dozuki
Member
A friend of mine saw a Robusto pen i made and wanted one in ebony. does anyone know how to drill this stuff so it won't explode. this stuff is to expensive to waste.
Originally posted by swm6500
<br />All the talk about ebony cracking almost has me ready to throw the few pieces I have away.
I would also add that dark materials absorb the sun's heat at a much higher rate than lighter stuff, and the combination of black wood, (which is dense and therefore does not let off as much heat and has less interior insulation) and metal cause the pen to get too hot. It also has those oils that don't help either. Ebony has a capacity for hiding cracks too, so some that might have been there all along, look like they are new, because they open up during the expansion process.Originally posted by Fred in NC
<br />I have a feeling the brass tube is the culprit in some cases. If it gets hot, like in a car, it will expand.
Originally posted by timdaleiden
I have made Ebony pens without any problems with cracking. I held on to one for about a year. It was exposed to heat and cold extremes.
Maybe I was just lucky.
I did leave the barrels with a thicker profile, used Poly glue, and the blanks seemed about as dry as Ebony can get.
I think one of the pens is in my album.
Originally posted by JimGo<br />Fred,That might explain why Wayne's poly glued blanks fared better. I don't know about Wayne, but some here drill a slightly larger hole (i.e. maybe 1/64") than required when using poly glue because it gives the poly more room to expand. That would also give the brass room to expand and contract (though it would push against the poly, but that may give before the wood would). Any thoughts?