Finding a way to use blanks that are too short...

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mbellek

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I bought some dymondwood pen blanks before I knew what I was doing, and I ended up with a bunch of useless (for me) material.

I make hair sticks and my blanks need to be about 8".

I want to try gluing some of the blanks together and turning them that way.

I was going to use good old CA glue, but my father in law (who knows about wood working but not specifically wood turning) say that the "shear" strength on CA is not good... meaning that I might not be able to pull the pieces apart but they can be knocked apart sideways easily... Like this:

------>
<------

Is that true?

He suggested Gorilla Glue. Would that be better?

Is there anything else I should know for turning like this?

Thanks to all the people who answer all my questions, no matter how silly.
 
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I'm not an expert, but in general I would agree that CA probably won't do it for you. GG may work, or epoxy may work for you.

CA works great for alot of things, but you have nothing extra for support (ie a tube down the middle like our pens). Of course, you could drill out the pieces, put a tube in and then just stong glue and cap the ends for more strength!
 
I would use a small nail or other pin as a re-inforcing rod. Cut the head off and drill a suitable size hole in the ends of the blanks.[:D]
 
Butt joints are generally much more risky than a scarf joint because of the concentration of forces on a small glue area. Epoxy with some sort of reinforcement (such as a steel or brass pin) would be much stronger and less likely to break at the glue joint. A scarf joint at perhaps a 30 degree angle would have more glue area.
 
I use epoxy and have never had a problem. Remember, the final pen is reinforced with a brass tube glued to the whole works inside adding a lot of strength. I just sold a Patriot made with a "too short" section of alternate jade and a cut-off of African blackwood from the trash bucket. Buyer took one look and I had a check in my hand. Good thinking to use those "too shorts".
 
I personally have made a lot of segmented pens with medium CA and never had a problem. Actually I CA the pieces together spray with accelerate and then turn. Without any problems.
Try the CA an see how it works for you.

Do you have a picture of a "Hair stick"?
 
A couple of problems here. Many of you completely overlooked the fact that she is not asking about PENS, she is asking about HAIR STICKS. Look at the link she provided and you will see they have nothing in common except being turned. They are solid and thin. I wonder if some sort of a two part hair stick might be the answer.

Bob
 
I know it's not a hair stick, but I've used Tite Bond II to glue turkey strikers together. KenV's idea of pinning (wooden doweling should suffice) would add a bit more strength to the hair stick. I'm not sure how much pressure is put on the stick when turned in the hair, but I'd play it safe and pin it along with the gluing.
 
I would think a two-piece stick with a decorative band might work well. turn both "ends" than a thrid piece, much like a pen centerband (or even use pen centerbands, if you like that finish) glued on over the joint. You could turn the ends with a slight tenon to better smooth the transition from stick to band to stick. It would also allow for some extra combinations, i.e a 5-6 inch dymondwood shaft, band, then the additional 2-3 inches made of a complimentary solid colored wood. Good luck, I'd like to see the results if you try!
 
Originally posted by bob winegar
<br />A couple of problems here. Many of you completely overlooked the fact that she is not asking about PENS, she is asking about HAIR STICKS. Look at the link she provided and you will see they have nothing in common except being turned. They are solid and thin. I wonder if some sort of a two part hair stick might be the answer.

Bob
Click to expand...

Good call. I had been out of town for a few days and was really just skimming all my messages. Yeppers, something like hairsticks would present new problems. I think experimentation with different glues would be the way to go. That's how solutions are usually discovered.
 
Hi Melanie, I have made a couple of these and i used CA glue and an angled cut and they worked just fine. The other thing I did was add some nice ornamental beading hanging from the top bead but only a inch or two otherwise it weighs it down to much, just something you might want to try. The suggestion BKC made will also work great especially if you drill the hole long enough to insert a small knitting needles (with the end cut off) then segment a small accent piece over the end to hide it. Beautiful work on the turning.
Janet :)
 
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