Eco Zen

[sorcerertd]

This seemed simple enough, but it decided to give me a hard time. In any case, here's a Eco Zen in a hybrid blank. I'm pretty sure it's maple burl, even though it seems very dark for maple.

The inside of the blank is painted white. The finish is GluBoost, I lost count of how many layers it took to even it out because of small holes. It was wet sanded/polished with Zona papers and Mequiar's plastic polish.

When I pressed in the first piece, the barrel cracked. I was able to repair it using some ultra thin, then a couple coats of thin dabbed on. You might want to check the fit of the parts for these kits if you are using any brittle or delicate materials.

Something worth noting is that I used clear gorilla glue instead of epoxy. I have been using epoxy for "plastics", and the original foaming Gorilla glue for everything else for a long time, but I think this clear gorilla glue is going to be my go-to glue for everything now.

 

[egnald]

Very Nice. I really like the Eco Zen kits too. - Dave

 

[KenB259]

Just for curiosity sake, what about the clear gorilla glue made you decide you're using it for everything?

 

[GFHWoodWerks]

Very nice look. Nice rich color.

 

[ZanderPommo]

Just for curiosity sake, what about the clear gorilla glue made you decide you're using it for everything?

Because it is thick and easy to apply so you can avoid air pockets, doesn't dry quickly like CA, and doesn't seem to be as temperature sensitive as epoxy. So the blanks don't spin (lose adherence within the blank) if you sand them too hot. Since switching to clear gorilla glue I haven't had a single blank spin and I had it happen frequently with CA and epoxy. It also I doesn't crinkle the paint in the tubes like CA sometimes does. If you don't get it wet it doesn't foam.
I still use CA a lot on wood blanks because I can work on them really quickly afterwards but when it comes to acrylic, I'm never going back to clear gorilla.

 

[ZanderPommo]

This seemed simple enough, but it decided to give me a hard time. In any case, here's a Eco Zen in a hybrid blank. I'm pretty sure it's maple burl, even though it seems very dark for maple.

The inside of the blank is painted white. The finish is GluBoost, I lost count of how many layers it took to even it out because of small holes. It was wet sanded/polished with Zona papers and Mequiar's plastic polish.

When I pressed in the first piece, the barrel cracked. I was able to repair it using some ultra thin, then a couple coats of thin dabbed on. You might want to check the fit of the parts for these kits if you are using any brittle or delicate materials.

Something worth noting is that I used clear gorilla glue instead of epoxy. I have been using epoxy for "plastics", and the original foaming Gorilla glue for everything else for a long time, but I think this clear gorilla glue is going to be my go-to glue for everything now.

View attachment 378067
View attachment 378065 View attachment 378066

View attachment 378071

View attachment 378070
View attachment 378068 View attachment 378069

I've had issues with the parts being too tight on the eco Zens but I never install pen parts without using a chainsaw file on the inside of the tube until I can press them by hand to about 1/16" away from flush. I then use red Loctite to instal the parts. With the eco Zens this just means I spend a lot more time filing out the inside of the tube.

Since I started this process about 6-7 years ago I have not cracked a single pen. I imagine (from what Ive seen) that blindly press fitting eco Zen parts (as well as a few other kits) will lead to cracking. I remember the stress waiting for that tiny click that meant the pen had cracked. I decided I was done with that. Buy a chainsaw file and some red loctite and you'll be good to go.

 

[KenB259]

I'm never going back to clear gorilla.

Todd though said he's switching to clear gorilla.

 

[sorcerertd]

Todd though said he's switching to clear gorilla.

I suspect he meant to say something different here.

That was much more of an explanation than I would have given, and great info to back up my feeling about it. No more mixing epoxy if this works consistently. I don't know how long the Gorilla glue will last without hardening in the bottle, but epoxy seemed to always harden up on me. This was just easy to work with and didn't even stink. The stuff that bled out on to the piece of cardboard I set them on to dry is pretty flexible, but tough enough that I can't scratch through it with a fingernail. I did still spray some water inside the blank and it did not foam on me at all. The Gorilla doesn't seem quite as thick as epoxy, but it spread very easily inside the tube. I had been looking for some 15 min epoxy locally and could only find 5, so I gave this a try. I hope it's true that it won't "crinkle" the paint in the tubes because that drives me crazy. Time will tell, but I love it so far. Wish I had tried it sooner.

 

[ZanderPommo]

Todd though said he's switching to clear gorilla.

Sorry, I misspoke, I meant never going back *from* clear gorilla

 

[ZanderPommo]

I suspect he meant to say something different here.

That was much more of an explanation than I would have given, and great info to back up my feeling about it. No more mixing epoxy if this works consistently. I don't know how long the Gorilla glue will last without hardening in the bottle, but epoxy seemed to always harden up on me. This was just easy to work with and didn't even stink. The stuff that bled out on to the piece of cardboard I set them on to dry is pretty flexible, but tough enough that I can't scratch through it with a fingernail. I did still spray some water inside the blank and it did not foam on me at all. The Gorilla doesn't seem quite as thick as epoxy, but it spread very easily inside the tube. I had been looking for some 15 min epoxy locally and could only find 5, so I gave this a try. I hope it's true that it won't "crinkle" the paint in the tubes because that drives me crazy. Time will tell, but I love it so far. Wish I had tried it sooner.

You're correct, I misspoke. I'm praising clear gorilla as the best option (that I've found) available. As far as life in the bottle, I've finished a bottle over several months to a year and had no issues as long as it was properly capped.

 

[KenB259]

I suspect he meant to say something different here.

That was much more of an explanation than I would have given, and great info to back up my feeling about it. No more mixing epoxy if this works consistently. I don't know how long the Gorilla glue will last without hardening in the bottle, but epoxy seemed to always harden up on me. This was just easy to work with and didn't even stink. The stuff that bled out on to the piece of cardboard I set them on to dry is pretty flexible, but tough enough that I can't scratch through it with a fingernail. I did still spray some water inside the blank and it did not foam on me at all. The Gorilla doesn't seem quite as thick as epoxy, but it spread very easily inside the tube. I had been looking for some 15 min epoxy locally and could only find 5, so I gave this a try. I hope it's true that it won't "crinkle" the paint in the tubes because that drives me crazy. Time will tell, but I love it so far. Wish I had tried it sooner.

Hope you keep us updated on how it's going.

 

[sorcerertd]

Hope you keep us updated on how it's going.

I am gluing up some nylon guitar pick material with a scrap of a rhino blank. The first gluing seems very solid. I just cross cut it and glued in another piece. No clue when I'll get the project finished, but stay tuned. I hope it comes out like I have it pictured in my head.