Help

[JoeScroller]

Need some advice from the more experienced to a relative newbie.....
Now, I have to learn how to glue the tubes into the blanks better so as NOT to get glue down the inside of the tubes and/or how to clean 'em out better when I do.
Also, I must cut my blanks more accurately so I have minimal corrections to make on the length of the blanks before turning.
Any suggestions????
Thanks in advance!
Joe

 

[Drstrangefart]

A drill bit that cleans glue out of the tube and trues up the blank. I always cut my blanks a hair long to make sure I can hit them with the pen mill. It does wonders.

 

[Mark]

As was mentioned, a Pen Mill setup will do both - square the blank to the tube and clean the tube of any CA overage. As you get more experience, you will likely cut your blanks closer to the actual length of the tube. However, it is not a bad thing to have some extra on both ends. I leave 1/16 to 1/8 worth of material on both ends, all the time. That extra is removed when I square it all up, prior to any lathe work.

 

[Drstrangefart]

Exactly. I like about 1/16th of an inch either end. I frequently have more, but that's fine. Better than not enough.

 

[areaman]

I used to use a pen mill exclusively but now just use a sander. of course it has to be squared or will not be of much help.

 

[IPD_Mrs]

Put dental wax in the ends of the tubes before you glue them. This will keep the wax Out of the tube so that there is no need to clean the inside of them. We use it on every tube we glue!!

 

[phillywood]

I used to use a pen mill exclusively but now just use a sander. of course it has to be squared or will not be of much help.

Your explanation is not clear if he is new.

 

[phillywood]

Put dental wax in the ends of the tubes before you glue them. This will keep the wax Out of the tube so that there is no need to clean the inside of them. We use it on every tube we glue!!

+ 1. also you need to have a pen mill if you are not sure if your blank is completely square on each side that way you can square the ends before you put the blank on the lathe.

 

[phillywood]

Do your self a favor and look into the library for some of these tips. they get you started in the fight directions. And, also if yo have scraps of woods that would be good idea to help you to get some experience in just turning the blanks round and play with them with different stages of turning, so if you mess up or make a mistake then you just wasted your test pieces and not the main banks.

 

[robutacion]

Need some advice from the more experienced to a relative newbie.....
Now, I have to learn how to glue the tubes into the blanks better so as NOT to get glue down the inside of the tubes and/or how to clean 'em out better when I do.
Also, I must cut my blanks more accurately so I have minimal corrections to make on the length of the blanks before turning.
Any suggestions????
Thanks in advance!
Joe

Hi Joe,

Gluing the tubes without getting glue into the inside of the tubes is always a trick think, many people use a slice of a raw potato (1/2" or so) and push the tube into into cutting a perfectly seal to stop the glue to get in, this normally only need to be done on one end of the tube, the front end of it.

Cleaning any glue from the tube is normally easily done by using a brass shotgun barrel cleaning brush. You can also use a rolled up piece of sandpaper by itself or rapped around a round stick to made a glue cleaning rod.

One other important detail while cleaning the brass tubes is to "de-bur" the inner edge of the brass tune for easier kit part installation, voiding splitting of the barrel/blank when pressing it all together. This bur remover can be found in any firearm store, which does any size tube, from the inner and outer edges if necessary. There are a few other tools that can do this job.

The gluing of the tubes themselves, are normally done by using thick CA or Epoxy 5 minute glue. I prefer the epoxy as I do prefer to use a slightly oversized drill bit (just a tinny bit) so that allow a easier tube insertion and at the same time, leave behind sufficient glue to fill and give a good and solid contact.

The best way to insert the tube into the blank is to rub a small portion of the glue inside the blank and then a quick coat on the tube that should have been cleaned roughed-up (tune gluing surface) with some low grit sandpaper, prior to the gluing process. Then using your fingers or a proper inserting tool (available at pen stores) you insert and rotate the tube as you go, this allow for the glue to spread uniformly inside the blank.

Take into consideration that, if you are using 5 minute Epoxy resins, you have to have everything ready at the time of gluing, you have enough time to mix the glue for both tubes if the pen has 2 barrels, or do 2 x single barrel pens but no more than that. If you don't feel confident with mixing the glue for both barrels at one time, simply do one at the time or use a Epoxy with a longer curing time...!:wink:

After the tubes are glued and set/dry then, all the right steps have already been explained by other members to you...!:biggrin:

Good luck!

Cheers
Cheers

 

[ctubbs]

My process for gluing is a combo of all above. I trim my blank to 1/8 or so longer than the tube on the bandsaw, put something easily removed (ie a bit of wax, candle, bees, parafine mashed fairly thin) to keep the glue of choice out of the tube, mix 5 min epoxy on an old cd, ( I have a bunch from way back and it doesn't soak into the cd and is easily thrown away), roll the tube in the epoxy leaving a bit around the end first in the tube and slide the tube into the blank while twisting the tube or blank and make sure that the tube goes all the way in and not out the other end. Then just lay it up and let the combo set up. To trim with the pen mill the wax just gets pushed out and the tube is clean. this is not my idea at all. I stole it from many of the fine generous people right here on this site the, IAP. They are wonderful being helpful.
Charles

 

[JoeScroller]

Thanks everyone!

Wow, all these replies are excellent and I will use a combination of them all because they are great ideas from more experienced pen makers .
Thanks so much to each of you for taking the time to reply to me.
Best wishes !
Joe

 

[GColeman]

To clean tubes if I do get glue in them I use a piece of all thread like a file. 1/4" fits well into a 7mm tube.

 

[Shannon]

I have a can of Play Doh I use to seal the ends.

 

[Dudley Young]

I agree with most all the methods stated above. I square mine on the belt sander and if i hit the end of the tube I just use a rat tailed file I keep handy & a spare mandrel to make sure they slide on ok. Normaly I don't get glue in the tube.

 

[ThomJ]

I use an exacto knife to get the little bit of glue that may get in the tube

 

[PennedDown]

Joe,

I use dental wax prior to gluing the tubes, medium CA on roughed up tubes with 220 grit sandpaper, a sharp pen mill to square off with sleeves if necessary, and afterwards this handy little tool that I discovered a few years back. This deburrs the tubes and I think is handier than the irearm/reloading tool that was mentioned earlier. I used one of those before I got this tool, and it was just too hard to handle for my big hands. Good luck!

http://penturnersproducts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=48

 

[Drstrangefart]

I trim my blanks a hair long, load the tube down with thick CA, slide them into the blank as is, twisting as I go to spread it, and wipe the excess off the insertion end. The pen mill gets rid of excess glue and squares the blank.

 

[MAB11]

I asked my dentist for some dental wax and he gave me a little. Then he said if i need more he would order a box for me. Well I got a box for 12 bucks and it will probably last for 5 years or more. It was huge. A lot cheaper than buying it at the store.

 

[manatee]

As for cutting blanks and saving materiel I use this device from PSI.

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKSCJIG.html

It saves me a lot of time also.

 

[aggromere]

I would caution you about trying to remove too much extra length with a pen mill. It will dull your mill faster and maybe burn the wood or burnish it so it is harder, just making the whole process more difficult. If I have too much length over the tube I will carefully saw off a few paper thin slices to get closer to the tube so I don't have so much material to remove. I also square blanks on the lathe now instead of with a mill. I hated them. Too hard to keep sharp.

 

[moke]

I would caution you about trying to remove too much extra length with a pen mill. It will dull your mill faster and maybe burn the wood or burnish it so it is harder, just making the whole process more difficult. If I have too much length over the tube I will carefully saw off a few paper thin slices to get closer to the tube so I don't have so much material to remove. I also square blanks on the lathe now instead of with a mill. I hated them. Too hard to keep sharp.

+1 --with aggomere---I had lots of problems with pen mills for a while...I square some on the lathe, others I take off excess on a disc sander and the PSI jig with some delrin inserts, then I follow that with Johnnycnc mill shafts and Bear Tooth mills, but just touch them to square not to remove excess material

As for removing glue I used to use dental material, but was time consuming, so I now just take the excess glue off with a small round file...just be careful to not take much of the tube material down as then your pen parts will fit sloppy...but that too can be fixed with a dap of lock tite.

 

[aggromere]

I use a large bladed exacto knife to get excess glue out. It seems to catch the edge of the glue spots and just pop them off the tube, most of the time.