# cracked pen blank,,



## jeff3285 (Oct 10, 2015)

can anyone tell me how to repair an acrylic pen blank,,or if it is even possible,,thank you,,i know this picture isn't too good,,but if anyone can help I would really appreciate it,,,,


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## mecompco (Oct 10, 2015)

Ooh, if it's cracked below the bushings, that's not so good. You can try building it up with some med/thick CA. At that point, I might consider saving it for a smaller pen I hate when that happens!

Regards,
Michael


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## KenV (Oct 10, 2015)

The best name I know of is "opps band".

Cut the end square and and clean with a parting tool.   True on a squared up drilled piece of a blank to create a band.  Square up the exposed end and return.

I tend to try to make the band look planned and often install a mat thing one on the other end


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## Skie_M (Oct 10, 2015)

On the end of a barrel like that? no, not a good situation .....


You could try to repair the gappage by using thin CA, followed by some thicker CA to fill it in, but then you'ld have a clear "window" right next to the next part, and you can see down into the pen.  Adding a very small amount of the right kind of dye or ink could make it much less visible, but adding acrylic or other kinds of ink to CA may affect it's curing time.

Alternatively, you could fill it with clear CA and put the problematic area up underneath the clip, if it's feasible.

Lastly, with Ken's idea ....  I think he meant to say that he tries to make the band look planned, rather than like a "band-aid" ... by putting a matching band on the other end of the same blank.


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## jeff3285 (Oct 10, 2015)

actually I was talking about the white line that runs the length of the pen,,


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## mecompco (Oct 10, 2015)

jeff3285 said:


> actually I was talking about the white line that runs the length of the pen,,



Oh, I don't think there's any coming back from that if it's visible. You can try opening it up and hitting the crack with some CA but I think it will show. You might be able to hide it under the clip and at least it it will be structually sound.


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## OKLAHOMAN (Oct 10, 2015)

Back in the day when I did lots of pen turning I sometimes would take blanks that weren't cracked and use a Dremel tool and make a "Valley" in the blank when I was almost turned to finish and fill that "valley" with, crushed turquoise,coffee grounds,coral and assorted other colored powders, I usually made the line squiggle no straight, I think you night be able to do the same with that line that looks about an inch long. Turn it almost to size and then see if you can open it up to fill it also see if the hairline crack goes all the way through, it might surprise you and disappear. Good luck.


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## magpens (Oct 10, 2015)

That white line ? .... If you apply a drop of very thin CA you might find that it "wicks" its way in and makes the line invisible ... worth a try IMHO.


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## jttheclockman (Oct 10, 2015)

My suggestion is chuck and do not waste your time. You do have a chip out down by the bushing. Unless you want to cut it completely off and make a blank that is segmented then there are possible choices. You can call the vendor to see if a replacement is possible or just save for future  oops bands. A straight line crack like that is not usual.  Just looking at that photo tells me you need work on tool sharpening or selection. That is jagged from what I see. You are taking too much off the ends at one time. That should be a gradual thing. Take some off the ends then work toward the center. Do this on both ends.


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## Quality Pen (Oct 13, 2015)

If you have a lot of time you can experiment. I really like  OKLAHOMAN's tip above. Very neat.

But the reality is, I don't think that long crack on that material will ever "disappear" unless you cover it up. Filling it will probably be evident. 

I've found that hairline cracks on acrylic materials are almost impossible to make go away. Wood is a lot more forgiving.

That's just part of the game though... turn and learn.


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## TurtleTom (Oct 13, 2015)

I'm with Oklahoman on this one.  Of all the pens I've made (only about 50) the ones I like most started out just like this one.  They forced my to get creative and it always worked out.


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## jsolie (Oct 13, 2015)

Design opportunity!  I'd part it off, clean up the tube, cut and drill a contrasting piece and glue it back on.  I've had to do that to a few pens, and was quite pleased with how they came out.  Those pens were with wood, not acrylic so your mileage may vary.


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## Smitty37 (Oct 13, 2015)

Off the top of my head and far from being an expert it looks like there is still a lot of turning to be done on that blank and I don't think I'd give up on it.  Try taking some of the blank shavings mix them with CA and stuff them into the crack near the end (I can't tell for sure it that is really cracked there or not. The hairline might disappear as you go you might approach it with sanding for a bit and see what's happening.


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## edstreet (Oct 13, 2015)

How to fix a cracked pen tube.  


Step 1.   Throw it in the garbage.


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## Brian G (Oct 13, 2015)

Step 2.  Rue throwing it in the garbage, pick it out, and think of a way to develop a skill even if it doesn't turn out any better.


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## TurtleTom (Oct 13, 2015)

Step 3.  Realize you should have done step 2 before the garbage truck came.


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## Skie_M (Oct 13, 2015)

Step 4.  Delete step 1 and replace with step 5.



Step 5.  Take the challenge ... think of a way to fix the problem or change the design of the pen to remove the problem altogether.


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## TurtleTom (Oct 13, 2015)

Step 6.  Smile real big knowing Ed has to check each of these out to see if anyone is dumping on his negative comment.


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## edstreet (Oct 13, 2015)

Ed's comment was not negative but was in fact very structured humor.


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## Skie_M (Oct 13, 2015)

edstreet said:


> Ed's comment was not negative but was in fact very structured humor.



Needs work on presentation (totally sucked), content (was deemed negative by 99.99999% of electrons on the planet), and humor (humor was not detected.  Human error may have been a factor in the original concept or subsequent attempts to interpret the comment as humor).


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## edstreet (Oct 14, 2015)

I am feeling generous so I'm going to help you out some.   Internet meme, Penn/teller into the trash it goes origin.  

Huge flood of things like this.


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## Smitty37 (Oct 14, 2015)

edstreet said:


> I am feeling generous so I'm going to help you out some.   Internet meme, Penn/teller into the trash it goes origin.
> 
> Huge flood of things like this.
> 
> ...


Hmmmmm....I have to admit I didn't catch the humor and personally I don't think this example is very humorous either.


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## Skie_M (Oct 14, 2015)

edstreet said:


> I am feeling generous so I'm going to help you out some.   Internet meme, Penn/teller into the trash it goes origin.
> 
> Huge flood of things like this.
> 
> ...





I have a better idea ....

Take the cole slaw (with no dressing) and steam it for 20 minutes, then add seasonings and cooked ground pork (or ground beef, or ground turkey, or chopped shrimp, or ground tofu ... you get the idea) ... mix well.

Place 2 tablespoons of the mix onto an egg roll wrap, and roll it up.  Seal the end flap with some egg white.

Cook at 350 degrees in a frydaddy or in a 2 quart or larger pot of hot vegetable oil for 7 - 10 minutes, or until the outer crust is a nice golden brown .... remove from oil and let drain.  Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before eating.

Eat your egg rolls and scoff at the loser who would throw such tasty stuff away.


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## maxwell_smart007 (Oct 14, 2015)

Easy now...

Back to the subject at hand - try some thin CA glue to fill the crack while you try and close the crack.  Let it set up for a while, so it's fully cured, and turn it again.  It might not be perfect, but you'll find out only after you turn it.  

It can't hurt - right now, it's an unfinished blank with a crack...try and see if you can turn it into something better...if not, it was still good practice! 

(and your tools are too dull - hence the chipping)


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## Skie_M (Oct 14, 2015)

Wait ... wasn't this a thread about food?


What am I doing here?


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## jttheclockman (Oct 14, 2015)

Gee wizz

The OP has 26 posts under his belt. Can you at least give him the courtesy of a decent answer.


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## Skie_M (Oct 14, 2015)

Hmm ... I think we all did, cept for ed...


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## edstreet (Oct 14, 2015)

Tossing it is indeed a valid answer.


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## TurtleTom (Oct 14, 2015)

Well, that worked.


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## lyonsacc (Oct 14, 2015)

While it bothers me to do this (sarcastically written) - I have to agree with edstreet on this one.  It is not an expensive blank.  I could probably turn a new one in less time than it takes to try to fix this one.  And, if I fix this one, I would likely not sell it because of the crack.  I could give it away, but I don't like to give away pens with flaws. I could probably do an "oops band", but again, that would probably take longer than turning a new blank.

The other options are good ones, but not ones I would do with this blank . . .

If I had to fix this one, I would try to drizzle some thin ca on the crack then turn/sand it back down to size. Hopefully you could then cover the crack with the clip.


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## PSNCO (Oct 14, 2015)

The realist in me finds Ed's response very valid.

It doesn't appear to be an expensive blank.  (It could be.  And "expensive" is all relative to different people.)  We don't know if this is a $2 slimline or a blank on an expensive kit.

Sometimes it easier to learn why the blank may have cracked and start over with a new blank.  That blank may be his first cracked blank, but I think we can all say, it won't be the last cracked blank.... Especially if one doesn't understand why the blank cracked.


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## wyone (Oct 14, 2015)

I would probably try to fix it, mostly to learn more about turning techniques in that situation.  You are out nothing if you have another failure with it, but you might improve your techiniques.  I guess I just enjoy the challenge of proving to myself I can find a way of fixing things, and sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don't.  But I learn either way


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## TurtleTom (Oct 14, 2015)

I think the above is a good point and is the defining criteria for the entire post.  Some of us do this for a living and some do not do this for a living.  
  The ones who do say "Trash It", the ones who do not say "Don't Trash It".  
  This reminds me of an article I read in Popular Photography in the early 70's.  It pointed out that amateur photographers are able to do much better work than professionals because they have unlimited time.  Most amateurs do not rise to those standards, but I believe most want to, and the results aren't printed in magazines or put in shows, they are given to friends and relatives.
   Like these pens we make.


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## Smitty37 (Oct 14, 2015)

"Throw it in the trash" does not answer the OP's question which asks how to *repair *it or if it* can be repaired*.  It might not be worth the trouble to repair but that isn't what the OP asked he wanted to know if it could be done and how to do it.  "Throw it in the trash" answers neither part.


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## Skie_M (Oct 14, 2015)

Smitty37 said:


> "Throw it in the trash" does not answer the OP's question which asks how to *repair *it or if it* can be repaired*.  It might not be worth the trouble to repair but that isn't what the OP asked he wanted to know if it could be done and how to do it.  "Throw it in the trash" answers neither part.



This would be the reason I said that everybody had given a valid answer, except ed.


I happen to know that this is just a $2.95 acrylic blank from PSI.  It's the reason he was ranting and bashing on PSI a few days back and a bunch of posts were deleted.

He didn't like the fact that PSI requested a photo of the issue during his call to their customer service.


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## seamus7227 (Oct 14, 2015)

edstreet said:


> How to fix a cracked pen tube.
> 
> Step 1.   Throw it in the garbage.



Based on the price of that blank I second what Ed said, throw it away and start over. Unless of course you like the option of having wood accents on the ends then you could always go that route which I think someone else has already mentioned


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## jttheclockman (Oct 14, 2015)

seamus7227 said:


> edstreet said:
> 
> 
> > How to fix a cracked pen tube.
> ...




My post #9

It does not have to be wood bands. It could be acrylic or metal. The crack down the middle can be replaced with a accent stripe of any material. How much effort that the OP wants to put into it can determine what to do with it. If you are going to completely chuck it then try turning the blank off the tube and salvage the tube. This will also give you a feel for this process in the future where the blank is much more valuable. A learning experience can evolve out of a mistake or a poor quality blank.


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## J Michael (Oct 14, 2015)

If you are at a point where you can make that the clip end of pen you might be able to pull this off. This _sometimes_ works for me:

1. Use a little fresh piece of 320 sandpaper (you don't want any contamination from any other colors) and sand it enough to collect some "dust". Save this dust in a little plastic parts bag for later. 

2. Use a little medium CA to fill the crack - you just want to fill the top part of the crack in order to turn it down closer to final size, not all the way to the tube at this point. Repeat as you go if you need to.

3. Turn from the center of the blank to the ends - at this point if you try to turn from the ends toward the center you'll probably totally blow it out since you'll be catching in the chip-outs. VERY light cuts with a SHARP skew should work - sometimes you can use a skew as a scraper but again - VERY light cuts. A gouge stands a good chance of catching in the crack or the chipped out area and blowing it out - at least that has been my experience.

4. Now, when you're down to just barely over the final size if you can still see the crack, rub the sanding dust into the crack and fill it with thin CA, let it sit for about 15-30 minutes to cure enough you can work it, and then carefully turn or sand it down to final size. If you can still feel the crack you can repeat this step.

Depending on your results at this point you can either just move on to sanding through the grits and finish with your polish -OR- you might need to do a CA finish if you think you can still feel the crack. 

If all has gone well and you are lucky you should be able to put this under the clip and it will never be noticed.

BUT - sometimes it doesn't work and you just have to chalk it up as a learning experience.


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## Joey-Nieves (Oct 14, 2015)

This what I do


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## Skie_M (Oct 15, 2015)

Joey-Nieves said:


> This what I do



Good god, man ... how many cracks did you end up with to need that many oops bands???


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## pianomanpj (Oct 15, 2015)

Skie_M said:


> Joey-Nieves said:
> 
> 
> > This what I do
> ...



An oops band with an oops band?


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## Joey-Nieves (Oct 16, 2015)

Skie_M said:


> Joey-Nieves said:
> 
> 
> > This what I do
> ...



Actually some were by design!  These types of bands are very popular with my clients, but that pen is Mango and Mango does not like to be turned against the grain, but if you turn it with the grain then it has no character, so the more rings the higher the price!


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