Custom Made Pens

Making custom pens is a very enjoyable hobby. Many woodworkers do nothing else, as this is an easy way to make a project from start to finish in very little time. It doesn't require a large investment in tools and materials, or require a large work space.

Required Tools (the very basics)

1. A small lathe, used to turn the pen.
2. A single turning tool, like a medium sized gouge to shape the pen.
3. A small drill press, which is optional, to drill the center hole.
4. A mandrel, which is the tool the pen Famous First Edition are mounted on, and installed on the lathe, and have bushings, which guide you in turning the ends to the desired diameter.
5. A method of pressing the pen hardware together is really all you need to go from a square pen blank, to a beautiful, finished pen blank. Many people use a wood clamp for this.

Required Materials

1. Pen blanks, as they are called, is a small piece of material, usually of an inch square, by 5 inches long, are readily available from many sources.
2. Pen Kits, also available at these same supply sources, contain all the actual pen parts.
3. Epoxy, or super glue, is used to glue the brass tube into the pen blank. (The brass tube is supplied in the pen kit).
4. A finish to put on the pen to protect Batman movie from the oils on your hand during use.

The blanks can also be purchased with much of the work, if it can be called that, pre done. They are already cut to rough length, and rounded to an appropriate size to begin turning. The required hole is also drilled to accept the pen hardware, eliminating the need for a drill press.

These blanks come in many materials. Exotic woods, certain metals, plastics, solid surface materials, like Corian, and much more. Even deer antlers are a commonly used material, and are easily obtained.

The Pen Kits, which is how the hardware of the pen is purchased, are available in many styles and finishes, and include all the necessary parts to complete your pen. Specialty pens, created around other hobbies, such as hunting, or fishing, and sports like baseball or football, hockey or tennis, pretty much anything you can think of, have pocket clips customized to allow you to make the pen for anyone. Even clips for James Bond attache case professions like doctors or lawyers are available.

Procedure

If buying the standard sized pen blanks, the first step is to cross cut them in half. If making several at a time, laying them against a fixed object, and with the ends flush, mark the halfway point on one blank and using a square, mark all the blanks. The safest way to cut them is a band saw, if available, but even a hand saw is fine.

If you intend to House of Mystery produce them, it's worth making a jig to eliminate the measuring and marking step. It is then just laying the blanks on the jig and cutting them with an appropriate saw.

The next step is drilling the center hole, lengthwise through the blanks. The hole size is determined by the type of pen kit used, and is noted in the kit. 7mm is very common.

Special clamping vises are available for drilling the center hole and are very handy. They make drilling the hole perfectly parallel, much simpler. Although they are around $30.00, they are well worth it. Another way to drill the blank is to hold it in a wood clamp, making certain it is square to the table. Doing this is a bit tricky, and a little aggravating, but certainly doable.

Once the drilling is completed, gluing the brass tube is next. Again, there is a tool designed for this, (around $ 10.00), but a nail set works just fine. Using super glue works well, as does epoxy. The thick, gap filling super glue is the one to use. Before applying the glue, sand the tube a little, just to rough it up and give the glue something to "bite" on to. Apply the glue around the tube and insert it into the hole. Depending upon the cure time of the glue, leave it until the glue is dry.

Again, there is another tool, ($15.00), designed to clean the excess glue from inside the tube, as well as drill the end of the blank flush to the brass tube. Another way is to sand the blank ends flush. If 1869 Peck and Snyder baseball card glue resides in the tube, insert a small drill bit, matching the tube size, and drill it out.

Now it's time to mount the two pieces onto the mandrel, surrounded by the included bushings. The bushings are the proper size to turn the blank flush to, and are sized according to the pen kit. The mandrel is held in the lathe on both ends by the chuck on one end, and the tailstock on the other. It's important to use a live center on the tail stock. This simply means the pointed tip spins freely, apart from the center itself, especially with acrylics, otherwise, the end will overheat. The acrylic blank will actually start to melt.

Using the turning tool you choose, a gouge is recommended, turn the blank to the desired shape. Here it is a matter of practice, in learning the control of the tool, and the techniques used for turning. It is advisable to practice on a cheaper blank, at least until you are comfortable with turning. It's really irritating to ruin a beautiful pen blank!

Once the blank is turned to the desired shape, and you're happy with it, it's time to finish it. The finishing process is very easy, and very satisfying. It's when you get to see the fruits of your labor. Depending on the blank material, the finishing process is done with a variety of products, but in every case, is done while still mounted on the lathe.

When the pen blank is removed from the lathe, it is completely finished. Once more, a special tool can be used to assemble the pen. (About $ 30.00). This is a press, designed specifically to push the pen parts together, ensuring the parts fit properly. It can be done with a wood clamp, but the press is a much better way to go.

The entire process of making a pen can be done in less than an hour, and is a great way to enjoy yourself, and forget the hurries and worries of the world.

They can also be sold to generate an extra income, or given as gifts which will be very much appreciated. The user will think of you every time they write something. It's the perfect gift that keeps on giving.

Overall, this is a terrific hobby, is very safe, even for youngsters, with adult supervision, and will lead to many hours of fun.

Written by: Lee A Jesberger.

Jesberger has owned of a high end General Contracting business for thirty years. He also owns and operates a custom Cabinet and Furniture business. He has written many woodworking articles, in addition to being the inventor of the Ezee-Feed, infeed / outfeed systems for woodworking machines, which is patent pending.

http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com

http://www.ezee-feed.com

Copyright 2007 - Lee A. Jesberger. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, give author name credit.

Payable on Death Account - 4 Tips on How to Use Them to Extend FDIC Insurance

Many people are working hard X-Men movie open up multiple cash accounts so that they have enough FDIC coverage. Wealthy people know Wacky Packages secret of a Payable On Death (POD) account. A Payable On Death account allows the owner to insure his cash for $100,000 per beneficiary not per person. Here are 4 tips on how they can work for you:

1. A Payable On Death account is just like what it stands for. It pays out the amount of the account to the named beneficiary or equally over the number of beneficiaries on the account. The FDIC gives account insurance of $100,000 per person. A POD account gives FDIC insurance of $100,000 per beneficiary. That's the major difference between the two.

2. To avoid any estate planning conflicts, make sure both your will and trust name the same beneficiaries as your POD. If they don't match, you might find relatives contesting your will. You may name your child, grandchild, spouse, parents or siblings as beneficiaries on a POD account but nieces, nephews, and grandparents are not allowed as beneficiaries.

3. You don't have to open up Payable On Death accounts in multiple institutions. That is the beauty of it. One account with your American Girls collection children as beneficiaries, for example, will give you $300,000 of FDIC insurance at the same institution.

4. As more people move into cash in this economic environment, it will be very important to have that cash insured. Depositors can leave money to their heirs and also have their FDIC insurance extended by the use of PODs for their cash accounts.

Boost your FDIC protection for your cash accounts with a Payable on Death account and forget about trying to spread your accounts over lots of institutions. For more information go here Most banks and brokerage will allow you to change your regular account to a POD with a simple application. You don't have to be wealthy in order to take advantage of this. Even small amounts of cash in a bank account can be changed to a POD account. In fact, it is a great estate planning tool for small estates or to simplify the transfer of cash at death.

Payable on Death Accounts are an easy way that most people aren't aware of to extend their FDIC coverage, simplify their estate plans, and avoid multiple accounts.

2008 Fern Weird Fantasy CFP All Rights Reserved

Simplify your estate plan by subscribing to the free Whole-Hearted-Way e-newsletter at http://www.wholeheartedway.com Whole-Hearted-Way is written by Fern Alix LaRocca, a Certified Financial PlannerTM and Wealth Coach with over 24 years experience as a fee-only Financial Advisor.