Trustone cracking when pressing parts

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dudstuen

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Feb 9, 2013
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Morris,ILL.
I'm sure this has been discussed but can't find a thread on it. I'm having problem pressing blood jasper trustone on Majest. Jr. without it cracking. I have reamed ends, pressed slow and as gentle as possible, but still have problem. I have done other trustone in past with no problems, I'm at a lost, is it me or the trustone weak? I'm turning my third blank now. I Thank everyone in advance for any help,advice, etc. Dave
 
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I have never had that problem with tru-stone however, I did have a lot of problems with cracking on CA and acrylics a little while ago and discovered that there was CA or other glue/polishing compound building up on the inside of the tube and this decreased the inside diameter fractionally, but enough to create more pressure and crack the CA or acrylic. I have since taken to using a fine round file and running it inside the tube and wiping it out before I press the parts.

Also, make sure the parts are perfectly lined up and not slightly askew, as this will crack it every time. It's easily done too!
 
That is an expensive problem. When I turn some expensive and/or brittle materials, I sand the inside of the brass tube unlit the pen parts can just slide in. Then I put a bit of blue Locktite on the brass and assemble the pen. After securing the parts, I use a q-tip to wipe off the extra Locktite inside the tube. Be sure to clean up any drips - you don't want a stray drip sealing your centerband threads together.

My Harbor Freight rotary tool was worth the $8, so I now use a transfer punch with Abranet taped to the end in a Jacobs chuck in the headstock to sand the inside of the brass tubes:

rps20140313_131020_795.jpg
 
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Yes, I've had the same issue. Lost an absolutely gorgeous White Horse Jasper TS on a PSI magnetic Graduate that way. And one or 2 others. I think the mag Grad kit was the issue, though. Had the same prob on a couple other of the same kits.

So when I do TS, I try to remember to ream the inside of the tube first to remove any residual burr or epoxy. After that I do a hand press fit as a test. If it still looks excessively tight, I wrap 220 around a transfer punch and sand until it almost fits. If it winds up too loose, I put a wee bit of CA in the tube before pressing it home. Gotta be careful with that step - no 2nd chances.
 
All the ideas listed above help. Another to try is Pre-stressing the tubes. Prior to gluing on the blank, assemble the part to the tube ans then dis-assemble it. This is very time consuming and I think a real pain. But, when you consider the cost of the Tru-Stone and the cost of the kit, it is a small price of insurance. Did you get the Tru-Stone blanks from me? Make sure you are turning only PLIABLE Tru-Stone and not the REGULAR Tru-Stone. There is a real difference. The main one being the Regular Tru-Stone is more brittle then the Pliable.
 
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Is there a specific part that causes it to crack? I refinished a Cocobola Sedona cap 3 or 4 time before I discovered the center band rings were wider then the center-band. The rings acted like a shear before the center band bottomed out on the tube.
 
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WHY did I not read this thread sooner.

I JUST cracked a trustone green malachite tonight. I will attempt a redo in the morning using these suggestions.
 
After sanding the brass tube. Don't forget to deburr the inner edge of the brass,then use a Cotton Ear Bud to smear on some Vaseline-white petroleum jelly,If a kit and blank costs over 60/80 dollars pre fitting the brass is not that hard and is piece of mind knowing the pen won't be returned with cracked ends. when you pre fit a tube you must be able to turn between centers ie live center/dead center, because the bushing will be loose after stretching the brass, if not just ream the brass with 240 grt. i think it's stupid how tight fitting some of these kit parts are.
 
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