Cracks after assembly

[Peninhandrjg]

HI All,
OK this has never happened to me before....
I had turned some ebony for a Statesmen pen. I had the whole thing put together.... the next day when I looked at the pen it had split from one end to the other. Was it the ebony or something else I may have done wrong? Any help would be appriciated.

 

[chigdon]

It is always possible with ebony (snakewood, pink ivory, etc) especially if you get it real hot. Drill it very slowly to start. What kind of finish were you using?

 

[gerryr]

I haven't worked ebony but there have been many posts about it having a tendency to crack. Aside from that, the only other possibility is that the blank wasn't milled flush with the end of the tube. This happened to me once because the only instructions I had didn't say that this should be done.

 

[PenWorks]

There are two types of ebony, ebony that has cracked or ebony that will crack. []
I try and avoid using it if possible.

 

[its_virgil]

And that's why I don't do ebony any more...African Blackwood is my solution.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by PenWorks
<br />There are two types of ebony, ebony that has cracked or ebony that will crack. []
I try and avoid using it if possible.

 

[ed4copies]

Originally posted by PenWorks
<br />There are two types of ebony, ebony that has cracked or ebony that will crack. []
I try and avoid using it if possible.

And this applies equally to pink ivory and snakewood. But people keep trying!!

 

[pete00]

ed

funny i have a pink ivory that cracked after a week.

i was getting ready to fill crack with ca then resand/polish.
would this do any good.....pete

 

[wudwrkr]

I have a couple of snakewood pens that have cracked and am planning on trying to fix with CA. I am told that if you wet sand with CA, the slurry should fix the cracks nicely. Not sure if the same holds true with pink ivory, but it couldn't hurt to try it. Not sure what grit to start at, but I was planning on trying 220.

 

[Randy_]

IIRC, Tom has reported having some success using silicone adhesives to glue his tubes in ebony. Not sure if his success rate is 100%? Maybe he will see this thread and comment. Speculation is that the silicone adhesives have a good deal of flexibility and don't stress the wood quite so much when the brass tubes expands and contracts. It might not hurt to drill the hole just a hair oversize as well??

 

[ed4copies]

Randy,

All good ideas, classified, in my mind, as experimental. I HOPE they work, but I still would not SELL a pen made from any of the above until it weathers a year in my inventory. Customers will put it in a car to cook, then tell you they have no idea what happened!!! [:0][:0][:0]

 

[alamocdc]

I didn't know about the PI issue until after doing an Executive P&P set in it. I've done an 8mm Designer in PI since. As soon as I say none of them have cracked, one will... so I won't tell you that. []

 

[pete00]

well then this bring up a couple of questions. What are the woods prone to crack.
Are they all a certain type, style or species of wood.
More importantly will they be labeled "pete dont buy this will crack"
[?]

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by ed4copies
<br />Randy,

All good ideas, classified, in my mind, as experimental. I HOPE they work, but I still would not SELL a pen made from any of the above until it weathers a year in my inventory. Customers will put it in a car to cook, then tell you they have no idea what happened!!! [:0][:0][:0]

Ed: I certainly agree. If one has a customer that is unwavering in his desire for an ebony pen, I think it would be OK to give him a written and verbal warning about ebony's propensity to crack and get him to sign something acknowledging the problem and releasing you of any responsibility in case the wood does crack. Certainly the easiest thing to do is avoid ebony altogether; but sometimes it is worth the extra effort to keep a good customer happy??

 

[ed4copies]

Originally posted by pete00
<br />well then this bring up a couple of questions. What are the woods prone to crack.
Are they all a certain type, style or species of wood.
More importantly will they be labeled "pete dont buy this will crack"
[?]

In a word, NO!

Caveat emptor! In this case, that's YOU!

The most often offending woods are the above-named 3.

Randy, I don't mean to be argumentative, but if you collect money for an ebony pen, then it cracks, your customer will NOT be HAPPY. So, you keep them happy by advising them to buy Blackwood instead!

BTW, you are treading on soil that pushed me into PLASTICLAND, where I currently live happily.[][][][]

 

[pete00]

ed
lol.... plasticland huh.....

sound like you belong in my therapy group [}][]

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by ed4copies
<br />...Randy, I don't mean to be argumentative, but if you collect money for an ebony pen, then it cracks, your customer will NOT be HAPPY. So, you keep them happy by advising them to buy Blackwood instead!

BTW, you are treading on soil that pushed me into PLASTICLAND, where I currently live happily.[][][][]

Ed; I think we do agree. Like I said before, the easiest solution to the problem is to avoid ebony altogether.....a solution that you have already figured out!![]

 

[Rod]

I had the same problem, I made a Statesman rollerball out of cocobolo.About two weeks later the top cracked. Could the large diameter of the wood be doing it? I'm afraid to try another, or to sell one if this is going to happen. Rod[!]