formulated for direct application on CA as well as all CA Activating applications requiring immediate instant cure.
  • 7.5oz and 12.5oz size aerosol cans   

Unusually Special Pen Blanks

 

We are adding a new page to our Turning Blanks to include some very nice blanks which will all be in high demand and very short supply. Most of the blanks featured on this page will be more for the advanced skill level pen turner. A lot of time and money has been invested to create these blanks so for the most part they will not be inexpensive.

This blank is made from worm eaten punky rotten wood which has been stabilized. After stabilizing, the blank was cast in Gold colored polyester resin to fill in the  worm holes. After turning and applying a CA finish the blank looks like a real golden mother lode which any prospector would hope to dig up. 

     For the stabilized worm eaten punk wood polyester resin filled blanks, time, patients, and a steady hand on the skew are a must with these. Do not drill through the bottom or you will break them. They are not as hard to turn as I make them out to be but you will definitely need to put your skills to work here. You can expect to use your gap and hole filling knowledge to complete a project successfully. Let's call them "defective wood" pen blanks. If you are still blowing out blanks and tossing them because you just know that the wood is most certainly defective and that is the absolute reason for "it's" failure, then these blanks are not for you.

Polyburl Pen Blanks---Pictures do not do these blanks justice. The pearlescent reflections in them are absolutely astounding.  
 

     The final result as you can see is absolutely astounding. The blank pictured above which We call The prospector took some serious time and patience. I did have a few small holes in the wood to fill with CA in the process of turning but the end result is gorgeous. I recommend painting the tube black before gluing it in. If you do come up with any deep holes then the blank will be hidden in the shadows of blackness.  

     Another new addition is the Polyburl Pen Blank. Our price is $14.99 per blank. This is a fusion of select burls and polyester resin in five colors to create something truly unique. You will never find  any two of these pen blanks that look the same. The blend gives the appearance of solid floating terra firma masses surrounded by a pearlescent flowing liquid. Colors currently available are blue, green, gold, purple, and maroon. 

 

 

    I have started putting together some Laminated Pen Blanks. We'll start with a few simple designs and then get more daring as we go forward with them. For now I have two designs to choose from. These blanks will be 3/4 X 3/4 X 5". They are just perfect for beginners and you seasoned pros will love them too. 

 

Snowboard Tracey has added three more new Inlays.  She will be doing a Silhouette Series so there will be more to come!  We have the Snowboarder Inlay blank on Special for October.   

  The other two are another Military  request for an Army division in Japan and a great looking motorcycle.   Be sure to check them all out! 

    

     Tracey got sick of spending time looking for her glasses so she came up with a magnetic eyeglass holder.  She made me one too and I liked it so much I talked her into making them to sell.  They are sturdy and I have two pairs on mine.  If you don't need glasses to see they are also great for your safety glasses. 

 

      

rticle Headline
COMING SOON

     We are still waiting for the digital caliper order to be completed. It seems that there had been a problem on the production floor and the wrong type of metal was used to produce the tools. We have the problem straightened out and should be receiving them soon.

     I will be making some more colors of the Polyburl blanks. Check this page out often so you don't miss out on anything. Some of the blanks will be offered on a one time limited offer basis depending on a sustainable supply of defective wood to make them. Most of it is wood that is not fit to burn. No doubt defective.

 

Article Headline
FEEDBACK

    This suggestion comes from Norman Paulk, The Pen Man.

   "When I do an inlay pen, before applying CA, I rub black sawdust into any lines.  Now the brass tube will not show through anywhere.  After I sand the blank (I am not a good skewer), I take a large pin and lightly scrape any light colored dust from any of the black lines.  Now my CA finish results in sharp details.  A good way to get fine sawdust is to rough sand (60 grit) a piece of black wood."

 

     Thanks Norman for the great idea. 
Thanks for reading our newsletter. I look forward to getting the next one to you.

Sincerely,
Tim Nicholas

Wood-N-Whimsies