Help!!!!!!!!!

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dscm1

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Joined
Apr 1, 2006
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44
Location
St. Joseph, MO.
I have been turning acrylic pens. I use a gouge and turn the lathe on high. Almost every pen I turn blows out. I take my time and go easy, but at some point during turning one of the ends will blow out. My gouge seems to catch somewhere on the end of the blank then it is no good. can anyone please help?
 
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Are you starting in the center of the blank and rolling to the end or starting at the end? Is your gouge sharp?
 
Some have good luck with a gouge. I don't and it lives up to it's name. ;) I use a skew and have had no problems since I made the switch (about three years ago).
 
Three things that can help.
One turn the darn lathe down a bit. No need to turn at 3900rpm if your gouge is sharp. Next how many times do you sharpen the gouge turning the one blank? If you are not at least touching up the edge of the gouge with a strop, then it ain't sharp!

#2
Dont bring the tail stock in so tight if you are turning between centers. If using a mandrel then loosen the nut a tad. You want it so that if the gouge catches then the blank stops spinning, not tear it off the tube.

#3
You are not getting good glue coverage between the tube and the blank. Try the white gorilla glue or any polyurithane glue for that matter the next time you do an acrylic blank.

You also might want to try using a skew. They scared the heck out of me after my first catch and now I use the skew from start to finish. Just something you have to get use to and you will find that it is actually a very forgiving tool.

Mikr
 
Originally posted by dscm1

mainly happens before round
Click to expand...

You have pinpointed your problem.

The solutions are many.

1)Chicken out: Sand off the edges with a belt sander before you try to turn>

2)High-speed chicken: Use round-over bit on your router table - make jig to hold blank so as not to lose fingers.

3)Turn off the edges: plan on spending a few bucks for blanks, you WILL ruin a few. Use a large tool- skew or roughing gouge. The easiest material is CSUSA or BearToothWoods acrylics (CSUSA calls them celluloid mix - yeah, right!!) If you are breaking off chunks, you are probably using one of the polyresins (whether you know it or not)
A) As you turn, be CAREFUL at the ends. ROLL your tool, over the end of the blank (all 4 ends on a two-piece pen).
B) SOMEDAY learn to use a skew. All of this is EASIER, once you have "tamed" your fear of a skew, which only happens after MUCH success.

Good luck and remember, we are having FUN. May want to go back to wood for a while and develop the above skills on a more "forgiving" medium.[:0][:0][:0]
 
Until very recently, I used gouge exclusively.
I agree with the glue thing....perhaps not good coverage.
Also, try using the gouge a a sharper angle to the blank (rather than having the two ends of the horseshoe shape it makes pointing toward 10 or 11 o'clock, point them toward 8 or 9 o'clock....and hold you thumb on the hand by the tool rest tight and stiff so that if hte gouge lurches, it can't really go any further than you want it to.
Recently, I've developed a budding romance of sorts with a round-nosed scraper - no more lurching!
 
If we could only get Karl to cast PR blanks in the exact shape we want to end up with, we could avoid the risk totally.
 
Are you sanding your brass first? I have found that I have to be careful with one end on each barrel. I glue up the barrel, with not so much on the very last bit so I have room to hold it, then I twist it in quickly as far as it goes then pull it out and push it through the other end. I figured that all the excess glue on the barell coats the end that I was holding. If it doesn't I get a blow out.
 
Originally posted by rlharding

Are you sanding your brass first? I have found that I have to be careful with one end on each barrel. I glue up the barrel, with not so much on the very last bit so I have room to hold it, then I twist it in quickly as far as it goes then pull it out and push it through the other end. I figured that all the excess glue on the barell coats the end that I was holding. If it doesn't I get a blow out.
Click to expand...

excellent point, this particular folly has cost me innumerable blaks. I made a little sanding drum to put on my lathe for things like sanding tubes - gonna' make a bigger one for sanding the boxes I'm gonna' try making.
 
I quite sanding tubes over a year ago and don't have maybe 1 blowout for every 100 or so blanks. IIRC, Don Ward doesn't sand tubes either.
 
Sand the tubes all day and all night.

If you don't get glue on them, they will not stick.

Put the tubes into the "wrong end" with glue on them, spin, push back and forth, spin some more. Then put them in "right end -- actually usually the middle of the pen" and spin while inserting.

Never insert tubes into a hot blank, wait for it to cool.
 
dont blame a gauge. I dont use skews and turn many acrylics.
SHarp tools easy touch, good glueing and practice. dont attack the blank.
SHarp tools

Just my 2.5 cents worth!
 
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