Lubrication is essential for some pen turning tasks, such as threading with a tap and die for instance. It's also highly desirable for other tasks, such as drilling acrylic and ebonite pen blanks, or metal rings that you might be using on custom pen work.

Pen turners commonly use all manner things to do the job, which often they just have to hand - plain water or washing-up liquid, (which will rust the tool over time), mineral oils and fossil based oils, (which will clog up the tool over time), vegetable oils, (which will congeal or even go rancid over time) and cutting fluids, (which leave a greasy residue behind that is difficult to clean off without the use of emulsifiers).

It's much better to use a lubricant that will not only make the job easier to carry out, but that is also easy to clean from the workpiece and from the tool, and that will also protect the tool from corrosion, thereby prolonging it's life.

And that's exactly what Pen Turner's Lube does.

Made by Shield Technology, who are amongst the market leaders in rust prevention, Pen Turner's Lube is specially formulated for us, specifically with the needs of pen makers in mind. Not only is it a fantastic lubricant, it can be cleaned off just with water, and also contains powerful corrosion inhibitors that will protect the tool from rust.

Apply a small amount to the tool or to the workpiece to cool and lubricate drill bits, taps and dies. It can also be used to lubricate a wet and dry sanding process, and to build up a slurry paste if you want to use fine abrasives such as Micromesh as part of a polishing process.

A little goes a long way, so it's very economical and you can apply it sparingly,  It can be washed off both the workpiece and the tool using nothing more than water, and because it contains powerful corrosion inhibitors,  even just a thin film remaining on the tool will protect it from rust.

It's good stuff!