Our new address is 979 York Street, Hanover, PA 17331. Phone 717-646-0102. Fax 717-646-0104.

Preparing Turning Blanks

The first step in preparing a WoodWrite, Ltd. pen or pencil is to glue the brass tubes, or lining cylinders, inside the wood blanks. We recommend that you glue up all of these components at one time, since it’s more efficient to do so, and since the adhesive requires 24 hours to fully set, before you begin turning. It will take about an hour to glue all of the blanks included in a standard production kit (100 pen blanks and 100 pencil blanks.) Don’t separate the blanks before gluing in the cylinders; they’re a lot easier to handle in block form than as individual blanks.

For larger pens, matching the grain of the top and bottom barrels produces a beautiful and professional result. All 5/8" square WoodWrite,Ltd. wood blanks are identified by a system of colored lines and numbers prior to cutting and drilling to indicate which two pieces should be used for an individual project. If you fail to identify where the two barrels meet in the center before turning them, however, there is a good chance the grain will not match when assembled. We recommend marking this prior to gluing in the tubes so that the top and bottom barrels will have a continuous grain pattern.

Each style of WoodWrite, Ltd. pen and pencil requires its own specific size wood blank and lining cylinder. As a general rule, regardless of style, the letter "N" in a product code signifies "pen", and the letter "L" signifies "pencil". DO NOT INTERCHANGE PEN AND PENCIL CYLINDERS--USE PEN CYLINDERS FOR "N" WOOD BLANKS AND PENCIL CYLINDERS FOR "L" BLANKS.

Never use a CA (cyanoacrylate) type glue to cement the brass cylinders into your turning blanks. These are fast drying adhesives that have virtually no "sheer strength", and will hold the tube to the material as long as there is no vibration during turning. If there is vibration, the tube will separate from the material. Another potential problem with CA glue is that the tube will separate from the barrel if the finished product is dropped. The shock will cause the glue joint to sheer and separate. We advise always using our CN-01 WoodWrite,Ltd. adhesive. It takes longer to dry (at least twelve hours), as it contains a polyurethane base, however, there is no need to "rough up" the tube with sandpaper as it is slightly acidic and etches the brass. It expands while drying and is also gap filling. The result is a bond which remains intact regardless of the amount of vibration or shock. Because this adhesive cures by drawing moisture from the air, you may speed up the process by dipping your turning blank in water and shaking off the excess before inserting the cylinder. After it is cured, the bond is waterproof.

Assemble the brass lining cylinders, the corresponding wood blanks and WoodWrite CN-01 adhesive. Have a small hammer handy. Occasionally, you might find it necessary to gently persuade a cylinder into the wood. The holes are carefully drilled to fit the cylinders, but once in a while, drilling may leave small burrs or splinters inside the hole that inhibit smooth entry of the cylinder.

Wear your safety goggles, and you may wish to wear disposable rubber gloves as well (see CAUTION, next page.) Place a generous bead of adhesive (about 3/32" [2mm] wide) all the way from one end of a cylinder to the other. Avoid getting adhesive inside the cylinder. Start the cylinder into the hole in the wood blank, twisting the cylinder and inserting it about ½" (13mm). Remove the cylinder, and place the same end into the opposite end of the wood blank. With a twisting motion, push the cylinder completely into the wood blank. If the cylinder sticks, help it by placing the cylinder end on the table and gently striking the wood end of the blank with the hammer until the cylinder is fully included within the wood. (Never strike the brass cylinder; always strike the wood to prevent distortion of the cylinder.) This two-step insertion procedure helps to ensure full contact of the adhesive between the brass lining cylinder and the wood blank.

Continue to glue up all of the pen ("N") parts and all of the pencil ("L") parts. Check to be sure that the wood completely encloses the brass. It’s a good idea to stand the blanks on end (on a piece of newspaper or waxed paper) until the adhesive has cured. If you leave them on their sides, as the adhesive swells, there is always the possibility that the cylinder will move slightly, one way or the other, inside the wood. By standing them on end, gravity works in your favor. Only the end of the brass tube should be visible at each end of the wood blank. (The remedy for slight misalignment is discussed below.) Be sure to allow the parts to cure 24 hours, or at least overnight. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TURN PARTS ON THE LATHE BEFORE THIS CURING STEP IS COMPLETED.

We’ve tested many, many kinds of adhesives and the WoodWrite, Ltd. adhesive is the strongest we could find. It is specially formulated to bond wood with brass, although you will find that it will glue almost anything to anything: wood to wood; glass to wood; plastic to metal. It has the added advantage of being absolutely waterproof after it has cured, although the curing process is enhanced by absorption of moisture from the atmosphere. The adhesive is gap-filling, an important feature to minimize breakage or shattering when turning on a lathe. Because of this feature, you will typically observe some foaming and accumulation at the ends of the blanks as curing progresses. Not to worry; once the bond is cured, you may easily sand off the surplus before you place the blanks on the mandrel. This is not essential before turning, but it will be necessary to remove any excess adhesive prior to assembling the pens and pencils.

TIP As noted above, curing of WoodWrite, Ltd. adhesive is enhanced by absorption of moisture. If you are working in a relatively dry environment, you may place the wood in a pan of water prior to gluing them into the wood. Being brass, they won’t absorb water, but the film of water on the surface will enhance the curing process. A moist film is sufficient. Shake the excess off the cylinder prior to putting the bead of adhesive on it, then glue the cylinder into the wood blank as instructed, above.

Occasionally, you may observe that the cylinder and wood are perfectly flush at one end, but not quite so at the other, a result of manufacturing tolerances. Before turning the blank, you may wish to touch the non-flush end up against some sandpaper to make the brass and wood even. You may do this against a belt or disc sander, but be sure not to angle the end of the blank at this point. You want the end of the blank to be perpendicular to the length of the hole and cylinder, to ensure proper alignment of the blank with the other components of the pen or pencil during assembly. Lacking a motor-driven sander, you can also touch up the ends after you’re finished turning, as described in Chapter 6.

CAUTION--If you get any WoodWrite, Ltd. adhesive on your hands during the glue-up process, remove it immediately with any good solvent such as lacquer thinner, alcohol or acetone. Better still, avoid contact with your hands by wearing disposable latex gloves, sold by any pharmacy, and by some hardware stores. They’re cheap, and they prevent the problem of removing adhesive from your hands. If you ignore these instructions, and leave adhesive on your hands for more than a few minutes, you’ll be looking at it for a week or more -- it stains the skin! This is not an "instant" glue, so you won’t have the problem of flesh glued to flesh, but the darkish color takes a week or so to wear off. We do not know of any solvent for WoodWrite, Ltd. adhesive once it’s had a chance to absorb moisture from the atmosphere, or from your hands!

WoodWrite, Ltd. adhesive contains pre-polymerized MDI (Diphenylmethane - 4, 4-di-isocyanate). Harmful if swallowed or inhaled. In case of contact with eyes, rinse immediately with plenty of water and seek medical attention. Wash hands with soap and water. 100% solid contents. Produces no hazardous fumes. Avoid contact with skin. Environmentally safe when cured.

Some pen/pencil styles use a longer cylinder in the cap barrel than the corresponding wood blank, to allow attachment of a decorative, multi-ring end fitting (WriteMaster™, Signature™, and Continental™ products.) When gluing these blanks, start the bead of glue about 1/4" (6mm) from one end of the cylinder. Insert that end into the blank with a turning, twisting motion, pushing the cylinder completely into the blank until the end of the cylinder emerges at the opposite end. Stand the blanks on end to cure, exposed brass uppermost. If necessary, after curing, chip away any solid adhesive around the brass (a pen knife usually works well for this purpose) to ensure a good fit of the decorative rings during assembly of the pen or pencil. Any adhesive inside the cylinders may be easily removed by rubbing the cylinder on the threaded section of the mandrel before loading onto the mandrel. Do not run the lathe during this step.

Most of the time, WoodWrite, Ltd. pre-cut, pre-drilled blanks are easy to separate, and can be snapped apart by hand. If that’s a bit tough, try a screwdriver, or better, a stiff putty or spackling knife inserted in the groove between two blanks and twisted slightly. If the wood is resistant, or has an unusually skewed grain, better to cut the blanks apart on a bandsaw or by hand with a coping saw, to prevent splitting. Crushed velvet blanks do not easily snap apart, and should be cut with a bandsaw or coping saw.