Threading ebonite and wood

[Carl Fisher]

So for those threading wood bodies to accept ebonite or acrylic front sections, how are you getting the wood to take and keep the threads?

Flood with CA and then thread that? Tap and then reinforce somehow? Courser threads than a typical 9x.75 tap maybe?

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[RichF]

Carl,

When I am incorporating wood into a component-less pen design, I normally will turn a coupler/sleeve that accepts the front section. This sleeve is glued inside the wood body just like you would do with a brass tube. This provides an easy to thread option and provides added support for the wood.

Rich

 

[Carl Fisher]

Hadn't thought of that route. awesome and thanks!

 

[mredburn]

Depends on the wood and the wall thickness. I tapped several roller ball pens with m12x.75 and m8x.75 threads. If you have a more open grained wood tap it and then put a couple of light coats of thin ca on them, then re tap them. You dont want the ca build up to get so thick that it forces the tap to destroy your threads by forcing the tap askew. You can do this a couple of times until your happy with it or it quits absorbing the ca. Coarser threads are not always the best answer as there is more force on the wood as the larger pitch cuts deeper and wider. Drill and tap your threads in the wood before you shape that area or cut it down. This will help it keep from splitting.

 

[Bruce markwardt]

I've been able to thread cocobolo, although I haven't yet incorporated the wood into a pen. (May be my next project!) I suspect there are other hard, dense woods (blackwood?) that could be threaded.

 

[soligen]

I do somilar to Rich, but do more than a coupler. I drill out the wood to a little fatter and longer than what I would need and epoxy in a full length insert, usually of black alumilite. I step drill so that the area to be threaded is fatter than the full length, but can still taper down the ends without turning through the wood (yes, I have turned throug the wood a few times - planning pays). I drill a small hole through the length of the alumilite insert to let air escape when gluing it in. After this you can make it just like any other kitless, except you need to do a finish.

Same routine for the cap

The advantage to the full lenght insert is that you have strength for segmentations or softer woods.

I have also used thick walled aluminum tubing (K&S) once and tapped the tubing. Worked fine, but I perfer the plastic on plastic threads - especially for the cap, so I didn't continue this route.

PS

The air hole is important. I have had the air pressure blow out a segmented blank when pressing it home.

 

[Brumar72]

So for those threading wood bodies to accept ebonite or acrylic front sections, how are you getting the wood to take and keep the threads?

Flood with CA and then thread that? Tap and then reinforce somehow? Courser threads than a typical 9x.75 tap maybe?

Inquiring minds want to know.

I personally always sleeve wood with acrylic or ebonite as Rich described in his post. I only thread wood when it's hardwood when applying finials.

 

[dogcatcher]

When tapping wood, I drill, the soak with thin CA glue, let it dry overnight. Then run the tap for the threads. Then I again drizzle thin CA glue on the threads, let it dry overnight, and run the tap a second time. No real need to let it dry overnight, but the CA has to have been cured or the tap may be glued in place.

But I prefer to use an acrylic insert inside of the wood. Stronger and the threads will tale the abuse better that some people will do to the joint. I sleeve the wood like it was a brass tube. I tried aluminum and brass rod, but the weight did not feel right.