Good news everyone, my brain is in a better place. 2 weeks of work in and everything has normalised a bit for me, however now I have a week off… Oh well. I sanded and polished the small pen I made, I think it turned out quite well. You tell me what you think, [capped](https://i.imgur.com/WbwyWBj.jpg) and [uncapped](https://i.imgur.com/98T5C0J.jpg). But then I made some pens, both of them are completely different and the one which you have already seen in the cover image is the one I shall be focusing on a little later.

The first pen I want to talk about is one I made using a yellow which is so very very bright. I mixed it with gold and bronze. Not a mix which would traditionally go but I think it looks quite good. Here is it in natural light in my daughters [bedroom](https://i.imgur.com/Zo6E4UD.jpg) and here it is in the [light box](https://i.imgur.com/7xG4VlO.jpg). So this yellow pigment I used is highly reactive to uv, here it is mixed with other yellows in a new [blank](https://i.imgur.com/o8pKwhm.jpg) I cast.

The pen in the leading image though. This one I love, I posted it with a lamy 2000 so you could compare the finishes on them. [Here it](https://i.imgur.com/m78ne1z.jpg) is sanded half way through and here it is in natural light at the [end](https://i.imgur.com/cHkk67J.jpg). And here it is with the [cap on](https://i.imgur.com/cFV1GqV.jpg) and the [cap off](https://i.imgur.com/pptKE0v.jpg) then a close up of the [finish](https://i.imgur.com/s5Xa0Kr.jpg) taken under the light box.

I altered my finishing procedure to get this effect. I usually use a 3 stage polishing system but I didn’t want it to be shiny so I tossed that aside temporarily. Instead I shaped it with the files as usual. When I had a rough shape I used some 120 grit sand paper to shape it some more then used the 150grit paper to finish off the shaping, these two stages were done dry. I then wet sanded it through stages on the lathe at 180,240,dry at 320, wet at 400,600,800,1000,1500 and 2000. I then went back and sanded it laterally back and forth turning it by hand dry from 400 to 3000 grit, then spun it up and sanded it with 1000,1500,2000 and 3000. I then took the pen out of the machine and by hand I sanded it from 800 to 3000 back and forth making sure to go over any parts that were missed, except the threads. I have accidentality sanded threads in the past and it’s never good. This took quite a while but I think I got the effect I wanted.

On a separate note I found a use for the bendy blanks I made. I get them too my daughters, my youngest is obsessed with using her toy toolbox to pretend to make pens. So now they have some blanks to pretend with. However judging by them I need to [adjust](https://i.imgur.com/OMPAZIy.jpg) my [prices](https://i.imgur.com/vKb7V1w.jpg) a [bit](https://i.imgur.com/7LG2kwL.jpg).

As usual feel free to give feedback or suggestions in the comments. Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones and stay safe.