Sanding pen tubes

[Wayne Bitting]

Anyone have any ideas on sanding a lot of pen tubes? Usually I Scotch Bright them and then wipe them with a dry paper towel. The last big batch of pens I did, there was around 70 tubes to do (which killed my fingers). I was thinking maybe the little sandblaster from HF for $20 would do the trick. I think I’m going to have around 140 tubes to do in the next month if things work out. Thanks for the ideas (hopefully!)

[Patrick Taylor]

I just use a piece of sandpaper, like 180 or 220 grit and quickly twist the tube with one had while the other hand holds the paper. It's been fine so far, but for 140, a $20 sandblaster might look more attractive.

[Tim Brooks]

Just a thought...

Why not make a tray and glue sand paper to the bottom (inside) of the tray. Make another tray that is a little smaller than the bottom tray with sand paper glued underneath. Then, simply place the top tray in the bottom tray with the tubes in between and scuff them by rubbing the two trays together parallel with the tubes?

That should put enough scuff marks on the tubes to give 'em staying power once glued up and save your fingers at the same time. Then, you have officially made a "Tube Scuffer" and make millions.

I'm sure there may be another way but this one seems even cheaper than $20 sandblaster option.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I use some croakus cloth that I bought for use in roughing up copper tubing when plumbing and soldering.

[Terry Quiram]

I use a combi-wheel from Enco. I mount it in the drill press and put some pen tubes on a phillips screw driver. I hold the tubes up to the wheel at an angle. They spin and sand at the same time. Quick and easy.

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INPDFF?PMPAGE=175&PMCTLG=00

Terry

[John Taylor]

HI

A tip I picked up on a pen turners forum is to soak the tubes in Coca Cola, the full strength original version, for about an hour. This will remove any grease and slightlly pit the surface of the tubes.

Take the tubes out and rinse in plain water and leave to dry.

I have been using this method for about a year and not had one glue failure in over 100 pens since then, so I would recomend it.

It is also easier on your fingers.

john

[Kevin McPeek]

Not sure I'd go the Cola conversion coating method myself but hey, I've never done it.
If you were doing slimlines you could use some 1/4-20 all thread and line them up on it the length of the lathe and sand there. Use a drill chuck or something like that to hold in the headstock and put a dimple in for the center. I suppose you could do that for any size uf tube if you find a close size threaded rod. Just need a nut at each end to snug them up.

[Pete Simmons]

I have a pin chuck

Pin Chuck = rod that just fits inside of tube with a flat on it with a small pin that jams the tube when turned.

Very easy to put tubes on and off.

Slip pin chuck in drill, slip on tube and sand for 2.3 seconds.

[Stan Cook]

I use an old mandrel and a (floor model) belt sander. For most pens, I can do 3 tubes at once. Place the tubes on the mandrel and a quick pass across the end of the sander. Only takes a few minutes to rough up a couple hundred tubes.

[Paul Heely]

Thanks for all the ideas. I just prepped 3 dozen blanks over the weekend and sanding 70+ blanks was not much fun. My method was to lightly chuck the tube in my cordless drill and use that to spin them against some sand paper. Not particular hard on the hands just not as quick as I would like.

[Wayne Bitting]

Thanks for all of the ideas! That's the great thing about this place, things I would have never thought of. I'm going to skip on the sand blaster idea as the Coke idea, sand paper sandwich and just spinning them on the lathe are all ideas I'm going to try out. We'll see which one wins for ease of use and strength. I must say though, that the Coke was one of my favorites for originality!!!!:D Thanks again

[Mark Patoka]

When I had a bunch of tubes to sand once I used one of those flap sander wheels in my drill press which worked out pretty well. You just have to hold the tube, turn it and you're done. You may have to wear light gloves since your fingers may get sanded, depending on how you hold the tubes.

[Steve Trauthwein]

I know there are a lot of suggestions for sanding pen tubes in this post but I believe I have the easiest method. Mine came about because I have arthritis and it is very painful for me to hold and sand something as small as a pen tube.

My soluttion was to taper a piece of brass hex rod that I had in the shop so that a tube would fit over it and catch at the end. I have tubes to be sanded on my left and use 180 g sandpaper. I chuck the tapered brass in the drill press and run at fairly slow speed. I grasp a pen tube at the end with the sandpaper and slide it up the tapered brass until it catches, the sandpaper is slid up to the end of the tube and then the tube is pulled off and another started. Takes about 5 seconds to sand a tube. No Pain!

Regards, Steve

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

I pack them on the mandrell, three at a time, hit them with whatever sandpaper I have handy till the laquer is scratched through and go to the next set. Pretty quick and easy on my arthritic hands.

I have had very few (maybe 5-10) blowouts in about 800+ pens.

Works for me. Showed this by a very respected local turner, when I first started turning pens.

Bruce

[Shane Nyvall]

My dad put them on a dowl rod then drilled a hole in his work bench. Put the dowl rod in the hole loaded it with how ever many tubes and ran sand paper up and down them. Seems ti work pretty good.

[Joe Melton]

I stopped sanding pen tubes. I think the idea they need to be sanded is a myth. I use thick CA, and I think it bonds just fine to the unsanded tubes.
Sorry if this offends anyone.
Joe

[Chris Tiedt]

I would be worried that if the Coke pits the outside of the tube it would do the same on the inside of the pen tube as well and maybe lead to future corrosion. I like the idea, but that is just my $0.02.:o