glued up avonite or corian

[richstick1]

Ok, I have a bunch of avonite and similar material rectangles, about 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 or so, and probably 3/4 thick. (my uncle works for the company that makes avonite) A whole myriad of really wild colors. I want to glue up a stack of them and I figure I can get two pen blanks from each glueup. Can someone give me a couple finer points on glueing this stuff up? Should I be using thin CA or medium? I've read that I should NOT rough the surfaces - is this true? I would assume clamp the bejeepers out of them, and I'll probably glue one at a time to the "stack" until I get the right length. Polishing this stuff- Micro Mesh and anything else neeeded? Anything I should watch out for?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Czarcastic]

I've found that I get the best hold when I wipe all surfaces first with either Denatured alchohol or naptha before glueing, and using medium CA on one surface with a VERY LIGHT spray of accellerator on the mating surface.

For polishing after turning, I use micromesh and then Hut plastic polish.

 

[tnilmerl]

Avonite has a marvelous, rich depth of color when turned and polished. Gluing up shouldn't be a problem. My biggest problems occur during the drilling and turning. The heat generated from turning causes the avonite to expand just enough to make the glue lines 'crack'. Not enough to case the blank to come apart, just enough to make the glue line 'very' visible. I've been playing around with different lubricants to cool the drilling process. No consistent results yet.

Turning is very messy in that the material tends to not turn off large shavings. Mostly turns off as dust and slivers.

Polishing is straight forward and easy.

Good luck.

 

[Rifleman1776]

What is avonite?

 

[LostintheWoods]

Avonite is pretty much Corian, by another manufacturer, Frank.

 

[richstick1]

Thanks for the replys everyone - Steven, can you get a decent finish off the tool with the way the avonite turns, or is it very sanding intensive? Have you tried thread cutting oil for drilling? You are right, the stuff has this depth and 3D look that is phenomenal, I really hope to be able to make it work.

 

[Czarcastic]

Rich:
I know it may sound crazy, but I just use plain water from a pump sprayer, and turn my drill press down to it's slowest setting (around 440 rpm). Also, I tend to pull out the bit every few seconds in order to dissipate the heat.

It's what works for me... just make sure your drill press table and base are well waxed to prevent water damage.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by LostintheWoods
<br />Avonite is pretty much Corian, by another manufacturer, Frank.

OK, in that case: A fellow on a large woodworking discussion group, who is, pretty much, the Corian guru, says that you can wick CA between tightly clamped pieces. His advice is part of a tutorial that tells how to make designs with heat and bending. He heats, puts in a clamp to bend, allows to dry then wicks the CA in to hold it together. The heating negates the need to sand the surfaces smooth as the material softens and gets appropriately squished in the clamping process.

 

[Gulfcoast]

Frank--
Can you direct me to that woodworking site, I would like to read
that tutorial on Corian.

Thanks, Joe

 

[tnilmerl]

Me. too. I know you can heat and form Corian. Since heat can acclerate the CA curing process, I assume you have to let the Corian cool down to room temps before trying to wick the CA into the joint. This technique opens the door for a whole slew of questions.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by Gulfcoast
<br />Frank--
Can you direct me to that woodworking site, I would like to read
that tutorial on Corian.

Thanks, Joe

It was on Saw Mill Creek. I don't belong to that forum any longer so can't give an exact thread link but I'm sure it is findable.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by tnilmerl
<br />Me. too. I know you can heat and form Corian. Since heat can acclerate the CA curing process, I assume you have to let the Corian cool down to room temps before trying to wick the CA into the joint. This technique opens the door for a whole slew of questions.

Yes, heat, form, cool, glue, cut, turn.

 

[tnilmerl]

I did experiment this weekend using water a lubricant/cooling agent. Works good, but quite messy. No split or expanded glue seams now. I've also switched over from a brad point to a bullet tipped drill bit. This worked mucho better for me.

Avonite is a composite solid surface material. Corian is another one from, a believe, a different competitor. While both are similar materials, in my experience, their turning characteristics are quite different. Corian has a denser, more uniform texture. Extremely easy to machine and work. Avonite tends to be more brittle, and tends to tear easier than shear. YMMV.

 

[tnilmerl]

thanks for the Sawmill Creek info. I went to their site and browsed. Bookmarked again for further reference. I did notice one additonal link that took my interest :

http://solidsurfacesurplus.com/

Don't know if this link is posted anywhere on this site, but looks like a great site to pick up small batches of materials suited for pen turning activities.

 

[FireMedic4Christ]

Do you have any Formica brand solid surface material? I've been looking for Copper Matrix.

Brian

 

[richstick1]

No, sorry - it's mostly Avonite and I think a couple other names as well - but I'm sure not formica.

 

[wscrivens]

I just got into using "Corian" - really LG brand, the "Volcanics" line for pens, as a byproduct of replacing my kitchen counter. The man who installed the counter top glued up two pieces for me using the adhesive they use on the countertops. (If you don't know, the acrylic countertops are 1/2" thick, and the edges are glued up of 2 or 3 layers, then finshed per the customer's preferences.) It was a 2-part adhesive that smelled like polyester resin, colored to blend with the material being glued. The particular container he used was labelled by LG - the manufacturer of the countertop material. He told me it cost about $15 per tube, and the special mixing nozzles which are disposable, cost $5 each. The special gun is several hundred dollars!

The glue line is almost invisible on the blank. I haven't drilled or turned it yet.

BTW, I did some "shopping" and got about 20 ponds of miscellaneous countertop scraps - some Corian, some other brands. The price was 2 pens!

Walt

 

[jimship15]

I turned my first corian pen this weekend. Sharp tools and patience.
came out very smooth using a skew. Finish sanded to 2000 wet. Polished with McQuires fiberglass polish.

I'll try to post a pic.


Jim

 

[aksarben]

Here is a good resource for bending and heating corian materials.

Happy reading - oh make sure you follow the knowledge base links at the bottom.
http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Bending_Corian.html

Scott

 

[Boomer]

Thanks for the information on the sites. Can't seem to ever get enough information on new material opportunities. Thanks


Dave