What a great May meeting we had!
Ken and Colin Nelson, of Kallenshaan Woods, makers of laser cut pen body kits, brought a nice selection of their products and actually made a pen during the meeting. Here, Ken describes how to put the pen body kit together on a mandrel and load it onto the lathe.
He also brought a nice selection of finished pens.
The pen on the lower left has a hot air balloon design,
and although it's hard to see the actual detail, all of those pieces are individual pieces of wood, dyed and reassembled together, just like a puzzle would go together. As Ken explained the manufacturing process, it's clear that he's put a great deal of thought and expertise into these kits.
Ken began the demo by roughing out the body of the pen with a simple
skew cut. This father/son duo really complemented each other, each had their area of expertise.
Colin begins the finishing process, by applying a CA finish.
If you want more information about his technique, check out Colin's website.
He finishes up the process by wet sanding, using micro-mesh papers. The video below shows his quick and effective methods. Thanks to both Ken and Colin for not only a fantastic demo, but for all the goodies they shared with the group.
