PSI Designer Mont Blanc® Letter Opener and Magnifying Glass

By Trent Kelly

With the exception of the length of the handles, the Mont Blanc® letter opener and magnifying glass blanks are prepared in the same way.  This process applies to either one.  These are made of bocote wood and combine with the fountain pen project to complete the set. A 7mm drill bit is required to drill holes in the blanks for inserting the brass tubes.  While it is possible to turn the blank with bushing set PKMONT-BU alone, I also used bushing set PKMONT-BUX.  The PKMONT-BUX sizing sleeve set consists of a core bushing with an outer bushing that can be held in place with a set screw.  The outer bushing is used to size the outer diameter of the handle, and the core bushing is used to size one end of the blank to accept the center band.  The magnifying glass is kit PKMONT-MAG, and the letter opener is kit PKMONT-LO2.

I turned the blanks on my JET JWL 1236 lathe with my standard full size turning tools.  I used my home made blank drilling jig and a 7mm Morse Taper #2 mandrel.  Blanks should start out 3/4" X 3/4" (5/8" X 5/8" minimum).  1/2" X 1/2" blanks are not large enough for these kits.  As usual, the blank needs to be just slightly longer than the brass tube.

The wood blank must be cut to size, clamped into a drilling jig, and drilled with a 7mm bit down the center of the length.  Then the tube is glued into place with Cyanoacrylate adhesive.  After the glue dries the ends must be sanded or pen milled down flush and square with the ends of the tube.  See my Zebra wood pencil project for details if you are not familiar with this process.

Round the blank with a spindle gouge with the lathe set to a slow speed.  Turn the blank down to the profile.  The profile should be the same diameter as the bushings on each end so that the pen hardware mounts and looks correct.  The end near the sizing sleeve (on the right in the following picture) should be the same diameter as the outer bushing for the last 5/16" or more.

With the blank turned down to the bushings, use the hex wrench included with the sizing sleeve to loosen the outer bushing, slide it away from the blank, and tighten it in place.  Then use a parting tool to cut a 3/16 inch tenon down to the diameter of the inner bushing.  Do NOT cut the tenon all the way down to the brass tube like the pen kit requires.  The center band will mate to the tenon edge; it must have a cleanly cut sharp corner for the band to mate without leaving a gap.  If in doubt, remove the blank from the mandrel and check the fit of the center band.

With the cutting complete, finish sand the spindle with progressive grits down to 400 or higher.  Remove the tool rest during sanding for additional safety.  When the sanding is complete, clean the spindle with tack cloth and apply your finish of choice.  I used Behlen Woodturner's Finish and applied three coats before removing the spindle from the mandrel.

Assemble the hardware according to the instructions.  A wood vise can be used to press parts in place.  Both the blade and the lens should be unscrewed from their coupling while the coupling is pressed into the spindle.

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