Salvaging Brass Tubes

[William Young]

I tried my first staghorn sumac pen today and I was not at all impressed with the color of it although I think I will keep this one. Then I tried a butterfly bush pen and it was worse so I stopped turning that one and took it off the lathe.
If I am in a hurry I use thick CA to glue the tubes and if I want to scrap a pen and salvage the brass tubes I just soak the blanks in a little acetone overnight and the tubes almost fall out.
But with these two, I used two part epoxy the night before. What is the best solvent for salvaging tubes after using cured 5 minute epoxy ? ? . I thought it would be better to ask here than to experiment with different ways.
I hope the answer is not scraping the wood off the tubes with a knife.
W.Y.

 

[Old Griz]

I generally just turn the wood off the tubes... you will get to a point where the wood will blow off the tubes.. then you can usually sand the rest off..
You can also buy replacement tube packs for a nominal fee... I got a package of 10" tubes (10 of them I think) for $9.99 from Woodturnings.. Arizona Silhouette also carries them...
I like these tubes when I am making modified slimlines....

 

[Fred in NC]

I agree with Tom, turn the wood off, and sand the tube. However, I do keep tubes on hand so I don't have to waste time salvaging them. I buy in 10" lengths too.

 

[William Young]

I like those 10" tubes too. I ordered some more from Sheila at POC today @ 8.95 per package of ten with free shipping on her Thanksgiving special.
If nobody comes up with a solvent for epoxy glue I will probably toss them. For the price of tubes I personally dont think it's worth the time to turn them and re-sand them.
Thick CA for gluing and acetone for dissolving it if necessary has probably got me spoiled but on the other hand I much prefer the epoxy over the CA for glueing tubes.
W.Y.

 

[jimr]

Your staghorn sumac pen looks nice to me. It looks almost as white as holly and appears to have very little grain pattern. My sumac is a bit greener with more grain pattern. I just turned a pen out of privet hedge, it is extremely prolific here, and it is also very nearly white with no grain. This one was very green(wet) and has a bit more yellow tint.
About the tubes, I have also turned the wood off glued tubes and it is really pretty easy. I plan on getting some of those long spares. What do you guys cut them with, a tiny hack saw, band saw or what?

 

[Fred in NC]

Jim: This is what I use. It is a very useful tool. Most hoby shops, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, train and airplane model shops carry them. These saws have very sharp and thin blades, which look fragile, but I have cut through bolts with them:

http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=50284

The site is www.micromark.com. Do a search for "razor saw."

Last one I bought cost under $9 for a handle and two blades at a hobby shop.

The saw itself will not deform the tube, but holding it while it is being sawn can deform it easily. One way to hold the tube in a vise is to make a blank out of any soft wood (pine, etc) and drill it. Then using the razor saw or any fine blade saw, slit one side lengthwise. Now put the tube in the blank, and the blank in a vise, and cut the excess tube.

Hope this helps.

 

[jimr]

Thanks for the info, Fred. I have one of those saws. Years ago I used to make minature furniture and I used one with the little miter box. I wasn't sure it would hold up to brass. I think I can hold a tube in the miter box with my fingers and get a cut started. I will give it a try.

 

[Fred in NC]

Good, Jim! The only problem I found is that, being round, the tubes tend to turn when I try to cut them.

 

[Scott]

I would probably turn the wood off down to the brass and re-sand. No I wouldn't! I'd just chuck it in the garbage, and pull out one of my spare tubes. A long time ago I figured out that spare tubes are cheap, so I usually order some extras when I order kits. A bonus to this is that you can make up and turn extra sets of barrels in advance, and then assemble them into pens as the mood suits you!

As far as a solvent for epoxy goes, try soaking the pen barrel in a jar of denatured alcohol overnight. I have not tried this myself, but I hear that alcohol will dissolve epoxy. I got this tidbit from Wood Central, where they've been discussing soaking bowl blanks in alcohol, and the fact that if a glue block is stuck on the bowl using epoxy, then the alcohol will cause the glue to fail. Worth a try!

Scott.

 

[dougle40]

I've had luck by turning the wood off the tube then cleaning the tube with a wire wheel in my drill . I use polyurethane glue and this works great . I've never had a problem re-using the tubes .

 

[Guest]

throw it in a jar of acetone