• Thanks for visiting The Penturners Forum today.

    There are many features and resources that currently you are unable to see or access, either because you're not yet registered, or if you're already registered, because you're not logged in.

    To gain full access to the forum, please log in or register now. Registration is completely free, it only takes a few seconds, and you can join our well established community of like-minded pen makers.

Bad CA Finish

Jim

Grand Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Posts
15,617
Last Saturday i made a Burr Elm slimline pen for a lad at work, i used a CA finish, 2 coats of thin and somewhere between 14 and 18 medium. The pen was left until Sunday where i micro meshed and polished it, left it a few hours before i started to put it together. I had used my own center band on the pen made from Blackwood as i normally do ...

The pen press was left in the lower barrel position so i put this together first with no issues .. But when i came to press the clip in to the top barrel i noticed that the CA around the center band had been pushed back, i had only got the clip just over half way in, imagine my words at this time .... Arghhhhhhhhhh wtf (Censored) .... :vangry::vangry:

Now that the barrel was no good i finished pushing the clip all the way in which pushed CA even further back leaving a milky colour around the bottom of the center band. Now this is the first time that this has ever happened to me, so not really 100% sure what went wrong other than thinking that some CA had got onto the rim of the band :nooidea:

I have the pen still in the shed so i will add a picture later, has this happened to you???
 

Jimjam66

Chief Battonager
Registered
Joined
Jan 27, 2013
Posts
3,775
Location
Basingstoke, Hampshire
A pic would help, Jim. My guess based on the description is that CA got inside e tube so when you pushed the clip in it expanded the tube too far, the CA crazed as it cracked ...
 

bdar

Apprentice Member
Joined
May 30, 2013
Posts
7
Hi Jim,

I have had similar problem a few years back. Sometimes it my be a small amount of CA on the end of the barrel or it may have been a bit out of square when the clip was pressed in. Once I have applied the CA and before I sand it. I use an exacto knife or a very sharp 1/4" skew to trim the CA from the end of the barrel. After that I get a bit of 400 grit wet and dry and lightly sand the edge to put a chamfer on each end of the barrel.Then i finish the sanding process. I have turned 2 bushes out of timber that is larger than the finished diameter of the slimline with a 1/4" spigot to fit into the slimline tube, this way the spigot supports the barrel and the bush will distribute an even pressure. I haven't had a problem since
 

Walter

Moderator
Fellow
Joined
Apr 22, 2013
Posts
2,697
Location
Amble on the sunny Northumberland coast.
First Name
Walter
I always apply CA between centres that way none can get onto the bushings as there are none. No CA on bushings = no lifting at the edges.

If you didn't use bushings then I don't know what might have caused poor adhesion.

Walter
 
Warning! This thread has not had any replies for over a year. You are welcome to post a reply here, but it might be better to start a new thread (and maybe include a link to this one if you need to).
Top