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Burr blanks

Terry

Chairman Plonker
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Is it me or what but I find turning burr blanks slightly frustrating.
I turned a Thuya burr this morning to put on a Marksman Eagle fountain pen. I finished turning and sanded down to 6000 grit before putting on CA. I stopped the lathe to inspect the wood only to find a small piece had chipped off!!!!! This is not the first time this has happened with a burr and to then strip the barrels to put on a different blank.
Am I doing something wrong or do others have this problem?????:down::down::down:
 

turnaround360

Caracktycus Pots
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Mar 6, 2013
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soak the ends in thin ca turn down a bit then soak the blank then turn as normal checking as you go .Frankie :thinks:
 

clumsysod

GOBBY GIT
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Apr 7, 2013
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Grantham
I do same as Frankie, or maybe a bit more I tend to drench the whole thing in thin ca then leave it overnight.
Apply copious amounts while turning, letting it dry as I go.
Always worth the extra time and effort for a lovely burr.
I find it finishes easier too with plenty of ca hardened in the voids.
Keep a nice sharp skew all the time too is a big help.
I am sure the experts here will have their methods which may differ but this works for me.
 

Terry

Chairman Plonker
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An exile Geordie living in Kingston upon Hull
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Terry
I do same as Frankie, or maybe a bit more I tend to drench the whole thing in thin ca then leave it overnight.
Apply copious amounts while turning, letting it dry as I go.
Always worth the extra time and effort for a lovely burr.
I find it finishes easier too with plenty of ca hardened in the voids.
Keep a nice sharp skew all the time too is a big help.
I am sure the experts here will have their methods which may differ but this works for me.

Thanks George. It makes sense what you and Frankie have suggested and I am surprised that I never thought of something like this as I am sure I have seen suggestions posted like this before but maybe not on this forum!!! :thumbs:
 

Jim

Grand Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Posts
15,617
I have had the same in the past Terry, but i now refuse to use Thuya burr on pens without a good wall thickness. I use the skew once i have got it round sharpening regular. The thing i do that stops it chipping is come in from the edge of the blank and as it get towards the other edge i twist my wrist left with a slight lift with the elbow .. Try it, it works on all soft and porous blanks too ... :bwink:
 

Terry

Chairman Plonker
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Jan 31, 2013
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I have had the same in the past Terry, but i now refuse to use Thuya burr on pens without a good wall thickness.

That is a good point Jim but as you know the Marksman does have a good wall thickness. I have since done the Marksman in that olive wood that you gave me. Is the wood Spanish olive by any chance??? Photos to follow!!!
 

Walter

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By their nature burrs can be tricky to work with (especially grizzly burrs - sorry, hat, coat, goodnight).

I find with the more reluctant ones that a soaking with thin CA now and again as you get close to size helps prevent chipping and stabilises the blank. I have also been known to glue bits back on and fill holes with sawdust and CA. With care such repairs are invisible on the finished pen.
 

Penpal

Grand Master
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May 26, 2013
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Location
Canberra AUSTRALIA
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Peter
I tend to stay away from nasty Burls but when I find a particular burl that tends this way using various grits well before normal can eliminate this problem together with thin CA for the horrible ones.

Kind regards Peter.
 
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