My First Attempt At Pen Turning

As someone who can’t write (in teh physical sense at least) I do see the irony in wanting to give pen turning a go. The intricacy and precision required to turn the perfect pen appeals to me, especially as precision is harder to achieve on a wood lathe than machinist tools. Christmas looming and stuck for gift ideas, I finally decided to give it a try.

The pens are twist pens in Maple and Walnut, polished to P3000 with a microcrystalline wax finish. I perhaps should have oiled or friction polished the walnut to enhance the grain, but I’m still very pleased with the results. The presentation boxes were some Sycamore scraps from a split section of log, destined for the bin. I try to never throw any useful wood away as it often comes in useful for projects like this. Turning these was extremely satisfying and there are countless styles and kits to try.