CA Glue: Confirming a Theory

[kludge77]

I haven't turned a pen since Christmas.

Last week I glued up 5 blanks with Medium CA, just like I always have. I let them dry for 24 hours before trying to turn them.

Lignum Vitae
Walnut
Cherry
Zebrawood
Acrylic

Every single one of them was spinning on the tube before I could finish roughing them out. Is this old glue that needs to be replaced? It still works for finish, but has it lost its holding power?

I've yet to have this happen, so I thought I would ask. Thanks

 

[le_skieur]

I don't use ca for gluing my pens tube since a very long time. The best I found is the brown Gorilla glue. It take's 24 hours to dry but you will never have any complain, beleive me.

 

[ed4copies]

First question I would have in my shop: Temp and humidity??

This time of year, I routinely hit the ends with Accelerator, even if they have been sitting for days. Cold in the basement.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

rough up the tubes, too...and the hole, if you can...a dense wood will 'burnish' if your bit is dull, and you'll have trouble gluing it in..

 

[Rob73]

I never had much luck with CA and pen tubes. I just use 15 minute epoxy and let them sit over night.

 

[Dave Turner]

I started out using CA to glue in my tubes, but gave it up after I had a few tubes that "stuck" before I could get them all the way into the blank. I've had very good luck with 5 minute epoxy, particularly when I started coating the inside of the blank as well as the outside of the tube. I do need to plug the ends of the tube when I do this though. For those "oversized" holes, I use Gorilla Glue with good success because it expands, but I don't like having to wait the 24 hrs.

Incidentally, one of the best purchases I've made has been the Vargus deburring tool. It's great for removing the little bit of glue that always seems to get inside the end of the tube.

Dave

 

[Chasper]

Over a year I glue several thousand pen tubes with CA, maybe one or two fails. Always the cause of the failure is that the glue did not harden. I always spray both ends well with accelerator, occasionally I forget. Often I'm started on squaring the ends withing half an hour of gluing. If I forgot to use accelerator and then have the pen mounted for turning within a hour, it might fail. I only use thick CA for gluing tubes, I've never tried medium.

Occasionally the CA can harden on the surface but remain liquid below the hard crust. It happens in void filling, but I can't remember it ever happing with gluing in tubes.

I had some thin CA go bad for finishing once, it got thick. After it was thick I used it for gluing tubes and it worked fine.

 

[InvisibleMan]

I hate CA.

I mean, it does have its good points. I really like becoming one with my blank. It was cool that I could stick my index finger into a glass of water and soak it all up because of the six pounds of paper towel bits I glued to myself. One day I discovered I could finally do that Star Trek Vulcan "hello" hand signal. Actually, I couldn't NOT do it!

Other than that, I hate the stuff. When I break a blank on the lathe, my first thought is not "oh no! I hope I can get it glued together!". It's "Oh crap! Now I have to glue myself to the blank!".

CA is the only reason I have extra tubes. It's no fun drilling out a tube that got stuck 3/4 of the way in.

I switched to 5 minute epoxy and no longer hate the pre-lathe portion of pen making. I now only use CA for finishing unless I blow up a blank. We get along much better now.

I also hate double sided tape.

 

[Wildman]

I like five minute epoxy although instructions say wait at least two hours, full strength in twenty four hours, so wait a day and never had a glue failure.

Have had too many tube failures with medium CA.

 

[ctubbs]

CA for finish, 5 or 15 min epoxy for tubing. Haven't tried it the other way.
Charles

 

[le_skieur]

5 minutes epoxy is a very good stuff but here is my point:

You have to mix an equal quant. of resin and hardener, if you have 4 or 5 tubes to glue that's ok but for more them that, the epoxy will become drye.
Epoxy full strengh in twenty fours hours.

With Gorilla glue no mix.
The glue expend in order to fill any space betwen the tube and the wood.
You can glue as much as you want of tubes without worry about epoxy dring.
Same time of full strengh compare to epoxy.
Price of Gorilla is much cheapper then epoxy.

 

[kludge77]

Thanks for all the input.

I suppose the possibility arises that something has changed. I've started drilling on the lathe opposed to the drill press. It does take longer and could polish the inside of the blanks. That might explain the issues I've been having.

Since I don't feel like going back to drill press for the holes, its time to look for a different gluing solution...

I've though of the poly glues before, but isn't gorilla glue really messy with foam or something? How are you guys dealing with that?

 

[rsulli16]

try this, worked wonders for me
run thin CA in the blank first, to coat the inside, then thick CA on the brass tube. the thin will soak into the wood, and the thick will stick to it. haven't one break loose on me since i started doing it this way, some one here on the forum suggested it.
Sulli

 

[mikeschurer]

I certainly agree with the comment about sanding tubes. Since switchingto Slow Zap I have not had a tube stick halfway in.

Mike the Pipe in Pangbourne by the Thames.

 

[gvanweerd]

I found that if i blow out the hole on the blanks with compressed air after i drill them helps alot.

 

[IPD_Mrs]

I use to be all about thick CA when tubing up. Never had too much problem. Glued up some tubes on some translucent material and saw how spotty the glue was. I switched to Gorilla glue which was fine. I have since switched to epoxy almost exclusively and have never had a problem. Hate the smell but the results are great.

 

[boxxmaker]

I just got started making pens and all I have been using is gorilla glue,takes a bit longer to dry,but well worth the wait

 

[toolcrazy]

I am still using CA with out any issues. I coat the inside of the blank with Medium CA then coat the tube. When I insert the tube I twist it in and out. I haven't had more than 2 failures.

I haven't try epoxy, even though I have some

Gorilla glue that I tried, floated the tube out of the blank and froze it there. Haven't used it since.

 

[nava1uni]

try this, worked wonders for me
run thin CA in the blank first, to coat the inside, then thick CA on the brass tube. the thin will soak into the wood, and the thick will stick to it. haven't one break loose on me since i started doing it this way, some one here on the forum suggested it.
Sulli

I do this and it works well. Lignum vitae has lots of oil and if you sanded it on the lathe the inside could easily be slick. When I drill on the lathe I sand the inside with a chain saw file then glue.

 

[lorbay]

I never had much luck with CA and pen tubes. I just use 15 minute epoxy and let them sit over night.

+ 1 never had it fail.

Lin.

 

[Grizz]

I have never had problems with thin/medium/thick/gel CA. I sand the tubes (rough up) and slide in the tubes.

I don't like doing them a day ahead because, I wouldn't have anything else to do while waiting. When I get shop time I try to get to work. Now, if I did 20 pens at a time or something, that might be different. But I'll do one or two pens.

 

[snyiper]

I have had failures with CA thin to be exact, the thick not so much so.My preference is Gorillia glue or the Sumo glue havent had one blow out or even push out. One could always use a clamp if the sliding out was a issue.

 

[traderdon55]

I have used medium CA on every pen I have made and only had one failure. That one was my fault because I didn't rough the tube up with sandpaper before gluing it together. As long as I rough the tube with 60 grit sandpaper it has held every time.

 

[dcavazos2000]

My Experience with CA Glue for gluing pen blanks
Has been good overall but I did have some issues.

If the glue has been seating for a long time I will recommend to
Move the bottle (shake it, roll it etc.) so al the components of
The glue are properly mix

The humidity and temp is important but one fact is that we can not control
The humidity in our garages; temp is different we can use our heat gun
Just to soft the glue for a better flow

The accelerator is a good tool or chemical to have but this is my own opinion
When we apply the accelerator to the end of the pens the content of the
Chemical will not penetrate to the center of the blank so the non-gluing condition
Can still be present after the fact that the ends are hard

If the glue is not mix properly then what we are putting on the pen is just
The light components of the glue

As my options in the selection of the Glues to use for pen making

For Wood
1) Polyurethane Glue (Gorilla or Similar)
2) Medium or Thick CA Glue (if I need a quick fix or pen)

For Acrylics
1) Polyurethane Glue (With NO Water but a Mix of Liquid paint or colorant to prevent the loos of color in the acrylic)
2) Epoxy Glue mix with liquid paint

For CA Finish
1) Thick CA Glue
2) Medium CA Glue
3) Thin (only used 2 times with average to good results)

 

[kludge77]

I have used medium CA on every pen I have made and only had one failure. That one was my fault because I didn't rough the tube up with sandpaper before gluing it together. As long as I rough the tube with 60 grit sandpaper it has held every time.

Testify. It's always worked for me too. I've made... well A LOT of pens. It just started happening.

 

[crabcreekind]

I would rough the tubes up with 80 grit sandpaper then use some sort of cheap gel super that you kind find anywhere, that what i do. never had one break out to date.