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Mistral ball pen

alpha1

alpha1

Fellow
Joined
Mar 29, 2018
Posts
1,179
Location
middlesbrough
First Name
Dave
I turned a blank for a mistral ball pen. It was like turning glass every time I touched it it was a nightmare.
I could not get the cut blank to glue to the brass tube. I made the pen but you can rotate the body and the top of the pen by hand. I have used loads of glue but to no avail. I am stumped I have never had this before.
It looks like it will go in the scrap no way can I sell it.
 
Penpal

Penpal

Grand Master
Joined
May 26, 2013
Posts
25,342
Location
Canberra AUSTRALIA
First Name
Peter
These days I cull heavily,gave away a thousand another many hundreds soon promised to a mate 400 miles away,I plan to drive to his when Cofid is lifted. All of them pen capable. Life is happier not retrieving bits shattered etc,if I am truthful in the middle of the marathon turning a Mammoth tooth the silica bands (pure glass) were ever so confronting and mercyless. Six hours on the lathe. Is it worth it ,yes this time but bI choose to pitch anything rubbish.

Peter.
 
F

Frederick

Registered
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Apr 8, 2018
Posts
871
Location
Chatham
First Name
Frederick
What glue are you using? CA has a shelf life and, believe it or not, it's not that long. Keeping it cold increases longevity. I would imagine that you cleaned the tub with alcohol before use. Could be some sort of contamination.....just my thoughts....

Good luck with it

Frederick
 
Dalboy

Dalboy

Executive Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2014
Posts
7,681
Location
Kent
First Name
Derek
Something else if the hole through the blank is not a nice fit to the tube and you use something like CA then it may not have glued properly as you know CA is not ideal for something with a wider gap than usual. When I make pens I use epoxy or polyurethane glue.
 
Pierre

Pierre

Graduate Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Posts
999
Location
Southern Central France
First Name
Pierre
The problem is that if you have glued it once then you are unlikely to get a good glue bond the second time. I would run the drill bit through again and hope that it removes most of the old glue. Then I would sand the inside with a rolled up piece of 60 grit to make a keyway for the new glue and if you are using the original tubes I would give them a good sanding to remove all foreign bits. Finally I would use gorilla glue since it expands better and thus provides a tighter bond.

Just a point for all who may be unaware, when the tubes (that is all tubes) are extruded, they use an oil to allow the extrusion to pass though the die sets more easily, so when you sand them, you are not only making a set of grooves for the glue to stick into but you are also removing a very thin layer of oil which can stop the glue from bonding. Here is the process if you are interested. Brass pipe extrusion production line machinery from brass ingot to brass pipe - YouTube
 
alpha1

alpha1

Fellow
Joined
Mar 29, 2018
Posts
1,179
Location
middlesbrough
First Name
Dave
I fixed it I used gorilla glue and let it sit for a couple of hours.
Thanks, guys
I am keen to try the gorilla glue with some of my kits and see how they turn out.
 
flexi

flexi

Executive Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2014
Posts
6,198
Location
Maidstone
First Name
mark
I use the Gorilla PU glue for all my blanks..... I mostly let it set overnight and I have not had a failure yet..... I have turned a couple same day but took it easy and cut all the corners off first:thumbs::thumbs:
 
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