Weekend pens Plus I need some help with this

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alxe24

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palmdale, ca.
Thanks for reading it. It is long.
What do you think about this:
A) How did the crack happend. I think I might know the answer to this one. [xx(][xx(][xx(]
B) What happend to my beatifull finish? :(:(:(


The crack is on the upper portion of the lower barrel
200725113356_Havana-Ball-01.jpg





200725115025_Havana-03.jpg



200725113420_Havana-Ball-02.jpg






20072511394_Segmented.jpg



200725113813_Quilted-.jpg



This is the left overs of a cutting board i made for X mas.
200725113710_Glued-Slim.jpg



I bought the havana kit several months ago and I was waiting for the
right time to make it. Recently I came across a piece of 2"x2"x12" of
Gmelia burl and milled it to get 8 pen blanks. I Waited for about 2
weeks for the wood to stabilize a bit (should have waited longer I
guess) after 2 weeks I cut, drilled and glued the tubes one blank,
waited for 2 more days to make sure the wood did not do anything
funny and yesterday I trimmed and turned the pen. Along the mistakes
and problems on the making of this pen I Cut the tenon for the ring
on the wrong side of the barrel notice the segment of Ebony on the
upper barrel (I like the look of the recovery)While turning I noticed
a crack and I filled it with bronze powder. Then finished the pen
with 6 coats CA/BLO cleaned with DA 2 or 3 times before the micro
mesh to 12000. By then the pen looked awesome. Then took the pen to
the buffer and did a very light white diamond (I could not see any
improvements) by then the blanks looked like crystal. Finally I
assemble the whole thing. After a while I noticed a new crack on the
lower barrel, then for whatever the reason after some light handling
it developed some dull spots here and there. I can swear that was not
part of the finish they just appeared.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Regards,
Alex
 
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mrcook4570

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It sounds like the wood was not dry. As wood dries, it will move. Gluing in the tube will restrict wood movement and create stress which will lead to cracks. Moisture is also the most likely the cause of the dull spots in the finish.
 

Ron Mc

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Feb 2, 2005
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Alex,
Your pens look great. Nice segment work.
As far as it cracking I agree with Stan. It sounds like you needed to "sit on" the wood for as lot more than 2 weeks for it to dry. As an example I have some Burls that I have had on a shelf for over a year now and hope to play with them this spring.
I would take the rest of the blanks you cut and anchor seal them and then put them on a shelf for a few months or longer.
 

airrat

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May 17, 2005
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chandler, az, USA.
Do you have a moisture reader? You can also try the drying in the microwave method.

I have some issues this last week with finishes. They are taking longer but I feel it is due to the climate changes we're having vs the wood being wet. (its been in my garage for about 1 1/2 years)
 

chitswood

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Mar 28, 2006
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St peters - by St Louis, MO, USA.
Drying wood in the microwave has worked several times for me, but you have to be careful of what wood you're using, some woods dry best by boiling, and its usually the softer ones.

I've never heard of Gmelia burl, does it have another name?
 
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