Min Turn Makers

Min Turn Makers We are a pair of pen makers and woodworkers that enjoy making handmade, unique pens and other crafts.

09/02/2026

Happy Pens-Day! Progress report on the yellow, white, and black resin Cigar-style pen build.

With all major turning and profiling complete, the focus shifts entirely to surface preparation and wet sanding. The setup is simple: a collection of color-coded sanding pads using increasingly finer grits, ending at the purple pad stage.

A small water reservoir off-camera keeps the pads saturated throughout the process, which prevents excessive heat from friction and ensures a clean cut. The ratty pie pan shields the lathe bed from stray moisture.

The progressive grit sequence leaves a deep, polished shine across the resin before it gets paired with its black chrome hardware.

08/30/2026

Progress update on a custom resin pen build featuring yellow, white, and black tones.

This in-house pen blank is being turned for a Cigar-style ballpoint twist pen with black chrome hardware. The image shows the two sections brought down to true cylinders, ready for final profiling. To get smooth, sweeping curves across the body, the shaping is done using very light, deliberate cuts.

For anyone who turns on the lathe: these are turned individually between centers, though a standard mandrel works just fine here as well.

The final color depth of the yellow pigment used in this project is impressive!

08/29/2026

I was a big fan of the yellow, black, and white slimline pen that came from this resin blank, so I wanted to give it another go, but with a different pen hardware setup. This resin blank features yellow as the primary color with swirls of white and a very dark, metallic gray. It will eventually dress a larger Cigar-style pen with black chrome hardware.

At this step, the pen blank (material for the pen body) has already been mixed, poured, cured, drilled, internal brass tubes mounted, and ends squared. One of the pen bodies is mounted onto the lathe so rounding can begin. "Rounding" is where the lumpy pen blank is shaped into a rough cylinder. Once in a cylinder shape, further refinement to the desired final shape can take place.

The yellow dye used in this pen is very strongly colored; the resin flakes coming from the pen body were very yellow indeed!

Featuring a striking contrast of deep purple, metallic bronze, and copper resin, this handmade twist pen is designed to ...
06/21/2026

Featuring a striking contrast of deep purple, metallic bronze, and copper resin, this handmade twist pen is designed to stand out. The vibrant purple swirls across both the upper and lower bodies, while the bright copper-plated hardware complements the metallic elements. Finished with an ultra-high-gloss sheen, the durable exterior catches the light from any angle and is built to withstand daily carry.

With its slender, lightweight profile, this pen fits effortlessly into a purse, briefcase, or backpack. It operates via a smooth, mid-band twist mechanism and utilizes Cross-style ink refill cartridges. The pen arrives ready for use with a black ink refill pre-installed.

06/20/2026

The rich colors of a deep purple really stand out on this handmade purple, copper, and bronze resin swirl twist pen! The vibrant purple is streaked with metallic areas of bronze and copper resin on both the upper and lower pen bodies. The whole pen is very eye-catching, and sure to stir up a conversation!

Bright and shiny copper plating on the metallic portions of the pen hardware are quite unique, and enhance the bronze and copper streaking in the pen bodies. The pen has been finished with an ultra high-gloss finish, perfect for catching the light at any angle. The ink refill is extended and retracted via a smooth twist action from the middle of the pen, at the center band. The materials used in this pen are quite durable, so you don't need to worry when taking your pen around to show it off!

This is a slender, lightweight pen that would tuck easily into a purse, bag, backpack, or briefcase. The pen is refillable, and accepts Cross-style pen refills. The pen includes a black Cross-style refill already installed and ready for use.

Want to see more of this pen? Visit our site at: https://minturnmakers.com

06/17/2026

Happy Pens-Day!

The deep purple, copper, and bronze refillable resin ballpoint pen is all finished up! Here is a short compilation of a few of the steps taken to create this colorful twist pen. The purple "turned" out quite lovely!

If you'd like to see more about this pen (or see other colorful pens for sale), visit our site at: https://minturnmakers.com

06/14/2026

At the last step with the deep purple, bronze, and copper refillable ballpoint pen. The resin pen body will dress a refillable Slimline-style ballpoint pen with bright copper plating once complete.

This is the final step in the pen-making process: assembly! The lathe is used as a pen press to carefully put all of the pen hardware into place for the ballpoint pen. Once assembled, the pen is tested for smooth actuation of the twist mechanism and proper extension of the Cross-style ink refill.

If you'd like to see more about this pen (or see other colorful pens for sale), visit our site at: https://minturnmakers.com

06/13/2026

Approaching the finish line on what will be a deep purple, bronze, and copper refillable ballpoint pen. The resin pen body will eventually dress a refillable Slimline-style ballpoint pen with bright copper plating.

At this point, the spinny wheels of polishing are deployed and the pen bodies are passed over the first and second wheels continuously until a glass-like finish is achieved. It's easy to lose grip on the pen bodies and have them go sailing across the shop (tragic!), so care must be taken at this step.

If you'd like to see more about this pen (or see other colorful pens for sale), visit our site at: https://minturnmakers.com

06/10/2026

Happy Pens-Day!

Still trucking along on what will be a deep purple, bronze, and copper refillable ballpoint pen. The resin pen body will eventually dress a refillable Slimline-style ballpoint pen.

At this juncture, the two resin pen bodies have been rounded and shaped into their final curves, so it's time to start making them shiny via wet sanding! The ratty pie pan makes an appearance to protect the lathe, and the various grits are passed along the pen until a deep shine is achieved.

If you'd like to see more about this pen (or see other colorful pens for sale), visit our site at: https://minturnmakers.com

06/07/2026

Work continues on the deep purple, bronze, and copper Slimline-style pen. The shaped pen body will eventually dress a refillable ballpoint pen with bright copper hardware.

At this step in the process, the two pen bodies have already been formed into rough cylinders, so it's time to further refine their shapes. A gentle curve is desired for the final shape, so small cuts are taken until both sides of the pen match.

It's easy to get the halves mismatched at this point, so you need to take your time and compare the two halves against each other as you work.

If you'd like to see more about this pen (or see other colorful pens for sale), visit our site at: https://minturnmakers.com

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Lancaster, TX
75146

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