Glue has a tendency to get on the inside of brass tubes when gluing them in blanks. That excess glue takes time to remove. And if not removed, the glue will create problems at assembly time. To get ahead of the game, seal tube ends with potato plugs. Just cut a ¼” slice of raw potato and press each end of your tube into it. The plugs will come out when trimming the blanks with a barrel trimmer. If using cyanoacrylate (instant) glue, wipe down the outside of the tube before gluing as the potato’s moisture will speed the curing time.
Similar Posts

Make an Inexpensive Threaded Headstock
To create your own threaded headstock, mount a piece of hardwood at least 1″ thick to your metal faceplate. Turn…

Quit Guessing Grits
Unlike sheet abrasives, abrasive strips don’t have the grits marked on the back side, making it easy to lose track…

Is it round yet
Starting and stopping a lathe to check that the blank is perfectly round not only wastes time, but is hard…

Washer does double duty
When turning bottle stoppers and other projects where the outside diameter of the wood to the mating metal part is…
Barry Gross’s Techniques for Making an Acrylic pen
Part 1 – Preparation: In Part 1, Barry shows you tips & techniques for marking up and cutting the pen…

Working around blowout
No matter how careful you are or how sharp your drill bit, the bottom end of a blank being drilled…