Tube Glue Up for Acrylic

[Bree]

I had a problem with the acrylic pen I turned on Saturday which was posted today. I was pressing in the center coupler and the darn tube came loose. I had glued it up with a good quantity of fairly recent Thick CA. When I removed the tube and the partially pressed coupler I was surprised to see that the glue was still wet on the inside. The ends were dry. As I pulled the tube out of the blank the glue almost immediately dried.

It became obvious to me that simply applying the glue and rotating the tube into the blank wasn't enough. The CA requires moisture to polymerize and cure. My shop is dry with a dehumidifier running automatically. Wood typically has some moisture in it but the acrylic has none. So the CA might as well have been in the bottle.

So I pressed in the coupler the rest of the way. Then I cleaned out the blanks and applied vinyl tape all around the the surface of the blank to catch any squeeze out. I sprayed accelerator into the blank. Then I applied CA and quickly rotated the tube into the blank so that it abutted the coupler and it fit perfectly.

I took off the tape and cleaned a tiny bit of squeeze out and the pen was good as new. I think from now on I will spray accelerator into my blanks before rotating in the tubes so I am sure that the glue will cure.

Any comments? Do you guys think this is a good idea??

 

[ed4copies]

I suspect it will work SO well that you will not get your tube in completely, before it is "locked in place".

Why, yes I HAVE BTDT, why do you ask???

 

[ldb2000]

You are correct in assuming that moisture is required for the CA to cure up to a point . After having similar problems I switched to 5 min epoxy to glue in the tubes on acrylic blanks . The epoxy will cure because of the hardener and requires nothing else to help . Ed is right about the accelerator doing it's job too well , BTDT too

 

[Troy Cleckler]

Yep, I vote for 5 min epoxy on acrylic.

 

[Bree]

I should add that I was able to slide the tube in quite easily before it set up. I just rotated it down to the bottom and in another few seconds it set up. I think you have a few seconds before it locks... at least with the thick CA. Now that might depend on the CA and the accelerator used. Not sure.
:wink::wink::wink:

 

[jthompson1995]

I usually spray the end of the blank with accelerator once I have inserted and twisted the tube, then I let it rest for about 1/2 hour. The accelerator will harden the glue in the middle but it takes a little bit for the reaction to reach the center.

 

[jttheclockman]

My 2¢ is it is not moisture that is needed but air. Thick CA take a long time to dry normally and now it is in a confined space with little or no air. It would eventually dry but take that much longer. I use epoxy on everything almost. Good luck with the accelorator trick.

 

[Lenny]

My 2¢ is it is not moisture that is needed but air. Thick CA take a long time to dry normally and now it is in a confined space with little or no air. It would eventually dry but take that much longer. I use epoxy on everything almost. Good luck with the accelorator trick.

Yes, but it's the moisture in the air that activates it.
At least it's not so fast that way.
Still, I vote for 5 min epoxy. Save the CA for finishing!

 

[cbatzi01]

I had a similar problem today, where I was milling the end of a cap, and kept milling, and milling, and milling. What I couldn't see was the tube was being pushed out the other end of the cap into my spindle taper. I milled about 1/2" too much! Now I have an interesting pen barrel with no cap

Next time I am going to try epoxy.
-Chris

 

[workinforwood]

I always paint my tubes, I always use tinted 5 min epoxy to glue them in. Paint the tubes and let them sit over night to cure. Tinting the epoxy is a good idea because then the glue becomes invisible inside the blank as well, because clear epoxy might look like an air bubble trapped inside even though it is not. CA glue can eat the paint off a tube. 5min epoxy is nice and thick so adhesion is good, the 5 min is nice because you don't have the risk of sticking in a tube and having it set halfway into the blank...Been there done that. I wouldn't use the blank in 5 minutes, but in an hour it will definitely be fine.

 

[fernhills]

I have some Luc-tite 60 minute epoxy that i use for a lot of things. I had to make 6 Acrylic slims for an order once and i used store bought white tubes and glued them in with epoxy and 4 of them came apart during assembly. I never use epoxy for Acrylic anymore. Carl

 

[Rchan63]

I've bee using Gorilla glue with great results. I use a Qtip to wet the inside of the blank spread the glue on the tube and twist in. I normally let it cure overnight if not longer.

 

[Monty]

How long did you let the blank dry before turning? Even though CA is considered "instant" glue, I have found that when using the thick CA to glue in tubes, it can take several hours for the CA to dry. I usually always let mine set over night.

 

[Bree]

I've bee using Gorilla glue with great results. I use a Qtip to wet the inside of the blank spread the glue on the tube and twist in. I normally let it cure overnight if not longer.

Wetting the inside for the polyurethane glue is just like spraying the activator in for CA. You get more time with the poly glue before it sets up. The CA should set up very fast and allow you to continue working right away.

The problem with some of these other solutions is simply the time you have to wait. I really want to glue and go... not glue and wait.

 

[Rchan63]

The problem with some of these other solutions is simply the time you have to wait. I really want to glue and go... not glue and wait.

Thats why you need to glue in batches. Some are ready to turn and some are drying.