Pens

[Gargamel]

I don't want to clutter up the DIY thread any more, and I'd like to see other peoples cool pens, but here's a few more I've made this week.

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll203/goestrider/A9AE30B7-62E2-40F2-903A-1BE7AB29B59B-163-00000009957DCF67_zpscizbpkki.jpg

(Going to turn the blank tonight, I'll post a pic in a bit)
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll203/goestrider/3CD8A0FC-F780-4488-B99D-209F96576D95-163-0000000982CD3CB9_zpsahl6ruus.jpg

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll203/goestrider/C6F977A3-6B69-44E7-BABA-38F54E9D0363-163-000000097376380E_zpsga5metke.jpg

[Aktungbby]

Simply gorgeous!

[Rhodes]

Cool!:up:

[Jimbuna]

Very nice :cool:

[Sailor Steve]

Those are nifty. :rock:

[Commander Wallace]

Nice work. :up:

[Betonov]

A little advice from the Joker

If you're good at something, never do it for free

[Gargamel]

A little advice from the Joker

I'm not. Well, I am giving away a bunch to close friends and family. And I have a small pile of "Well, I can't charge for this crap" pens. But for the most part, they're priced between $20 - $75 each.

[mapuc]

Have you ever thought of making some Pen with subsim symbol and help Neal that way.

Was thinking of exclusive pens which we can then order through subsim

You shall off course have your part for doing this.

Just an idea.

Edit I meant motive not symbol.
Markus

[u crank]

Those are really cool. You got talent. :yep:

[Gargamel]

Symbol was more right, I think you meant motif?

We're working on that process. The girlfriend does excellent woodburning, but were having issues translating the styles together. The quaint hand done burnings don't mix overly well (yet) with the clean cut pen look. I'll have to change my style a bit to get it to mesh. We are looking into engraving systems though. And maybe soon, I'll get a metal lathe to start producing my own hardware for the pen kits.

But Now I'm thinking.... I'll look into a torpedo pen, and we can get printed Subsim Logo's in an acrylic blank that can be turned.

[Catfish]

Some excellent ideas! :up:

What about the 'innards', do you buy them ready, and i guess there are quality differences?

[Jimbuna]

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2411932&postcount=74

Bump!

[Gargamel]

Oh, The not so subtle "that was a serious offer" bump. :up:

PM on it's way.

[Gargamel]

Jim, If you wouldn't mind, I would like to see to pics of that pen in action.


And also, taking a straw poll, Who would be interested in a limited edition (numbered!) SubSim pen? Cost would be around $40-$50 US per pen, with the majority of the proceeds going to Onkel Neal. After the shipping debacle I had with Jim's pen, I think if we get some folks in each region to re-ship to fellow subsimmer's on each continent, we can really knock down the cost of shipping. I don't have a specific design in mind yet, but I'm hoping Torplexed and maybe some of other graphically gifted skippers can all contribute to the design?


It would most likely be of this style:

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll203/goestrider/C6F977A3-6B69-44E7-BABA-38F54E9D0363-163-000000097376380E_zpsga5metke.jpg

But instead of the foil wrap, it would be a community designed print, numbered, and then cast in acrylic and hand turned to fit the pen.

[Sailor Steve]

I certainly would!

Number 2! (Number 1 would have to go to Neal).

[Jimbuna]

Jim, If you wouldn't mind, I would like to see to pics of that pen in action.




By 'in action' I think you mean writing/working?

http://i.imgur.com/RO55hqe.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/rZuvj6S.jpg

The quality of your workmanship is really excellent and the pen feels comfortable in the hand and works exactly as it said on the tin.

http://i.imgur.com/I7K5jpZ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/wYDHusl.jpg

Future refills shouldn't prove difficult to obtain because the pen uses a standard Parker Pen refill.

http://i.imgur.com/9qpCzVs.jpg

[HW3]

I would be interested in one as well.

[Wolferz]

I'll buy that for a dollar. :up:
Or for whatever multiples of dollars.:salute:

Spinning prop on the end?

[Gargamel]

Spinning prop on the end?

That might be an option. I'll look into that.....

[Aktungbby]

Count me in of course!

[mapuc]

That might be an option. I'll look into that.....

I was thinking exactly the same

A pen formed as a German torpedo from WWII with the Subsim.com logo and a propel that rotate when one use the pen(writing a letter etc)

Markus

[Gargamel]

Problem is, I use kits right now for the hardware. There aren't any good sub themed pen kits out there. You'd think there would be, as a sub is shaped like a pen. I have never done a 100% from scratch pen, but I want to. I just don't have the hardware, as in a good metal machining lathe.

BUT..... I'm thinking somebody here might be able to do this. SO maybe we could make it a collaborative pen, from the the SubSim community, for the SubSim community.

I can get exact dimensions of existing pen kits, and I have a style in mind I want to do for this, and provide those for anybody willing to help out. A skilled machinist should be able to crank out the necessary parts rather quickly I'd think, as they'd be small and simply shaped (Modern 688 lines, not a Uboat).

If we can get Torplexed and our other resident artists to collaborate on the design and artwork, that would get printed onto a tube, and then cast in acrylic, like so:

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll203/goestrider/2d60dc8d-939a-449b-8014-c29df259ce69_zps2gntsdhy.jpg

(This blank was slated to go into another .30 cal pen, but then I got a commission to make a his/her set with the 30cal as the His piece, and that type of blank wouldn't look good on the type of pen I picked out for her. So when I get a few more 30cal sets in, this will become a pen, and is available if anybody is interested)

This is another process I'm looking to get into, but as I'm moving soon, I'll have to get my new shop established before taking on new projects. At the recent pen turners meet up I attended, I met a guy who kinda specializes in this work. He would be the best choice for mass producing a limited edition set like this.

When these blanks get turned round, and then polished, the acrylic has a lensing effect that pulls the image out to the face of the pen.

If we get early purchasers of the run, these folks could get their SubSim name on the pen itself along with the 'serial number', and leftover pens (I'm thinking 20-40) would be just numbered, to be sold on the SubSim storefront.

[Wamiduku]

I don't want to clutter up the DIY thread any more, and I'd like to see other peoples cool pens, but here's a few more I've made this week.

When I saw the topic, I first thought it had something to do with u-boat bunkers in Lorient. :)

But yours look way better!

[Gargamel]

Segmented Slimline Touch Pen

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll203/goestrider/1AA31FDE-9F2E-4433-9EE9-4C6F4E629A02-1201-000000EAE94B08D7_zpsaht0zmlu.jpg


The end caps segments are Bethlehem Olivewood (from Israel), the rings are Bocote, and the "bricks" are Oak, Rosewood, Spalted Maple, and some sort of wood from commercial flooring. Initially sanded down to 600 grit, then #0000 steel wool. Paste wax finish to help the grain pop and make the colors richer. 6 coats of CA glue finish, sanded down to 12,000 grit, then polished with Shellawax cream.

This had been sitting on my bench, glued up but not turned, for a month or so now, waiting for me to figure out the right pen to make it into. I had made the blank without really consulting the pen kits, so nothing really fit. It turned out a lot better than I had expected, but alas there's some chipping of the finish on the ends of the tubes, so it probably won't be a sellable pen.

[Gargamel]

I've had some requests for info on How I make the pens, and instead of re-inventing the wheel, I'll just link the tutorial I used to get started:

http://penturningtexan.com/pen-turning-tutorial/

Someday I might write up my own, but for now, there are hundreds of more skilled craftsman out there on the net who have posted their own tutorials that put me to shame. For starters, just search "Pen turning" on YouTube.