A quesion about drilling blanks with brass inlays

[CabinetMaker]

I am making a couple of pens from Rhinoplastic blanks. These are going to be wedding pens based on the color theme of the wedding. My plan is to cut a piece off of the bottom of each blank at about 30° to 45° and glue it to the bottom of the other blank. To give the pens a little extra I am going to put a piece of 18ga brass between the pieces of plastic when I glue it back together.

My question is in regards to drilling through this sandwich. I have not worked with the Rhinoplastic before but I know that drilling through plastic and acrylic blanks requires slow drill speeds and a bit of patience. But when you add a piece of brass into the equation, what happens when the slow drill first starts to encounter the brass?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[G1Pens]

I drill through the metal at the same speed. However, two things to be aware of from my experience.
A brad point bit is not a good selection for metal.
Drilling through the metal generates a good bit of heat which can cause the glue bond to let go.

I would drill through the metal last and use a different bit.

 

[ssajn]

I've never done it but before (yet) but... How about if you drill everything first, then cut and then glue everything together and insert the tube all at once using epoxy. You may have to elongate the hole in the brass so everything joins together properly.
Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[IPD_Mr]

Gary is 100% correct about the heat and the glue joint failing. When you are drilling use an air compressor and blow air into the blank as you drill. It creates a mess but helps to keep the heat down. Check the blank frequently to see how warm it is getting. Stop and let it cool down if it gets too hot. You can also spray a little Pam cooking spray in it to help reduce friction.

 

[soligen]

I've never done it but before (yet) but... How about if you drill everything first, then cut and then glue everything together and insert the tube all at once using epoxy. You may have to elongate the hole in the brass so everything joins together properly.
Just my 2 cents worth.

+1

I have direct experience at this. If you dont do it this way, the blank will likely come apart - that is my experience.

I elongated the brass hole with a dremel

 

[CabinetMaker]

I've never done it but before (yet) but... How about if you drill everything first, then cut and then glue everything together and insert the tube all at once using epoxy. You may have to elongate the hole in the brass so everything joins together properly.
Just my 2 cents worth.

I like this idea. I can make a dummy blank out of scrap, cut it at the same angle of as the blanks and sandwich the brass into it. If I glue a couple of strips on the outside to hold it together while I drill I should be able to drill through the brass fairly cleanly.

I foresee some experimentation in my future...

 

[CabinetMaker]

Here is my idea for drilling the brass plates.

 

[leestoresund]

Might want to put a piece on the bottom?

 

[CabinetMaker]

Might want to put a piece on the bottom?

I am planning on leaving the plastic blanks long so that if I have any blowout near the bottom it will hopefully occur below the the end of the brass kit tube.

 

[Lee K]

since the brass is pretty thin, couldnt you just drill it flat .. a bit oversized?

Then if you are using epoxy, it should fill that little gap between the thin brass and the tube?

(assuming you drill all the components separately, then assemble on the tube.)

Your sketch outta work, but it seems like alot of effort and you still may have an issue with it lining up perfectly. Too many variables ...

 

[soligen]

What I did was drill the main blank before cutting it at the angle. Once drilled, make the angled cuts to form the segments you need.

Take the brass and drill it flat with holes the same size, then use a dremel to make the holes oval so they the brass can tip enough once on the tube so it will sit flat with the angled cut on the blank. Note that it is easier to drill several holes in a larger piece of brass, then cut it apart into your individual segments after. Sand each side of the brass.

Slide everything over the tube to test fit. Be sure you have everything rotated correctly so everything is flush. Use a sharpie to mark each peice so you can put it back the exact same way.

Use a slow set epoxy and re-assemble everything (I butter both sides of each joint) on the tube in the same alignment. Clamp across the ends to hold it together as the epoxy sets. Note that 5 min epoxy will start to set way too fast for you to get it all together and clamped. Once the epoxy begins to set, not enough will squeeze out to make the glue line invisible. Best bet is the slowest setting epoxy you can find, then clamp then wait over night.

I have used this technique, and can't see any glue joint in the resulting pen.

 

[hilltopper46]

I've done this on two pens and learned some things...

1. make sure your drill bit is sharp
2. don't force it. use low RPM, and light pressure
3. keep it cool - I used DNA, but on acrylic water would work just fine

On wood, I had better luck gluing my blank with epoxy than with CA. I don't know what to say about acrylic. The brass strips I used were pretty thick.

http://www.opaspens.com/uploads/images/Gallery/Pen600.JPG