need help from experienced pen turners

[Roger Chandler]

Mike, Jim, Brian and Greg.......

Thanks a bunch for the info..........I believe all these to be good tips...........I am learning from reading of your knowledge......I appreciate you taking the time to help someone who is just starting on pens, even though I have done many other kinds of turning.....each kind of project seems to have its own set of rules!

[Rick Gibson]

Any time I have got glue into the tubes it is just at the ends. An exacto knife works well to remove it. Just scrape around the inside of the tube with the knife. Also you don't need to throw the tubes away just because something went wrong. Just turn off the wood down to the tube and re use it.

[Scott J Taylor]

I'd probably check the inside diameter of the hole you drilled on the blank. If it's not the same size of the drill bit (larger) then you have a problem. Potentially you could have some runout on your drill press or drill bit. Roll the drill bit across a flat surface and if it wobbles, then it's time to replace. Just a thought.

[ron hossack]

You'll get a lot of info and everyone has a different way ...

The only blowouts and tubes coming loose have been when I've used epoxy and/or CA.

Since I switched to Loctite Sumo PU glue I've never had a tube come loose from the tube or a piece of wood come off that wasn't adhered to the brass tube because of a bad glue joint.

I can start turning these in 45 minutes.

I personally make sure that I have a good cross-hatch sanded on the brass tube before gluing to make sure the glue can properly adhere to the brass.