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Question on this pens finish

Freck Fraser

Freck Fraser

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Hi folks,
hopefully you will be able to help here, this is my latest pen but the black acrylic at the tip has a sheen to half of it, hard to show in the pictures but the camera flash showed it up best. 1 half is jet black and the other has a crazing to it, is it the "iridescence" coming thru??? I sanded it back and started again but it's still there.



 
Walter

Walter

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Is it just possible, given that the acrylic is at the thinnest point of the pen, that pressing the nib unit into place has put pressure on the tube and caused the material to fracture internally which is manifesting itself as the crazing you describe?
 
Freck Fraser

Freck Fraser

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Walter said:
Is it just possible, given that the acrylic is at the thinnest point of the pen, that pressing the nib unit into place has put pressure on the tube and caused the material to fracture internally which is manifesting itself as the crazing you describe?
Click to expand...

The crazing was there before assembly Walter, i cut it back and tried again while still on the lathe, but as you say it certainly looks like pressure may have caused it, wonder what I've done wrong and what stage.
 
Penpal

Penpal

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In regard to penmaking I have always felt that the shaping adopted by Bill was wise as, it gives more body to a pen at the nib where so many come to grief.

Peter.
 
Penpal

Penpal

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Freck Fraser said:
Hi folks,
hopefully you will be able to help here, this is my latest pen but the black acrylic at the tip has a sheen to half of it, hard to show in the pictures but the camera flash showed it up best. 1 half is jet black and the other has a crazing to it, is it the "iridescence" coming thru??? I sanded it back and started again but it's still there.



Click to expand...

The maker of the blank (highly respected) could maybe help you with this question.

Peter.
 
Bammer

Bammer

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Do you think it was not as jet black as your first thought, maybe another colour that wasn't fully mixed in

still looks good
 
Freck Fraser

Freck Fraser

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Jul 31, 2016
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Nairn
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Freck
After emailing George at "From the Tree" he suggested heat or pressure during assembly the culprit, assembly has been ruled out as it was noticed before then so I think it was heat. I had the rpms a bit high at 1400 instead of my usual 8-900 for the first 2 seconds of buffing and never noticed the crazing immediately so I am thinking this was the cause. Another lesson learnt.
 
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