Fred in NC
Member
Some things that have happened to me:
Made a laminated pen using dark veneer for the lamination. The pen did not sell last year. I recently looked at the pen, and there was color from the dark veneer bleeding into the light maple barrell. I suspect the dark veneer whas "color enhanced" with dyes, and the dye bled into the sorrounding wood. I used yellow glue for the lamination. I think epoxy would have prevented this.
Another laminated pen, turned real smooth ... months later I could feel the lamination due to uneven shrinkage. I think the change in grain direction in the wood was the cause. Wood does not shrink the same lenghtwise as across the grain.
The band of one of my american flattops came loose. It looks like the wood shrunk, and the glue did not expand to hold it in place.
Different woods might have a different humidity contents, and for that reason will not shrink the same.
My point is that not all materials behave the same. What looks good right away might not hold up later.
I have no experience whatsoever using plastic for laminations. However, since some of these materials are vynil based, I wonder how they will stand up with time. Like the wood shrinking more than the plastic, or the glue not holding up.
I am fairly new at this, kind of a newbie myself, so I hope I am not offending more experienced penmakers. I just wanted to pass along some of my bad experiences in case they can help others.
Any laminated pens, or those with more than one wood, etc., that I make for next year will be handled differently. I am planning to turn the barrels and sand to 400, and then put on the sealer. Then I will put them aside for 2-3 months. At that time I can take any corrective action, and finish the pens.
Happy penturning!
Made a laminated pen using dark veneer for the lamination. The pen did not sell last year. I recently looked at the pen, and there was color from the dark veneer bleeding into the light maple barrell. I suspect the dark veneer whas "color enhanced" with dyes, and the dye bled into the sorrounding wood. I used yellow glue for the lamination. I think epoxy would have prevented this.
Another laminated pen, turned real smooth ... months later I could feel the lamination due to uneven shrinkage. I think the change in grain direction in the wood was the cause. Wood does not shrink the same lenghtwise as across the grain.
The band of one of my american flattops came loose. It looks like the wood shrunk, and the glue did not expand to hold it in place.
Different woods might have a different humidity contents, and for that reason will not shrink the same.
My point is that not all materials behave the same. What looks good right away might not hold up later.
I have no experience whatsoever using plastic for laminations. However, since some of these materials are vynil based, I wonder how they will stand up with time. Like the wood shrinking more than the plastic, or the glue not holding up.
I am fairly new at this, kind of a newbie myself, so I hope I am not offending more experienced penmakers. I just wanted to pass along some of my bad experiences in case they can help others.
Any laminated pens, or those with more than one wood, etc., that I make for next year will be handled differently. I am planning to turn the barrels and sand to 400, and then put on the sealer. Then I will put them aside for 2-3 months. At that time I can take any corrective action, and finish the pens.
Happy penturning!