Re: Pen Assembly and Finishing questions *LINK*
Greg W. in NC
>Chuck,
If you have a problem with pushing the mechanism in too far, it is easy to make a simple jig to prevent it. It can be used on a drill press, a pen vise such as that from CSU, Woodcraft, PSI, etc. Take a piece of hardwood, cut to the exact length as measured from the back of the mechanism to the tip of the nib (without the cartridge inserted of course), and then cut a "V" groove along the board's length. Then when pressing your pen together, put the pen in that groove, and press until you press pushes against the block. I use one for designer pens and the very small ones. You asked about the pen press - no, they don't have preset stops, and with the dozens and dozens of pens out there, that makes sense. Again, the V block is a simple solution.
Depending on your kit, but you should be able to reuse the components. Usually the tricky part is when you cut a tenon and glue on a centerband. The rest of the components shouldn't be a problem. For the 7mm twist mechanisms, I think the disassembly kits are a good item to have. Mainly because they will let you easily remove the mechanism without damaging the finished barrel. There's a cone-shaped part that presses against the brass tube, so there's less likelihood of damaging the finished barrel. For a quick and easy set of disassembly tools for other parts, I took some nails and ground the heads down until they just fit inside the tube. I have one of these for virtually every size tube. They come in extremely handy - not just for disassembly, but for removing the modeling clay at the end of the tube and for knocking out the bushing after finishing a pen with CA.
Speaking of a CA finish...I wrote an article on doing a CA finish - see the link below. Good luck!
Chuck wrote:
"Please hang in here for some questions at the end.
I use my drill press with a flat head bolt chucked in it to insert the parts of the pens I've started making. I had great luck with the first 5 pens I made and then tragedy happened.
I over-inserted the twist mechanism on Deluxe kits 3 times. I was able to save the turned barrels and reassemble by ripping out the pen tip and using a drill bit in backwards to press out the mechanism. I now have a few kits worth of spare parts as I had to "borrow" the tips to replace the damaged ones.
This morning, while standing in my think tank (shower) the light bulb went on. Why haven't I been setting the drill press max depth to control over-insertion of the twist mechanisms???
I will try that tonight on another pen I'm working on.
So now for the questions...
1) If I invest in a pen press, will I have to manually control insertion depth or does it have stops similar to the drill press max depth?
2) If I invest in the disassembly tool, are the components (tip, twist mechanism, etc) re-usable?
3) I've started trying the CA finish on a couple pens and REALLY like it. Should I still use a sanding sealer after the 220 or 320 grit and at what grit should I stop and apply the CA? Also, what grits do you recommend post CA application?
Thanks for any and all help.
Chuck in Memphis, TN. "
CA finish article
