I tried a pen again (see previous post) and succeeded...somewhat. This time, I used a Mesquite blank.



The pen came out OK but I learned several things from this pen, as well. First, the picture.



Now the lessons:

Lesson 1 - Mesquite does not turn as nicely as birdseye maple. Or else I did not have my lathe spinning at the right speed. If someone knows of a chart or something that tells optimal lathe speed for each type of wood, that would be helpful. The mesquite had holes in it and you could see the brass tubing inside the blank. Also, I was not a real fan of the yellow color.

Lesson 2 - Once the pen has been turned, sand the corners round so that the transition between the halves feels better.

Lesson 3 - I need to work on the placement of the clip. I wanted to have the clip cover the holes mentions in "lesson 1" but when I pressed them together, the clip moved and it became securely settled in another place.

So, I feel like I am making progress. I am sure many "lathers" (lathaliers? lathians?) got the pen right the first time. That is OK. I am having fun at it.