patriot pen

[jeff oldham]

well I finished one of these pens and it looked great,,,so someone else wanted one and I started making it and I didn’t have any trouble with the blue stars,,,,but when I started on the stripes,,it busted right down to the tube, twice it happened,,i was using ca when I glued the brass tube in and turning it at a little over 1200 rpm,,,,kinda depressing when both blanks did it,,can anyone give me some advice in correcting this problem,,i actually think on my next try at it I might try knocking the square corners off with a belt sander,,i was using the small easy wood tool to get it round,,

[Grant Wilkinson]

I'm not sure from your post what your blank looks like at the start. However, you will definitely reduce the chance of blowing it up by sanding off the corners of the blank. The easy wood tool can be pretty rough on blanks. It's a scraper, after all. If you have a spindle gouge, or a skew (if you are comfortable using a skew) you may have better luck. Finally, consider using epoxy instead of CA.

[Ronald Blue]

Try much higher RPM's. Probably double. Do you paint the brass tube? The blue with stars is translucent and the brass is visible through it.

323541

[jeff oldham]

yes I paint the brass tubes white,,and I will sand off the ends like you said,,i have never turned at that high rpm but willing to try,,,thank you

[Dan Masshardt]

One thing is I recommend epoxy for gluing in tubes and make sure you insert from one side then the other to get good coverage. You can paint the tubes, paint inside the blank. Epoxy can also be tinted.

Those two blanks are like totally different resins I think. As you've discovered the turn differently and one is translucent and the other opaque.

I didn't care for the look of them myself. I recommend the lazer cut Stars and Stripes kit. That's classy. Not available for that kit though.

[Ronald Blue]

I agree with Dan that the make up of the blanks are definitely different. They are apparently weaker or more brittle in the stripes. It's definitely something that you have to get a feel for.

[jeff oldham]

Yes I guess you are right,,,but it is amazing how good one blank turns verses other ones,,,I honestly wish I had the nerve to try inlay,,,but that is a costly mistake if you aren't experienced in it,,

[Dan Masshardt]

Yes I guess you are right,,,but it is amazing how good one blank turns verses other ones,,,I honestly wish I had the nerve to try inlay,,,but that is a costly mistake if you aren't experienced in it,,

Stars and Stripes is pretty easy. Just a time consuming pain to get all the stars in.

Get on the lazerlinez newsletter. They have inlay kits half off many times a year.

[Dan Masshardt]

Jeff - one other thing to consider.

I found the stripes blank to be very brittle and chippy - like inlace acylester if you've ever used that.

The thing that I wanted to point out though is that sometimes there can be a crack that you don't see. Sometimes cracks a bit while drilling or also when using a barrel trimmer. It can grab and crack.

Also with the easy wood tool, so you have slot of pens on that cutter already? Next time you try one of these blanks - use a brand new cutter or edge and see if that makes any difference.

Realize that this types of chippy blanks some people who turn slot of pens avoid completely. So it's not just you.