The sanding techniques are the same as for the "Slim-Line" except that we are taking some time to form a pleasing curve to the pen barrels.
I use 120 or 150 grit, making it more difficult to remove too much wood.
Move on to 180 and 220 grits WITHOUT the sanding board, and continue smoothing the curve of the pen body.
STOP the lathe after using each grit, and sand by hand along the grain to remove all of the circular sanding scratches before going to the next finer grit.
Sand with 280-grit.
STOP the lathe and remove ALL of the circular sanding scratches by sanding along the length of the barrels before going on.
The sanding and finishing of the "Fat-Line" pen is the same as that used for the "Slim-Line". That discussion calls for an application of CA glue to the wood. The only problem is that doing this now would run the risk of gluing the two (2) halves of the pen together. That is not a real problem with a wood like the "Pacific Yew" that is used here, but a softer more porous wood could easily present a problem.
In the next steps, the pen halves are separated on the mandrel and the center bushing is relocated between them. This bushing is then removed for the final sanding and finishing.
Skip the next four (4) steps at the risk of gluing the parts togeter. Should you choose to do so, always use Medium" CA, and move the applicator quickly across the center band area.
Lightly mark the wood so that it can be put back together again. This is shown more than "lightly" so it will show better in the photo.
Also put a mark on the Morse Taper or other fixed part of the mandrel so the wood can be put back in the same place on the rod.
Put everything back together again with the bushing BETWEEN the pen halves.
Line up all of the marks and finger tighted the lock-nut.
Sand lightly with 220-grit to remove the pencil marks on the wood. Not doing this will permanently seal them into the wood with the application of the CA.
Apply the "Medium" CA glue as described for the "Slim-Line" pen.
Mark the pen halves again. Line up these marks with the one on the mandrel sleeve.
Reassemble the pen halves on the mandrel rod WITHOUT the center bushing. That is now relocated on the end of the rod as a spacer.
It is shown with the "Slim-Line" pen (bottom) for comparison.
Some Closing Comments,
A slight modification of the "Fat-Line pen can be made by using a longer barrel for the cap half. The 7mm brass tubing is available from Penn State in 10" lengths that can be cut to any length. While this might make it a slightly more attractive pen, I have stayed with the basic "Fat-Line" as described because I have never been able to to recover the extra cost and time in the selling price of the longer pen.
The "Comfort-Grip" pen from Penn State, and the "Father Sing" from Craft Supplies, accomplish the same thing that I have done with the "Fat-Line" pen. However, the parts cost more and they use a gold plated center band that fixes the diameter of the pen. The "Fat-Line" allows a variation in diameter from only slightly larger than the "Slim-Line" up to dimensions that approach those of the "Cigar" pen. And, it is all done with a 7mm pen kit.
When I started making the "Fat-Line" pen, there was nothing available other than the "Cross" and "Parker" as they were called at that time.
This is what the shape of the pen looks like when we are finished with the rough sanding.
Note that the taper of the tip continues up into the body of the pen and blends into the larger diameter with a smooth curve. This curve then continues into a long almost straight line that ends at the same diameter as the cap piece.
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