Pens and CA

Dennis Kranz

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When you use CA on your pens how do you keep it from sticking your bushings to the blank? Any one way better than another?
Dennis
 
When you use CA on your pens how do you keep it from sticking your bushings to the blank? Any one way better than another?
Dennis
Hi Dennis; Here's what I use in some cases.
http://penturnersproducts.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2_15

I also have a set of Delrin bushings made by the same gentleman to match all my steel bushings. It is said that CA won't stick to Delrin. Not really the case, it just doesn't stick solidly and can be broken away rather easily. A little wax on the Delrin also helps to keep it from sticking to the pen blank.
 
I've lightly turned it off the bushing with a parting tool. Paste wax on the bushings before finishing works, but use it sparingly. I've also finished between centers, without bushings. It works but is risky, you put too much pressure on and you expand the tubes.

I've heard a lot of good about the products Mack mentions above. I haven't invested in any because I haven't been making a lot of pens lately, but, if I get back to it I will.
 
Well on the last thee I made I cut a little off the end of the bushing making a step so to speak. Just back .015-.020 or so and maybe .005-.007 down on the diameter. This lets me sand easier without getting into the bushing and even if the CA sticks its not at the outside of the wood. I then burnish the ends with 1200 or so sand paper to remove any finish right on the ends. It leaves plenty of bushing to show the finished diameter. I turned almost clear down to the actual diameter then sanded slightly below and the finish built back to pretty close to matching the pen fittings. CA has very weak sheer strength so it is easy to pop the bushing off the blanks even if they do stick. Use a breaking motion rather than pulling or twisting. We used to use CA to fasten parts to shakers for testing and it was real easy to remove by shearing even though while testing they had to survive pulling while testing up many G's.


Now considering my life long out put is 6 pens and 5 of them slimlines I probably shouldn't be giving advice but this really seemed to help on the last three.

Garry
 
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