Fixes for common problems

[Tiger]

As I've read through some of the posts I've noticed that some pen turners have been able to fix problems whereas I've usually just tossed the pen away. I'd like to mention a few and see what possible solutions (if any) there are.

1. Small cracks in the barrels which appear when assembling pens. Here I'm thinking oops rings but are there any other less drastic solutions eg. fill the barrel with glue/sawdust and re-apply finish?

2. Cloudiness after CA finish which only reveals itself after you've assembled the pen. Don't think there's much you can do here but just in case ..

3. Lifting of CA but not on the ends of the blank eg somewhere in the middle of the blank where you can't just wick some thin CA into it.

4. Oversanding of CA, I have put some wax on the oversanded part but of course you can't sell it like that.

I realise there may not be much that can be done but before I throw away some more pens I'd like to at least try and save the pens.

 

[Tom T]

That's a great list for sure. Most of what you have on your list has been covered from time to time. Try the search function and the library also. I have never been man enough to finish in CA so I can not help to much. Maybe one of the guy can lead you to the correct fix.

 

[sbell111]

I rarely do a CA finish, but I imagine that the answer to questions 2,3,&4 are 'sand away the badness and reapply CA finish'.

 

[Edgar]

A few things to help avoid cracking a barrel during assembly: make sure the inside of the tube is clean with no glue residue or dirt that can interfere with the parts; use a hand-held chamfer tool to lightly touch up the ends of the tube so parts can slide in easier; then press slowly & make sure the parts go in straight.

That being said, I don't always follow my own advice & have cracked a few myself. If it's a small crack, the pen just goes into my personal pen caddy - if it's a bad crack, I just put it in my scrap box.

I rarely do CA finish so I have no answers for your last 3 questions. I generally prefer a friction polish, but lately I've been using Craft Coat when I want a glossier or more permanent finish. I find it to be much easier than CA and virtually foolproof.

 

[switch62]

For 2 and 3, take pen apart and remount the barrel on mandrel or TBC. Use a small scraper or skew (as a scraper) and remove the CA. Use very fine cuts. The CA will scrape off like any acrylic, you'll notice the difference when you reach the wood. Lightly sand the wood if needed. Redo the CA finish again.

For 4, don't put any wax or polish on it. Apply more layers of CA to the oversanded area with some overlap, same number of layers that you do for your normal finish. The last few layers you might want to cover the whole barrel. Re-sand and finish.

With regards to oversanding the CA, I've found that the only "heavy" sanding should be the first one to even out any ridges in the CA. I usually use 400 and/or 800 wet & dry (wet sand) until I get an even dull surface. Shiny CA at this stage is a low spot. After that all other wet sanding is 3 to 5 seconds with the other grades.

 

[ChrisN]

Lifting at the ends of blanks can sometimes be fixed by wicking thin CA into the voids.Sometimes this works, other times it doesn't. YMMV. Over sanding should be caught foie the pen is assembled, and fixed with a few more coats of CA.

 

[CrimsonKeel]

Ive fixed cracks by wicking Thin CA into it. works best on wood pens and Occasionally on acrylic. In my case I have a guy I sell "clearance" pens too. usually for a little over cost of materials.

 

[ed4copies]

Repairs are much like any other aspect of penturning: You will learn with experience what works.

One thing my experience has led me to believe: CA makes a GREAT glue and a very unpredictable finish. I believe the area of the country you inhabit has a strong bearing on your results--there are many in Arizona who have NEVER had a problem.
In Arizona, humidity is below 50% all the time---suppose these two things are connected??

Cracks MAY be repaired with thin CA----sometimes it works Fantastically well---often it doesn't. But it costs very little to give it a try.

 

[Tiger]

Thanks for the responses, as always I often learn from what others post and have picked up a couple of things I can use straight away.

One other thing I just thought of, when a finish goes wrong it only shows itself after the last micromesh :frown: grit. Oversanding I tend to notice late as well, can that be detected earlier on?

 

[1080Wayne]

It should be detectable at approx 1/8 inch size as a spot where the sanding dust adheres to the blank differently than it does elsewhere , due to the difference in the amount of static charge build up on wood as compared to the CA coating .

 

[Tiger]

Will that show up when wet-sanding?

 

[Tiger]

I was assembling an acyrlic pen tonight when the dreaded crack occurred. Put the blank onto the mandrel and attempted to cut the cracked piece off however i cut through the brass so now the blank is about 8 mm shorter. Question is how short can i make this slimline and still expect it to work? I can't put an oops ring on it, are there any other options?

 

[glenspens]

use that short one for the top half and if you need to use it for the bottom just push the trans in a little at a time untill you get the refill to come out to where you want it ....that how i fis them and it workes for me ...

 

[sbell111]

I'm not sure that a slimline blank cut 8mm short will work as the upper half of the pen. That may be too short to allow the refill to fully retract without pushing the two halves of the pen apart.

 

[1080Wayne]

Will that show up when wet-sanding?

When wet , the sanded through area will tend to be less glossy because the moisture will wick into the wood fibers , but it may not show until the wood fibers have dried .

 

[Rodnall]

When wet sanding through CA I have had cloudiness issues from the wood getting wet. Now if I wet sand through, I put the blank in my toaster oven for 10 mins on the warm setting. Once cooled I reapply the CA glue and refinish.

 

[Rodnall]

I can tell I have sanded through the CA because I see the dark sawdust instead of the normal white slurry, and I have dull spots.

 

[mikespenturningz]

Well all of these problems are easily fixed.

1. Small cracks
I have never had a blank crack during construction. I have made hundreds of pens and not had this happen. Not as far as oops rings go. Not all pens that appear to have these were mistakes. I regularly made different color woods and make pens from them. I will say that oops rings that I use are usually from a blowout.

2. You can always disassemble a pen and sand CA off and redo it. I don't use CA anymore.

3. I am not sure why this would happen unless a piece of wood was not dry when it was finished. The fix here would be to sand off the CA and redo it.

4. This also would simply be putting it back onto the lathe and applying CA to the barrel.

Experience is always going to be your friend. As you get more of it the easier little annoyances just sort of turn into another step in the process. Instead of having to think about what you are going to do to fix a problem you just do it.

 

[Tiger]

Thanks for all the responses so far, plenty of wisdom there. Another thing that has occurred to me more times than I'd like to admit is that I will turn a pen and when I come to assemble it, the tube will slide out of the barrel. I know the reasons are insufficient glue etc. Does anyone have a checking procedure to see whether the brass tube has adhered to the blank sufficiently? I have found on more than one occasion that the blank will turn properly, will cope with the tool cutting and not have a sliding tube and it only reveals itself when assembling - not a major drama but would be good to prevent that.

 

[Tim'sTurnings]

I can't see how the tubes could slide out during assembly. Anytime I press the parts together both ends of the blank are supported, so the tube can't slide anywhere. Are you pressing an end together without support on the other end?

And no, I don't know how you could check if the tube was glued well enough.
Tim.

 

[Tiger]

I can't see how the tubes could slide out during assembly. Anytime I press the parts together both ends of the blank are supported, so the tube can't slide anywhere. Are you pressing an end together without support on the other end?

And no, I don't know how you could check if the tube was glued well enough.
Tim.

Usually happens to me when I try to assemble the transmission, it could just be that they are a very tight fit, I tend to use a vise or pen press so end is supported but tube still slides a little indicating not enough glue etc.