I briefly read some talk over a mystery of cracks in pens. I did not pay much attention because I was not exactly sure what the deal was. Some suspected it was the CA glue itself or the accelerant. Now it has happened to me. I don't want it to happen again. I know CA may not be the best finish on this kind of blank but I used it. It looked good for a while. sometime in the last couple of weeks these cracks formed. You can see best over the wood part but actually is the entire pen. I am curious what the final consensus is on the cause. Thanks for any input.
It got me now too
- Thread starter MikeL
- Start date
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
monark88
Member
Mike
I don't want to sound as if I have all the answers here, but do you own due diligence on ca glue and it use on wood.
I don't think its intended use was on wood. I don't want to open up a discussion/rant on the good qualities of ca. Although it might be useful to visit this subject once again.
Russ
I don't want to sound as if I have all the answers here, but do you own due diligence on ca glue and it use on wood.
I don't think its intended use was on wood. I don't want to open up a discussion/rant on the good qualities of ca. Although it might be useful to visit this subject once again.
Russ
Last edited:
eliasbboy
Member
I had similar problems and what I read led me to believe it was an issue with my accelerator (StickFast). I bought a new can and have not (knock on wood) had any issues since.
seamus7227
Member
I cant say i have ever had this problem, but yall say that you use accelerator? That is the one thing i dont use. I guess that would be the reason why i dont have these same issues. I dont know. Very interesting picture though. Your pen is gorgeous by the way!
Tom T
Member
Question.
Was this a pen blank you started with or was it cut from a bigger block of wood.
How old was the blank if you know?
Thank you
Was this a pen blank you started with or was it cut from a bigger block of wood.
How old was the blank if you know?
Thank you
I ordered the pen blank from online web site. Not sure how old it is. I really like these blanks. They are a little pricey so I waited until I had some more experience under my belt. But, in the end, I messed it up with the finish. It may be salvageable.
Tom T
Member
Thank you for the follow up.
I am not sure what it is from.
I was thinking if it was a block of wood it may still have had movement in it that caused it.
The cactus juice stabilizer man from Texas may know the answer.
Perhaps send him a PM and lets us know what he says
I am not sure what it is from.
I was thinking if it was a block of wood it may still have had movement in it that caused it.
The cactus juice stabilizer man from Texas may know the answer.
Perhaps send him a PM and lets us know what he says
Mike,
Those look more like ridges than cracks??? Could it be from CA trying to off-gas? How long between pen being finished and this condition showing? I guess I'll have to inspect my finished pens to make sure this isn't going on. Maybe stop using accelerator like Seamus says.
Clyde
Those look more like ridges than cracks??? Could it be from CA trying to off-gas? How long between pen being finished and this condition showing? I guess I'll have to inspect my finished pens to make sure this isn't going on. Maybe stop using accelerator like Seamus says.
Clyde
BW Design Works
Member
I do not use the Stick Fast accelerator as it seems to have more of a watery base when I sprayed it. I now use an accelerator from Satellite City and like it a lot better, not watery like Stick Fast.
Seamus what do you use to cure your CA?
Seamus what do you use to cure your CA?
nava1uni
Member
It might also be from how the pen was stored. If it was kept in extreme temperatures, like a car during the day when hot. Accelerator can cause the CA to crack from heat build up if not allowed to dry between coats.
I have used CA on many types of wood with no problem. I prefer other finishes, but sometimes CA is necessary on some things.
I have used CA on many types of wood with no problem. I prefer other finishes, but sometimes CA is necessary on some things.
Clyde. The picture can make it appear as ridges but the pen barrels are very smooth. Almost as though the cracks are under a layer or two of ca. There is probably about 10 coats of thin ca. Mike
How long? I would say the finish was good for at least two days. Then I put it away for a bit and noticed it about two weeks later. By the way, this caused me to inspect about four other pens. A red mallee also had cracks the others were fine. I use accelerator sparingly but I am sure it is inconsistent from pen to pen.
How long? I would say the finish was good for at least two days. Then I put it away for a bit and noticed it about two weeks later. By the way, this caused me to inspect about four other pens. A red mallee also had cracks the others were fine. I use accelerator sparingly but I am sure it is inconsistent from pen to pen.
Last edited:
Dan Hintz
Member
From the type of cracking in the pic, I would lean towards substrate shift. The CA shell itself looks to be in good condition (no clouding, etc.), but if the substrate it's covering shifts (shrink/swell), a fine crack over the entire spot is likely. Difficult to tell from the pic, but it appears the cracks do not extend into the acrylic portion of the blank, lending credence to that postulation.
Sylvanite
Member
Let me start by saying I use a lot of CA glue. So much, that I buy directly from the manufacturer and I buy accelerator by the gallon. I've been doing that for years. Up until a month ago, I was willing to blame this problem on a particular brand or lot of glue or accelerator, or handling, or storage.
Then it happened to me. Of all the pens I've finished with CA glue, one exhibits this problem. I made the pen about six months prior, so the finish was well cured. I don't use stickfast brand CA. I stored it indoors in a pen binder out of the sun, so it was never dropped, nor exposed to temperature extremes. The woods were well seasoned and acclimated to local humidity.
I can only come up with two possible explanations:
Regards,
Eric
Then it happened to me. Of all the pens I've finished with CA glue, one exhibits this problem. I made the pen about six months prior, so the finish was well cured. I don't use stickfast brand CA. I stored it indoors in a pen binder out of the sun, so it was never dropped, nor exposed to temperature extremes. The woods were well seasoned and acclimated to local humidity.
I can only come up with two possible explanations:
- The pen is made of hard maple and african blackwood. It could be that the woods expanded at different rates, fracturing the finish. Cracks around the blackwood inlays tend to support this hypothesis. Cracks over the rest of the pen do not.
- The problem occurred in early spring, just as the weather was changing. There were 20 degree (Fahrenheit) temperature swings during the day. It's possible that the pen barrel expanded and contracted more than the finish could. That might cause this sort of cracking. Other pens, made from the same woods and similarly stored, however, are just fine.
Regards,
Eric
teamtexas
Member
It looks like what happens on pottery when the glaze and the clay body shrink at different rates during the glaze fire in the kiln. Maybe the blank is drying out some and shrinking?
Carl Fisher
Member
I have one pen out of several hundred that this has happened to. I will say that it was a different brand of CA and it was on a segmented pen where it is entirely possible that the woods expanded differently.
It was fine when I stored it right next to the rest of my pens after one show and was fractured like this when I opened up my display cases for the next show a few weeks later.
It was fine when I stored it right next to the rest of my pens after one show and was fractured like this when I opened up my display cases for the next show a few weeks later.
Here's another perspective for what it's worth ! From a visual perspective, the finish actually looks unique, similar to a deliberate crackle finish on woodworking projects. Granted this was obviously not what you had intended. But, if you capitalize on how it did turn out and view it as a positive feature, you actually have something quite unique. I'm not certain how its present condition will affect further damage from hapening or how the pen feels in action, but perhaps that can be remedied to preserve what you now have. Just sharing/sparking an idea outside the box !!!