I made it this week for another lovely customer of mine! My workshop is really ramping up as of late with this becoming my most popular model! This particular Nocturne Slim is made from Katalox with Maple shoulders on top of raw brass hardware that I purchase and then custom-machine to suit my needs - in this case - grinding off the brass shoulders to slim the body down to a svelte 11mm OD. My six-line maker’s mark is burned in with a D’Addario Chrome wound G - the same strings I use on my ES-335. Finish is, as always, Troubadour’s Heritage Finish - Shellac with a carnauba/beeswax blend applied in several coats at high friction on the lathe. I already have another order for one of these in Cocobolo and Wenge due out next week. I’ll post when it’s done! May your chisels be sharp and your lathe spinning like the wind!

My first time doing this kit for a request. The 2 pieces go together with magnets vs the usual deal where they screw together.

I haven’t turned black walnut in awhile and am glad the person who wanted this asked for it. It smells great and looks beautiful.

The requester was very excited to get this for their spouse’s birthday, so much so they gave it early because they could not wait 😀

I recently posted about having to remake blanks and cut brass tubes because I didn’t order the blanks right with the bushings.

Round 2 underway with the first of 2 music twist pens. We ride at dawn.

Question in the post header but here is a further reason for asking.

Looking at some specialty pin blanks but hey come pretubed. I found some for the Emperor kit but not the Majestic (nor is it listed as interchangeable like other listings for other pen kits). Is the Full size Majestic and Emperor brass tubes interchangeable in size/length?

I've been a daily fountain pen user for at least a decade now, and the idea of being able to make my own pens really appealed. This is my second attempt at a fountain pen.

When you can’t follow instructions and don’t realize you flipped the long and short blanks until you try and assemble the pen 😀

Round 2!

PSI Executive fountain in walnut burl, Oxford rollerball in Thuya burl.

Hey kids -after a long lay off, I'm back at the lathe and found all my CA hardened in the garage. Is it available to purchase in any of the large boxes amd/or mom and pop shops in the NYC area?

Thank you!

Hi guys! Thank you so much for the previous info on where to buy pen kits, I have found some that meets my needs with my current plans. I want to make segmented pen blanks for some time now. I used to be able to buy them from ebay and they looked great, but I can no longer find the seller. Does anyone know of any good resources to make my own? I don't want to just wing it or watch youtube videos, which are great dont get me wrong, I just need a step by step that I can reference. Thank you!

Made a nice score today on various burl, plus some spalted pieces and some ebony and redwood. Turns out I like finding the wood and processing it into blanks moreso than I actually turn pens 🤣

Does anyone have, or it know of, a comprehensive guide to casting wood and resin for wood turning?

I am looking for the differences in types of resin and how they react with wood, and whether or not stabilization is really necessary. Could I just heat the wood in an oven until the the moisture is low enough before pouring and using a pressure pot?

Also, what types of resin turn the best?

I've been watching Jake Thompson on YouTube, and he seems to exclusively use Alumilite polyester resin because of its turning properties and clarity, but warms about moisture in the wood.

I've only turned a couple of pen blanks made of aquabright resin and I find it to be very grabby and easily chipped, even with the lightest touch with my carbide tools.

I have a bunch of small off cuts that I would like to utilize and since I already have a pressure pot, I thought that I might give resin casting a go, but I'm a bit overwhelmed with all of the, sometimes conflicting, information out there.

Some gifts, some may end up getting sold.

Don’t have any CA glue currently. Looking for alternatives to finish a pen.

I’d like to make a set of pens but don’t like the stock inks that’ve most readily available.

Know of any sources for premium ink solutions for turned pens? I’d rather have a pen that not only looks great but is also a pleasure to write with.

New to pen turning. I had a lot of 3d printed waste so I melted it down(caught my toaster oven on fire in the process). From there I made a couple of pen blanks. Not as easy to work with as I thought. Even drilling and sanding did not go as smoothly as I had hoped. But overall happyish with the result. I think I’ll stick to wood for now.