Thread: Ooops!!!

Thats why its so important to get a good bond between the brass tube and tru stone. Thick CA or epoxy is a good medium to achieve it. Apply the glue to the blank, then coat as much of the tube before inserting it together. Sometime with the more expensive blanks, I put on gloves and coat the entire brass tube. The fingers get glue all over them, but the gloves keep them off.

I found that by coating both surfaces, blow out has been drastically reduced.

Also with the tru-stone, be careful of heat when sanding. The brass tubes get really hot and expands and cracks the blank. Or the blank get really hot and cracks as well, just like when your drilling the stuff.

Timberbits.

yep! definately the glueing as heat was not an issue I drilled right through the full blank with a 7mm drill and barely warmed it ,mind it was only going at 295 RPM hehe. But the gap between tube and drilled hole was a minimum of .010 ,and somehow I don't think I got enough ca to fill all the gaps properly,hence it started to flex when I started sanding, won't happen again though hehe, unless you start selling some of those stone blanks of yours ,the cost and shipping from the US is not viable for me at least, But I did prove what I set out to do, that the metal lathe makes light work of it lol.Never sharpened the tool once

What did you use to glue the blank onto the tube?

I will be getting the stones in soon. Within 4 weeks hopefully.

Timberbits.

I used medium CA , But obviously not enough . When I did the Black ebony with the same tube ,I went and got a 12mm drill bit,which was the same size as the tube , a slight clean out of the drilled hole meant that the fit was just a sliding fit used the same CA to glue it,but the support was much better the second time and of course added some more meat on the wall thickness . Cheers will see what you end up with in a few weeks re blanks.

See if you can get your hands on a bottle of CA in the Miter Fix box.

I now use that to glue all my tubes to the blanks. It is thick CA and hasn't let me down so far.

Good save John, it would have looked spectacular in solid Tru-stone though.

Make sure you wet sand and keep lots of water on the blank, If you have a coolant in the metal lathe use that as well when turning

Great save gawdelpus! Looks good!

Well lucky I took some pics, I am not going to see it again ! Got snapped up at my wifes work today, Homemade box still in the process hehe. I knew it looked better than the pic, I put up, I was mainly trying to show that all need not be lost when things go wrong
Sam I don't have a coolant supply on the lathe just ye olde squirt bottle ,but at 295 RPM and a few squirts now and then got no heating at all, was only three cuts to get the corners off the blank with the carbide tip tool. It turned a little strange a bit like delryn , and powdery , I think the waste would make good grinding paste hehe.

Good save John, in fact I can not really see the repair, your advice is well taken. the pen looks great and the the public has proved that correct. Amos

Amos ! you can't see a repair cause there was nothing left to repair, It was a complete substitute of material ,so the cap is truestone ,and the body is black ebony, turned out a good match up it seems

I don't think the quality of the pen has anything to do with it really, I just thing John's missus can sell ice to the Eskimo's :P

Russell.