Hi all. I took a pen-turning class several months back. I bought all the things I would need (minus the tools for the lathe) but haven’t built any yet. I was wondering if someone could walk me through doing it again so I can have a refresher and know where all the tools are to create them. I would greatly appreciate it. We could set up a time to meet. I’m pretty flexible for the most part. Thanks in advance.
What kind of pen kits were you thinking of turning? What supplies have you bought? I will be at the space this Wednesday doing some turning and I can help you out! I’ve turned a bunch of pens, wood, acrylic, even polymer clay.
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I bought Gatsby twist pen kits. (I think I bought like ten) and then wood blanks to go with them. I have one actual set. I also have the wood glue and some good wood conditioner I bought from Woodcraft.
I just need basically to be walked through, help locating the things I need in the lathe area and so forth. I have never turned acrylic, but I want to learn how to do that. The guy that was teaching the pen class hasn’t been in in a while (at least that I have seen). Wednesday works for me. During the day or evening?
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Okay cool. I haven’t put together the Gatsby kits before but I’m sure we can figure it out. I prefer CA to glue the tubes in vs wood glue, but I’ll bring my stuff and we can talk about pros and cons of different types of supplies. Everyone does it differently, so it’s just whatever works for you. I was gonna be there around 1 on Wednesday, but lmk if that works for you or not, I’m flexible. You can’t miss me, I wear hot pink safety glasses and carry around a pink toolbox.
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Sounds great. Thank you.
I don’t know what we have for pen-making drill bits … the kit instructions specify 27/64".
Do we have a long 27/64" drill bit, or does she need to get one? Like most consumable tools, drill bit inventory could be iffy.
Both Rockler and Woodcraft carry them, but Rockler is a few dollars less expensive.
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We’ve got a whole drawer full of assorted drill bits by the drill press but the chances of finding that specific one are slim. Whatever pen kit you fall in love with I would definitely recommend buying the accompanying drill bit if you haven’t already Bri. Worst case if you don’t yet have the appropriate drill bit I’ve got my pen kits with the right drill bit for the sake of practicing pen turning
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I wish I could help but the next 2 weeks are booked solid. A couple of thoughts though based on the conversation- Definitely would second using CA for the pen tubes as wood glue wont really bond to metal well. you can use Epoxy glue as well, but that takes a full day to cure. As for really weirdly specific drill bits like that, I would recommend getting them at the time you buy any new kit, and get cobalt or tungsten if you can. I’ve had way too many of the HSS bits burn out after 5-10 pens. Otherwise I have found that amazon can generally get the bits to you in a day or 2 if you have prime. Good luck with the practice!
May be a dumb question, but what is CA?
CA glue. Ie super glue…. Also not a dumb question.
Cyanoacrylate, aka super glue. It bonds to most surfaces and is fast curing. I also tend to use it for finishes so I get the larger bottles that’ll last me a while. I prefer medium viscosity so its not too thick and not too drippy.
Oh, gotcha.
So, I found my pen kit bag. I have the blanks, superglue, and I even have a Pen Mill set (looks like bits.) I believe I have everything I need except the stuff that goes on the lathe (which is where I am really needing the refresher.) Thank you for everyone who has put input in. I am excited to get started turning again.
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No stupid questions here, just opportunities to learn 
It sounds like you’ve got everything except drill bits and bushings. I believe pen mills are used to square up one side of your blank so it doesn’t actually drill the hole for you so you’d still need the 27/64” drill bit Chris mentioned. Bushings are little metal spacers you use when turning the piece on the lathe, and are specific to each pen kit. So slimline pen bushings are different than gatsby pen bushings. No worries if you don’t have/ can’t find this stuff by tomorrow, I’ve got some stuff you can use if we can’t find what we need around the space.
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Came in to work on pens this morning - the drill bit drawer is in bad shape; most of the collections have just been dumped into the catchall drawer up top. If you need a specific bit, you may want to bring your own.
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I have my own drill bit. Apparently, I had purchased EVERYTHING I could have needed except the lathe machine parts themselves. LOL
Same here! I took my class a very long time ago, but would really like a refresher class since it’s been so long. I have a ton of wood for pens and pen kits. If you can find someone to do a refresher, I’d love to come join you guys. 
I’m going to be there at 1 today. We are doing a refresher then if you can make it.
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I can’t do during the day because of work. 
I know I’m a bit late to this party, but I’ve been turning resin pens at a neighbors house for a bit now. I’m not yet trained on the Makerspace Lathe but I am on his. If I can be of assistance, please do ping me.