Holiday Pens 2010

I made a ton of pens a couple years ago for the Holidays and got burnt out on them in the process. I did some pepper mills and cutting boards the following years and got the bug to go back to pens. I refused to do anymore 7mm kits other than the few I had on hand prior. I like them, just done those to death.

I ended up going with some larger pens that were still priced under $10 plus materials. I bought the bushings for the Sierra and Gatsby as both designs use the same bushings and tubes. Down-side is that it is a 27/64” tube. Not my most common bit and I have to order tubes if needed as Rockler here doesn’t stock them on hand. I prefer the look of the Sierra, but prefer the twist of the Gatsby. Both simple kits. I also did Vertex and Polaris kits (3/8” tubes). I like the smaller fat shape of the Polaris. The Vertex is huge, but looks “tough”. Smooth click action compared to the Gatsby click. I’ve learned I’m not a fan of the gun metal finishes. The Rhodium/Chrome look works on most all blanks. Not a huge yellow gold fan.

PICTURE: (From left) 2 7mm Pens and 2 Pencils, Gun Metal Sierra w/ Purple Acrylic, All black Sierra Chrome, GM Sierra with a light blue blend, Chrome Sierra with Blue Buckeye Burl, MY FAVORITE – Rhodium Gatsby with Gamecock Swirl (garnet and black blend), Chrome Vertex in Olive Green, 4 Chrome Polaris’s.

NOTE: Another benefit of the one tube kits is that you can almost always get two pens from one blank.

-- Jeff, South Carolina