# Segmented Pen



## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

I completed my first segmented pen. Actually I have done celtic knots but I dont really consider that segmenting. This one I did a few weeks ago but couldnt post pics because it was part of an exchange and the reciepient hadnt recieved it yet.

This design is not mine, I believe "firewhatfire" over at IAP gets credit for the design. I however did go about it a bit differently than he did. Everytime I have seen this, it has been done with flashing. I wanted the aluminum to be a bigger feature so I went with aluminum angle instead. This allowed me to glue up an entire length and then chop the segments rather than have to glue up all the little pieces individually, if that makes sence.

Sierra Elegant Beauty, black titanium and platinum. Aluminum, maple, monkey pod.


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## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

Thank you to those that helped me pull this off via PM, JTTHECLOCKMAN, duncsuss.:thumbsup:


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## RusDemka (Jun 9, 2012)

Oh wow, is there a tutorial somewere? Link?


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

That my friend is one of the coolest pens I have seen so far (no offense tot he turners of all the other cool pens here, but this one is sweet!) :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Woo hoo, now that is classy. :clap:

Raising your own bar Bass. Way to go. :thumbsup:


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## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

RusDemka said:


> Oh wow, is there a tutorial somewere? Link?


 There is a tutorial online for this basic design but I went about it differently. In my opinion, the way I did it was much simpler and made for a cleaner looking blank. The turning is another story. Maybe I'll make another one and take lots of pics and do a tutorial. Im yet to do a tutorial and this one would be a good one for it.


sawdustfactory said:


> That my friend is one of the coolest pens I have seen so far (no offense tot he turners of all the other cool pens here, but this one is sweet!) :thumbsup::thumbsup:


 Thanks man!! I didnt design it but I did build it!! Its not without flaws and they are quite evident in the first pic if you look closely.



Dave Paine said:


> Woo hoo, now that is classy. :clap:
> 
> Raising your own bar Bass. Way to go. :thumbsup:


 Thanks!! The idea behind the exchange is to push yourself to try new things. This was a challenge, I did it 3 times before I had one I was happy with. Like I said, its not without flaws but I was happy with it.


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## jdaschel (Jan 10, 2013)

WOW. I remember when I tried a herringbone 360. Boy was that a mistake. Took me like 10 hours. Good idea for the angle aluminum


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## robert421960 (Dec 9, 2010)

man that looks complicated 
and awesome
great job bass :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

robert421960 said:


> man tghat looks complicated
> and awesome
> great job bass :thumbsup::thumbsup:


Thanks!!

Looks can be decieving, lol!! End grain cutting boards look complicated to the average person but we know how simple they really are.:thumbsup:

The design and building of the blank is really very simple. The turning and sanding are the hard parts. First, aluminum dosnt stick well to wood, I dont care what kind of adhesive you use. I roughed the aluminum up with 80 grit and used epoxy and it still wanted to seperate. The next issue is during sanding and theres actually 2 problems there. The aluminum being much harder than the wood dosnt want to sand as fast so your blank can get lumpy feeling. That can be seen in my first pic. No matter how I tried, I couldnt get a perfectly smooth surface. Next is the aluminum must be polished to get that shiny look. When you polish the aluminum, all the wood turns black. That was the hardest thing to correct. All in all, it was a fun project allthough for me, very challenging.

I'll get crackin on a tutorial since everyone seems to like it!:thumbsup:


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

That looks ... well, WOW 

Great job.



BassBlaster said:


> Thank you to those that helped me pull this off via PM, JTTHECLOCKMAN, duncsuss.:thumbsup:


Glad if I was able to help in any way ... did using shellac work?

Seriously, this is a great pen. I'm sure whoever received it is way happy.


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## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

duncsuss said:


> That looks ... well, WOW
> 
> Great job.
> 
> ...


Thanks!!

I didnt use shellac becasue I dont have any. I used thin CA instead. JT told me, I could use a skew and wouldnt have to sand at all. Well, I tried and it didnt work. I dunno if my skew wasnt sharp enough or if I just have bad technique, probably both but my skew was leaving lines on the aluminum. I decided to do a final clean up pass with a freshly sharpened cardide tool and that left a surface I could deal with. No sanding needed but there were still some lines on the aluminum I had to contend with. I couple shots of thin CA to seal the pores and off to the MM I went. Was able to get it up to a polish I was happy with and because I sealed the wood, I could blow the blank off with air and it was all clean.:thumbsup:


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

BassBlaster said:


> No sanding needed but there were still some lines on the aluminum I had to contend with. I couple shots of thin CA to seal the pores and off to the MM I went. Was able to get it up to a polish I was happy with and because I sealed the wood, I could blow the blank off with air and it was all clean.:thumbsup:


(Just have to ask in case I want to stea ... uh, "borrow" :shifty: ... your technique) Dry or wet sanding with Micromesh?

:laughing:


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## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

duncsuss said:


> (Just have to ask in case I want to stea ... uh, "borrow" :shifty: ... your technique) Dry or wet sanding with Micromesh?
> 
> :laughing:


 Dry sanding. I knew I was going to sand back through the CA since it was just a quick seal coat and was worried about the wood expanding if I wet sanded. After the finish was applied, then I went to wet sanding through all the MM grits.


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

Very cool pen and I would definitely like to see a tutorial from you.


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## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

I just made a trade over at WB for one of these pens so it looks like I'll be starting another one this weekend. I'll take lots of pics and do a tutorial. Stay tuned!!:thumbsup:


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## JTTHECLOCKMAN (Dec 31, 2011)

Well now Dennis


You have stepped up your game big time. Welcome to the world of segmenting. This is a great example of taking an idea and expanding and adding your touch to it. I like this concept a whole lot for a number of reasons. The aluminum does not get lost and is actually the highlighted part of the blank. It is seamless being you used angle material. What really stands out is the porportion or the balance of the blank. It looks like the segments worked out perfectly to fit within the length of the tube. The accent colors and mix of woods make it a stunning piece.

You have learned well and I am sure with the next one some of the mistakes you talk of will disappear. It does look good from here. Yes aluminum can be a bit tricky to work with and spin. Trying to get a high shine and not cross contaminate the other material is not an easy task but you pulled it off well. 

I like it alot that I think I will borrow the concept. Job well done. Thanks for showing. I am sure it will be well received.


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## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

JTTHECLOCKMAN said:


> Well now Dennis
> 
> 
> You have stepped up your game big time. Welcome to the world of segmenting. This is a great example of taking an idea and expanding and adding your touch to it. I like this concept a whole lot for a number of reasons. The aluminum does not get lost and is actually the highlighted part of the blank. It is seamless being you used angle material. What really stands out is the porportion or the balance of the blank. It looks like the segments worked out perfectly to fit within the length of the tube. The accent colors and mix of woods make it a stunning piece.
> ...


 Thanks a lot man!!
Yeah, the aluminum being seamless is the main reason I went with angle instead of flashing. It also made the glue up much simpler as I didnt need to cut a bunch of little pieces. I did purchase some flashing in case the angle looked to bulky but i think it worked out well.

Yes, it did work out to where the segments almost matched the tube length perfectly. If you look at the bottom of the barrel, you'll see that I lost the very tip of the aluminum.

Have you worked with monkey pod before? One thing that cant be seen in the pics is the chatoyance in this wood. Its amazing wood. Ive never seen anything like it.

This pen was a challenge for me, as you and duncsuss know but with a little guidance, it turned out to be very rewarding in the end. Thanks again for your help and your comments mean more than you know.:thumbsup:


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## Healeydays (Dec 31, 2012)

*let's talk aluminum*

Ok Dennis, you need to tell me the secret around your aluminum. What kind is it, what gauge, how did you cut it and how wide a piece is it? 

I know, I'm just full of questions aren't I?

Mike B


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## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

Healeydays said:


> Ok Dennis, you need to tell me the secret around your aluminum. What kind is it, what gauge, how did you cut it and how wide a piece is it?
> 
> I know, I'm just full of questions aren't I?
> 
> Mike B


 Lol. I dont really know enough about the aluminum to give you the details. Its what they sell at HD in the section where the all thread and steel bar and such is. Its 1" angle and its 1/16" thick. Stayed tuned for the tutorial. I'll post it here and WB.

Welcome to WWT!! Good group of guys here and lots of the same faces as WB. The turning forum here is kind of like its own little family!!:thumbsup:


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## preacherman (Nov 29, 2011)

That is an awesome pen. I look forward to see the next one!


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## JTTHECLOCKMAN (Dec 31, 2011)

No I have never worked with that wood but there are some really nice woods out there. I had an idea with this type segmenting but have not been able to make up a blank yet. It is something abit like yours but changing up the materials. Just wish I had more time. Thanks again for showing and yes a tutorial or just photos is always a positive and being willing to share is also a positive. Keep them coming.


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## Healeydays (Dec 31, 2012)

BassBlaster said:


> Lol. I dont really know enough about the aluminum to give you the details. Its what they sell at HD in the section where the all thread and steel bar and such is. Its 1" angle and its 1/16" thick. Stayed tuned for the tutorial. I'll post it here and WB.
> 
> Welcome to WWT!! Good group of guys here and lots of the same faces as WB. The turning forum here is kind of like its own little family!!:thumbsup:


Thanks guy. Seems I can't just join one site. Need to be on at least 1/2 dozen. Worst than my British car sites...


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## duncsuss (Aug 21, 2009)

Healeydays said:


> Thanks guy. Seems I can't just join one site. Need to be on at least 1/2 dozen. Worst than my British car sites...


LOL ... btw did you score that mini Jet you were looking into?

Ditto the welcome to WWT :smile:


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## Healeydays (Dec 31, 2012)

duncsuss said:


> LOL ... btw did you score that mini Jet you were looking into?
> 
> Ditto the welcome to WWT :smile:


Thanks...

Ask me again next week if the lathe came thru.


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## Hydrohead (Jan 8, 2013)

Awesome job. I can't wait to see the tutorial since when I look at this I struggle to figure out how you did it.


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