Thanksgiving Blowout

[C_Ludwigsen]

No, it ain't a sales pitch.

I lost 2 different pieces of Red Mallee Burl today making a Designer pencil. I don't know if the tube is bad or what. But when I got close to final thickness on the tip end of the lower barrel, BAM! Both times, same place.

I'm wondering if I should take a new lower brass tube from another designer pencil kit.??? That Red Mallee Burl is nerve racking to turn. Any tips???

Calling it a night and glueing the new blank with Poly glue tomorrow.

Chuck

 

[Fred in NC]

Chuck, was the glue sticking to the tube, or to the wood?

I have had similar problems. My suspicion is that some wood-glue combinations don't work. My suggestion would be to take a piece of scrap of the same wood, and put some glue on it. When dry, see if the glue holds to the wood.

On the other hand, some tubes have some lubricant on them that does not come out with just sanding. They need to be wiped with a solvent, which in my case, happens to be acetone.

 

[C_Ludwigsen]

Good point. The tube may have been contaminated with a lubricant. I'll use the acetone to clean it. I've turned a good number of Red Mallee pens and this is the first one to blow out. I've blown rosewood before. To have this happen twice on one pen is really odd.

I even re-sharpened my tools.

Chuck