Veteran Wisdom??

[keithncsu]

Made a rookie mistake tonight. I searched here but couldn't find any similar threads with suggestions.

I was preparing an acrylic blank for my first attempt at a cigar kit tonight and just completely forgot to paint the tubes. Didn't realize it until I came back into the house. Went back out in the slim chance that the epoxy had not set up but no such luck. It had hardened enough that the tubes were locked in.

Do I have any options here or will I just need to pay the stupid tax (cost of blank + a new set of tubes)? Can you drill out brass tubes and just start over?

Any veteran wisdom would be much appreciated!

 

[jttheclockman]

What I would do is turn the blank to your kit and see how bad if at all the tubes show through. May or may not. Nothing lost. You got practice. If too bad then just turn completely off the tubes and reuse the tubes and a new blank. Been done many times before.

 

[CREID]

Some blanks will not show thru and some will. I have also seen some comments on here where people even like to see the brass tube through the blank. By the way, I have never made made that mistake.:smile-big::beat-up:

 

[keithncsu]

Yea the only reason I was going to paint the tubes is that you can already see the brass color even before turning. Never had one this translucent before. Only going to get worse as I turn. Guess ill just give it a go and see what happens.

 

[CREID]

Painting the tubes different colors gives the barrel a different look. Now you will see what the it looks like as if you had painted it brass colored.
May look fine, might even give you an interesting look.

 

[mark james]

Stop worrying Keith!

Just turn it off, start anew, and enjoy! Ya wasted .25 cents,

If that was your worst yesterday - you had a good day!!!

 

[qquake]

Out of curiosity, what blank is it?

 

[keithncsu]

Out of curiosity, what blank is it?

It is the cloud 3 acrylic from bear tooth woods.

 

[magpens]

The Cloud 3 has very translucent portions ! ... So you are certainly going to see the brass tube more and more as you turn.

Not much you can do about it.

In my opinion, seeing the epoxy is even worse than seeing the brass tube. . That's why painting the inside of the hole is so often recommended.

I doubt you can drill out the brass tubes successfully ... unless you did your drilling on the lathe and you now attempt to drill out, again on the lathe, with a drill 1/64" over the size you previously used and then put in 2 or 3 thick coats of paint into the hole.

 

[Dalecamino]

Get a small plastic tub with a lid. Put your blanks in the tub, and cover them with Acetone. Let them soak for a day or two. The glue will soften, and you can push the tubes out of the blanks.

 

[qquake]

I'd be afraid the acetone would soften the blank, too. If you have a cutoff piece of the blank, you could put it in some acetone to see what happens. But I would go ahead and turn both bodies to see how they look. Portions of the Cigar pen bodies are pretty thick. They do get thinner towards the finial and nib ends, but not as thin as some other pen kits.

 

[BKind2Anmls]

What if you used a punch, inserted in the drill press that fits tightly in the tube. Press the punch down into the tube while the blank is clamped to the table and see if the drill press action will wrench the tube loose from the blank. You don't want so much heat the blank cracks, of course, but heat can loosen epoxy.

 

[keithncsu]

What if you used a punch, inserted in the drill press that fits tightly in the tube. Press the punch down into the tube while the blank is clamped to the table and see if the drill press action will wrench the tube loose from the blank. You don't want so much heat the blank cracks, of course, but heat can loosen epoxy.

Sounds like a viable option but I don't have punches or a drill press haha!! At this point I'm just going to turn it and see what happens.

 

[CREID]

Turn it!!!!!!!!!! And post pictures!

 

[Chasper]

Drill it out with the same bit you used to drill it the first time. Use a round file to smooth it out after drilling, then paint the inside of the hole with two coats of paint. Don't bother painting the tube. I've done it many times.

 

[keithncsu]

Finally got around to turning this one over the weekend. Not thrilled with it but probably more to do with my expectations for myself rather than how the blank actually looks. Cigar may be my new favorite kit though so that was worth it!

 

[qquake]

Gorgeous!

 

[More4dan]

Most epoxies break down at 200-250 F. You could heat a rod with a torch that fits inside the tube. Insert into the brass tube to heat it up and push out the tube. I've done similar with knife handles and as the epoxy heats up it gets soft and easy to seperate. May save the tube and the blank.

Danny

 

[dartman]

Turn it and use as a shop pen and as a reminder.

 

[mikeschn]

I like the reminder idea! Mount it to the wall, right in front of where you glue the tubes in. :tongue:

Mike...

Turn it and use as a shop pen and as a reminder.

 

[wfsteadman]

Have had to do this and it definitely works. Blanks were all still usable too.

Get a small plastic tub with a lid. Put your blanks in the tub, and cover them with Acetone. Let them soak for a day or two. The glue will soften, and you can push the tubes out of the blanks.

 

[ken ledger]

Drilling can b hairy at the best of times, a thin wall brass tube more so. You would need to sharpen the drill so there is very little clearance.
If you use a normal drill it would pull itself in like a corkscrew probobly splitting the blank in the process.

 

[wfsteadman]

The acetone did in fact soften the blanks that I did this to this week. They were ruined beyond usage. I let them dry and will try to salvage the tubes. Now mind you, I put them in acetone and did not check them for a few hours.

I'd be afraid the acetone would soften the blank, too. If you have a cutoff piece of the blank, you could put it in some acetone to see what happens. But I would go ahead and turn both bodies to see how they look. Portions of the Cigar pen bodies are pretty thick. They do get thinner towards the finial and nib ends, but not as thin as some other pen kits.

 

[farmer]

You could try heat

Most all glues break down about 175 to 225 degree F

On pool cues everyonce in a while the stainless steel pin gets bent and needs to be replaced .
Some of these cues are worth a few thousands dollars and no time to be screwing up ......

Butane or propane torch flame down the inside of the brass tube .
And have a punch the same size of the tube to push it out fast while the tube is still hot... .

I have remove several pins out of pool cues , and the pins I put in where the toughest to get out ( 105/ 206 epoxy to set them .

My point is I have done this several time

When the glue releases you only have a few seconds before it sets back up .
The tube might be a little stiff to push out and its all about heat and pushing the tube out at the right time .. Timing is everything..........

Heat is the only choice a cue repair person has to get the pin out with out damaging the cue , and it does work .

If you are trying to recover the pen blank and the tube I don't know of any other technic that would possibly work ...