Thank you. This one was a softer blank than some I've turned. It was difficult to drill the hole so deep because even being careful the material started to melt a little bit. Luckily just the very end of the blank was damaged and that part was removed when I trued up the ends.
Nice looking handle!
What speed were you drilling at? I’ve used that style of blank without any problems drilling around 450rpm and backing out every 1/4 - 1/2 inch and letting the blank cool if the bit is warm to the touch. I know a few guys that have actually melted a bit inside the blank rendering both useless!
The pen looks great! The arc of the bevel is perfect for the hardware, it has a great shine, and the fit is spot on. Really an excellent job. If you turn many pens I invite you to join IAP. The wealth of knowledge there is unsurpassed, and like here they’re a great bunch of guys always willing to encourage and help. And it’s free! I bet somebody could tell you where to get more blanks if they’re still made too.
And yes, 800 is too fast acrylic. The problem with my small HF is the minimum speed is 750. You can do it but you can also run into problems. Slow is good. Some of the guys even keep the bit & blank cool with water but that’s messy and overkill imo.