Warmed Pen Turning Conditions

[quister]

I know heat is an enemy during pen turning and I've noticed more an more issues as of late with non-wood blanks (acrylic and alabaster) exploding and coming apart.

I do my turning out in the garage and the temp has been in the upper 80's and 90's out there when I've been doing my turning. With A/C not being an option is there anything I can do to increase my success? Would the glueing of the tubs (think CA) be better suited to allow to cure indoors where it's around 70-72 degrees?

Any suggestions out there??

Title as supposed to be: Warmer Pen Turning Conditions.

 

[ldb2000]

While heat can cause finishing problems , turning in warmer is a help when it come to acrylics , alabaster too I would think , they are less brittle . If you are having more problems turning , I would think your tools are getting dull . The more you turn , especially things like acrylics and stone , you have to sharpen your tools much more frequently .

 

[quister]

I've been keeping my tools sharp and continuously get ribbons during turning. Only thing I've been able to notice is how fast heat is building up on the blank all the way thru to the mandrel.

The last one was a genesis blank from woodturnings and it literally came apart during sanding. When I took it off the lathe around 90% of the blank just slid right off the tube. I'm wondering if I'm not getting the holes cleaned out properly after drilling then. I was thinking it was simply the heat buildup breaking down the CA.

 

[okiebugg]

Heat and CA

I've been keeping my tools sharp and continuously get ribbons during turning. Only thing I've been able to notice is how fast heat is building up on the blank all the way thru to the mandrel.

The last one was a genesis blank from woodturnings and it literally came apart during sanding. When I took it off the lathe around 90% of the blank just slid right off the tube. I'm wondering if I'm not getting the holes cleaned out properly after drilling then. I was thinking it was simply the heat buildup breaking down the CA.

I will 100% guarantee that heat affects CA that is not totally cured. Doing your work in the heat is the same thing that I do. It has been in the high 90's in the Tulsa with very high humidities.

I do quite a bit of inlay work. I have experienced in the past, during inlay, that if the CA isn't cured, it isn't hardened. The problems I have experienced is one of an occasional broken blank, but the heat incurred during sanding and cutting if your tools are the least bit dull, or you are the least bit agressive when sanding, causing too much heat is disaster. I allow mine to cure in the house for 12 to 18 hours before touching them.

I actually see see what the heat does when sanding inlayed blanks. If the leas bit uncured, the CA turns cloudy and starts coming off in pieces whis is disheartening to say the least if you have $ invested in the inlay material and the wood. I usually scrape the wood off of the blank with a parting tool and start over. I hope this helps

 

[ldb2000]

If you have ever gotten a tube stuck half way into a blank while gluing in the tube , the surest way to remove it is with heat . Heat not only affects uncured CA but it can and will break the bond on a fully cured CA . If your blanks are getting hot enough to debond the CA from the tubes , you have a problem elsewhere . Are you 100% sure your tools are "Sharp" , if they aren't and you add a little more pressure to make them cut , the friction will heat the blank enough to break the CA bond . A properly sharpened tool used with proper technique should not heat the blank that much .

 

[jedgerton]

Consider Gorilla glue for your tubes. I see so many posts about blanks coming apart but with 100's of pens turned, I can't remember ever having the gorilla glue fail. There have been plenty of other failures though

John

 

[Jack Stresing]

If you have ever gotten a tube stuck half way into a blank while gluing in the tube , the surest way to remove it is with heat . Heat not only affects uncured CA but it can and will break the bond on a fully cured CA.

Butch,

Can you elaborate? I am having that exact problem. I glued up six sets of blanks (4 acrylic, 1 Dakota Burl, 1 Maple Burl) using CA. On the Maple Burl, the tube got stuck with a fraction of the the stickinh out. I assumed that the wood was still too warm from the drill press causing the CA to set faster. I hate to discard the blank/tube and am not sure if grinding off the 1/4" sticking out will negatively impact the pen when assembled.

Thanks,
jack

 

[Dan_F]

I just use 5 minute epoxy, and have never had a problem with adhesion.

Dan

 

[toddlajoie]

Jack, If you want to save the blank, I'd suggest you grind off the exposed tube, clean up the other end, and insert some tube in from the other side to make up the difference. You'll need to be extra careful turning it, as the tube will not be giving as much structural support as usual, but it should work fine (the tube is not REALLY needed for turning, mainly for the kit assembly...) I'm betting you aren't going to want to heat up the blank enough to break that much of a CA bond.

 

[PenMan1]

I know heat is an enemy during pen turning and I've noticed more an more issues as of late with non-wood blanks (acrylic and alabaster) exploding and coming apart.

I do my turning out in the garage and the temp has been in the upper 80's and 90's out there when I've been doing my turning. With A/C not being an option is there anything I can do to increase my success? Would the glueing of the tubs (think CA) be better suited to allow to cure indoors where it's around 70-72 degrees?

Any suggestions out there??

Title as supposed to be: Warmer Pen Turning Conditions.

I don't know about Tulsa's summer weather conditions, but in South Georgia, (basically 100 degrees from May till October with 85 plus percent humidity) CA is NOT a good choice for acrylic pen blanks (especially PR).

I got into a hurry making show inventory. I used a famous maker's PR blanks with medium CA. All turned and assembled normally. SINCE THAT TIME EVERY SINGLE PEN ASSEMBLED WITH PR/CA has cracked.

If your weather is like here, you would be better served to assemble alternative materials with 2 part epoxy.