twist vs. click top pens

1/8/04, 1:58 AM #1

jim reasoner
Guest

twist vs. click top pens

jim reasoner

>I have noticed in all the catalogs that 90% of the pen kits are the twist operation. Why is this? Are the click kind more difficult to make or what? Personally I prefer the click type, its easier to operate with one hand. Although the variety is very limited I would like to order some click pen sets but would like to find out if there is any real differenc in turning before I do.

Also, anyone ever order anything out of the Packard catalog?

Thanks

Re: twist vs. click top pens

1/8/04, 3:22 AM #2

Larry G.
Guest

Re: twist vs. click top pens

Larry G.

>Hi Jim:

I have made a few of the click type of pens. My only objection is that the center band is an integral part of the mechanism and I feel that this restricts the shape to fit into that "mold"

I prefer the "freedom" that using the slimline type of twist pen gives.

This is a matter of taste and there is no right or wrong.

I have ordered some things from Packard and found them to be a high quality source for tools and accessories.

Good Luck

Larry

Hand Turned Pens at http://pws.chartermi.net/~lgottlieb2/

Re: twist vs. click top pens

1/8/04, 4:07 AM #3

RevDoug
Guest

Re: twist vs. click top pens

RevDoug

>I've turned one click and will not turn another. While the turning was no different than any other pen, the assembly was a PITN. Also, I have only had one or two twist pens that I haven't been able to opperate one handed. One was an antler pen that I got too loose. The other was one that I worked on for nearly an hour and it was still too tight to twist open easily. I tossed it and made another just like it that worked without any trouble. Bad kit I assume. What ever you do, have fun. It is one enjoyable hobby, even the problems that cause us to find imaginative solutions.

Turn 'em round,

RevDoug

Re: twist vs. click top pens

1/8/04, 4:21 AM #4

Scott Greaves, Blackfoot Idaho
Guest

Re: twist vs. click top pens

Scott Greaves, Blackfoot Idaho

>Hi Jim,

Twist pens are easy to make so that they function reliably. Not so with click pens. To make a click pen you must be very meticulous with every aspect of the pen-making process. Make sure your measurements are correct. Even then there will be a few stinkers.

I've had long discussions with Jim at Berea, who admits that their click pen is not everything he would like it to be. But it is a good kit, and with proper care it will make a reliable pen. This is one area that the kit manufacturers are working on, because there is a demand for click pens.

Packard is a great place to order turning supplies from! It is one of the few places that is dedicated to woodturning. Brad Packard is great to deal with, and knows his stuff. But if you are looking at pen kits from them, they are the same thing made by Penn State Industries (PSI). There are only three places that make their own kits, and that is PSI, Berea and Craft Supplies.

Good Luck!

Scott.

Re: twist vs. click top pens

1/8/04, 5:25 AM #5

Greg
Member
Offline
83 posts

Registered: 1/2/04

Re: twist vs. click top pens

Greg

>Jim,

You've already received some excellent advice, and I'd like to add some emphasis to what Scott said - be SURE you don't shorten the brass tubes at all. I understand some kits have a tolerance of less than 1/100th"! I have made many of them and generally don't go all the way to the bras stube when trimming the ends. Some people definitely prefer a click pen, so if you are considering making these for sale (especially), you might want to carry a few of these to avoid lost sales.

Also, if you don't want to be tied to the centerband OD, you can cut your blank in a way so as to cover the centerband.

- - -

I am always on the hunt for ephemera. It can be pictures, legal document, diplomas, manuals, personal letters and anything else that shows up. I try not to keep any of my finds. I read them, enjoy them, and then look for a permanent home. I have donated to museums, schools, fraternal organizations and even to the Weyerheauser Company. My finds are distributed here in the Pacific Northwest, but also California, Iowa, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin and Connecticut. Helpful hint: Just about every county in the country has a museum of some sort. They are usually thrilled to receive items that reflect their history and culture. I recently had in my possession a personal letter from February,1946, that had been addressed from one APO (army post office) to another. Stamped on the face was "Return to Sender, Undeliverable Address". I had found it at an estate sale, presumably at the home of the person who originally sent the letter. I have no idea why the letter was kept all these years, but it had never been opened. I opened it and read it at home. It was written by an American woman who worked as a civilian for the U.S. government in post-war Offenhut, Germany. She had sent it to another American woman who was doing a similar job in Shanhghai, China. The letter was newsy and informative about the hardships of living in a bombed out country. No doubt the conditions in Shanghai were no better. I had no great expectations of success, but I googled the name of the intended recipient. The woman's first name is uncommon, and I came upon a woman of that name who had gotten married in California in 1947, the year after the letter was sent. Further, the letter had stated that the two women had worked together for the O.N.I. (Office of Naval Intelligence?) in San Francisco during the war, so California made sense. So I had the woman's current name, or at least it was current 64 years ago. More digging revealed that there is a couple living in the same California town as where the marriage took place. He is 97 and she is 91. (It's amazing what the internet can divulge.) I got the phone number and called. The husband answered. I introduced myself and told him I was looking for a woman and mentioned her maiden name. He said yes, that was his wife's maiden name. Then I said the woman I was looking for had worked in Shanghai after the war. He said, yes, his wife had worked in China. WOW, I had hit paydirt. We didn't talk for long, but he was enthused about receiving the letter, and I mailed it the next day. He promised to write back after the letter arrived. It has been just over a week, so I am eagerly waiting for his return letter. Hopefully it will take less than 65 years to get here. Greg

twist vs. click top pens

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