Pen turners, try epoxy instead of CA!

[Brian Goulet]

I've been making pens for over a year now, and I made about 400 of them using CA glue for adhering the tubes inside the wood (and acrylic) blanks. I always had a problem with acrylics though, because every so often, the tube would detach from the acylic while I was turning it. I'd have to stop, take it off, reglue it, and even then I'd always wonder if it will do that down the road while someone is using it.

The reason I like CA glue was because, like most reasons other like it, it's fast. It dries very quickly and you can get right to the part we all love the most: the turning. Well, I finally got sick of gluing my fingers together, having tubes get stuck halfway into oily woods like cocobolo and ebony, and having the acrylics come apart. So I decided to take the "test of patience" and use two-part epoxy.

I've made about 100 pens now since I've been using epoxy and I will never go back. The epoxy is great for adhering dissimilar materials like metal and plastic (acrylics), and with burl woods and things with inconsistent grain and holes, it does wonders with stablilizing the wood and filling gaps. I use Loc-Tite 5-minute 50/50 two-part epoxy in 4 oz. containers. That much glue will last about 200-300 pens.

The epoxy takes a bit of patience....about 30-40 minutes to cure, but it's completely worth it by the workability of it, the longer open time, and the fact you won't glue your fingers together and then have to wait days for the glue to peel off of your skin. Try epoxy!!!!

[Benjamin Dahl]

Brian, thanks for the tip. I always use CA but might give that a try when my current batch runs out.
Ben

[robert hainstock]

I've been using two part epoxy for about three years, for all the reasins you stated, it is a permanent fix.
Bob

[Steve Mellott]

I've always used 5 minute epoxy and have never had any problems. I am not a production turner (usually I only make 5-10 pens at a time) and I allow the epoxy to harden overnight.

Steve

[ron hossack]

I was using 5 minute epoxy but I had some Red Fir bark not adhere to the brass using epoxy so I've been using PU glue for quite awhile now with good results. Although, it takes about 2 hours to cure.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Been using 2 part epoxy the better part of 2 or so years.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I used CA for about 3 pens where I didn't get good coverage and making the last planing cut...the blank broke away from the tube. I've been using epoxy for about 18 months now. Messier......takes longer....works better for me...YMMV.

[Andrew Derhammer]

I use longer cure stuff(system 3 the good stuff) and then have a metal reflector behind the blanks and use a ceramic heater to help cure the glue.

[Philip Duffy]

Sorry, I will stick with my poly-glue. Works wonders on all kinds of pen materials. Never failed yet. Phil

[Daniel Heine]

Brian,

I switched to the two part epoxy about a year ago after having the same problem with acrylic blanks. I use the 5 minute variety, and have not experienced any problems with it at all. I don't have heat in my garage workshop, so I have to keep it inside this time of year. It says 5 minute cure time, but it's really closer to 45 minutes to an hour. Using the epoxy also eliminated the problem with acrylic blanks blowing up on me where the CA did not adhere properly.

Dan

[Ken Dolph]

Brian.

CA is much better than you think it is. However no one ever tells you that full cure is 24 hours. An impact durring this cure time will leave the bond at the level it has reached. 1 hour is about 10% of full strength.

Other rules about CA. Acidic materials, like wood, weaken CA. Always rub wood with baking soda first. This will also let you make end grain joints in wood as the baking soda enters the pores, unlike most adhesives, and becomes a hard tough plastic on contact with CA.

35% Relative humidity or more is a must to make a waterproof joint.

Joint must be tight as CA is an anarobic adhesive and will not bond in the presence of oxygen.

Follow these rules and you will find no better adhesive for most applications.

I hope this helps

[Brian Goulet]

Daniel...I'm pretty sure the "5-minute" part advertised on the package is for the setup time, not the cure time. You're right that it take the better part of an hour to cure. The advantage of epoxy as well, is that it cures by heat. The "two-part" is actually only half adhesive, and the other half is a chemical hardener that reacts with the adhesive to create heat, thus curing the glue. The nice part about using this for pen turning applications is that the wood that you drill coming fresh off the drill press is usually pretty hot, especially when doing multiple blanks at a time. The heat from the wood actually works to speed up the cure time for the epoxy. Another fantastic advantage when working with burls and irregular materials is that the epoxy will cure no matter what it touches. That's why it's great for acrylic and burls...because it will fill all of the gaps and cracks it comes in contact with and cure hard and clear.

Also, talking money now, a pair of latex gloves ends up costing about 15 cents each....so using CA I would go through probably a couple of dollars a day of gloves alone (because the glue sticks the gloves together and is only good for about 10 pens of gluing. The epoxy, because it is slower to cure, doesn't even require gloves. You have plenty of time to wipe it off your hands before accidently gluing your fingers to each other or your next piece of wood (done both!!).

[Donald Henshaw]

Ive used over the counter Gorilla Glue for over a year with real good results, apply today and turn tomorrow. When it gets too thick to work, I go to hardware and get a new bottle. Don

[Horst Hohoff]

I never even thought of using anything else than epoxy.

[Don Orr]

I'm a firm believer in epoxy also. It's a TRULY gap filling adhesive, unlike PU glue which fills gaps with very weak foam bubbles.

Very good advice from Ken as well-thanks. CA is also more brittle than epoxy when cured.