Newbie pen question

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kclark

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Joined
Jan 27, 2012
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4
Location
Kannapolis, NC
I am new to turning not just pen turning. So far I love it. I have to get a handle on the light touch. But my question is I got the bottle of CA that has a very quick set. Need to get a longer set time, but anyway I have one pen where the barrell is sticking out. Is there a way to fix it or is it trash?
 
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you could try soaking the blank and tube in a jar with acetone, maybe it will disalove (spelling) the CA.

Be forwarned if you try this with an acrylic blank the blank will end up as a bunch if little peices in the bottom of the jar.
 
I use medium ca and have time to place the tube, then I spray with a setting agent in boh ends of the blank. Basically cut the blank from one end and re-glue it on the other end. Welcome to the forum from northern Ohio.
 
kclark said:
I am new to turning not just pen turning. So far I love it. I have to get a handle on the light touch. But my question is I got the bottle of CA that has a very quick set. Need to get a longer set time, but anyway I have one pen where the barrell is sticking out. Is there a way to fix it or is it trash?
Click to expand...


in many cases, you can cut it off and insert it (the cutoff) from the other end, making the tube the original length.

IF the length is critical, as it is in SOME pen designs, this takes some time and measuring---for most pen designs, it works without much fuss.
 
If there's any moisture in the wood, or it's a really tight fit, using even thick CA is a dodgy proposition. I've had a few tubes get stuck that way. If it's a valuable blank, try drilling it out with the same bit you originally used. You'll need a replacement tube for this though. It's always good to have a few extra tubes around anyways, you can get extra tubes for most kits.

This is why I usually use Gorilla glue for most wood blanks now. I think it holds on wood better anyways. I'll use either CA or Epoxy on acrylic blanks. Gorilla glue doesn't stick very well on acrylic, I've had a couple spin out on me.
 
The kit is a slimline on a wood blank. I will try the acetone and if that doesn't work I will cut it off and insert on the other end.
 
what is the wood and do you have something that would look nice next to it? You could add a piece of wood to the end. We had to do this today with a new penmaker I was teaching. She ran out of time to place the tube into the Bloodwood blank and the was a 3/8" length of tubing sticking out. We took a short piece of ebony (5/8") drilled it and squared both glue areas and glued it on. On her slimline she had a Xlg Ebony centerband.
It was a cool custom adaptation (although accidental).
 
with slimmies you have about a 3\8 of a inch on the upper barrel side before the ink cartridge hits the clip cap. if the tube is not sticking up more than a 1\4, i say trim the tube and go ahead and turn it.
 
If you want PM me your address and I'll mail you a new blank and set of tubes. You can then use the stuck one as "practice"
 
This is the pen my student made after the CA set before she was expecting it to. Let me know if you are interested in salvaging your pen this way.
 

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Slower CA

You can get some slower curing CA from Monty, I use the 700 it gives you something like 45 seconds. look in the Vendor Catalog on this forum for "Woden Wonders". They have what you need.
 
I agree with GoatRider-- I do not use CA to glue tubes into blanks. Some wood resins actually act as an accelerator and as a result, the glue dries before the entire tube is inserted. I use Sumo instead of Gorilla Glue, as Sumo foams less. I have no problems using Sumo on wood blanks. For acrylic, epoxy is the preferred glue there.
 
While you have been getting lots of ideas and suggestions, some are not exactly the most accurate information. I would search the forum for threads concerning the trouble you are having.(There will be MANY) Evaluate the info you find and proceed from there. My off er is still there to send you a replacement if you want.
 
Forgiving

Slimlines (especially the cap end) are very forgiving on bbl length, you can probably just shorten the blank and use it for the cap/clip bbl on the pen.
 
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