Stuck cap coupler and ring

[jbyrd24]

First let me say hi to all Haven't posted in quite awhile. I have been checking in most days and am seeing alot of great pens and new turners. My question is do any of you know a good way to knock out a VERY stuck cap coupler and trim ring from a Statesmen. I have taken an oversized drill bit and beat it to death and can't get it to budge.
I don't really want to grip the barrel with anything that will ruin the acrylic blank. The coupler was defective and the pen didn't twist together smoothly. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Bryan

 

[reed43]

If you have a dermel tool you can put a small grinder wheel on it and grind a line into the inside of the coupler just enough to relieve the pressure against the tube. Then you can remove it with no damage to the tube or outside barrel.

 

[jbyrd24]

Thanks Reed, I'll give it a try.[]

 

[johncrane]

you could try wraping a lot of tape around the blank then put it in a vise to hold it. Then use something to tap it out.

 

[bonefish]

I use one of those little metal lathe looking lathes for all my turning. I think It might be a Taig, but there isn't a name on it that I can find.

It has a four jaw chuck with aluminum jaws, and I have removed center bands by clamping the band in the chuck and pulling on the pen body. Sometimes, you might have to work it back and forth slightly to get it to come loose.

Clamping something precision and delicate in a regular two jaw vise is a sure way of ruining it.

A lathe with a collet would also work. Using the correct size collet would probably be better than a chuck.

I mentioned a Taig, because I know how it works. I don't know how wood lathes work, so I don't know what kind of fixtures you have for the headstock. If you have a collet or a chuck, a wood lathe should be just as good as the method I use.

I have also clamped pen bodys in the four jaw chuck. Doing it this way sometimes leaves scratches in the body, but nothing too deep that you can't remove by lightly sanding, or you can wrap a piece of cardboard around the pen body to lessen the scratches and/or dents.

Bonefish