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The Beall Pen Wizard, pictured above is, in common with all of the products bearing his name, the result of great inspiration on the part of Jerry
Beall followed by many hours of experimentation and development. The result is a fascinating little ornamental turning machine that enables the ambitious pen turner to take their art to
IMPORTANT UPDATE NOTE:
All Pen Wizards now delivered (from 1st September 2009) include the Depth Guide
which simplifies the creation of patterns on curved surfaces, greatly enhancing the versatility of the Pen Wizard. The Depth Guide is available as a separate item, as part ref. PWA, to upgrade earlier models of Pen Wizard. See list below to order this item.
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places it has never been previously possible to go. In essence it is a pen mandrel (seen at the front of the photo,
with the brass knurled nut on it), along which a Dremel minidrill (not supplied) can be driven. At the same time, the mandrel on which the pen barrels are mounted can be rotated or
reciprocated - or held steady - and can be reversed. The mandrel can also be indexed such that the start place for the rotation/reciprocation can be offset to any of 24 positions.
As a result of this, it is possible to cut spirals (twists), cross-hatching, zigzags, serpentine patterns (correctly termed a guilloche pattern) and combinations of these on the pen barrels.
It is also a simple matter to produce barrels with, say, flat sides (i.e. a polygonal cross-section pen body) with up to 24 facets. Some simple examples of pen blanks showing
some of the basic cuts are shown below. It is also possible to further enhance the barrels by, for instance, filling the patterns created with coloured resins, metal powders etc. to create the
effect seen in the examples made by UK woodturner Alan Hazel, below. In truth the possibilities are legion and already we know purchasers who have enhanced their
Pen Wizards with their own ingenious little gadgets, attachments etc. etc - and we're not going to spill their beans here!! You'll have to use your own creativity for now. |
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