# making an Acrylic pen, illustrated



## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

This photo-shoot shows how I made an Acrylic pen. I used a 1.25" gouge and finished with a 1/2" skew chisel. When turning was complete I used 400 grit paper whilst the lathe was turning, then, turning by slowly by hand, rubbed along the length. This procedure was repeated using 1200 grit with Brasso metal polish followed by Brasso on the smooth side of the paper. A final polish with a soft cloth and a high shine was the result. I'll add a pdf of the project.
As I type this the pen is winging it's way to England together with other presents that I made whilst my brother-in-law was here for a short holiday.
I'm sure that a good friend and fellow member will recognize these blue pen blanks which arrived "out of the blue" from the far side of Australia.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Great tutorial Harry and beautiful pen.


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## Gaffboat (Mar 11, 2012)

I don't have an interest in making pens but I have been curious as to how it is done. Your tutorial is excellent (as usual) and answered my questions. I can see why making pens is fun.


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 6, 2006)

Another great tutorial, Harry. Keep this up and you may receive a tenured professorship at Hogworts.:sarcastic:


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Harry, I have a question....

What CA glue do you use? And where do you get it?

I was under the impression that the glue sticks on contact. I have also seen people use the CA glue as a finish.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Going to make this a sticky Harry. Great tutorial.


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## Iceman567 (Apr 29, 2012)

Great job on the tutorial Harry. One thing that I have found is that SHARP tools are a necessity when turning acrylic blanks.

I have used Gorilla Glue (original) for gluing the tubes into the blank, more time to fool around putting the tubes in. It does require overnight to set up though.

As to James' inquiry to CA as a finish, works great on all types of wood. I usually put on 4-5 coats of medium CA glue. Nice durable finish. There IS a learning curve though!

Keep on turning, the pens look great.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

jw2170 said:


> Harry, I have a question....
> 
> What CA glue do you use? And where do you get it?
> 
> I was under the impression that the glue sticks on contact. I have also seen people use the CA glue as a finish.


I buy thin CA glue and all my pen kits from TIMBERBITS, George is a great guy to deal with and he stocks quality merchandise PLUS his freight charges even to America are VERY reasonable. As a finish it's applied with doubled small squares of tissues whilst the lathe is turning and as soon as a coat is applied a quick squirt of accelerator makes it immediately ready for the next coat. Five or six coats are normal but one guy that I know thinks he's making Rolls Royces, he applies closer to 20 coats! 

Sanding, Polishes & Glues :: Glues and Adhesives - Pen Kits, Pen blanks, Clock Kits and wood turning accessories.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

BernieW said:


> Going to make this a sticky Harry. Great tutorial.


Thank you very much Bernie, I'm flattered. Did you open your email today?


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Iceman567 said:


> Great job on the tutorial Harry. One thing that I have found is that SHARP tools are a necessity when turning acrylic blanks.
> 
> I have used Gorilla Glue (original) for gluing the tubes into the blank, more time to fool around putting the tubes in. It does require overnight to set up though.
> 
> ...


Thank you Ted, even though I have a Tormec, I'm yet to master it and I know that my turning skills will improve dramatically once I do master the technique. At the moment I'm using the high speed grinder which is a great way to quickly reduce the length of turning tools!


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Thank you George and Oliver, it's such praise that makes me strive to live up to it.


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## IRONMULE31014 (Feb 16, 2013)

Welcome Harry,where does the router come into play


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

David, over the years I've posted a great many routing projects, all fully illustrated. Is there anything in particular that you'd like to see. It makes a change to occasionally post flat and round projects. Few if any woodworkers only make things using the router, having said this, the router is my main tool. 
Because you haven't filled in your profile I don't know what your interests are or your skill level and available tools.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

David, the forums is about all types of woodworking hence the different areas of interest.

Harry, the instructer at my local Woodcraft uses a zip lock bag when applying the CA finish. He slips his hand inside like a glove.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

I suppose it's what one feels comfortable with Mike. The reason that I use pieces of folded paper towel about 2" square is that I was shown that method which gave perfect results and so I didn't see a need to experiment.


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## IC31 (Nov 16, 2012)

Beautiful pen, Harry.

A question, and just my curiosity, why do you use Brasso rather then something like an automotive polishing compound which is a very fine compound and a swirl remover which is an even finer version?


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

IC31 said:


> Beautiful pen, Harry.
> 
> A question, and just my curiosity, why do you use Brasso rather then something like an automotive polishing compound which is a very fine compound and a swirl remover which is an even finer version?


Before retirement I owned a specialist VCR repair business and I had a strict rule that all machines after repair had to be thoroughly cleaned, this included polishing out scratches on plastic ware. I found many years ago that BRASSO did this perfectly, so it's a case of being on to a good thing and sticking to it!
A common remark when machines were collected was "are you sure that's my machine?"


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## IC31 (Nov 16, 2012)

harrysin said:


> Before retirement I owned a specialist VCR repair business and I had a strict rule that all machines after repair had to be thoroughly cleaned, this included polishing out scratches on plastic ware. I found many years ago that BRASSO did this perfectly, so it's a case of being on to a good thing and sticking to it!
> A common remark when machines were collected was "are you sure that's my machine?"


That's about as good a reason as any. 

My feelings for Brasso and its ammonia smell dates back to my US Army days when we usually had lots of time on our hands between dips in the mud for polishing belt buckles and insignia. 

A bit of background on it for others who never used it or heard of it: Brasso - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Dave, my Air Force memories of Brasso are the time that I had to clean all the windows in one of the barracks using rags and BRASSO! From memory the panes were about 5" x 7" and there were a LOT of them. Still, I can't blame the BRASSO, only the stupid Sargent!


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## billrlogan (Nov 24, 2013)

Looks great


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Thank you Bill, I went to your public profile to see if you had a lathe and check on your woodworking experience but unfortunately you appear to have forgotten to complete it.
A completed profile helps members to answer questions in a relevant way.


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## marvmn (Dec 7, 2013)

Like the pen. Have done a vast selection myself. Originally i always detested the acrylic pens but now i love them because they are easier to finish than wood pens.

I find whatever final finish i use if the person uses the pen daily and does not keep them clean the final finish eventually wears (i'm talking a year not a month). I might have to pose this as a thread!


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

For wood pens Michael I now use CA glue, about five coats. Here is a link to a YouTube video of my friend John teaching me to finish a pen with CA glue.

Turning a Pen MV - YouTube


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

For those who are interested in turning, try this website as it is really great.
http://www.woodturner.org


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## marvmn (Dec 7, 2013)

thanks harry the you tube was very informative.


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