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From Pumping Station One
→Trimming the Blanks
It is helpful to secure the pen blank in a vise, or clamp it while trimming, which can help prevent tear-out. Chuck the trimmer in a drill and then trim the wood square and exactly flush with the tube, taking care not to shorten the tube appreciably.<br clear=all>
It is helpful to secure the pen blank in a vise, or clamp it while trimming, which can help prevent tear-out. Chuck the trimmer in a drill and then trim the wood square and exactly flush with the tube, taking care not to shorten the tube appreciably.<br clear=all>
=== Repairing Pen Blanks ===
If both ends of the tube are not in contact with wood along their entire circumference after trimming, either due to tear-out or the drill bit wandering, then this means the tube will be visible in the finished pen. Should this happen, some sawdust from drilling the pen blank can be mixed with wood glue to form a putty and then pressed into the end between the tube and the wood. When this dries, this should be trimmed square, as above.
This method can also be used to repair small wood tear-out during turning.
In one case, the carbide cutter tore the pen blank in half, leaving half glued to the pen tube. This was easily repairable by applying CA glue to the pen tube and wood glue to the two exposed edges, and then clamping the two halves together. This repair was not visible in the finished pen.
== Turning the Pen Body and Cap ==
== Turning the Pen Body and Cap ==
