Classic Impressions Pen Instruction Sheets

18745 Sheldon Road

Berea Hardwoods

Sierra Pen 0502/B

Middleburg Heights, Ohio 44130

Toll Free 1-877-736-5487

Berea Hardwoods Co., Inc.

Pen Instructions

Berea Hardwoods Sierra Vista Pen (Berea #0502/B-xxx)

Needed: Mandrel A

Bushings 70A

Drill 27/64”

Wood Size 7/8” x 7/8”

Preparing the Material Blanks

1. Only 1 material blank is required for this pen. Cut the material blank slightly

longer than the brass tube.

2. Drill the blank through the center, lengthwise, with a 27/64” bit.

3. Polish the brass tube with sandpaper. This can be done by hand or on a power

machine such as a belt sander. The purpose of the sanding is to clean off the

oxidation and roughen the tube so that the glue will have a better adhesion

surface.

4. Plug the ends of the tube with the material of your choice. Some use base wax, a

dental product, or Play Dough, or even a slice of potato. Just push the ends of the

tubes into a thin section of the material. This will form a plug to keep the glue

from getting into the tube.

5. Clean the tube, after plugging, with acetone or alcohol on a rag.

6. Prepare your glue. We recommend two-part epoxy glue that is available in all

hardware stores. Use a fast drying type, one hour or less. Be sure to mix it

thoroughly. (A Post-it Note Pad makes an excellent mixing place. When you are

finished just tear it off and throw it away.) Polyurethanes and thick flexible CA’s

can be used, but they each have their drawbacks.

7. Place some epoxy into the blank using a small piece of dowel or other small stick.

8. Roll the tube in the epoxy.

9. Insert the tube with a twisting motion until it is almost in the material blank. Then

use the dowel to push it in until the end is flush with the blank. Use the stick to

rake off the excess glue even with the blank and the tube.

10. Push the brass tube through the blank until the other end is flush with the blank.

Then rake the glue flush with that end. Now push the tube back into the blank

until the tube is equidistant between both ends of the blank.

11. Move it aside for 60 minutes until the epoxy has had time to reach its maximum

strength.

Sierra Pen 0502/B

Berea Hardwoods

12. If you are using CA glue, the wait is only about 60 seconds. When using

polyurethane the wait will be about 24 hours.

13. When the glue has cured use a hobby knife to remove the plugs from the ends. It

is also a good idea to clean the tube with a brass gun cleaning brush to remove

any glue that may have gotten into the tubes.

14. Not cleaning out all glue from the tubes is the most common cause of pen failure.

BE CERTAIN that all dried glue is removed from inside the tubes before

proceeding.

15. Using a barrel trimmer of the proper size, face off the ends of the blanks until you

can just see the bright brass end of the tube. STOP facing at this point. Your pen’s

proper operation is dependent on having the proper length tubes. This facing

operation can also be done with the proper jig and a disk or belt sander.

16. Not having the proper tube length is the #2 cause of pen failure. Sanding, on a

disk sander, using a jig to hold the tube square with the disk, is a more sure way

of getting the proper length. It should be tried if you have any doubt as to your

abilities to square the material with the barrel trimmer.

17. Another good method of squaring the ends of the blank is to turn the blank until it

is just round. Using a miter gauge to maintain the blank perpendicular to the

sanding disk, just touch the ends to the disk. Once the blanks are square and you

can see the ends of the tubes brighten, then return the blanks to the mandrel and

finish the turning until the desired contour is accomplished.

Turning the Material Blanks

1. Assemble the blank on the mandrel using the 70A bushings. The smaller (diameter)

bushing is used for the nib end of the pen.

2. Since there is only 1 blank to place on the mandrel, you will have to place spacers

on the mandrel in order to tighten the tube for turning. You can drill a 7mm hole

in a piece of wood for a spacer or 7mm bushings make excellent spacers.

3. Tighten the tailstock before tightening the blanks on the mandrel. This will center

the mandrel first. Then tighten the nut that holds the blanks.

4. Turn the blank to the desired contour making sure that the area next to the

bushing is turned to the size of the adjacent bushing.

5. After turning the blank, sand the surface in progressive steps until you get to 400

or 500 grit.

6. If a higher polish finish is desired continue sanding with Micro Mesh through

12000 grit.

7. Apply the finish of your choice and polish.