Cracking barrels

[Gizmo3k]

So, last night I was putting together a slimline pen and managed to crack the wood at the edge of the barrel. As far as I can tell there wasn't any glue on the inside of the tubes. It does look like the brass has been flared out by the nib though.

Any tips or tricks, or was. I just unlucky? I was using a pen assembly press, and the pen was made of Purpleheart. I did turn the wood down slightly too much, so the nib isn't quite flush with the barrel

Still, it is all practice!

Thanks

Alan

 

[Gary Beasley]

I've had that happen when the part was not square with the tube when I pressed it in. Then also you can have parts not fit well from the factory.

 

[Tim'sTurnings]

I sounds like glue in the tube (even if you can't see it), or the wood was too thin on the end to accept the larger component. JMO.
Tim.

 

[1080Wayne]

A 1/4 inch rat tail file will remove any glue or burring on the tube ends which may cause your problem . Chamfering the tube ends a bit won`t hurt either .

 

[turncrazy43]

Good advise to solve the problem is to begin to TBC. There are slim line TBC bushings available at Classic Nib.com. He also carries
TBC bushings for most of the most popular pen kits. You will find you will have a lot less problems when you turn between centers IMHO.
______________________________________________
Everyday I'm vertical is a great day

 

[PlutoPens]

Either glue in the tubes or the nib wasn't straight. It's terrible when it happens but it is a good learning expirience!

 

[plano_harry]

Hard for a new turner to sense, but if a part is pressing in with more difficulty than normal, stop, disassemble and check the problem rather than destroy your work. It has happened to all of us -- probably more than once. As Wayne said, a tapered reamer or countersink will help relieve the inside lip of the tube and make parts go in easier. Sometimes a plating flaw will be the problem and needs to be sanded down in the press area.

 

[plano_harry]

You might try this fix. Remove the nib to release pressure from the tube and wood. Put a drop of thin CA in the crack and gently clamp it to close the crack. Then put it back on your mandrel, add a few layers of CA to the nib area that was over turned to bring it back up to proper dimension and go through your polishing steps again. May be undetectable when finished. Be sure and ream out the inside of the tube to make the nib go in easier -- a little Locktite threadlocker or glue will hold it in if necessary.

 

[WriteON]

It has happened to all of us -- probably more than once.

I mastered the art of cracking barrels. Most of the time the piece being pressed was off center or I rushed the assembly.

 

[beck3906]

Good advise to solve the problem is to begin to TBC. There are slim line TBC bushings available at Classic Nib.com. He also carries
TBC bushings for most of the most popular pen kits. You will find you will have a lot less problems when you turn between centers IMHO.

TBC seems to be the cure-all for most problems, but I don't understand how TBC is the cure here. Can you explain more?

TBC helps with bodies being more concentric but I don't see how this would help unless you're meaning that the tight fit of good TBC bushings would help identify possible glue in the barrel.

TBC does nothing when the parts are pressed in sideways or the parts are slightly oversized.

 

[nativewooder]

That is something we have all suffered through at some point in time! If someone should tell you that it has never happened to him/her, then I say Ha! You must practice in order to find all the little things that can prevent perfect assembly. You must practice in order to do perfect finishes of any kind. Practice, practice, practice!:biggrin: What works for you may not work for others, and vise versa.:wink: Good Luck and remember, each pen is an adventure in learning, sometimes good and sometimes bad, but always learning!

 

[shastastan]

As was mentioned, pushing the parts together when they are off center can cause cracks. Yes, to me too. I assembly press has a round plastic piece on the nib end with a small hole in it. When I start to use pressure, I rotate the nib in the small hole to keep it from going ajar. I've also gotten cracks when assembling the clip. I learned that the clip needs to be fully on the cap before assembly. Experience is a good teacher but also a frustrating one.