Cigar Blank Woes

[Marmotjr]

Err wut?

TLDR: Tube stuck half in blank, how to save?

Got a pack of Legacy Cigar pen kits. Grabbed a blank of Paduak (I think, it's from one of those 100 blank grab bag sets). Sized the blanks, marked the cuts for grain alilgnment and drill em. Kit calls for a 10mm drill, but I don't have a metric that big, so I went with a 25/64" bit. Test fit the tubes, perfect perfect fit, no slop at all, tubes easily slide through both directions. Glued up the first one using Flexi-Cure CA, perfect.

Went to glue the second one, tube easily slid through without glue, but with glue it jammed about halfway in. Hard. Couldn't push it in, transfer punch couldn't knock it out. Glue on the surface is still fluid, but I think something caused it to cure instantly inside (I haven't sprayed accelerator in the area for about 3-4 days, and I doubt any had a chance to get inside a 5 minute old hole in the blank).

So now I have one glued good blank, and one glued blank with the tube half in, with the marked grain end hanging off the end, without the tube. This is a very savable situation, but what to do? I'm thinking flush cutting the exposed tube and inserting it in the other end, in order to save the matched grain ends.

Looking on expert suggestions on how to make this a save, and possibly a unique looking pen.

 

[Marmotjr]

Well.

Apparently having a perfectly fit tube is a bad thing. I'm guessing the increased friction of sliding a tube with glue through the blank is causing it to instantly cure.

Cause yeah, I just did it to another blank. LOL.

Time to get a 10mm bit.

 

[KenV]

You want to get the long tube perfect length as the lower section is sensitive for length.

But there is a lot of meat on a cigar, so you can glue a spare tube in from the other end trim and keep on moving ahead.

Upper you can cut off the excess and glue it in the other side. Upper barrell is not very sensitive for length.

 

[mecompco]

Well.

Apparently having a perfectly fit tube is a bad thing. I'm guessing the increased friction of sliding a tube with glue through the blank is causing it to instantly cure.

Cause yeah, I just did it to another blank. LOL.

Time to get a 10mm bit.

Also, perhaps, time to give up the CA and move to epoxy. Speaking from experience. :biggrin:

 

[Smitty37]

Well.

Apparently having a perfectly fit tube is a bad thing. I'm guessing the increased friction of sliding a tube with glue through the blank is causing it to instantly cure.

Cause yeah, I just did it to another blank. LOL.

Time to get a 10mm bit.

Also, perhaps, time to give up the CA and move to epoxy. Speaking from experience. :biggrin:

I sort of agree with this - I don't think CA is the best choice for gluing tubes.

 

[Marmotjr]

I had tried some epoxy earlier, and didn't like the results. Had one blank chip off the tube, and another get ruined as leftover epoxy inside that the trimmer didn't get out jammed the bushing in (Ok, maybe using the assembly press to get it on should have clued me in), and remove the bushing with the transfer punch ended up fatally marring the turned blank.

But, If I can get nice tight tube fits, and use epoxy, I may reconsider.

 

[KenV]

Each has to work out the quality control processes. Appears you are "in process".

Good luck finding your answers.

 

[thewishman]

Throw it in a tub of acetone.

 

[corgicoupe]

Stuff some modeling clay in the tube before applying the epoxy.

KenV's suggestion is a good solution. I once had success using the reamer to heat up the tube enough to release the CA seal. Worth a try.

 

[Edgar]

+1 on Chris' suggestion -- might take a day or two, but it works great for wood. It also works for most acrylics, but test on a small scrap piece of the same material first. Some acrylics will melt in acetone - DAMHIKT

 

[arkie]

Keep a chainsaw file next to your lathe. Use it to clean up any schmutz inside the tube and also to debur before inserting bushings, and again before assembly. Do that religiously, regardless of glue type, paly dough, or whatever else. You will save yourself a lot of trouble.

 

[Marmotjr]

@Edgar- I do a lot of 3d printing, and Acetone is a solvent for ABS plastic. We use it to either brush on or in a vapor bath, to smooth out the surfaces of the prints. It also is easily used as a glue, bonding two layers of ABS together. So I'm overly cautious about using Acetone on stuff, as I've seen it do horrible things to builds.

@ Everybody- Well, I knew the box of blank cutoffs I've been saving would come in handy. Grabbed some Tulipwood drops, reamed them out with a slightly larger bit, and CA glued them to the exposed tube ends. Turns out, they made some very interesting pens. One is a Tulipwood/Rosewood/Paduak "segmented" pen, and the other is Tulipwood/paduak. I was able to sand the edges square enough, and the already glued blanks, I turned with the cutoff tool to square them up. The CA line between woods is dark and thin, but distinct. Even if it does discolor, it will still look clean.

So my error turned into a good opportunity to experiment.

Cheers for the suggestions though, all good things to keep in mind.

 

[Marmotjr]

Photos:

 

[Edgar]

Nice save

 

[OZturner]

Well Done, Nicely Segmented.
Congratulations,
Brian.

 

[BarryC]

Gently heat the tube with a torch and it will release the CA and pull right out.

 

[PapaTim]

Stuff some modeling clay in the tube before applying the epoxy...

That's a good tip for keep clogs out of tubes. You can also use polymer clay, potato slices or wax sheets some vendors sell for the purpose. Keep the wire brush from a gun cleaning kit handy and use it whenever needed to clear the inside of the tube. The brushes can be bought individually. One for a 22 caliber will take care of the small to mid size tubes while the brush for a 410 gauge shotgun works on the larger tubes.

 

[mecompco]

Stuff some modeling clay in the tube before applying the epoxy...

That's a good tip for keep clogs out of tubes. You can also use polymer clay, potato slices or wax sheets some vendors sell for the purpose. Keep the wire brush from a gun cleaning kit handy and use it whenever needed to clear the inside of the tube. The brushes can be bought individually. One for a 22 caliber will take care of the small to mid size tubes while the brush for a 410 gauge shotgun works on the larger tubes.

I second the wax sheets and bronze gun cleaning brushes. Got a pound of detal wax sheets on eBay (a "lifetime" supply) for about $10.00. Wore out the brushes in my cleaning kit, so ordered a 10 pack of .45 brushes for about $10.00 on Amazon. Even with the wax plugs you sometimes get a smidgen of schmutz in the tube, but a quick go-round with an Exacto knive and the brushes cleans it out. I've also taken to, before assembly, sanding the inside of the tubes with high grit paper wrapped around a punch in the hand drill to make absolutely sure the components don't press in too tightly. Of course, some blue Loc-tite makes sure they won't come apart unless you want them to.

Regards,
Michael

 

[leehljp]

Err wut?

TLDR: Tube stuck half in blank, how to save?

Grabbed a blank of Paduak (I think, it's from one of those 100 blank grab bag sets).

Concerning the soaking in Acetone - Forgot to mention this earlier when I read this thread and it is probably too late: Some great colored woods will leach/bleach with acetone. I don't remember with padauk. I have thrown stuck blanks into acetone and it worked. And I agree with those that mentioned it. But there is that caveat on color.

Bloodwood will turn the acetone red if soaking in it. And the wood color will change somewhat. It is good to check color fastness of bright colored woods.