Wood is cracking during assembly of Slimline!

[bubbatww]

I'm new to this pen making thing(started in Jan) and have enjoyed making a few for friends and family. My problem isnt all the time but when I put on the pen tips the wood cracks, its happened a few times when I put the end caps on too.
What am I doing wrong????
I am cleaning the tubes of any glue and have been using playdough to keep the glue from getting inside the tubes on one end. I bought a pen press thinking maybe that would help. NOPE.... Getting a pen to the final stages and having this happen is a bit frustrating.
Any help you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated.

 

[RAdams]

Who made the kits you are using?

If they came from Dayacom, then i would say it is probably something you are doing. If the kits are from Rhizeng, then it is probably the kit.

The rhizeng kits are a bit tight. I use a chainsaw file on the inside of the tube before pressing. This helps some but you will still crack a barrel from time to time.

If you are already using dayacom kits, then it is likely the nib is a bit crooked or something.

 

[Monty]

Make sure you press the ends in straight. Any slight sideways movement may cause a crack. Also, it helps if you chamfer the ends of the tubes before you press the ends in.

 

[jttheclockman]

I'm new to this pen making thing(started in Jan) and have enjoyed making a few for friends and family. My problem isnt all the time but when I put on the pen tips the wood cracks, its happened a few times when I put the end caps on too.
What am I doing wrong????
I am cleaning the tubes of any glue and have been using playdough to keep the glue from getting inside the tubes on one end. I bought a pen press thinking maybe that would help. NOPE.... Getting a pen to the final stages and having this happen is a bit frustrating.
Any help you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated.

First off welcome to the world that spins. As you know slimlines are a thin pen kit to begin with. The problems you mention are not uncommon. There are a few factors you need to beaware of. One you mentioned is that you need to clean the inside of the tubes to remove any glue residue and needs to be sure about that. Second is wood choice, some woods are prone to crack and the thinner you make them the more they will have that tendency. Third is when you mill the end of the tube and blank you alway add a burr to the inside of the tube. This burr will decrease the size of the opening abit so you need to take either a small round file and file lightly the inside edge of the tubes or use a reamer that is made for pens. I do not have the link but I am sure someone could help you with that. I use a round file. Finally when pressing the parts in you must pay attention that they are going in straight and not on any angle.

Good luck and post some photos.

 

[bubbatww]

The kits are from Woodturningz..just the cheap ones right now ..its the "Fancy" Kits ..So I dont know if they are from Dayacom or rhizeng. How can I tell?
I have thought about a rattail file so I might try that. I have a reamer that my father gave to me many years ago but worried it might take a bit more off than i want since it has a taper.
It is hard to get the tip to line up straight..is there a secret I am missing on getting it on straight? The caps are easy and getting crack there too.

 

[jttheclockman]

Cut yourself a small block of wood about 1/2" thick by about 2" by 2". Drill a small hole with about a 1/8" or 3/16" drill bit in the center. Put that in your press when pressing the nib in. Use the drilled hole to steady the nib. Make sure it is in the center of the ram though.

 

[bubbatww]

Thanks for the tips guys. I was actually thinking of drilling the end of the press...funny the little things that one doesnt think about..lol That would be a better "fix"... I will give this a try and see how things go.

 

[KenV]

Troy - do not be afraid of using a reamer to take the burr off the tube and make the transition smoother. Even those that can be push fit by hand are fine -- and on some woods I seek to have that fit. That finger fit is what loctite was made for -- get a tube of the less permanent kind (red or purple as I remember) for a few bucks as it keeps for years. Use a toothpick or sewing pin to put just a bit in the tube and press the fitting into the tube. (I do not use CA glue because I want the ability to disassemble and loctite does not damage finishes).

Two woods that are intolerant of stress are snakewood and ebony so I seek finger fit. It does not hurt with others.

Good giudance from others -- and be sure to take your time and get a feel for the fit.

 

[mredburn]

You might also try just starting to press the parts and then back off the pressure and then press the part in. this lets the pieces self align a little better. If you get the part your pressing just slightly cocked it will press in and can cause the blank to crack. I use to work in a rebuild shop and learned that the hard way.

 

[mredburn]

I also have to agree with Ken on the finger fit. I make all my Silver parts to just snugly slide in and then epoxy them at final assembly. Mike

 

[PenMan1]

Arizona Silhouette and any good reloading supply store will sell you a chamfering tool for about $2. This is a pen man (or worman's) best friend. It works perfectly on the 7 mm tubed pens.

 

[randyrls]

Troy; Gun shops will have the deburing tool. They use it to reload cartridges.

Try the fitting on the tube before making the blank. If it is too tight, use a transfer punch with a twisting motion to expand the last 1/4" of the tube until the fitting is a slip fit. Turn the blank, finish, and glue in the fittings with a little epoxy on the inside of the tube. Don't put any glue on the fitting because it will squeeze out where it can be seen.

 

[thewishman]

The nibs on those kits are expecially difficult to get lined up correctly - moreso than on other suppliers' kits. I use an arbor press to assemble and you have to go slow until the nib is partially in, release the pressure and check to make sure it is straight, then continue to press it in.

 

[KD5NRH]

I'm new to this pen making thing(started in Jan) and have enjoyed making a few for friends and family. My problem isnt all the time but when I put on the pen tips the wood cracks, its happened a few times when I put the end caps on too.

I've been seeing this on some silver and occasionally gunmetal Slimlines too. I haven't had it happen on the nib end, but I'd say about 2/3 of the time at the clip end with the silver, and about half that often with the gunmetal. The gold ones haven't done it at all. I'm starting to wonder if there might have been a slip up causing the plating to run a bit thick.

 

[Gary Max]

The kits are from Woodturningz..just the cheap ones right now ..its the "Fancy" Kits ..So I dont know if they are from Dayacom or rhizeng. How can I tell?
I have thought about a rattail file so I might try that. I have a reamer that my father gave to me many years ago but worried it might take a bit more off than i want since it has a taper.
It is hard to get the tip to line up straight..is there a secret I am missing on getting it on straight? The caps are easy and getting crack there too.

That's why I don't buy from them any more. My last order from tham had 14 bad kits in it.
Their smart a$$ responce----"They didn't have time to mess with me"
So now they don't have to.

 

[arkie]

I use an arbor press also. I haven't made any fancy tooling, and haven't cracked any pens either. What I do is line up by eye, ease just a fraction in, back off, turn the pen, and repeat. Depending how the pen "wants" to line up, the part goes in place with 2-6 little pushes. It takes longer to type than it does to do.

I generally make 1 or 2 pens in an evening. If I were making dozens in a day, I'd fell more urgency to make some tooling.

 

[Daniel]

The first two things I would check is for any glue still in the tube. Even a very thin film can make the wood crack. Second would be any burr left from trimming the barrel square. Finally I am pretty sure that the fancy kits from Woodturningz are Rizheng kits or comparable. I have made several of them. they have some problems but if you know when to much pressure is to much you can work your way around the problems and still end up with a nice pen. Try some kits from CSUSA or the nicer ones from PSI and you shoudl notice a lot of differences.