Disasters

[alpha1]

I have made quite a few pens now I was asked to make ten for the Company I work for to distribute to customers so I had time to get some practice in. I bought a couple of rollerball kits and matching fountain pen kits to make I left them in a draw until I got the ten out of the way with the intention of turning them when I had time on my hands.

I bought two wood blanks for one set and two blanks of unknown material to make up the two pen sets. The wood blanks were a disaster. The cap was OK but the body of the pen developed a split in the wood.
The second set of wood blanks a hole appeared in the nib end through to the brass and the cap chipped. So two blanks and no pen.
I moved onto the second set of blanks I don't know what they were made of but they shattered like bars of rock. One when cutting to length and the other while on the mandrel. So an expensive week end up to now.
This is a picture of one of the wood blanks. The other one developed a hole through to the brass while sanding.

 

[Paul hd]

Fill the crack and hole with the dust from turning and ca.

 

[fortress]

Oh! Dave that’s so unlucky and so disappointing, but you are not alone. keep yearning keep turning.

 

[Phil Dart]

Beautiful wood Dave - I hope you can rescue the disasters. Have you managed to identify why the pRoblems have occurred?

 

[Cumbrian Craig]

A bit of bad luck. Do as Paul suggested. I had a similar problem when I used black palm. Bill Mooney, gave me a few tips and one was to use the dust and CA. It’s surprising what can be rescued. Best of luck.

Regards

Craig

 

[alpha1]

Unfortunately I have cleaned up the lathe and work area so the turnings etc have gone in the bin.

 

[Paul hd]

Unfortunately I have cleaned up the lathe and work area so the turnings etc have gone in the bin.

You don't need to use the dust from the original turning. You could turn another bit of wood and collect. You could run your finger along a shelf and pick up some sawdust.

I only say this because that wood looks really nice.

 

[Dalboy]

You don't need to use the dust from the original turning. You could turn another bit of wood and collect. You could run your finger along a shelf and pick up some sawdust.

I only say this because that wood looks really nice.

Another solution for wood dust is to do as I have done. When making a project and I sand a lot of the same wood I collect this and keep it with a label in a mustard jar. I now have a collection of fine sawdust of different colours to use at a later date.

 

[alpha1]

Thanks for the tips.

 

[xjr1300]

What glue do you use for the tubes? I use gorilla glue and find it holds it all together that much better.

Pat

 

[Gregory Hardy]

Derek - I thought I was the only one with a case of OCD that forces me to bag and label sanding dust! (They are arranged in a drawer in alphabetical order, of course.)

I also use gorilla glue (as Pat notes above) and have had far fewer "explosions." Because it expands, any interior voids get glue coverage too.

Beautiful blanks, Dave, and the turning looks great. I hope you hung on to the ones that gave you trouble and can salvage something. I have spent many hours (collectively) on my hands and knees in the shop looking for the "shrapnel" of a burl pen blank that exploded. Reconstruct right on the lathe with CA, dust and the found pieces. Stay the course and buy some knee pads!

 

[wm460]

A real bugger, beaut blanks. I only use epoxy to glue my blanks in.

 

[Penpal]

I tend to dice problems. In the event I keep a container alongside the lathe and time turnings in there just in case I want to fill a minor problem. One on top of another to be sure to be sure.

Peter.

 

[Bill Mooney]

If you have an off cut of the blank sand it on your disc sander without extraction & use the dust that’s left on the sander table. Good luck.

 

[Les ELm]

Sanding dust and Med CA.

Les