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PROJECT PEN KITS
Letter Opener Kit
Code: 410298
PREPARING THE BLANKS, HINTS & TIPS
1. Preparing a wooden or acrylic/polyester
blank for a pen mandrel.
2. Cut a blank to the length of the tube
plus approximately 2.5mm to allow for
trimming and squaring off the ends.
3. Mark the centre on the end of the blank.
4. Using the recommended drill bit, drill a
hole lengthwise through the blank.
5. Apply epoxy glue, Polyurethane glue
or gap filling cyanoacrylate (super glue)
to the tubes.
6. Insert the tube into the blank with a
twisting motion to spread the glue
evenly inside the hole.
7. Centre the tube lengthwise inside
the blank.
8. Allow the adhesive to cure.
9. When cured, square the ends of the
blank. Using a barrel trimmer with a
guide matching the inner diameter
of the tube or a universal pen blank
squaring jig with a disc sander.
10. Take the excess material down flush
with the ends of the brass tube. (do
not trim beyond the length of the
tube since this may interfere with
operation of the mechanism and
assembly).
For more info and
videos scan here
WHAT’S REQUIRED
Bushing Set: 8.5mm O/D
(as supplied with mandrel) (100793)
Drill Bit Size:
7 mm
Minimum Blank Size:
16 mm x 16 mm x 60 mm
Tips/Hints
• Excessive pressure may cause the drill
bit to wander and/or split the blank. Slow
the feed rate and back the drill
bit out repeatedly for chip removal.
• Roughen the brass tube slightly with
abrasive for better adhesion.
• Certain acrylic blanks are more
transparent than others, especially
lighter colors or blanks with light colored
swirls. To avoid the risk of the brass tube
showing through the pen blank, paint
the tubes white or black before gluing
them in.
• The barrel trimmer guide also cleans
any adhesive that may have gotten
inside of the tube.
TURNING THE BLANK, HINTS & TIPS
1. Mount the bushings and blank onto a
pen mandrel according to the diagram.
2. Secure the bushings and blank onto the
mandrel.
3. Slide the tailstock with a live centre into
place against the mandrel and lock in
position. This is for support; only slight
pressure is required.
4. Using sharp tools, turn the blank down
to become the Letter Opener Handle
with the profile of your choice.
5. Turn the blank very slightly oversize,
then sand and polish the ends down
to the same diameter as the bushings.
6. Using successively finer abrasives
gradually sand and polish the Letter
Opener Handle.
7. Finish the Letter Opener Handle with
your preferred choice of polish.
Tips/Hints
• Don’t be afraid to sharpen frequently
especially when turning acrylics.
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ASSEMBLY, HINTS & TIPS
1. Press the cap into the top of the
turned handle
2. Press the bolster into bottom of
the turned handle
3. Slide the blade’s tang through the
bolster and screw into the cap.
DIAGRAM A
Tips/Hints
• Use a woodworking vice, one handed bar clamp, arbor press or a dedicated pen press.
• Press parts together slowly and steadily
• When pressing the parts together, CHECK the parts are correctly aligned with each
other and straight. If the part is crooked or misaligned, it will result in a poor fit or
render the pen unuseable.
• When laying out your pen barrel with the parts, pay careful attention to keep the pen
barrels in the same orientation as when on the mandrel. i.e. a barrel may have a “top”
and “bottom”, now is the time to be certain of the orientation.
Visit the Knowledge blog ‘How To Make A Pen’ for hints, tips and videos
knowledge.axminstertools.com/pen-turning
VIEW OUR FULL RANGE OF
PEN CASES AND DISPLAY BOXES ONLINE
Axminster Tools, Axminster, Devon, EX13 5PH
AXMINSTERTOOLS.COM
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