Any way to fix a cracked pen?

[KP]

I had made a Gent's pen out of peach for a friend, and the cap piece cracked. The blank had sat in my shop for ages, and the pen itself I'd made nearly 1 1/2 years ago, but it sat on my shelf for a year until becoming a present this past Christmas. So I'm surprised it cracked, but maybe it had something to do with being from a small branch? It cracked in two places, right along the grain.

I'd really like to fix it if anyone has figured out a way to repair a finished pen that cracked. I'm pretty sure the finish was shellac. All thoughts and suggestions appreciated.

Thanks -

Ken

 

[Skordog]

I'd love to know too, because my favorite pen that I have been carrying in my pocket and using every day for about a month now has a crack in it that is getting larger. In my case the Russian Olive wood was a little wet when I turned it, so I'm not surprised.

 

[JimGo]

Ken,
Once the parts are in the pen, it gets harder, but I'd try some CA and clamps (just be careful not to get the CA on the pen parts). The CA because it should set up quickly, and not drip too much, so it should be fairly easy to clean up the seam where you glued. If you have any sawdust, you can rub that into the CA as it dries, to help smooth out the line too (i.e. use it as a gap filler). You'll have to sand that more thoroughly, but I think it should work. Of course, I'll be happy to defer to the more seasoned turners here!

 

[leehljp]

Wood moves period. The more green it is or wet when turned, the more chances of it cracking in the long run. Encasing green or wet wood in pure plastic/epoxy does not keep it from shrinking and expanding. The best thing is to dry it, and that can be done in a microwave for a couple of minutes; then stabilize it or have it stabilized. Although I have been doing pens for only about 6 weeks, I have been woodworking in some form or the other since the '50s. One thing I have learned is that wood moves and if under pressure, it will crack or buckle unless properly stabilized or allowances for the movement are built into the design.

There was another post this past week that mentioned another pen with similar cracks. In that post, it was mentioned that the blank was not stabilized and it was not dried of moisture. Cracking on end grain or with the grain is usually a sign of humidity / moisture changes in the wood, even though it had proper finish.

I have made about 2 dozen pens in the past 6 weeks. Several turned and finished blanks (that were unstabilized) were set aside until I was ready to make then into pens. Upon getting ready to apply another coat of finish, I noticed that several of the turned blanks had shrunk between .01 and .02 in diameter in about 3 or 4 weeks. They were the same size as the bushings when I took them off, but noticeable smaller when I put them back on. This tells me of the necessity of properly drying them and then stabilizing them before turning. Eventually, this would lead to cracking is some of the blanks.

The small size of pens as compared to furniture and the good sealing finish that is usually applied to pens prevent a lot of cracking. But it still is going to happen. Improperly dried and unstabilized blanks will have more of a chance of cracking than dried and stabilized.

 

[goldentouch]

I have taken a dremel tool and enhanced the crack and used inlace to fill the gaps and refinish. I use this a lot on maple burl and cut out the voids and use the inlace. Any filler will work. It depends on the effect you want and time you want to invest. Sometimes it is cheaper to just tear the pen down and start over with new blanks if that is what the customer is looking for.

 

[woodscavenger]

Makes me want to let my turned and finished blanks sit for a month before assembling them......BUT then I wouldn't get that quick fix that I seem to get from seeing a newly completed pen.

 

[PenPauli]

After reading this I went to check my pens and wouldn't you know it one of them, one of my favorites has a crack in it. Its made of york gum wood. I've never heard of it before but it really has a nice grain. Do most of you dry out your wood before turning it? I never have before and didn't really notice that it still had any moisture in it. Do any of you have moisture meters and do they work?

 

[driften]

Harbor Freight has a meter (2757-1VGA) for $25 any body know if its any good for this?
I don't want pens I give (or sell) to start cracking []
If knowing that they are actually "dry" before finishing it might prevent this.

 

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

Jeff,
I use that HF meter. It works for me.
Mac

 

[driften]

Thanks Mac... I think I will get one then. I would think it would be hard to go wrong for the price.

 

[wpenm]

Around the first of the year Woodturningz had the PSI Moisture Meter on sale and I bought one. It works great.

 

[woodscavenger]

The only pens of mine that have developed cracks are some cocobolo pens. Makes me wonder about the moisture content. Unfortunately one was the pen I was thinking of sending for PMG judging. []