Tuna Cans and Cat Food Covers

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joefyffe

joefyffe

Passed Away Aug 19, 2018
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Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
1,316
Location
Indianapolis (almost Zionsville) Indiana
Just stumbled onto a means of "tube reclamation". Got a bag full of "on tube" casts that just didn't turn out as pretty as you thought they would? Tale a tuna can, (about 1 1/2 inches high) won't waste a lot of Acetone, throw in 3 or 4 of these PR blanks, cover with Acetone, cover with plastic left over cat food lid, and wait a couple days. Open can and with a paper towel, wipe the PR from the tube. Don't mess it up the next time!:biggrin::biggrin: DAMHIKT
 
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I would think the acetone you use would cost just about as much as the tubes. Around here at least, acetone is expensive.
 
$16 here. Keep it capped to avoid evaporation, do 5 to 10 tubes, (depending on how much PR is still on the tube) with about 3 oz. 128 oz per gallon divided by 3 oz. per use = 42 uses x (even an average of) 8 tubes per. 3 oz. = 336 clean tubes x $.50 per tube =$168 for a savings of $152. Not to mention 2 gallon of gasoline at $3.39 per gallon to go to Woodcraft to buy the tubes!! Spend the $158.76 on more PR so you can screw up some more so you can buy more Acetone:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin: AIN'T MATH FUN!:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh: I bet Brooks hasn't messed up that many tubes in his whole life, have you Jonothan??:rolleyes::rolleyes::wink:

Besides, Murphys Law says you will need the tube, at night, when stores are closed!!:)
 
It's funny how we just stumble over these kinds of things.:rolleyes: Thanks for your professional advice Joe! I don't know what I would have done without it :biggrin:
 
I pay almost $10 for 32 ounces

32 ounces = ~11 batches X 4 tubes = 44 clean tubes

44 tubes X $.50 per tube =$22

Not so much savings for me :tongue:
 
1240 KWH of electricity, here, is $107.42. At an estimate of .025 KWH to turn off the acrylic, nah, this math is making my head hurt! :laugh: It's more a matter of convenience to me and just trying to cut down on waste. We don't want to run out of brass trees!:wink:

gingerwood said:
Why not just put the tube back on the lathe and turn it down to the tube with your skew or parting tool?
Click to expand...
 
I pay $6 and some change for a quart at BORG. So think its a great idea. Besides, i dont typically ever do anything with my screw up blanks, they just go in a pile or a drawer, so while they are collecting dust, I could throw them into a jar and desolve them off the tubes. Yeah the savings may be minimal. but hey, why throw them away, they are still usable tubes! On top of that, I AM THAT PERSON THAT NEEDS THEM WHEN ITS THE WEEKEND AND EVERYONE IS CLOSED:mad:. So thats why i just call up Don (its_virgil):biggrin: He usually has everything in the line of pens stuff!
 
I have a nice waste basket full of screwed up blanks. I also buy 100 tubes at a time. It's much easier for me to start over than waste my time trying to reuse the tube.
 
joefyffe said:
Besides, Murphys Law says you will need the tube, at night, when stores are closed!!:)
Click to expand...

And the corollary to that law is that the likelihood of the store having the appropriate tube in stock goes down in inverse proportion to the desperation of the penmaker to buy one.:curse::eek:

...I think the same goes for acetone too.:wink:
 
I just turn down the ruined blank be it wood or resin, then chunk it into a small mason jar of acetone. Seal up the mason jar and fish the tubes out whenever. Since there isn't a ton of resin to be dissolved, there's no need to worry about replacing the acetone in the jar.
 
Great Find!
Acetone is dirt cheap here (a factory close by). I'm still gonna use a little tin foil over the top of my tuna can, to help with evaporation.

I like this method because it is kinda "payback" to the blank for blowing up.
 
Andy: Never quite thought of it that way, but YEAH! I agree! Durned ole blank-ety-blank!!:laugh::laugh::laugh:

PenMan1 said:
Great Find!
Acetone is dirt cheap here (a factory close by). I'm still gonna use a little tin foil over the top of my tuna can, to help with evaporation.

I like this method because it is kinda "payback" to the blank for blowing up.
Click to expand...
 
I always have acetone in some sort of a commercial type plastic covered container. I throw my bushing in there to get all the c/a off. Maybe a do over brass tube so i don`t have to put a turning tool to it and make it just a bit thinner. Only need to cover the bottom of container about a 1/2" for most things to be submerged. Saves to, how much is wasted when you dump it onto something as it runs all over you and onto the floor. Oh if you notice, all the grime settles to the bottom, just pour that into another container and you always have clean acetone. Carl
 
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