Make an Ink Pen from Used Gift Cards

[@davidwinch7997]

Bloomin' heck mate; have to give you 20 out of 10 for perseverance. What a fabulous result with so many problems arising throughout your demo. You just kept at it and must be happy yourself with the result. Good man. Kind regards, Buddha, Beachmere, Australia

[@RJBWoodTurner]

Thank you David. Regards, Bob

[@Blueboy9055]

All credit to you for that one Bob, as I think most would have given up. Well done! Can't wait for the follow up.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+BlueBoy9055 Thank you, I'm planning a follow up. Initially I wasn't but I have what I think is a good idea. Regards, Bob

[@Blueboy9055]

RJBWoodTurner Sounds great, and I can't wait!!

[@simonrourke9817]

You showed some great patience there. Most people would have given up. Great result. 👍

[@RJBWoodTurner]

Thank you Simon. Regards, Bob

[@glenmckelvey5952]

Nice one Bob . Persistence paid off .

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Glen mckelvey Thank you Glen, I thought I was done with this technique but I'm planning another. Regards, Bob

[@kwstasantwniou243]

Great job done and a nice result! Bob

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Kwstas Antwniou Thank you Kwstas. Regards, Bob

[@danvalleskey]

Better watch out with that -"You are always welcome in my shop!"- I was outside Bristow, near St. Meinrad a few weeks back, thought about looking you up, but it was a weekday. Lucky you!

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Dan Valleskey LOL, if your coming this way some time, give me a heads up so I can make sure I'll be home. We run all the time with the kids and shop time is hit or miss. Regards, Bob

[@danvalleskey]

You are off the hook for a this year, my daughter was attending Anderson Woods camp, but she is done for this year.

[@DragonGateDesign]

Awesome work, and great Inspiration to never give up. For the material used I think it came out fabulous. I was cheering for you the whole way. Great job.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Shaun Kennedy Thank you Shaun, I appreciate that. Regards, Bob

[@robertevans6481]

Looks great Bob...have a great weekend...

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Robert Evans Thank you Robert, You have a great weekend too. Regards, Bob

[@pauliepipes2593]

Very interesting looking pen. I did not have faith that it would work out. I didn't even think it would look good; however, you proved me wrong. You were successful and it looked decent. Thanks for making things a little interesting and outside the box. I agree with you final assessment. I don't think I will try this one.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

Thank you Paulie? This one was a true pain. Regards, Bob

[@jackmaravola2496]

Rob, this is where patience and persistence paid off...! Great job...! I also turn pens but I'm not quite sure if I'll try this any time soon..!

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Jack Maravola It'a a lot of work with a small pay off. LOL. Regards, Bob

[@shanetimberedowl9541]

oh MY! That was a tough project! Just aren't about to let anything be impossible, are you? Doing this with gift cards gives me an idea! I wonder how CD's would look with their holographic sort of shine. ...That would be one interesting looking pen!

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Shane Betmarik Thank you Shane, I say go for it with the CDs, their cheap and you have nothing to lose. Please send pictures. Regards, Bob

[@shanetimberedowl9541]

RJBWoodTurner ...just gluing them up now ....(trying contact cement)....I'll keep you posted

[@shanetimberedowl9541]

CDs apparently have a thin plastic layer (the iridescent part) glued to clear plastic. when I tried drilling my blank, these laminations separated at this thin layer. I will try splitting each later at its lamination and re-gluing on that side, clamping it together till dry. ..we'll see how that goes.

[@ron2382]

You are always a champ till the end. Good job, thanks for sharing

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Ron Parrott Thank you Ron. Regards, Bob

[@dennyskerb4992]

Another nice job Bob.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Denny Skerb Thank you Denny. Regards, Bob

[@izgood2bking702]

As I watched you struggle through each step in this, I thought you could make a big to spin the blank against your belt sander. Advancing it in as you rotate to bring it closer to round. Nice looking result and great perseverance.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

Thank you. Regards, Bob

[@Uncle_Buzz]

I'd have given up on the drill press blow out. :| I admire your perseverance. Came out real nice. Maybe if you try this again, add some dark colored dowels angled through the blanks from various angles. Cheers! Chris.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+CrossWood Nice suggestion Chris, I plan to do this again and I recently learned gift cards are PVC. Planning on using a different glue. Regards, Bob

[@walshjp17]

Nice work, Bob. I would prefer using the cards as separators for segmentation pen projects.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+John Walsh They do work well for that. Regards, Bob

[@BenG76Cards]

Cool idea for recycling those cards into a pen I am curious if they had been stacked the other direction if it would have worked better. Although that may not have been the look you wanted with it. I recycle these cards a lot to make guitar picks out of them. There is a punch called the Pick Punch that makes it really easy. I can get four or five picks from every card usually.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

I think they may have been easier to turn if they were stacked horizontally. I would have tried that but I needed more cards, LOL. Maybe a future project. Regards, Bob

[@ericmilligan3]

Thanks for that Bob, your patience paid off, you ended up with a pen and that's the name of the game, well done. 😍👍🙄😂

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Eric Milligan Thank you Eric. Regards, Bob

[@owenclark7210]

I'm coming into this one quite a while after you've done it, but if you decide to do another one of these, try using Testors brand liquid model glue. Gift cards tend to be made of Polystyrene plastic just like most model kits, and this glue works by melting the plastic together. I've been building model kits for years and can attest to just how strong the bond is. For maximum strength, once you have the stack glued together and cut apart, brush more model glue on the edges - it will suck into any voids and help to bond the edges, reducing the risk of catches

[@RJBWoodTurner]

Thank you Owen, I May just try this one again. Regards, Bob

[@teresabortree2035]

Your perseverance paid off. Although not one of your prettiest pens, it came out nice. I have to ask, what inspires you to make pen blanks from unusual materials?

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Teresa Bortree Thank you Teresa, I just like a good challenge. I also really enjoy what I do. Regards, Bob

[@reg82co4]

This pen turned out nicely! I did this technique for last year's Christmas ornament challenge (my one and only youtube video....) and experienced many of the same problems. I turned the ornament bulb from laminated gift cards in the "face grain" orientation rather than the "spindle" orientation you used. I think this made for a more supported bit of lamination, at least when turning the outside of the bulb; but when hollowing, the outward force cause a couple of de-laminations that I repaired with CA. In the initial glue-up I tried both CA and epoxy, with mixed results. I did find that a carbide cutter worked best. I also found that sanding at anything but a very slow speed tended to sort of melt the cards making it difficult to get a really good shine. I hope this information might be helpful to anyone interested in trying this. One other thought, you might have interesting success using your herringbone method--the inter-woven aspect might make for a more structurally sound blank that could stand up to drilling and turning. Just a suggestion! Thanks for all your instruction--I've learned a lot from you!

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Regina Shedd Regina, I love the herringbone idea, that sounds cool. I recently learned, after all this mess, that gift cards are made from PVC. The next one I make will use PVC cement. That will melt the cards together and give a much better hold. Regards, Bob

[@clyderiley163]

Thank you for sharing real life struggles with trying new pen ideas. PVC glue maybe the way to go. The only other glue I can think of that might be worth trying is plastic modeling glue.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+clyde riley Hello Clyde, That's exactly the glue I plan to use on the next attempt. I was researching on Google and gift cards are made of PVC. I can't wait to try this again. Regards, Bob

[@KatAtkinson]

You worked really hard on this!

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Kat Atkinson Thank you Kat. Regards, Bob

[@Mike1962nz]

I recently turned some tool handles from plywood. Had the same problem with both spindle roughing gouge and the skew to out an entire side. I ended successfully with very gentle use of a smallish and very sharp bowl gouge. I’d be interested in trying a bowl gouge with laminated store cards. Turned with sandpaper. Who would have thought. Maybe a file or rasp would work to take it to round then swap to a gouge.

[@engieviral]

Nice work! I had an idea about your sanding of the blanks to round over the edges. Your current method doesn't center the "curves" around the tube, which is the center of your turning. You have a jig to sand the ends down, why not try making a jig to help sand the corners off which sits in the tube to make the rounding "true" to the blank?

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Jason Adamczyk That's a great idea Jason. Regards, Bob

[@stevejackson5062]

Do you think a deeper, more aggressive sanding of the cards might have helped the epoxy bond better?

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Steve Jackson Its possible, I eventually tried PVC cement and had similar issues. I think the material is just to soft. Regards, Bob

[@mitchellmanning7887]

Thanks for sharing

[@RJBWoodTurner]

😃

[@malcolm4200]

A very brave attempt bob, it certainly turned out well in the end, i have made a few of your designs in the past buddy, but i might just give this one a miss lol, not as brave as you,

[@RJBWoodTurner]

LOL, Malc, I do t blame you, this one was a real pain. Regards, Bob

[@joeharney3802]

i love that jig you have on your sander to keep the blanks square. Did you make that?

[@RJBWoodTurner]

Thank you Joe, You can get it at www.turnerswarehouse.com. Tell them I sent you. Regards, Bob

[@Unclebuddy01]

Would it not be easier and less messy to put a card in the jig and then add the epoxy rather than try holding the cards while adding the epoxy?

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Michael Trent LOL, probably would be a lot neater, truthfully, it never occurred to me to even try that. Regards, Bob

[@glennhitt6003]

How about trying a solvent to "weld" the cards together instead of gluing. Also, mount your blanks and bushings on a bolt in your drill and do initial sanding on belt sander and finalize on lathe. I will try this when I get time.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Glenn Hitt Hello Glen, I have recently found that most gift cards are PVC so I know what glue I'll be using on my next attempt. Nice idea about sanding with a bolt to help hound out the blanks. I need to put some thought into that. Adding the idea to my little brown book of ideas. Regards, Bob

[@babbolo71]

Have you ever tried something like a plexi or acrylics glue instead of epoxy or CA?

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+babbolo71 No, I plan to remake this blank with PVC glue. Regards, Bob

[@willemkossen]

Interesting process. Did you ever try using a angle grinder with a flap disk on the lathe? That might work and speed up the process considerably. The result is great. In fact its a plyplastic pen (as opposed to plywood) ;)

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Willem Kossen I've never tried an angle grinder. I don't own one. I like the Poly ply, LOL. Regards, Bob

[@johnbittner8964]

Great job getting to the finish line with that one Bob!! Do you think it may have worked better if you cut them in 1 inch squares and glued them that way. Then you would not have had the full length of the card.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+John Bittner Hello John, I think the issue is with the mechanical bond provided by epoxy. I have recently learned that gift cards are made from PVC so they require a welding bond. I plan to remake this blank with PVC glue. Regards, Bob

[@ffscj]

Bob, since you found out that the cards are PVC I figure you'll try PVC pipe glue if you ever decide to try it again but I was wondering if you've ever tried heavy duty contact cement on anything you've turned and if it worked or not. Also since the CA is so brittle would the epoxy be a better choice for gluing the tubes into the blanks? Thanks in advance

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+ffscj I do plan to try this again and I will use PVC cement. I haven't tried contact cement, it would be interesting to see how it performed. I use a medium C/A on my tubes and I've never had any issues. Epoxy is always an excellent choice if you have the time for it to dry. Regards, Bob

[@pokmanho3005]

Seems like I have missed a lot of things, and using gift cards to turn a pen is beautiful. About gluing the gift cards together, I have some experience and I think I would like to share. Mose gift cards have a transparent laminate that is very resistant to all sorts of corrosion, and hence you won't be able to glue them very well even with CA or epoxy. Just a knife to peel off the transparent layer on both sides, then glue with model cement or industrial thinner, then they bond together like a brick.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

Thank you for the advice. Regards, Bob

[@joannromero6317]

How about bottle tops

[@RJBWoodTurner]

Here’s a link to come Bottle Cap blanks I made a while back. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmW9qmuooKubbK8 Regards, Bob

[@ronh9384]

Bob I think it turned out really well! I think you had your work cut out for though! I think I am going to try this. Have nothing going on but waiting for the snow to stop.and it probably just stopped out in your neck of the woods. I think I’ll try some to scuff the cards with 60 grit then use some structural epoxy with a 45 minute open time and a negative rake carbide cutter. I’ll let it cure for 12 hours or so. Hopefully I’ll have some decent results but after seeing what you went through I’ll be holding my breath. I’ll let you know in a few days. Ron P.S. Have you ever done a craft show at a vineyard event or elsewhere in Southwest Ohio? Regards’

[@RJBWoodTurner]

Hello Ron, Please do keep me posted, I’d love to hear about your experience. I haven’t done a craft show up that way. I’ve done a number of them in southern Indiana. Regards, Bob

[@christmanscustomcreations6884]

maybe give the cards a sanding with 150 to help the epoxy hold better

[@RJBWoodTurner]

Thank you Ed. Regards, Bob

[@Maggiewaggiemoo12]

You are so patient! You sounded a bit disheartened towards the end but I think it turned out really well, it's very unusual and unique

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+tracy heaton Thank you Tracy, I was overwhelmed with this one and so glad to finally finish. I do have another idea and as soon as I can gather enough cards, I plan to try this one again. Regards, Bob

[@barryfields2964]

You ever thank about making a jig to sand the blanks round?

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Barry Fields I hadn't until I read this comment. ;^) Regards, Bob

[@thorknives5876]

your tools need a good sharpening, if you use a grinder, use the grinder for a majority of the sharpening, then use some very fine sandpaper (between 600-2000)or even better a very fine sharpening stone. then strop using a piece of leather, maybe the inside of an old belt

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+thor knives Thank you. Regards, Bob

[@tommiestrydom973]

Awesome Cool video and ideas. And 1st comment

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Tommie Strydom Thank you Tommy. Regards, Bob

[@DavidWhite]

That is what I call sticking to it,,,,,, Now your deserve an ice cream

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Dave White Later today when we get back from swimming. I'll. need it to cool down. Regards, Bob

[@turnersparadise8368]

Oh man, what an exercise in frustration! I know not to try this one!

[@turnersparadise8368]

I wonder if a pressure pot would have helped this.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Tenspeed TheBikeHanger Been doing some research, gift cards are made from PVC. Guess what glue I'll use next time. Regards, Bob

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Tenspeed TheBikeHanger I'm going to give it onemore try as soon as I accumulate enough cards. Regards, Bob

[@MrSteveieM]

Carbide would help

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Steve Muise I don't know about that, carbide is good but it's really aggressive. I think the issue here is the glue, Epoxy, provided a mechanical bond that wasn't good enough. I did a little research and found that gift cards are made of PVC. I need to use PVC glue which will create a welded bond. I'm planing to test this theory as soon. As I accumulate some more cards. Regards, Bob

[@wbwillie]

kinda resembles plywood or fordite

[@RJBWoodTurner]

Now that you mention it, it really does. Regards, Bob

[@eric.c2689]

Congratulations project really cool. Friendship Eric.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Eric.C caillierez Thank you Eric, Regards, Bob

[@miketurner3334]

Way too much work for the results. Is the pen blank squaring fixture you use on your sander home made or bought? Thanks for showing me that I don't want to turn cards!

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Mike Turner LOL, It was a ton of work. I'll be trying it again but I have some ideas to make it easier. Robert Montgomery made that jig in his shop. Regards, Bob

[@tobytyler3765]

Just a thought, wonder how this blank would do in a vacuum chamber or a pressure pot? haha

[@RJBWoodTurner]

Not sure, it would help. Maybe casting it in resin might help.

[@rcache4]

My 60 grit gouge is green.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Bob Stembridge As long as it removes material, it's in play. Regards, Bob

[@charlesreicks648]

Not sure this is worth allll the hard work. All said it looks good. Thanks

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Charles Reicks LOL Charles, It wasn't. But I'm going to try it one more time. Wish me better luck. Regards, Bob

[@marcycooper6930]

Wow, that was a bear! Good looking pen but to sell them,...... Its just not worth the headache.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Marcy Cooper I agree, I've just about stopped selling all together. I don't have the time to make the stock. Refards, Bob.

[@juicymemes9279]

RJBWoodTurner hahaha refards

[@lenahanb]

Tough material. Way to stick with it.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

+Brent Lenahan Thank you Brent, I'm going to make another as soon as I get enough cards. New ideas. Regards, Bob

[@joeharney3802]

Ive got a feeling youre not going to be making a lot of these. lol

[@RJBWoodTurner]

LOL, never again. Regards, Bob

[@MikeWewerkaLive]

Not to sound like a negative nancy here, but this was a video I probably wouldn't have published. It was one mistake after another, which I saw coming immediately after you finished putting the cards together, where you didn't apply a coat of epoxy all over the outside, or in a mold, of the cards, followed by putting it in a pressure pot to make sure all that epoxy was pushed into all the open spaces to create a really tight bond. On top of that, you didn't go all the way down to the bushings, leaving a lip which is very noticeable on the middle ring. Overall, just not sure this gives a final appearance that I'd want from that much work, it just looks like a boring blank. Sorry. While I know we all learn from failures, as the old saying goes, failure is the best teacher, but when it comes to KZbin videos, viewers want to see perfection or at least something done right. Just some constructive (albeit slightly negative) criticism, nothing personal as I enjoy most of your videos, but between the last blank making video that didn't go well and this one ... my suggestion is to be a little more selective on what you upload. Just a thought.

[@RJBWoodTurner]

😃

[@virginiaguffey1184]

B

[@RJBWoodTurner]

😃

[@JensWoodworkingThings]

By the 14:15 mark I felt like this almost needs to be entirely a sanding project.... and then you did it. Lol

[@RJBWoodTurner]

Thank you, I remember this pen, it was a difficult one to turn. Regards, Bob