I made my first pen. I wasn't very happy with the finish. I also felt that I did too much sanding versus cutting with the tools. Is there a pill I can take that will make me an expert? :) I know... practice. My biggest problem however was the epoxy that got inside the tubes. I bought a reamer/trimmer but it leaves a thin layer of glue inside that prevented me from easily installing onto the mandrel. I had to use a rat tail file to get it clean. Then I ended up bell shaping the end of the tube which made the cap fit so loose that I had to CA it to the tube. What do you guys do to clean the tubes?
I find that thick CA works best for me.. flexible CA is probably better, but too expensive for me..
Practice putting a THIN layer of CA on a little over 1/2 the length of the tube, gently insert it in one end with a twisting motion to spread the glue, then pull it back out and insert it (twisting) into the other end.. The glue will spread over the entire tube without a lot of excess glue getting inside the tube.. NOTE: if using thin or medium CA, you better be fast.. ;-]
Keep q-tips handy, and check each tube immediately after inserting it.. If you see any glue, run the q-tip through it..
You WILL get hardened CA in the tube once in a while.. The first attempt to remove it is to GENTLY work it on and off the mandrel, using the threads on the mandrel to remove the glue.. If this doesn't work, you can drill or ream the glue out, but I've found that unless the wood for the pen is expensive or exotic, you're better off just going on to the next pen.. Tubes are very inexpensive.. Time and frustration are sometimes very costly..
As to sanding, I've found that pens require much more sanding and finer grits than any other type of turning that I do.. Maybe because it's round and small diameter and has no real reflecting surfaces?
As in all turning, sharp tools and a light touch will save you a lot of sanding.. and rejects. When I was teaching people to turn pens, the first recommendation I made was to buy at least 10 cheap slimline kits and just practice on them.. Figure them as shop pens or whatever, because if you give them away or sell them, you'll wish you hadn't after you get better.. ;-]
PS: My wife reminded me that I DO file the inside of the tube sometimes.. She knows because whenever she sharpens the chainsaw, she has to find her files on the workbench... because they're round and not tapered, you have less chance of getting that "bell shape".. YMWV
I used the thick CA on everything but the oily tropicals. I had problems with adhesion, even though I cleaned the blanks quite well before gluing. Not having all the patience in the world, I switched to 15 minute epoxy when I had a batch of them and never had a failure.
There was some REALLY oily cocobolo that I got my hands on, and it was a nightmare. Epoxy solved that.
For anything other wood, I scuff the tubes to bright with coarse sandpaper, apply CA thick to the tube and at the mouth of the hole in the blanks and insert.
The pen blank reamers are a really handy tool to invest in, and they will take away all the glue, debris, etc., and cut the face of the blank perfectly flat so you can get a really good fit to your hardware.
This guy uses a drill with his reamer, but I put mine on a handle and use it by hand. Works great.
Maybe there is a real Chemist in house. I have had CA break down. It can degrade if exposed to air. I think it is CA-rust - oxidizes and breaks off. My concern is long term. But maybe the user will loose it by then...
Martin
Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net TSRA, Endowed; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal. NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.
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I have a very cheap and light weight HF cordless drill that always has the pen mill on it.. Just a matter of changing shafts when I'm working on whatever pen kit.. I've tried the hand method, as recommened/insisted on by Dick Sing, but find that I have more patience and a lighter touch with a slow drill than by hand.. OTOH, I probably cut my blanks a bit longer than normal, so I have maybe up to
Thank you all for the good advice. Tonight I tried CA for my tubes. It appears to have worked well and I didn't have all the problems that I did with the epoxy. Interestingly, I did have a blowout on a pen that was epoxied and I could see where some glue was missing. Maybe the CA will work well for the types of wood I am using. I ran a practice tube to try out a certain piece of wood and my finishing is much better even though it is only my third try. It's actually getting addictive. Every day I think of more pen stuff I want to order.
Joe I like to use urethane glue on pens. I find it gives great adhesion and excellent gap filling. Incidentally, the gap filling only lends substance not strength. Also I love Bill's idea of all thread to clean out the tubes. Darrell
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