This is so Irritating!!!

[Scratch]

This is the second or third time this has happened
and it's getting old quick!! I've done a pen in Cocobolo, a pen in King wood which turned out gorgeous! and I can't remember right now what the third pen was made out of.May have been Black and White Ebony. I cut the blank, drill, glue in the tube, turn and finish the pen(blo and ca) 1-2 weeks later I find a crack running 1/4 to 1/2 inch down the pen from the top of the bottom portion of the pen, where the transmission presses in to the tube. One of the pens, Cocbolo I think I found the crack while showing the pen to a potential customer. Talk about embarrassing! Has this happened to any of you or could I be doing something wrong while pressing in the transmission?
Ok rant over (lol)

 

[ZanderPommo]

i had it happen on a sierra HRB pen, 7 dollar blank! it cracked in multiple spots but only very very hairline ones, looked like they may have just been in the finish even. also had it happen a few times with slimlines, but not at all lately. it seems it may have decreased as i got better at doing a Ca finish

 

[1080Wayne]

One possibility is glue in the tube , requiring more force to push the fittings in , possibly stretching the tube and the wood , causing a crack . Always check for this before assembly .
Another is that the wood wasn`t totally dry . Dense woods can take a long time to come to equilibrium with their environment . If you were to send those woods to me , I probably wouldn`t touch them for a year , but I`m in a much drier climate .
Have no personal experience , but ebony is known for it`s tendency to crack .

 

[IPD_Mrs]

Getting the blanks too hot when sanding them will attribute to cracking as well.

 

[Dave_M]

One possibility is glue in the tube , requiring more force to push the fittings in , possibly stretching the tube and the wood , causing a crack . Always check for this before assembly .

That was a big problem for me early on in this adventure. Although not so much as the glue for me as the lacquer sprayed in the tubes during the finishing process. Depending on the wood and thickness of the turned blank, a tight fit could cause cracks to show up days or weeks later. Took me a few times before I developed a feel for what too tight felt like. It doesn't take a lot of pressure to keep parts pressed together but sometimes I'll use a dab of red loctite to ensure that they stay that way.