Segmenting

[Brian]

Hopefully someone can advise me?
I’ve been attempting to do Celtic knots and some segmented pen blanks using an old coke can and an old plastic credit card. (Individually)
My problem seems to occur during drilling the blank, they just seem to explode at the joint, no matter how gentle I’m drilling. I’m using a two pack resin type of glue and I’ve tried CA.
The only success I’ve achieved is the credit card Celtic knot.
On searching the internet, I was reading an article concerning these things and this person recommended an ‘oily type glue’? I believe the article was from the USA.
Could anybody perhaps point me in the direction of oily glue please?

 

[alan morrison]

Aluminium and plastic will come adrift especially if you use a brad point drill bit.
I would recommend that you use timber or layered veneers to fill the kerf initially.
No need to get oily glue if you already are using epoxy.
There are a lot of youtube videos on constructing 'Celtic Knots' and most of the ones that I have seen are not very good.
You can use table saw, band saw or scroll saw. Which do you use?
Accuracy can only be obtained if you use a jig.
Don't cut all the way through, fill the kerf with material that is not too tight not too loose, and cut 1,3,2,4.
I prefer cutting at 55-60 degree angles rather than 45 as it fills the pen better, and to use 3 or 5 layers of infill material.

 

[Doug]

I used to do quite a few pens with aluminium & plastic sheet.
I found pre-gluing the sheets together with Araldite worked best, I would slightly abrade the surfaces to be joined then clean them well, apply the adhesive & sandwich them between two stout boards holding them together while the glue went off with lots of clamps.

Some clingfilm on the boards prevented anything sticking to them, once dry I would cut them to the size pieces I needed, abrade the outer surfaces & clean again then glue them into the blank with CA glue.

The biggest risk when drilling them was heat as this would soften the Araldite or CA causing the blank to come apart. To over come this I would drill the blanks at the drill press carefully clamping the blank as to best support the joins then drill slowly & incrementally so as not to produce heat. The thicker the metallic element in the blank the slower I would drill this was especially important when drilling aluminium that was nearly a millimetre thick.
It’s well worth persevering as in my opinion the results can be very pleasing.
HTH

 

[Brian]

Aluminium and plastic will come adrift especially if you use a brad point drill bit.
I would recommend that you use timber or layered veneers to fill the kerf initially.
No need to get oily glue if you already are using epoxy.
There are a lot of youtube videos on constructing 'Celtic Knots' and most of the ones that I have seen are not very good.
You can use table saw, band saw or scroll saw. Which do you use?
Accuracy can only be obtained if you use a jig.
Don't cut all the way through, fill the kerf with material that is not too tight not too loose, and cut 1,3,2,4.
I prefer cutting at 55-60 degree angles rather than 45 as it fills the pen better, and to use 3 or 5 layers of infill material.View attachment 51792

Many thanks for your reply Alan, I have made myself a jig for the bandsaw and as you say I cut 1-3-2-4. I have been doing 45degrees, I may well alter it to your suggestion. Many thanks

 

[silverfox58]

Hi just to add to the conversation you said you are using a coke can just to point out coke cans have a coating inside and out so be sure to rough them up other wise no matter how much glue you use there will be very little adhesion hope this help as well as all the other great comments

 

[silverfox58]

Hi Doug just to add what a good looking knot on the episilon pen what a good combination