# Rainy Sunday Morning.....



## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

Went out to shop for my 'anti-depressant'...(although I AM glad to see some rain)

Ground out 4 cartridges for an order...3 with antler..and 1 with mahogany.. just for a little change.. Trying to leave a little more bark on them so folks won't think they are plastic..LOL..Been so long that I forgot my 'finishing routine'..Piddled around and came up with something acceptable. Thank God for CA....

Red one is a scrap acrylic I found... Somebody will LOVE it....


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## 3192 (Dec 30, 2004)

Jimbo...those are good looking! What finish are you putting on the brass???? I knocked out a couple of those camo acrylic pens for a guy down here. It had been a long time since I turned a pen....he asked me how those cartridge pens are made (hinting, I think). Any suggestions (caliber, etc) are appreciated! Keep those tools sharp...gb


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## WildThings (Jan 2, 2007)

Sweet looking pens!


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## bill (May 21, 2004)

Very nice


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## Viking48 (Jan 24, 2006)

Good looking pens as always. Had hoped to do the same thing but by the time I finished with Christmas decorations and watched the Texans whup Atlanta the day was shot. Maybe next week.


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

Jim..I gave up on trying to put a finish on the cartridges. Just too much mess. I buy the cartridges by the bag from Cabelas.. bag of 50..unprimed new cartridges.. Think they are something like 20.00.. They stay shiny as long as a year here at home so I guess the buyers are happy too..and they can be polished up with some Brasso if needed...I stick with the .308 cartridges...they fit the slimline kits almost perfectly and I use the tips that come with the kits.. Bobby told me how to wrap a little masking tape around one end of the inner tube to make it fill the neck of the cartridge....

good luck..and keep grinding. We wanna see what you can turn out on the 'monster' now that you got a deluxe home for it...LOL


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## 3192 (Dec 30, 2004)

T...thanks for the info. I did a 'net search and found this article. Are you guys going to all of this work on these cartridge pens????

http://www.woodworkforums.com/video/270BulPenTutl.pdf


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## trodery (Sep 13, 2006)

Hey Jim.... don't you have some sort of fancy pen designed for a nurse?


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## Slip (Jul 25, 2006)

I really like those cartridge pens Jim. Imagine making one for a young hunter using actual shell casing and antler of shot deer. Priceless memory for sure.


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

galvbay said:


> T...thanks for the info. I did a 'net search and found this article. Are you guys going to all of this work on these cartridge pens????
> 
> http://www.woodworkforums.com/video/270BulPenTutl.pdf


Man..you literally got me laughing out loud at that one, Jim.. If I had to go thru all that krap to make an antler/cartridge...I think I would slash my wrists...

First off...I don't use any center band.. The pens look just fine with the antler butted up smooth against the head of the cartridge..

and..as I mentioned...I just use the tip that comes in the kit for the nib. I know some folks (and some on here) use real bullets for the nib..but all that grinding and drilling just seems too much to me...for what you can sell one of the pens for...plus it seems to me that the bullet is gonna be lead, brass or copper...and all three are gonna seriously stain any shirt pocket ..(IMHO)....

Good tutorial..but got a hunnert extra steps I just dont see as necessary. Course....I'm lazy..as you know....

Just drill out the danged cartridge on yore drill press to 7mm..wrap a 2" piece of masking tape around one end of the inner tube (this will end up in the small end of the cartridge) , slobber some thick CA on it and stick it in the cartridge.. Clean up the big end of the cartridge on your sander so it is smooth (the brass insert tube will be sticking out about a sixteenth of an inch)... then turn the antler down to the shape you want (after sticking a brass tube in that as well) . Be sure one end of the antler is the same size as the head of the cartridge...I keep one old cartridge to use as a pattern while I'm turning the antler..

Slip the guts in both parts with pen assembly thingy..and yore good to go...

"Keep it Simple" is my motto for everything in life....


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

trodery said:


> Hey Jim.... don't you have some sort of fancy pen designed for a nurse?


Terry..I can get a medical cadeuscus (sp?) pen clip that will fit the regular sized pens...like the antler ones above.. Could slip that on a pretty colored acrylic twist pen and might be what ya want..All you would need to do is lemme know what color you would prefer.. I'm running shallow on rifle clips now and fixin to reorder and it would be no trouble to add a couple of the medical clips to the order...

For a woman..i don't think the super deluxe big arse Statesman pens like I made for you would be appropriate..Just too danged big and heavy to pack around..Beautiful for show..and for big hands...but I dunno what yore taste in nurses is.....

lemme know....clip is below....dunno if there is anything JUST for nurses, but this theme covers the medical field pretty much...
*
"I really like those cartridge pens Jim. Imagine making one for a young hunter using actual shell casing and antler of shot deer. Priceless memory for sure. "*

AND..yep, Slip..I've done that very thing a couple of times..Problem is most young hunters don't want their antler tips cut off...and sometimes caliber of shell is a problem...(but ..who would know ?)....LOL


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## bill (May 21, 2004)

Tortuga has it down!

I don't use the lead, too soft and poor results over time IMO.

No center band for me, I think pens look better when they are larger.

I polish the brass then use clear thin lacquer on some if wanted to keep the brass a high gloss...but they do wear off. Most people like the natural look.

I get the long brass tubes and cut to fit. Sweat solder in for a good fit...you can also add a drop of CA if you want. If you get heat the brass the solder will suck in the tube for a tight fit and it's not coming out.

308 and 30-06 are one of my favorites to do on that style hardware. The 308 are perfect in size, the 30-06 you do have to push the transmission in past the notch, just keep checking it until the pen tip comes out at the length you want.

Lot of fun can be had using different styles..Cigar/Big Ben makes a cool looking bigger antler bullet brass combo


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## 3192 (Dec 30, 2004)

Thanks mucho 'T-Man'!!! That tutorial was a little (no, a lot!) more involved than I wanted!! 308 cartridge it is...with a little tape! Thanks again, amigo! j

ps...speaking of amigos....we had the best tamales *EVER* yesterday....made by one of the 'locals'.


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

galvbay said:


> ps...speaking of amigos....we had the best tamales *EVER* yesterday....made by one of the 'locals'.


Hold on there just a danged minute, Cowboy !!!.. I got a little 'chica' been working as my right-hand senorita for the last 20 years...and her Madre whups out the *WORLDS BEST TAMALES*...made by hand with loving care..LOL... Lays a few dozen on me every couple of weeks.. Even if Yolanda wasn't such dammed good help...I'd keep her on the payroll just to get her Momma's tamales...Mmmmmm..Gooooooddd...


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## 3192 (Dec 30, 2004)

lol...don't forget, I grew up in Kingsville!


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## PenMakerWillie (Nov 5, 2008)

Tortuga said:


> Just drill out the danged cartridge on yore drill press to 7mm..wrap a 2" piece of masking tape around one end of the inner tube (this will end up in the small end of the cartridge) , slobber some thick CA on it and stick it in the cartridge.. Clean up the big end of the cartridge on your sander so it is smooth (the brass insert tube will be sticking out about a sixteenth of an inch)... then turn the antler down to the shape you want (after sticking a brass tube in that as well) . Be sure one end of the antler is the same size as the head of the cartridge...I keep one old cartridge to use as a pattern while I'm turning the antler..
> 
> Slip the guts in both parts with pen assembly thingy..and yore good to go...
> 
> "Keep it Simple" is my motto for everything in life....


Haha... this made me laugh.

Pens look good Tortuga!


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