Invisavue segmented finishing???

[dl351]

I've been struggling with a CA finish on a segmented pen that I've been working on. It is segmented invisavue and honduras rosewood with a veneer between them. I've read that when segmenting, finish as you would the softer material. Since that's the wood, I've been trying a CA finish. My problem is that the darn invisavue seems to have developed some small cracks. Is this from heat doing my CA/BLO finishing process? Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[livertrans]

I have turned invisavue a few times. As far as I am concerned its crap. It would get hot and start to melt as I turned it no matter what tool I used. I gave up and tossed it.

 

[G1Pens]

I've not had any issues with Invisivue, but I had an acrylic blank crack tonight that I had put a CA finish on. I wouldnt normally put CA on an acyrlic, but this one needed it due to very small air bubbles in the surface. I have to assume the CA had something to do with it cracking.

 

[Simplex]

It's possible. Invisavue has a low melting point and since the interaction between CA and BLO is exothermic, the heat that is being generated might be causing your problem.

On a personal note, I won't touch Invisavue anymore. The melting has become incredibly problematic. I've made really nice pens with the stuff but in the end it just wasn't worth it.

Good luck with your pen. You should post a pic when you're done.

 

[seamus7227]

I'm kinda curious as to whether or not this crack occurred before or after pen assembly?

 

[PenMan1]

It's possible. Invisavue has a low melting point and since the interaction between CA and BLO is exothermic, the heat that is being generated might be causing your problem.

On a personal note, I won't touch Invisavue anymore. The melting has become incredibly problematic. I've made really nice pens with the stuff but in the end it just wasn't worth it.

Good luck with your pen. You should post a pic when you're done.

Yep, that's likely the problem. The few times that I used invisavue, I learned the hard way to glue the tubes in with epoxy.

IMHO, any material that has to be "wet turned" to keep it from bubbling is not my best choice of materials. After a hal dozen failed attempts. I decided it might not be me.... It could be the material. I know it hates CA glue.

 

[dl351]

I'm kinda curious as to whether or not this crack occurred before or after pen assembly?

It was definitely before the assembly. I noticed the cracks while it was on the late. I decided to cake on the thin CA to try to seal the cracks, but in the end, they're still there. Oh, and they run around the circumference of the pen, not at the end like typical assembly caused cracks.

Thanks for all the help. I agree with the sentiment that these invisavue blanks are crap. They melt way too easily. Well, maybe I'll put it back on the lathe sometime this week, if I don't burn the pen barrels first!

As a side note, I was inspired to try this because of the pictures posted in the ad by Aaron of Lau Lau Woods, seen here:

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=74392

Maybe he didn't do a CA finish?

 

[toddlajoie]

I've done several invisavue pens, and while I feel your pain on the heat issue, I can't say it was enough to stop me from using it. It has a look like no other acrylic, and I like it enough to keep using it on occasion. Never had a problem with cracking of any kind. Can you post a shot of the cracks? I can't picture from your description anything that makes sense. What type of pen were you making? Was it one where the material ends up very thin? I've always made pens that still had a fair amount of meat left of the blank, and that could make a difference...

And while I'm no expert at finishing, I would wonder if the BLO might cause some issues with CA on the Invisavue. If you needed BLO to bring out the grain of the wood, I would probably apply it to the wood and let it dry for a few days, then try the CA without the BLO.

 

[holmqer]

I am more inclined to believe that it was a chemical reaction between the CA and the blank. I've seen CA dissolve some plastics.

 

[sgimbel]

Ugly pen contest?

 

[dl351]

So, I finally got a picture of the cracks. Some look like just the CA cracked, while at least one looks like there is a crack in the invisavue as well. There is a small crack next to the veneer, and a larger one about midway through the invisavue portion. Here you go:

 

[makaiolani]

When using CA, don't use the thin. Medium works the best.