Warren White
Member
...so many lessons; so little time.
I had a crack in my first acrylic pen during assembly today. I learned from it, so it isn't a total waste. However, it was a beautiful acrylic and it was a bummer.
The pen is a CSUSA Apprentice Fancy Slimline, so there isn't a lot of 'meat' covering the tube once it is turned. The blank cracked when I pressed the mechanism into the bottom of the pen. I did note that it started a little out of center, but I readjusted the pen and went ahead.
Now, the lesson I learned (other than the obvious one to be more careful) was that the brass tube had a burr on it following my squaring up the blank with Rick Herrell's offset jig. This is in NO WAY a reflection on Mr. Herrell's excellent jig. I love it! However, probably because of the grit of the sanding pad I am using (180 grit), there was a burr left on the brass tube. On my next pen, I used an Exacto blade to clean that up, and the pen assembly went fine.
I have sent a PM to Mr. Herrell asking what grit he recommends. I would be interested in anyone else chiming in as well.
So, if I have saved anyone the aggravation I went through, that is another positive outcome.
Thanks again for a great forum!
I had a crack in my first acrylic pen during assembly today. I learned from it, so it isn't a total waste. However, it was a beautiful acrylic and it was a bummer.
The pen is a CSUSA Apprentice Fancy Slimline, so there isn't a lot of 'meat' covering the tube once it is turned. The blank cracked when I pressed the mechanism into the bottom of the pen. I did note that it started a little out of center, but I readjusted the pen and went ahead.
Now, the lesson I learned (other than the obvious one to be more careful) was that the brass tube had a burr on it following my squaring up the blank with Rick Herrell's offset jig. This is in NO WAY a reflection on Mr. Herrell's excellent jig. I love it! However, probably because of the grit of the sanding pad I am using (180 grit), there was a burr left on the brass tube. On my next pen, I used an Exacto blade to clean that up, and the pen assembly went fine.
I have sent a PM to Mr. Herrell asking what grit he recommends. I would be interested in anyone else chiming in as well.
So, if I have saved anyone the aggravation I went through, that is another positive outcome.
Thanks again for a great forum!