Glue tube in blank

[ctubbs]

Hi all,
What is the best way to put glue inside the hole in the pen blank when using a thick glue such as epoxy? I always get way too much in the hole and it comes out the other end when I insert the tube. Then I have this glob I have to clean when I square the end of the blank. I have tried using a tooth pick, Q-tip and not putting glue in the hole at all. The last one allows the wood to spall off the tube on slim line tubes.

I have tried CA, thin, thick and medium. It solves the gob problem but I still have the problem of the wood not sticking to the tube.

Yes, I do scuff the tube before applying the glue.

Any suggestions will be tried.
Thank you for your help.
Charles

 

[clayscustompens]

I use gorilla glue and it works well for me.

 

[Displaced Canadian]

Gorilla glue.

 

[sbwertz]

Do you dampen the blank when using the gorilla glue? My past experience with gorilla glue required water to activate it and make it expand

Sharon

 

[Santacraig]

I also use the Gorilla glue, super glue

 

[ldb2000]

I use epoxy without any problems . I put the the glue on the tube and insert it with a twisting action , this gives me full coverage .

 

[Displaced Canadian]

I just put a little water on the tube.

 

[S.A.Mappin]

Hi all,
What is the best way to put glue inside the hole in the pen blank when using a thick glue such as epoxy? I always get way too much in the hole and it comes out the other end when I insert the tube. Then I have this glob I have to clean when I square the end of the blank. I have tried using a tooth pick, Q-tip and not putting glue in the hole at all. The last one allows the wood to spall off the tube on slim line tubes.

I have tried CA, thin, thick and medium. It solves the gob problem but I still have the problem of the wood not sticking to the tube.

Yes, I do scuff the tube before applying the glue.

Any suggestions will be tried.
Thank you for your help.
Charles

Stick to CA glue. Just make sure you give it time to "cure". If you try squaring off the ends before its had a chance to dry, you can loosen the tubes.

 

[Andrew Arndts]

I use epoxy without any problems . I put the the glue on the tube and insert it with a twisting action , this gives me full coverage .

Same here, good old clear 5 minute epoxy.

 

[Wildman]

I use a tube insertion tool, rolled the tube in glue, and get a glob of epoxy on end am inserting. Pull the tube back out and insert in other end. I do wipe off that glue before re-inserting tube. I too twist tube while inserting.

Found having a couple of homemade wood insertion tools a good op. Also have a PSI insertion tool which wipe with lacquer thinner after each use or scrap/sand clean after glue dries. Wood tools only need a light sanding.

Use silly putty in one end of tube, may or may not need to clean excess glue from tube later

 

[monophoto]

I've mainly used polyurethane glue in one of two approaches.

One approach is to introduce a bead of glue at each end of the drilled blank, and then use a q-tip to spread that throughout the hole. I keep a sheet of paper towel on the workbench, and find that by holding the blank over the white towel, I can see a reflection from the glue inside the hole, and thus know when the glue has been spread throughout the hole. Then, I put a couple of beads of glue on the sanded tube, use the q-tip to spread it around a bit, and then insert the tube into the blank using a twisting/push-pull motion.

The other approach is to apply several beads of glue to the tube only, and then run some water through the hole in the blank to get it wet. Then, using a twisting/push-pull motion, I insert the tube into the hole.

The first approach tends to result in a larger blob of glue that has to be trimmed away.

So far (and I'm not the most experienced guy here), this approach has worked for me as long as I have allowed the glue to cure at least overnight. My one failure occurred when I tried to square up the end of a tube after allowing the glue to cure for only about six hours.

 

[Drstrangefart]

What we've been doing is putting thin CA on the inside of the blank hole (HA!!!!) and letting it dry, then using medium CA on the outside of the tube, twisting it as we slide it in (HA!!!). It may glob a little, but we dab it off with a paper towel, and then use a drill bit that flattens then end and shaves it down to the brass, solving the excess CA buildup problem. Haven't had any signifigant problems from the process. Found that softer, more porpous materials will soak up CA and won't get glued to the tube the whole way down without that thin coat of CA on the inside of the blank hole (HA!!!!!). The curing time has been a few minutes with this process, which has been used on every pen I've posted so far. The Circus pen blew apart on the lathe and we had to cut some exposed brass off and dig out a tall belly band for it. Colorply soaks CA up like a sponge. It soaked the medium CA before it got to everything.

 

[jttheclockman]

I use epoxy all the time and have not had one failure yet ( knock on wood). The trick I use and have been using for a long time which I picked up here was to put some playdough in the ends. I roll a bit in a ball and then just poke the tube in it and do the same on the other end. Making sure to do that side slower so as to allow the air to escape or it will push the other side out. Put some epoxy in the hole and on the tube. Roll around and add some more if needed. I then clean the ends up abit. Works for me. Good luck.

 

[TRRH]

I use epoxy without any problems . I put the the glue on the tube and insert it with a twisting action , this gives me full coverage .

Same here, good old clear 5 minute epoxy.

I also keep it simple -- quickly spread glue (CA or Epoxy) on the brass tube, insert into the blank with a twisting motion and position it from the ends. FYI... I was using CA but the type I had set very fast and it was tricky to position the tube in time. I now use 5 minute Epoxy (from a Dollar store) and it works fine.

Terry

 

[10ACTony]

Gorilla glue.

Which Gorilla Glue, White or dark??

 

[Lenny]

Don't confuse Gorrilla glue's CA glue with Gorilla brand polyurethane glue.
There are 3 types of glue to consider regardless of brands CA glue (many brands), Polyurethane glues (Gorilla and Sumo are 2 popular ones) and various Epoxy glues (5 minute type in a syringe is my favorite).

I gave up on CA glue early on, prefer to save it for finishing. (get it from Monty here and you will be happy)

As for Polyurethane glue, I started using Sumo and liked it for it's quicker setup time. I now can't get it locally so I use Gorilla brand. I always moisten the inside of the blank (wood or plastic) with a dampened Q-tip.

I now use the 5 minute epoxy for almost every pen. It sets up and is ready to turn quickly (I give it at least a half hour). I bought a bunch of it at a bargain store for $1.50 a tube. I'm almost out now and will replace it with Monty's brand. Much cheaper than the regular hardware store prices here.

I plug the end of the tube with playdough (slice of potato, dental wax, plumbers putty), then sand the tube lightly. I will then use a nailset to hold the tube while rolling it in the glue and then insert the tubes with a twisting motion. Excess glue once dried can be cleaned out easliy with a drill just slightly smaller than the inside dimension of the tube.

 

[ctubbs]

THANK YOU!! I just had a feeling that there would be a good answer found here. In the short time I have been watching and then join, I have found that there is a wealth of knowledge here. Better yet, you are willing to share it with others.

Again, let me express my thanks to all.

Charles