# What methods do you use to "de-burr" CA after finishing?



## Carl Fisher (Nov 13, 2011)

So I'm looking for a more reliable method for de-burring the CA that overhangs after splitting from the bushings.  I've started using a very thin parting tool to break the glue free between the 2 but there is typically a very small overhang of CA that has to be dealt with.

If I can, I'll shave it down with an hobby knife.  If the blank is straight so that it lays flat I can lightly touch the disc sander but every so often no matter what method I use it pops the finish.

Curious what everyone else does to clean up the ends before assembly.


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## EBorraga (Nov 13, 2011)

Just put a little wax on the bushings. Will never have to worry about deburring CA again.


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## cwolfs69 (Nov 13, 2011)

once i have touched the bushing with a parting tool next to the blank just enough to get the CA to pop off i take the blank off of the lathe, touch it again with the pen mill to smooth if it is wood, i put a very light coat of CA on the end of the bushing. then back on the lathe for polishing. i do not understand the wax theory. if the bushings are waxed i would think that you still get a little build up past the end of the blank that needs to be trimmed.


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## Texatdurango (Nov 13, 2011)

Carl Fisher said:


> So I'm looking for a more reliable method for de-burring the CA that overhangs after splitting from the bushings. I've started using a very thin parting tool to break the glue free between the 2 but there is typically a very small overhang of CA that has to be dealt with.
> 
> If I can, I'll shave it down with an hobby knife. If the blank is straight so that it lays flat I can lightly touch the disc sander but every so often no matter what method I use it pops the finish.
> 
> Curious what everyone else does to clean up the ends before assembly.


 
My response would be..... why create and put up with the overhang to begin with?  It's just extra work and eventually you are going to crack off more CA than you intended to and have to re-apply the CA to repair the blank.  There is a better way.  If interested click on the link and scroll down to steps 15 thru 18 and have a look at the photos and read my thoughts... 
http://content.penturners.org/library/techniques/turningbetweencenters.pdf

There is a definite benefit to doing this which is mentioned in the first sentence of step 18.


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## bensoelberg (Nov 13, 2011)

Here is a picture of the method that I use.  I know that I'm not the first to do this, but it works awesome.  I took the faceplate that came with my lathe and stuck a 2x2 sample of corian (free at Home Depot) to it with double stick carpet tape.  Then I tape 220 grit sandpaper to the corian.  I mount the appropriate size transfer punch in my drill chuck (both from HF).  With the lathe on its lowest setting, I lightly touch the end to the sand paper and rotate the blank by hand to make sure that it is even all the way around.  It takes just a couple of touches to do each side and it works great.


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## jcm71 (Nov 13, 2011)

Wax the end, as suggested earlier.  Then, if needed, use a sharp pen mandrel, BY HAND, to carefully remove the excess.


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## dexter0606 (Nov 13, 2011)

Texatdurango said:


> Carl Fisher said:
> 
> 
> > So I'm looking for a more reliable method for de-burring the CA that overhangs after splitting from the bushings. I've started using a very thin parting tool to break the glue free between the 2 but there is typically a very small overhang of CA that has to be dealt with.
> ...


 
George
I have to believe that even with your method, any CA over the ends of the barrel isn't beneficial (apart from the sealing you mention). In my opinion you are building up a surface on a surface that you have previously squared. The CA isn't going to keep the ends necessarilly square


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## Texatdurango (Nov 13, 2011)

dexter0606 said:


> Texatdurango said:
> 
> 
> > My response would be..... why create and put up with the overhang to begin with? It's just extra work and eventually you are going to crack off more CA than you intended to and have to re-apply the CA to repair the blank. There is a better way. If interested click on the link and scroll down to steps 15 thru 18 and have a look at the photos and read my thoughts...
> ...


 
True, that has been mentioned a hundred times over the years and I do square up the blanks after CA using the neatest little squaring jig but I can't get back to the tutorial to make changes and add in the step I overlooked in the tutorial. The CA soaks into the end grain of the wood sealing the blank and the "lip" you see is sanded of using the sanding jig. Trust me I wouldn't assemble a pen with the edges looking like that!


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## randyrls (Nov 13, 2011)

I sand the tube ends with a sanding jig like this one.  
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=89027http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=355468


I believe Rick (rherrell) also sells something similar.  If you have an old dull pen mill, reverse the pen mill and use the back side to attach the sandpaper.   You can even have your end mill do double duty!


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## rherrell (Nov 14, 2011)

randyrls said:


> I sand the tube ends with a sanding jig like this one.
> http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=355468
> 
> 
> I believe Rick (rherrell) also sells something similar. If you have an old dull pen mill, reverse the pen mill and use the back side to attach the sandpaper. You can even have your end mill do double duty!


 
 
Yes Randy, I still make sanding mills. You can find them here....
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=88297


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## snyiper (Nov 14, 2011)

Disc sander.


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## GColeman (Nov 14, 2011)

snyiper said:


> Disc sander.



This is what I do.  I turn the disc sander by hand though.


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## Bree (Nov 14, 2011)

I take a very sharp marking knife and rest part of the knife on the blank and slowly slice INWARDS to remove any CA flash.  I rotate the blank being careful to always slice with the knife edge moving towards the center of the blank and staying level with the tube end.  That way I don't slice into the body of the blank and I don't cause a chipout which would send the blank back for reapplication of CA.  It just requires a little patience.

If I were doing production work, I would probably apply CA between centers and use Rick Herrell's jig to sand the ends down.  But I am lazy.  

BTW... I always wax my bushings and use Delrin bushings for CA application whenever possible but I still get flash.  Not sure what kind of wax everyone is using I have tried several but my CA is tenacious stuff and sticks to just about anything!! At least it will stick to itself and extend out.


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## HSTurning (Nov 14, 2011)

I remove the blank from the bushings to do the CA finish


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## Knucklefish (Nov 15, 2011)

I have one of Rick Herrels little sanding gizmos. Once I started using that, all my burr problems went away. I really love it! Come to think of it all Rick's stuff is really great!


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## wouldentu2? (Nov 15, 2011)

piece of sand paper on the table and lightly rub the end on the paper till I make contact with the tube. You can tell by the sound.


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## toddlajoie (Nov 16, 2011)

I cut a small piece of self adhesive sandpaper, punch a standard hole in it with an old hole punch (i.d the one hole paper punch). Then stick it to the flat top side of my pen mill and flip the head upside down on the shaft. pop it in the drill press and hit the edges lightly till it's all gone. Sandpaper stays on the cutter head till it's dead, then peel it off and replace...


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## mb007 (Nov 16, 2011)

toddlajoie said:


> I cut a small piece of self adhesive sandpaper, punch a standard hole in it with an old hole punch (i.d the one hole paper punch). Then stick it to the flat top side of my pen mill and flip the head upside down on the shaft. pop it in the drill press and hit the edges lightly till it's all gone. Sandpaper stays on the cutter head till it's dead, then peel it off and replace...


 
I do something similar, but I put the sandpaper on the knurled nut on a mandrel.  I then put my blank on the mandrel (using a trimming sleeve if it's not a 7mm tube), thread on the brass nut, and spin the blank against it by hand.  I hadn't thought about spinning it up on the lathe... I feel an experiment coming on!


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## TerryDowning (Nov 17, 2011)

I use some spacer bushing made out of 7mm brass tubing for 7mm pens or cone shaped finishing bushings for larger diameters.  My last step in removing the pen barrels is to square the ends of each barrel with a skew, this gets rid of any flashing and ensures my barrels are square prior to assembly.

In fact I've given up on sized bushings altogether and just use my calipers to turn barrels  to size similar to Turning between centers.

I make my bushings out of some urethane (alumilite and silmar are both urethane resins) rod I get from work and coat them with wax prior to using CA.

Terry


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## Joe Burns (Nov 17, 2011)

Was trimming with an xaxto knife to remove from the bushings and sanding with a piece of sandpaper.  Just got one of Rick's sanding mills and will try that out this weekend.

Joe


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## jhprice (Nov 17, 2011)

I just stand the barrel on end on a sheet of 1800 Micromesh.  Seems to kock off the flashing.

John Price
www.pensnbowls.com


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## Carl Fisher (Nov 28, 2011)

Grumble...

Chipped a finish again tonight.  I really need to find a reliable repeatable method that works with my finishing methods.  Wonder if waiting a full day before trying to remove it will help any.

For ricks sanding mill, I assume there are adapter sleeves for all the different tube sizes or do you guys make your own?


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## Joe Burns (Nov 29, 2011)

I use Rick's (rherrell) sanding mill.   Works great.  Uses the same adapter sleeves you would use with your pen mill when squaring the ends to fit all the different tube sizes.

Joe


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## underdog (Dec 1, 2011)

Glad you posted this. I was just about to ask the same questions. I've about got other problems licked... but this one is persistent. Gonna have to figure out how to do the sander thingie... Might just try reversing the regular pen mill in my drill chuck and put it in the lathe with some PSA/sandpaper....


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## homemade (Dec 7, 2011)

I've waxed my bushings and it seperated from the piece easier than prying it off the mandrel.  Every tube that I take off I scrap it across a sheet of 350 or 400 grit wet dry sand paper that I adhered to a piece of MDF. I stand it up on its end making sure it is perpendicular and lightly drag it across twisting it at the same time. This removes the burrs without tearing into the barrel.  I also seal the ends after trimming before turnings with thin CA.  I want to seal the ends really well. This makes deburring much easier.


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## Drstrangefart (Dec 7, 2011)

I just lay some 600 grit flat on a miniature anvil and hit the end manually. "Sand" the area with my thumb to knock the dust off and it's good to go. If it was too far gone for that to work, I needed to scrub the CA off and re-do it anyways.


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## foamcapt40 (Dec 7, 2011)

I have used several but one that works for me is a hard foam nail buff from the dollar store. it has eight different "grits" on it and if you rub gently the foam is stiff enough to keep things level.  Best of all.... only a buck and lasts a long time! :biggrin:


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## MyronW (Dec 14, 2011)

I chuck up a transfer punch of the correct size in my drill press and adjust the table so there is enough gap to get the pieces in and out, and then I lay a clean sheet of sandpaper on top of a clean piece of plywood. Don't turn on the drill press! Then I put the piece on the transfer punch, lower the punch to the sandpaper and hold it there as a guide while I twirl the piece on the sandpaper. Perfectly square every time. 320 works for me; you might experiment.


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## randyrls (Dec 14, 2011)

MyronW said:


> I chuck up a transfer punch of the correct size in my drill press and adjust the table so there is enough gap to get the pieces in and out, and then I lay a clean sheet of sandpaper on top of a clean piece of plywood. Don't turn on the drill press! Then I put the piece on the transfer punch, lower the punch to the sandpaper and hold it there as a guide while I twirl the piece on the sandpaper. Perfectly square every time. 320 works for me; you might experiment.



Myron;  That is an excellent idea!!!!  I may use spray adhesive to stick the sandpaper to a piece of plywood.  I normally make a "sleeve" in my sanding jig, but the idea of using the drill press is a great one!


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## MyronW (Dec 14, 2011)

Thanks! I searched the forums to see if anyone else was using this method, and I was surprised that it wasn't mentioned. It just came to me one day and it made sense, and it works really well!
It also gives you complete control over the process, since you can easily feel how much pressure you're applying, check the smoothness of the end, see if you need a different grit, etc.
And the best part is that it didn't cost me a nickel. I already had everything on hand.


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