barrel cracking at tip

[sbwertz]

I've had several pens crack when inserting the tip. The wood is so thin there, that if the wood is at all brittle, or if there is an infill of stone near the tip, it cracks when pressing the tip into place.

Is there anything I can do to reduce this? Should I be lubricating the tip before pressing it in? How about using a countersink to slightly flare the brass before inserting the tip? Some way to strengthen the wood before finishing? I've ruined several really nice pens to this lately.

 

[thewishman]

I use a utility knife to ream out the brass. You may want to lightly file the inside of the brass and use epoxy or a thread-locking compound to secure the tip.

 

[Rangertrek]

As Chris said above.
Check for glue residue inside the brass tube. I use a craft knife to scrape out any glue in the tube. That should solve your problem.

 

[renowb]

Sharon, I had the same problem a while back. I asked the same question here and got a few replies, one was to use a reamer. I bought one and have not had a problem since. Just don't go crazy and make it too loose!
Sometimes if they are pressed in crooked, bad things can happen, too

 

[Manny]

Ahh man. You drilled it, turned it and finished it. The hard parts done right? Time to assemble.

When you press fit the hardware....crack

The feeling is one that many (if not all) on this site has experienced. The feeling is heart breaking I know.

There are a bunch of ways to handle this. You will find the one that works best for you.

I found that the pen mill doesn't clean the inside of the barrels as well as I assumed they did. Often CA glue would seep into the tube during glue up and cause the barrel to split. This can also cause out of round issues.

I didn't really understand how bad it was until I started using Johnnycnc bushing between centers. His tolerance are so close that I couldn't get his bushing to go in unless I cleaned the tube before hand. amazing

chamfering the inside is one way to go. Someone on this site sells a tool that does just that.

For me I found that after glue up I clean the inside of my barrels with a qtip and some acetone. Works great.

What kits were they?
What do you use to press fit your hardware?

Future tip
Once you get over this issue the next one similar to this is when the buffer grabs your finished pen and throws it up against the wall. The feeling is similar lol

Manny

 

[ghostrider]

As Chris said above.
Check for glue residue inside the brass tube. I use a craft knife to scrape out any glue in the tube. That should solve your problem.

I do this often. I think it gets in there when I apply CA to the ends before turning. I just scrape it out with a knife.

 

[PenMan1]

Wrap 0000 steel wool around a small drill bit. Chuck the bit into a cordless drill and give the inside of the tubes a 5 second buff. No more cracking.

 

[monophoto]

There are two critical steps. The first is to make sure that the inside of the tube is clear. And it doesn't hurt to use a file to chamfer the inside of the tube just a bit.

But the other critical step is to take pains to keep the tip absolutely straight when assembling the pen. Watch it closely, and if it starts to veer off-axis, stop immediately and straighten it before proceeding.

 

[65GTMustang]

I know exactly what you are taking about - The one thing that I know will fix the issues is what many have already stated - Purchase a barrel reamer / trimmer? not sure exactly what they are called - I could look it up and give you pictures if you want me to confirm the tool I am talking about - One side has a pointed end with cutters along the side. When you twist it into the barrels end it shaves away that little bit that is barely out of round or simply slims it down so the components slide in for a better fit. On the other end of this tool is three points, Its looks like it is a mini rocket fin - These cut away and trimmer the outside of the barrel - I do both steps prior to gluing - Hope my 2 cents helped....I bought my tool at wood craft when I first started turning pens and it is still working great.
Kevin

 

[randywa]

I catch the real cheapie tool sale and get a dozen paint gun cleaning brushes. I cut the loop off the handle and put it in the corless drill. A couple of passes in and out and the tube is clean.

 

[Andrew Arndts]

As Chris said above.
Check for glue residue inside the brass tube. I use a craft knife to scrape out any glue in the tube. That should solve your problem.

Yep that was the same thing that vexed me at one point...

 

[shull]

A gun cleaning brush used to clean the barrel works pretty well for cleaning out any glue. Reaming the edges will ease the parts together.

 

[hunter-27]

I've had several pens crack when inserting the tip. The wood is so thin there, that if the wood is at all brittle, or if there is an infill of stone near the tip, it cracks when pressing the tip into place.

Is there anything I can do to reduce this? Should I be lubricating the tip before pressing it in? How about using a countersink to slightly flare the brass before inserting the tip? Some way to strengthen the wood before finishing? I've ruined several really nice pens to this lately.

One of these will help.

 

[Nickfff]

Sounds to me like you may not be taking the barrel cutter all the way down to the brass tube. I have found if you leave a little extra wood beyond the brass tube it will almost always break away wood on pressing parts together.

If it is a "glue in tube issue" I have found the best method to avoid is to prevent glue all togther by using dental wax in the tube end to avoid any glue getting in...

You can get the dental wax / baseplate wax from AZSil...

http://www.arizonasilhouetteinc.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=450