Inlace Acrylester Failure

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

Troy Cole

Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2005
Messages
31
Location
Saginaw, TX, USA.
Hoping maybe someone can help? I have recently had 2 Inlace Acrylester blanks just basically disintegrate near the end of the tube. These were both Sierra kits using Gorilla glue. I know I had coverage of glue because I could see glue on the tube. This has happened when I begin to sand the blank. I use quite a bit of pressure and one fellow turner suggested that maybe I'm creating too much heat. Never have this problem when turning wood. Could it just be
Sierra Kits?
Inlace Acrylester?
Sanding too Agressively?
Gorilla Glue?
I also reverse paint the blanks, could it be a problem from the paint?
I would appreciate it if anyone could share any advice or opinions or info?
Thanks
 
Last edited:
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

ed4copies

Local Chapter Manager
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Messages
24,523
Location
Racine, WI, USA.
Inlace Acrylester is one of the most temperamental "plastics". Try other resins or acrylics first---and yes, heat is an enemy when doing ANY turning, but more so with "plastic".

There are several YouTubes on turning acrylics---look under ed4copies on youtube.

Good luck and most of all, keep having fun!!
Ed
 

Dan Masshardt

Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2013
Messages
4,806
Location
Mechanicsburg, PA
Aggressive sanding?

I only use micro mesh type pads on acrylics. The carbide or a skew leaves them super smooth. You shouldn't need to sand aggressively.

What grit were you using when this happened?

It is a brittle material compared to other materials. It will chip right out if your tool is dull.
 

Dan Masshardt

Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2013
Messages
4,806
Location
Mechanicsburg, PA
I usually start with 150 grit and this is when the problems with the blank occur.

What tool do you turn with?

I'd say 150 should never touch that inlace. The grit of the paper plus the pressure is probably an issue if not the issue.

You should have a MUCH smoother surface before sanding.
 
Joined
Aug 5, 2009
Messages
3,227
Location
Millersburg, OR
Ed is being gentle when he describes acrylester that way. It is a beautiful product but she is a moody mistress. Tools must be absolutely sharp and you have to feel how it is going because it can go from cutting great to chipping in a heart beat. I have found the combination of a sharp skew and a lot of patience works well. When it is time to sand using water and lower speeds works best. Heat will cause issues with acrylester.
 

switch62

Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2012
Messages
99
Location
Adelaide, Australia
Are you dry or wet sanding?

I wet sand all my plasitc, including acrylester, blanks. Start with 400 then 600, 800, 1200. Followed with micro mesh. Wet sanding can't over heat the acrylester. You should only need enough pressure to keep the sandpaper in contact with the blank, let the lathe do the work.

The other problem may be stress fractures created by heat when drilling. I now squirt water on the bit when drilling plastics. Small bites and clear the bit often.

+1 on sharp skew.

TonyO
 
Last edited:

1080Wayne

Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2006
Messages
3,340
Location
Brownfield, Alberta, Canada.
The other problem may be stress fractures created by heat when drilling. I now squirt water on the bit when drilling plastics. Small bites and clear the bit often.

TonyO

This is very likely where your problem starts . I go a bit further than Tony . Small = 1/8 inch or less and the bit gets cleared each time . As soon as I have a 1/8 deep hole it gets filled with water , and gets refilled each time the bit is cleared . Not all plastics require this special treatment , but inlace and Ceboplast benefit from it . It may also be helpful on hard dense woods which are prone to splitting several months down the road .
 

elody21

Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2004
Messages
1,596
Troy,
I am sure everyone has their ideas of what was the problem.
Inlace indeed is a difficult material to work with. It is not you.
The first thing is if it were me, I would loose the Gorilla Glue. It expands which causes pressure in the blanks. I would use 5 minute epoxy.
Use a very sharp parting tool to bring the ends down closer to bushing size before turning the rest of the blank.
I actually use a 1" gouge, very sharp to turn all my pens. You have more control because of the weight of the tool. I know this is not the normal tool to use but it works.
By turning the ends down with a parting tool there is less chance of blow out on the ends.
Also when using Inlace or something hard like Corian it is very important to bevel the brass tube before assembling. It gives a start for the pieces making less of a chance for cracking.
Inlace has come a long way. It actually used to be a lot more brittle!
Good luck.
Alice
 

Troy Cole

Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2005
Messages
31
Location
Saginaw, TX, USA.
Thank You so much for all of the great advice and info. It is truly a great benefit to be able to go to this board and get the information and knowledge of experienced woodworkers and pen turners .
 

Pompeyite

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2007
Messages
259
Location
Portsmouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom.
Hi Troy, all the suggestions are definite possibilities, especially tony's about the drilling fractures.
As for the sanding, have you tried using "ABRANET" sanding sheets? They have a lot of holes in the weave that allows the dust to escape and helps to stop the heat build up. The dust can also easily escape and be collected into a suitable vac or dust extractor keeping your workshop safer. The abranet is not the cheapest to buy, but I cut mine into 1inch wide strips and it lasts a lot longer that way.
I use abranet on all the plastics and corians with good effect. It is also a very fast way of sanding woods as well.
 
Top Bottom