Using carbon fiber blanks (from PSI)

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If they're anything like the circuit board kits, they're cast in clear resin, which is very brittle. I shattered my first one with the pen mill, and I haven't attempted my second one yet.
 
I have had bad luck (is that what we call lack of skill now? :biggrin:) with acrylics. What I ended doing is shaping with 80 or 100 wet sand paper to avoid heat build up.
 
bobjackson said:
Sharp tools, light cuts, do the ends first then the middle.
Click to expand...

Think Bobjackson said it best...

Why are you guys using a pen mill to square off the carbon fiber blank tubes? They are already in the blanks before cutting them to length. If you cut your blanks square, you shouldn't need to square off the tube.

I've turned a lot of PSI's carbon fiber blanks and they great. One thing I have found helpful is using a pipe reamer to clean out any burrs the my bandsaw blade might have left and to prevent possible cracking when pressing the pen parts.

One of my favorite styles using a carbon fiber blank is a Gun Metal polaris with Carbon Fiber. This was my best selling pen & style last year.

Good Luck!

Rick
 
I turn a lot of carbon fiber blanks for cigars, slimline, slimline pro, etc.. I don't have a band saw, so I roud out the corners on a belt sander. Then I put it on the mandrel and cut it round. After it is round I use a coping saw to cut the tubes to lenght, while it is turning at low speed on the lathe. I don't have a bandsaw. After the tube are cut to lenght, I square then with a sharp trimming cutter and deburr.
But as said earlier sharp tools light cuts.
 
RickLong said:
Why are you guys using a pen mill to square off the carbon fiber blank tubes? They are already in the blanks before cutting them to length. If you cut your blanks square, you shouldn't need to square off the tube.
Click to expand...

The circuit board blank was pretty close to the right length, only about 1/16 inch longer than the tube on each end. A pen mill is what I normally use to match the tube to the blank. That's what it's for, isn't it?

And I don't have a band saw- I use a hand saw and a miter box, it never comes out quite square enough.
 
I personally think PSI uses a different type of resin than polyresin. the reason i say that i because when i first started turning I bought one thinking it would look cool, but i noticed the same problems, you gotta cut the blanks to size, then trim them, and if you want it done right you should square the ends for a perfect fit to your pen components. It wasnt shortly thereafter that I learned about (CaptG)'s carbon fiber blanks that he sells through exoticblanks! Not only are they specific to the kits that you are making but he also barrel trims the ends so all you have to do is mount them on your pen mandrel and start turning! Its just as easy as that, and you have a super sweet looking carbon fiber that PSI's CF just cant touch.
this picture is PSI CF, yuck! (on the right)

This is CaptG's Carbon fiber! AWARD WINNING!!! (on the left)


You choose, this is just my opinion
 

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PSI carbon fiber blank

Just turned that very blank this week (on a Vertex). At $13 a crack I didn't want to screw it up so I took off the corners on my sander. Worked good. I'm really happy with the results. Didn't photograph too well or I'd share.

BTW, I don't want to hijack the thread, but I also did a glass fiber blank on a Clicker. Now THAT's the one with the "wow" factor. $2 cheaper blank, too.
 
I just cut it close to length on the bandsaw, then took it down a little ways with my pen mill...didn't have any major issues except the acrylic seemed to be really hard for the mill to cut away.

It's completely the opposite of how I felt once I started turning the thing...the acrylic felt super soft, softer than the acrylics I usually get from PSI. I had to switch to my tiny gouge to get any work done without sinking through the material too far and getting blow out areas.

It polished up really nice too...my pics aren't the best, but here's what I came up with. The kit is the new iPad stylus kit (Chrome) from PSI.

Edit: I touched up the pictures and cropped them after I uploaded them to Photobucket but before I posted them here...I guess their server takes a while to show the updated versions I made...they should resize and be clearer/brighter as soon as Photobucket's servers catch up :)

IMG_0186.jpg

IMG_0189.jpg

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I found out why the web site says they are not for twist pens/pencils. the 8mm tube seems to be thinner than standard tubes(the Designer NT pencil kit hardware (nib, trans, and end nut)from PSI were all loose in the tube) I would have dumped the whole mess but I had about $50 tied up in the pen and pencil so far and they are commisioned to be gifts for an engineering students graduation so i turned down the OD of the kits brass and pressed it into the PSI carbon fiber blank. So keep that in mind, I just need to learn to cast my own now.
 
I am looking for carbon fiber Vertex blanks, debating between exotic and PSI (just 'cuz I think I need things from PSI that Ed doesn't have), and I think I'll go with Exotics now. He has the metallic bronze that I need too. Good thread! I'm glad I did a search.
 
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