Tried Poly Glue for Pen Blanks

[Ray Dockrey]

I know there is another thread going along this same line, but I wanted to share in regards to gluing up the brass tubes in pen blanks with poly glue. I used the Elmer's brand and had very good success. It is much, much cheaper then the super glue that I was using and they seem to hold better. I was getting a few failures when I went to turn the blanks with the super glue and I just turned twenty-five perfume pens with no failures at all. I really liked using the poly glue. The slower set time made it a little easier and I wore rubber gloves so there was no mess when I was done. You do have to wait over night to let it dry but the trade off was worth it. I wet the inside of the blank with water using a q-tip, then put the glue on the blank and slid it in using a twisting motion. It worked very well.

[Sparky Paessler]

Thanks for the tip. I will have to give that a try as I have had some failures also.

Sparky

[Dennis Peacock]

I know there is another thread going along this same line, but I wanted to share in regards to gluing up the brass tubes in pen blanks with poly glue. I used the Elmer's brand and had very good success. It is much, much cheaper then the super glue that I was using and they seem to hold better. I was getting a few failures when I went to turn the blanks with the super glue and I just turned twenty-five perfume pens with no failures at all. I really liked using the poly glue. The slower set time made it a little easier and I wore rubber gloves so there was no mess when I was done. You do have to wait over night to let it dry but the trade off was worth it. I wet the inside of the blank with water using a q-tip, then put the glue on the blank and slid it in using a twisting motion. It worked very well.

Ray....

I don't wet the inside of the pen blank before gluing. I use the exact same glue as you....Elmers brand poly glue. Yes, the cure takes a little longer but there is a LOT less foaming at the mouth when water is NOT applied. I use this glue for every single pen I make. Never had a failure since switching from epoxy and super glue to poly glue.

[Ray Dockrey]

Dennis, I will give that a try. I am getting ready to turn a bunch of pens and not having to wet the inside of the blank will save some time. Thanks for the tip.

[Mark Mazzo]

Although, I have not made many pens (I just tried some for Christmas gift this past year) I also used Poly Glue (Titebond) to glue the pen tubes into the blanks.

I first chuck the tubes in my cordless drill (lightly) and then spin the drill while roughing up the outside of the tube with 150 grit sandpaper. Then I lightly wet the inside of the hole in the blank with a Q-tip and water. Apply a little Poly glue to the outside of the roughed tube (two thin lines on opposite sides of the tube) and insert into the blank. After the tube is moved in and out a cuople of times the glue is spread enough to set it on a piece of wax paper to dry. I just check it within the first 30 minutes to be sure that the foaming does not push the tube out.

This method has worked for me without failure.

--Mark

[Ken Salisbury]

I have made somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 pens. After I switched to polyurethane glue (I have use both Titebond and Elmers) the failure rate is nil. I do not wet the blank. I do rough up my tubes with 120 grit paper for better adhesion. I always allow overnight curing of the blanks.

Polyurethane glue does not work well on Corian or acrylic acetate. For those materials I use gel CA glue.

[Harvey Meyer]

Polyurethane glue does not work well on Corian or acrylic acetate. For those materials I use gel CA glue.

I've heard this several times, but forgot about it. I just sent in a batch of Corian pens and I used Elmers Polyurethane glue. I roughed up the tubes, didn't wet anything, applied a bead of glue to the tubes, inserted into the Corian using a twisting motion, dried overnight, then turned. Not a single failure. Dumb luck?? Maybe - but with all the pen turning I've done for FPP, I'm hooked on Polyurethane glue over the epoxy I was using.

Harvey

[Ken Salisbury]

Not a single failure. Dumb luck?? Maybe - but with all the pen turning I've done for FPP, I'm hooked on Polyurethane glue over the epoxy I was using.

Harvey

Hey Harvey - like they say in the South: "even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then".

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[Ken Dolph]

Hey Harvey - like they say in the South: "even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then".

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Ken You are old enough to know that a hog smells out acorns. A blind hog has never had a problem finding acorns.

It is funny that every one says that CA has falures but if they leave poly overnight they have no falures. I know that it doesn't say on the bottle but CA requires 24 hours of rest to reach full strength. So if you give CA overnight it will wourk well.

I hope this helps
Ken

[John Miliunas]

Ken You are old enough to know that a hog smells out acorns. A blind hog has never had a problem finding acorns.

It is funny that every one says that CA has falures but if they leave poly overnight they have no falures. I know that it doesn't say on the bottle but CA requires 24 hours of rest to reach full strength. So if you give CA overnight it will wourk well.

I hope this helps
Ken

Ken, what effect does the accelerator for CA have then? I've used CA (medium) for most all of my pens, including Corian, but I also use it, from time to time, on other small projects and/or repairs. Seems that when used with the accelerator, the bond is quick and final. :cool:

[Ken Dolph]

Ken, what effect does the accelerator for CA have then? I've used CA (medium) for most all of my pens, including Corian, but I also use it, from time to time, on other small projects and/or repairs. Seems that when used with the accelerator, the bond is quick and final. :cool:

John,

Accelerator stops the bonding process early. This creates many short bonds rather than the long bonds created over time. The difference probably will not be seen in gluing the tubes in pens but for other purposes it means a brittle bond. This is what most people experience when the first use crazy glue and find that the piece appears bonded so they test it in the first five minutes or so and the bond fails.

I hope this helps
Ken

[John Miliunas]

John,

Accelerator stops the bonding process early. This creates many short bonds rather than the long bonds created over time. The difference probably will not be seen in gluing the tubes in pens but for other purposes it means a brittle bond. This is what most people experience when the first use crazy glue and find that the piece appears bonded so they test it in the first five minutes or so and the bond fails.

I hope this helps
Ken

"..hope this helps"? I could not have asked for a more specific answer! :D Yes, *exactly* the info I was looking for. Many thanks! :cool: