Thread: What a disaster!!!

All may not be lost. When I get a bushing stuck to a pen tube there are a few things I try. Firstly, leave it on the mandrel with the bushing hanging off the end. grip it well, and wriggle the bushing back and forth in every dimension. If you do it fairly sharply you can often break the glue bond and then gently wriggle it out. If that fails then take it off the mandrel. Grip the pen with one of those rubber mats that you use to open jars (you want good grip but to protect the finish if possible). Hold the bushing with a pair of vise grips and again try and snap/wriggle it back and forth. I have never failed to eventually get a glued bushing off a pen this way. As long as you let the epoxy dry well before you trimmed the ends and mounted the tube on the bushing it is much more likely that you have a bit of finish adhering the bushing to the pen.

Good Luck

Peter

I believe that epoxy loses it's bond under heat - once broke a casserole lid, glued it up with epoxy only to have it fall apart when next in the oven.

you might want to try a hair dryer or a heat gun for more heat. just don't return the heat gun to the bathroom

And another thing, I put the end of the bush into a vice and wiggle it this way and that and finally breaks loose, sometimes cleanly other times ----- Amos

If you clamp a close fitting bolt in the vice and mark the depth of the bush with a felt pen only insert the blank and bush that depth less a little into the bush end ie you should save bush and blank by breaking them apart or use a nut on the bolt to control the depth and try sparate by two handed break first.
Lotsa luck. Peter

I'd say your likely to mess up the finish there at the end anyway you go about it, but it should be fixable.

That said, often if you take hold of the pen body, and smack the bushing end down on a hard flat surface several times in a harsh/sharp manner, it will break the bond and come free. I sometimes use the end of the lathe bed, but if you do so do it somewhere you won't damage or dent, or rather won't care if you damage or dent. ie don't smack it down in the middle of you lathe bed and leave a dent.

You've just found out a common problem with the finishing process though.

Some people make spacer and do all sort of things, but what I've been doing lately is cutting thin strips of duct tape (1/8" or so wide), and wrapping it around the bushing so that it holds the pen blank out just a tad.

A couple of sharp raps on a hard timber surface of the bush usually frees it. If it is only one end then you can use a transfer punch / parallel pin punch and drive it out.

After this if necessary you can repair the finish

Thank you thank you thank you..... the blank couldnt be saved (its chipped at the bottom... but at least the bush is off (a bit scratched... but still usable). I tried all the above suggestions ... whacked it on the bench, then let rip with the hairdryer (the burns will eventually heal ) and then while hot... in the vice and twist .... and Eurecka.... the little sucker came off.

Whew... think I will try the other way of using the centre band bush. Push the tube through and cut the blank shorter.... has to be easier than the way I did it, which was to glue the tube and then turn the blank to to tube to fit the centre band. Hard to get a good fit to. Any tips would be welcome.

Anyway thank you everyone. (This forum is so helpful.)

Jenny

Here is the outcome. I still made up the kit... bit frivolous I know, but I just wanted to get an idea of the result. One is the side I hoped for.... the other is the carnage... you be the judge. Another pen to put by the phone..... not for public use.

Jenny

get one of those coloured wax sticks and plug it and nobody will ever know

looks good (except for the chip) what is the timber?

Jen, we could have recovered by filling with shavings and CA, or glitter and CA. Amos, Rest looks good, Amos

with the child back at school and now this

EEEIIIIIKKKKK not a parent who cusses teachers for school holidays!!!!!

JD (shaking the chalk dust off!!!!)

Glad you ended up with a result - as said, it's marvelous what some glue and bits can do to fill gaps and chips - or run off all the chip bit and add a band of another timber.

The timber is, I believe, called Meranti. It has a beautiful sheen to it. Great to work with as well. Now....Wax.... CA & glitter hmm need to learn more about these items.

Don't worry, Jen, it's all part of the process. Every pen I make gets a bushing stuck after 20 coats or super glue. I use the 'whack it on a hard surface' method myself. If that doesn't work, I ram a large screwdriver down the other end and try to break it free. They all come loose eventually.

Originally Posted by jenlwren

Here is the outcome. I still made up the kit... bit frivolous I know, but I just wanted to get an idea of the result. One is the side I hoped for.... the other is the carnage... you be the judge. Another pen to put by the phone..... not for public use.

Jenny

G'day Jenny,

I don't think it's frivolous to make up the pen. I do it too, and for the same reason I've got a dozen "phone" pens I keep in a take away container Just as examples for those interested.

btw. That's not a disaster, just a speed bump. See other threads on skews and closed end pens recently.