penmaking from ebony

[Denver Woodartisan]

Hello, I am having a big problem keeping my pens made from ebony from cracking. I apply thin CA during the turning process and have used the combination CA glue finish and still have problems. I live in Denver where the air is much drier and thinner. Could that be the cause for my problem? Any suggestions

 

[gbpens]

From my limited experience with ebony, four pens, I found it was extremely sensitive to changes in temperature. Left in the car on a summer day it cracked. under daily use it cracked for no apparent reason. As a whole barrel material I gave up on it. It''s coeffient of expansion is nowhere near that of the brass tube. High quality blackwood is a good alternative.

 

[Lenny]

There may be someone out there who has had luck keeping an ebony pen from cracking ... I'll bet there aren't TWO!

Personally, I prefer to limit my ebony to embelishments, accenting other woods.

 

[edstreet]

the word 'ebony' is really a class and not a specific tree species. True old school 'ebony' is fragile, soft, delicate and cracks very easy. Then there is African Blackwood, it's also passed off as 'ebony', it's durable, rugged and holds up very good and not as prone to cracking as traditional ebony is.

Stabilizing ebony helps greatly but you remove any acoustic properties by the process which means acoustic instrument use is out but it becomes much more rugged.

CA glue is a hard non-flexible glue which does not like to move or bend easy. In fact it's a rather fragile joint. Moving to something that will give it some flex may be a better option.

The last part, most wood when you work them you generate heat. This will quickly set up cracks and various flaws that can lead to future cracks. So keep the heat down and don't go there.

Also worth noting is if you are going to put something like a CA coating over it then why not just use some black plastic rod and be done with it? One of the biggest benefits of using ebony is the feel of the wood, by a CA coating over that it's wasted. Also worth noting is ebonite was created to replace ebony.

 

[SteveG]

Eric at WildWood Designs, the Bangle Guy, suggests use of silicone adhesive (stays flexible) for securing wood blanks to metal cores. If one would apply all the heat avoidance, stabilizing, etc., PLUS... drill oversize and use silicone adhesive for the tube, is it likely to yield better results? Has anyone tried that approach with pens? I know some have seemingly exhausted all possibilities to un-crack pen ebony. Anyone with success stories?

 

[Lenny]

Eric at WildWood Designs, the Bangle Guy, suggests use of silicone adhesive (stays flexible) for securing wood blanks to metal cores. If one would apply all the heat avoidance, stabilizing, etc., PLUS... drill oversize and use silicone adhesive for the tube, is it likely to yield better results? Has anyone tried that approach with pens? I know some have seemingly exhausted all possibilities to un-crack pen ebony. Anyone with success stories?

It would also be worth noting where these pens are located. There can be wide variations in humidity throughout the year here in Maine.

Seems like there was one member who was successful making a true Ebony pen and keeping it from cracking by storing it in a humidor.

 

[BRobbins629]

There are many applications, most particularly in musical instruments where ebony survives without cracking for hundreds of years. In my mind, the biggest difference between kit pens and musical instruments is that with pens, the fittings are pressed in, the tube is stretched and considerable stress is put on the wood. I have had good luck with pens from ebony and other crack prone materials by either sanding the fittings or the tube interior so they are a slip fit and can be glued in. The other precautionary measure is to let the drilled blank rest for several days after drilling to stabilize. In other crack prone woods like snakewood, the drilled holed will actually close up and the tube will no longer slide in. Redrilling or filing and waiting until no more movement is detected will be rewarded with much reduced incidences of cracking.

 

[shortz1lla]

I'm assuming that you are referring to Gabon (often Gaboon) Ebony, which tends to receive a lot of bad press in relation to cracking. I have turned SEVERAL DOZEN duck calls from this "true ebony" and roughly 10-15 pens. Heat is your enemy but I've never had one crack... not one blank. When drilling and turning, sharp bits and tools are a must, and light cuts are paramount. Don't use CA while turning, it generates heat when flashing and can be problematic. Turn as normal, maintaining a very light, cool touch. Sand to 2000, again watching the heat buildup. Upon completion of sanding, finish with Medium CA. It will adhere without soaking in and generates less heat than thin.
Duck calls are used in the worst possible cold and wet conditions then haphazardly tossed on a toasty dashboard yet I have not had a single call returned.