This pen kit has a very distinctive look and premium feel to it, great pen to show off wood burl and fancier looking woods.
- Recommended blank size: 20mm X 20mm x 140mm
- Skill Level: Beginner
Tools required for turning this pen
- Turning chisel i.e. Robert Sorby
- Wood Lathe i.e. JET or NOVA
- Pen Mandrel MT1 OR MT2 – Depending on which fits your lathe
- Mandrel saver – Saves your pen mandrel from bending and saves your live centre from damaging point.
- Churchill Pen Kit
- 11,7mm drill bit (BODY OF PEN); 13,2mm drill bit (PEN CAP)
- 12,5mm barrel trimmer
- Pen vice and pen assembly press (Optional)
- Epoxy glue – to glue barrel to blank
- Cyanoacrylate glue – SQ to hold burl wood blank together and MQ to finish pen (Optional)
- Sandpaper i.e. Klingspor Dry paper
Cutting and drilling the blanks
- Cut each blank 5mm longer than the brass tube
- Drill a hole through the centre of the blank
- Either use a drill press with the blank secured in a vice or clamp or use your lathe with a drill bit mounted into the tailstock chuck
- Drill at high speed penetrating about 10 mm to 20mm at a time and then clearing the swarf to prevent overheating of the drill bit
- To prevent cracking or chipping of the wood when the drill bit exits the other end of the blank, stop drilling 3mm before the drill bit reaches the end of the blank and then trim the end of the blank using a saw to expose the hole
Glue the brass tubes into the blanks
- Using 200 grit sandpaper, lightly scuff the exterior of the brass tubes to prepare them for gluing
- Apply a thin layer of superglue or epoxy to the tube and insert the tube into the blank
- Rotate the tube as you push it into the blank to spread the glue evenly – this must be done fairly quickly to avoid getting the barrel stuck before it’s inside the blank
- Position the tube inside the blank so that the wood extends beyond the tube on both ends to allow for trimming
Trimming the blanks
- Square the ends of the wood blank with the tube using a disc sander.
- Alternatively, fasten the blank into the chuck and trim the barrel carefully using a parting tool.
Mandrel setup and turning
- Assemble the bushings and the blanks onto the mandrel as shown in the diagram below
- Ensure that the mandrel is tight on your lathe using the mandrel saver tailstock live centre or your live centre in the dimpled end of the mandrel
- Do not over-tighten the tailstock or mandrel nut as this may cause the mandrel to flex resulting in off-centre barrels
- An alternative is to use a mandrel saver tool to tighten the blank into the lathe without putting strain on the mandrel shaft
- Turn the blanks to the desired shape leaving the blanks slightly larger than the bushings
- After turning, sand the blanks using progressively finer sandpaper until the desired finish is reached
General assembly points
- Use a pen assembly press or vice/clamp with wood/plastic jaws to prevent damage to the parts during assembly.
Pen assembly
Layout the parts as shown below.
- Press the end cap into the smaller end of the long tube.
- Remove the nib from the coupler and press the unthreaded end of the nib coupler into the larger end of the long tube
