Mandrel rods

[sdb777]

Finally received a replacement rod, my old one is bent(just a little but it keeps me from turning two blanks at once----PITA). Was just wondering if there is a method to straighten out the old one, or is it just junk now?


Those simple rods aren't cheap, for what they actually are!



Scott (guess I have something to use as a stick) B

[monty]

Personally, I don't like the mandrels now that I've started turning between centers. True, you can only turn one barrel at a time, but what's it take, maybe 15 seconds to switch out the sections?
I've also found that on most bushings, the center hole for the mandrel is not precisely centered and this is one reason for out-of-round (OOR) barrels. When turning between centers, I now use the bushings to get close, usually 0.01"- 0.02", remove the bushings and finish the barrel by turning between centers (you'd be surprised how off center you might be) by using a skew as a scraper. I then sand and CA finish and do not have to worry about removing the glued on bushings. Once finished, I have an old barrel trimmer that I have reversed on the guide, I glue a piece of sandpaper on the flat side and sand the excess glue off the barrel.

[TDHofstetter]

Scott... that old mandrel COULD be straightened, but it takes a whole lot of patience and maybe 1-2 hours of concentrated work to make it acceptably straight again. It'll never be perfect - not a one of 'em is, from the factory - but you can make it ACCEPTABLY straight with that considerable effort. Doing the job requires finding the center of the bend, carefully marking the highest point in the bend, laying it across two supports at the LOWEST points in the bend, and tapping it with a frapping device of some sort with a stirrup-shaped buffer between 'em (so you don't frap up the mandrel's surface) until you take a tiny bit of the bend out... then finding the new center of the bend & repeating the process. While that's happening, very often they develop secondary (harmonic?) and terciary and quaternary (etc) bends that need to be chased down as well. Eventually, one can get it really pretty straight. Worlds easier to buy (or make) another, though.

Personally, I like using a mandrel. I can see the final shape of the pen while I work that way - I don't have to imagine the phantom tube in place.

[dicklaxt]

Take your bent (not kinked)mandrel to your local archery shop,they can put in on a manual arrow straightener and hand it back to you in 2 or 3 minutes ready to turn something .

dick

[Doug B]

Scott, this is totally unscientific and may or may not work for you, but, I have run the lathe with nothing on but the mandrel (it was bent). While it was running the end of the mandrel was wobbling all over the place and I just used a rubber mallet to "adjust" the mandrel while it was spinning. You get immediate feedback on how the whack effected the mandrel.

I don't know if it was pure luck, but I was able to get the bent mandrel running much better by doing that. It probably depends on where the bend is on the mandrel so it may not work for yours, but it can't hurt to try

I still ordered a new mandrel, but that got me by until I got a new mandrel.

Nothing else I tried worked worth a chit for straightening that mandrel out and usually just made it worse.

[sdb777]

Thanks everyone.

Can't stand to throw something that can be fixed away!


Funny you should say archery shop... I ran one at GanderMtn for 4yrs! Got an arrow straightening machine buried in the shed somewhere. Not sure how well it would work on a solid piece of steel, after all it was made to fix aluminum tubes. I'll give it a 'shot'....see what happens?



Scott (BTW...Bowtech rules) B

[dicklaxt]

The ones I saw at the shop where I used to shoot had a 15 to 16 inch leverage handle,if it would stay mounted I believe it would straighten a broom handle.

dick

[mcbryde]

Scott, you gotta find that straightener, mine needs to be straightened too, lol.

E