Shopsmith Forums

I have recently fired up my 1955 SS, and after rehab on the headstock that setup seems to be fine. My questions are in regards to pen making.

1) I drill the holes through the blanks and rough up the brass tubes with sandpaper, and apply CA glue to the bore of the blanks. Then I slide the tubes in and bottom out on the near end. Then when I ream out with the facing tool, sometimes the tubes seize onto the reamer part and come out of the wood.

I have had this happen more than a couple of times and I am beginning to wonder what I am doing wrong. Perhaps the run-out on the drill press (quill) is too great and I am ending up over-sized on the bore too much for the CA glue to hold firmly. But sometimes it works fine. Any tips would be helpful, because the removal of the brass tubes from the reamer is a pain in the a$$ and kills the progress of the projects.

MG
Pt the glue on the tube (liberally). When inserting the tube rotate it to spread the glue evenly. Bill V

mgdesigns wrote:I have recently fired up my 1955 SS, and after rehab on the headstock that setup seems to be fine. My questions are in regards to pen making.

1) I drill the holes through the blanks and rough up the brass tubes with sandpaper, and apply CA glue to the bore of the blanks. Then I slide the tubes in and bottom out on the near end. Then when I ream out with the facing tool, sometimes the tubes seize onto the reamer part and come out of the wood.

I have had this happen more than a couple of times and I am beginning to wonder what I am doing wrong. Perhaps the run-out on the drill press (quill) is too great and I am ending up over-sized on the bore too much for the CA glue to hold firmly. But sometimes it works fine. Any tips would be helpful, because the removal of the brass tubes from the reamer is a pain in the a$$ and kills the progress of the projects.

Your comments raise a couple of questions. First are you using sandpaper or emery cloth to rough up the tubes? Secondly are you using the reamer slowly and gently and at a slow speed? Thirdly are you allowing the prescribed time plus at least an hour prior to reaming? Finally which CA glue product, including consistency are you using? How long has the CA glue been on your shelf? Please do not take offense at my questions. I am simply attempting to review the process with you in order to assist you in determining a workable set of solutions. Another tip that made a difference for me is using drill bits for drilling blanks purchased from the same vendor I purchase the pen kits from. That may seem silly yet I have found differing tolerances from different vendors. Good luck once you solve these issues pen turning will be great fun. fjimp

I now use Gorilla Glue. It swells to attach to voids. It drys much slower so I don't have to worry about fingers sticking together. I do let it dry overnight, to give a firm set. JMHO

kalynzoo wrote:I now use Gorilla Glue. It swells to attach to voids. It drys much slower so I don't have to worry about fingers sticking together. I do let it dry overnight, to give a firm set. JMHO

I tried Gorilla Glue one time only. I fully realize that what works for one person may not for someone else. Gorilla glue seemed to work very well until I needed to disassemble a pen. Then both tubes fell out. Yeah I know a good pen turner would never need to disassemble a pen. I guess that places me in the not so great category. I switched back to a CA glue suggested by Penn State for gluing pen blanks. I have never again had another problem. I will admit I am in the process of evaluating some other options. fjimp

I have been applying the glue liberally to both ends of the blanks, and my fingers of course. And I usually wait about an hour after pressing the tube in to begin the the reaming/facing; sometimes much more (a week or 2), and I have had the CA (Titebond medium viscosity) stick so well that the glue seizes before I get the tube fully inserted, and there is no getting it out. The drill and the reamer are both from Woodcraft, and made by the same manufacturer (Weebie China Drill Co, Inc., no doubt). A few of the pens were very easy to do and complete quickly (such is the lure of success) - then some are miserable time chokers. I am just looking for something to blame my inadequate skills on, other that my inadequate skills, naturally.

I've used polyurathane glue exclusively on pens for about 15 years now and not had any problems. I submerge the brass tubes in a dish of water before putting two beads of glue on opposite sides of a tube and then insert the tube into the wood blank. When inserting the tube, you need to rotate the tube, as well as push and pull it, to ensure that you get a good spread of the glue on the brass tube and the inside of the hole in the wood blank. The small amount of moisture remaining on the tubes helps the polyurathane glue cure. I let them cure overnight before turning. You need a relatively close joint or fit between the tubes and the wood blank. Wear rubber gloves to keep the polyurathane from staining your hands.

[quote="mgdesigns"]I have been applying the glue liberally to both ends of the blanks, and my fingers of course. And I usually wait about an hour after pressing the tube in to begin the the reaming/facing]

I make it a practice to use Nitrile Powder Free Gloves (we buy them by the box) I know some folks enjoy trying to get glue off their fingers. I am plagued by a skin problem and avoid the stuff. I also use a worn out center punch that I have ground with a point to hold the brass tube in place while I remove the insertion tool. This makes for a cleaner removal of the insertion tool. Regarding liberal gluing of the ends of tubes; it is my humble opinion that glue spread the entire length of the tube works better and that the glue on the ends seems to end up inside the tubes and creates issues with Mandrels and pen parts becoming stuck where I don't want them. That glue also tends to dull the reamer. The boss is fussing that it's time to go to work thus the soap box is to be returned to the darkest corner of the closet. Fjimp

MGDesigns, I'll throw my 2-cents in here with the following caveat. There are probably as many methods to turn pens as there are pen turners. No one way is absolutely right/wrong, but there are some things that tend to work better than others.

When I started out, I experienced some of the same things you commented on, blanks coming loose from the tubes, sometimes at the most in-opportune times (while turning). I've found out that making sure the tube is clean (no fingerprints, oil, etc...) and the outer surface is roughed up well helps allot, as well as making sure that when you drill your holes they don't wobble or get over-sized. One thing I've found that helps, if you want to take the extra time, I've chucked the blank tubes up in the pen mandrel and spun them on the ShopSmith on a very low speed, and used a piece of 200 sandpaper on the outside of the tube to rough it up, That works real well if you want to take the extra time, just make sure that you keep the sandpaper moving so you don't get concentric rings, it works better if the scratches in the tube are on an angle, more like knurling.

I've used both CA glue and Gorilla glue for gluing the tubes in. If you use the CA glue, be sure to use the thick (or gap-filling) type, not the thin one, and apply it liberally, voids in the joint are NOT your friend. I've been using more Gorilla glue lately, and have had good results with it as well. The only drawback to Gorilla glue is waiting 24-hours after gluing the tubes in before being able to trim the ends and turn the pen, but I DO like the idea of the glue expanding during curing and KNOWING that all your gaps and voids are filled.

I've also had a couple cases when I first started out where I would "spin" a tube in the blank when trying to trim the end. Found it occurred on one diameter only, and I took some fine emery paper and dressed down the center shaft of the trimmer SLIGHTLY to allow it to spin inside the tube easier and that solved that issue immediately.

I have only used a 5 min epoxy and never a problem. I do let it dry overnight.