>Had my first real pen disaster today. I was applying friction polish to a pen out of lacewood. It looked real nice. Then the wood on one barrel just came apart. After close examination of the remains I suspect the glue failed. I know this is a critical step but is this a point that others have had failures? I am using the CA that came with the starter kit I ordered. What I have been doing is to put a line of CA along the length of the brass barrels, twisting and inserting them into the wood barrels. Is there a standard way of applying the glue or was this just one of those things?
Another question- The slimline pens are to small for my taste and use. The Americana and European style pens are larger in diameter. Does this just mean the wood is thicker or are the brass barrels also larger? thanks again for all your help.
>First of all, apply more glue. One line isn't enough. Yes, the Euro pens use the same 7mm tubes, but there's more wood left on it after turning. However, consider experimenting with the Slimline pens. Turn a larger diameter center band from some contrasting wood or plastic. Then you can make the slimline pen thick towards the middle and afford you more design opportunities.
First the hole drilled must be a very close fit to the metal tube. I generally drill a bit undersize and use a rasp to enlarge the hole so the tube just slips in. Gotta be careful not to bell mouth the blank though. Then I spread ca around the diameter of the hole by placing the tip as far as it will go into each end and apply a sprial of glue as I withdraw the tube. Then take a q-tip and use it to spread the ca evenly throughtout the blank's interior. Slip the tube into the blank in a continous motion stopping only after the tube end is recessed in the end of the blank. If you stop it is likely that the tube will not move again. So far I have not had a failure like yours but have only done a few lacewood pens. I hope my description is clear enought for you to follow it. Good luck.
I think you're not using near enough glue, and you're putting it on the wrong part. Instead of putting it on the tube, put it inside the barrel. Put enough in, watching down into the tube, and rotate the tube until you get coverage all the way down the barrel, nearly covering every bit inside. Then partly insert the barrel, run small bead on the tube, and rotate the barrel while slowly inserting the tube.
Also, be sure you sand the tubes before using them, as that gives better gripping power as well.
As far as the slimline, it's probably the most versatile kit available. I don't care at all for the straight look on the slim. However, there are numerous profiles you can use, making beads, coves, slow convex curves, etc. If you want some really fancy profiles, check out Ed Davidson's pens.
>CA is too quick and too thin for my tastes, and it does not fill gaps when needed. After messing up too much with CA, I have gone to 2 part epoxy for everything. If I am gluing up just a few pens, I use 5 minute epoxy. If I am gluing up larger numbers, I go to 20 minute epoxy so I don't have to keep mixing small batches. The 5 minute stuff will start to set up after 7-8 pens (less if I'm slow).
Unlike most CA, the epoxy is gap filling, which is good for counteracting the little bit of wobble in my drill press, and is flexible and shock-resistant. It also does not dry up in the nozzle like CA, making it, I think, cheaper than CA.
I buy it cheap, usually brand names, from Big Lots, K-Mart, etc.
>.. anymore!! I use 2 part epoxy too. I apply the epoxy to about 1/3 of the tube and insert from one end to coat the inside of the barrel. Then I put the uncoated part of the tube in a homemade insertion tool, and coat the whole tube. The I insert the tube from the other end of the barrel with a twisting motion. A 1/4" stainless steel rod or piece of bolt can be used as the insertion tool. The glue does not seem to stick to polished SS. I taper one end a little. I use popsicle sticks (craft sticks) to apply the glue.
The hole cannot be too tight. I use the 7 mm drill for slimlines. The tube must slide freely in the barrel but not too lose. The epoxy will fill the gap. Don't forget to use some sandpaper on the tube to rough it.
I use an old size D drill bit with a handle to clean the tube from any stray glue when dry. It seems to be the same diameter as the inside of the tube.
>Are you sanding the brass tubes before gluing them into the wood?? This is important, regardless of what glue is used. There is a coat of oxidation on the brass and usually a very thin film of oil that the sanding will remove. The rougher surface will also give the glue something to grip.
There are four versions of the Slimline on my Website.
>Thanks for the info, but I've never had a glue failure on pens yet (Jim Reasoner was the one). I generally use polyurethane glue, so even if the tube is loose, the glue takes up the slack. I just slather it on, press it in, and wipe off the squeeze out. Occasionally, the expansion effect of the glue will force the tube out of the hole, but that's why I glue up 50+ blanks at a time. The "failures" become key rings ;)
