Need help fixing major fail

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Pete275

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Jul 26, 2010
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I was wondering if anyone knew how to get a pen tube out of a blank. I was glueing the tubes in one of El Mostro's amalgum "Mutt" blanks when for some reason one of the tubes hung up about two thirds of the way in. I have dropped it in some acetone but so far it is still stuck. I really want to save the blank so if anyone can give me some advice it would really be appreciated. HELP!!!!

Wayne
 
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Don't try to remove the tube already glued. Get another tube, glue and insert it from the other end, until it meets the other tube. Trim the excess tube from each end, square the ends as usual and remove ALL glue from the inside if the tubes.

DAMHIKT:)
 
I have had this happen. What I did was cut the tub off that was sticking out, then went back and re-drilled the blank. The drill caught the tube and broke it loose. Then I just cleaned it up with the drill.

Now the issue with this is you have to have a well setup drill press that drills down the center in order to make sure you don't open up the hole anymore.
 
Personally I would go with Andy's suggestion. I've done that several times with no issues, I would be a little scared of Steve's method, I don't trust my drill press that much.
 
I've used both Andy and Steve's way to solve the problem. There's things to look out for with both. Andy's way is the easiest, but a big drawback is if there's any slop in the hole and anything such as glue keeps you from seating one tube squarely on the other you'll end up with one end not being square with the other. Not a big deal unless you're making a capped pen or certain types of twist such as a cigar where twist opperation depends on each tube being square to the other.

With Steve's method, again not a big deal if the blank is square or round and you've drilled in the center. If all of the above apply and you drill on the lathe you'll have an easy go of it....centering on a drill press is a trickier matter.

I'm sure between the two methods and these warnings you'll get it done!
 
PenMan1 said:
Don't try to remove the tube already glued. Get another tube, glue and insert it from the other end, until it meets the other tube. Trim the excess tube from each end, square the ends as usual and remove ALL glue from the inside if the tubes.

DAMHIKT:)
Click to expand...

Thanks Andy, can't believe I didn't think of that myself. That is the beauty of this forum. There's never a day that goes by where I don't learn something new, Thanks again.

Wayne
 
Thanks for the "catch", Mike!

I forgot step one: dry fit the second tube before gluing to check for fit and obstructions. Obstructions can usually be cleared with a rifle bore brush or rat tail file (if necessary).

I simply forgot that not all here drill on the lathe, which simpflies the method I described.
 
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This pen will be a junior gent ll if I can fix the problem. I think I should be abe to add a tube( ANdy's Method) it will be a small one though becaus it only needs bout three eighths inch more tube. I will make sure to dry fit the new tube before glueing. Thanks everyone for your help.

Wayne
 
Andys method is great, bit i had to do this just the other day and it was and i just soaked it in acetone for a day or two and it came out just fine. Let it dry and clean it up. It will be good to go.
 
Justin:
Not to be a wise axe, but a day or two in Acetone could be devastating for a mutt. Most of the blanks I have bought from Eugene contain much more resin than wood. I don't know exactly if the resin "shrinks" where it adheres to the wood...OR if the water in Acetone or the quick evaporation when exposed to air expands and contracts the wood, causing stress at the joint?

Acetone and resins don't seem to really like each other too much. The bond between the wood and resin usually tries to separate after prolonged acetone exposure.. It can be a real chore to dodge the flying pieces.... I mean...turn:) DAMHIKT:)
 
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DOH!! Didnt realize he was talking about a Mutt. Just went back and actually READ his post:biggrin:

My blank was wood so disregard my suggestion.......buuuut if you do this to a wood black..............Acetone will work:cool:
 
Heat will soften glue. Stick end of a woodburning tool into tube and let it sit there and heat up the tube a few minutes then pull out tube with pliers. Stop using CA, use 5 min epoxy to glue in tubes. You can spin blanks an hour later no problem.
 
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PenMan1 said:
Don't try to remove the tube already glued. Get another tube, glue and insert it from the other end, until it meets the other tube. Trim the excess tube from each end, square the ends as usual and remove ALL glue from the inside if the tubes.

DAMHIKT:)
Click to expand...

Agree... only real fix for this problem that I know... since the tubes will meet in the center of the blank, you won't be able to tell and won't affect the assembly of the pen.... biggest problem will be facing the extended tube down to the blank... your facing tool in a drill press will handle that okay, but will/may leave a flare on the tube inside that you'll need to ream and clean out before you try to assemble...
 
I had this happen several times with thin Ca. I finally figured out the suggested method here using another tube from the opposite end. Before I signed on to IAP.
 
Although it sounds good and sometimes you get lucky, putting a tube in from the other side, especially in a slim pen isn't a great idea. You have slop inside the hole and can not guarantee the tubes line up inside. It's a virtual guarantee you will end up with an out of round pen or a bent pen where the upper and lower barrel do not go straight across. And then there is a second issue..the upper tube, if this is the barrel being repaired, then the tube also activates the tranny which will get stuck, maybe not push in all the way or some other problem could occur, like sticking in a file to try and clean the inside of the tubes where they join which may result in the tube being too big inside to grip the tranny...the whole thing is just a problem waiting to reveal itself. In less time than that, you could just heat the tube up and pull it out and glue in a new one...totally eliminating any future issues.

This is my picture of just stuffing tubes together into a pen blank. It's crude and exaggerated, but you get the idea. We don't make pens like this do we? I know I have more pride in my work than that. Even if you get super lucky and get a perfect mate with the tube set doing this, can you live with the inside of the pen being bastardized..or is it just the outside appearance that matters in life?
 

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