# How do I stop this from happening?



## yorkie (Jul 7, 2012)

I use a CA finish and occasionally I get this issue.  

I turn off the excess from the bushings before I pull them from the blanks.  I also use a barrel trimmer to shave off any excess before I build the pens.  However, I occasionally get this issue at the edges and it means starting all over again.

is there a fix?

How can I avoid it happening?

Thanks, guys.


----------



## Fibonacci (Jul 7, 2012)

I have found that if I sand the ends rather than hitting them with a barrel trimmer, that doesn't happen.

Just get a couple sheets of adhesive sandpaper from an auto parts shop, stick them to the back of the barrel trimmer head, and turn it around when you want to do final cleanup.


----------



## jd99 (Jul 7, 2012)

Fibonacci said:


> I have found that if I sand the ends rather than hitting them with a barrel trimmer, that doesn't happen.
> 
> Just get a couple sheets of adhesive sandpaper from an auto parts shop, stick them to the back of the barrel trimmer head, and turn it around when you want to do final cleanup.


 Thats the way I do it, I also coat the ends of the blanks with thin CA after I faced them with the trimer, and before I turn them.

It seals the wood in CA so when I wet sand water doesn't get soaked in through the end grain.


----------



## randywa (Jul 7, 2012)

I've only tried this once but it worked great. I dipped the ends in CA and let the cure a few minutes and then sanded them square. I used a small piece of wax paper between the bushings and the blank. I may have just got lucky, I don't know.


----------



## yorkie (Jul 7, 2012)

great suggestions, guys.   Thanks.


----------



## Monty (Jul 7, 2012)

You might be able to repair that using an extension tip on the end of a thin CA bottle and apply a very small drop of thin CA to the edge. If it's not too big of a separation, the CA should wick into the separated area. I have been successful about 50% of the time doing this. 
You can eliminate the problem completely by removing the bushings and finishing between centers.


----------



## ohiococonut (Jul 7, 2012)

jd99 said:


> Thats the way I do it, I also coat the ends of the blanks with thin CA after I faced them with the trimer, and before I turn them.
> 
> It seals the wood in CA so when I wet sand water doesn't get soaked in through the end grain.


 
That's also what I do.

It can also happen if you're bushings are undersize and you're too aggresive when turning or parting off the bushings.

You can either turn between centers or use a very thin razor knife and carefully part the barrel from the bushing. I use a magnifying lamp for this. You don't have to completely part it off. If it doesn't come off the bushing simply slide it off the mandrel, hold it upright and tap the bushing on the bed of the lathe, it pops right off. 
On the occasion that I've had this happen I put a couple of drops of ca on a paper towel, hold the blank at a 45 and twist it in the wet spot.


----------



## ghostrider (Jul 7, 2012)

jd99 said:


> Fibonacci said:
> 
> 
> > I have found that if I sand the ends rather than hitting them with a barrel trimmer, that doesn't happen.
> ...


I do this also (got tired of my barrel trimmer doing _that_ to my pens). I take various grits of sand paper and punch a 7mm hole in them. Then I turn my trimmer head upside down and mount the sandpaper on it and that gives me a flat surface to finish the end of the barrel. 

Another method that might clear that up is to use the buffing system. That will work, but again it depends upon how bad it is.


----------



## Wood Butcher (Jul 7, 2012)

I've had it happen and found a solution for probably 95% of the issues.  On a piece of wax paper place 4 or 5 drops of thin CA and then place the "chippy" end in it.  It will wick into the chips and seal them so they dissapear.  Sand a little if needed.
WB


----------



## seamus7227 (Jul 7, 2012)

do you use an exacto knife to separate the tube from the bushings before you try to pull them off? i used to have this problem in the beginning and if you aren't turning between centers, then you need to cut that bond between the two before you separate. Hope this makes sense.


----------



## leehljp (Jul 7, 2012)

There have been some good suggestions above. Another one is to leave the barrel trimmer alone after finishing and use a sander trimmer. It is like a bladed trimmer except it has a disc with sandpaper. Sand it down. A Blade will "lift" the finished CA as happened to your pen, Sandpaper is less aggressive.


----------



## plantman (Jul 8, 2012)

:biggrin::biggrin: Go into the bathroom and look for your wife's nail polish hardner. Comes in a small bottle with it's own brush. Apply this to the ends of your pens after touching them on a disk sander with a miter guage set to 90 or a squaring jig. Dries quick, clear, fills gaps, and won't stick your fingers or anything else to your pens. It's worked every time for me. I use this method on all my pens to seal the ends and put a shine on end-grain. You can find hardner at the dollar store for a $1. Jim S


----------



## yorkie (Jul 8, 2012)

Thanks for the great suggestions, guys.  I'm going to try them today and will let you know how it goes.

I used to always do my CA between centers with no bushings but got tired of scraping the CA off the centers.  So, the last few times I've left on the bushings and had this issue occasionally (i use a parting tool to scrape off the excess glue from the bushings).  I never put two and two together but I will always do it between centers from now on!!

Fingers crossed for the fixes you all suggested.

Thanks, guys!


----------



## Monty (Jul 8, 2012)

yorkie said:


> ...Fingers crossed for the fixes you all suggested. Thanks, guys!


Just don't glue your fingers crossed. :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:


----------



## Sawdust46 (Jul 8, 2012)

I second what Seamus said.  I occassionally had the problem until I started parting the finished blank from the bushing.


----------

