Originally posted by woodscavenger
<br />Eaglesc you are on the money as usual. I looks and I think it may be lack of glue. They are CA blanks. I may try gorilla glue for the next one. I still think it looks great.
There's nothing wrong with CA .
There is a problem with not enough CA or the wrong viscosity.
Paduk in a pretty open grained wood.
I am starting to use thick CA on more of my pens.
THe set up time is a little longer but a lot shorter than Gorilla Glue.
Try using any method you wish to plug the end of the tube you insert first into the blank.
Put a little glue on the inside edge of the tube.
Instead of the glue building up on the end you are inserting from the plugged tube will act as a plunger to push the glue into the tube.
Put glue on the tube also.
Twist as you insert the tube and it will spread around.
I won't say I don't get blow outs, but they are rare.
The first thing I look for when I do get them is how much glue is on the offending area of the tube.
Rarely have I had a blow out where there was glue residue under the missing section.
I turn a lot of antler and the inside of the antler is porous most of the time.The method I described works well.
I have never used anything but CA for the pens I turn.
I don't do "production runs.
Each pen is more or less designed on the spot.
I will spend a lot of time thinking about dong different things or trying to figure out how to solve a problem, but gluing up blanks a day in advance?
That kind of spoils the fact that except for some finishes pen making for me is rather spontaneous.
Use what ever glue you want but I wouldn't give up on CA because of this experience.