Re: pen turning question
Don Evans
>Bryon:
What are you using to press your pen parts together with?
If you can, take a piece of wood (pen blank will work well) and cut it 3 15/16" long.
What you do then is use it to block the press so it cannot press more than that distance. If using a hand clamp, lay the block on the table and lay the clamp on table, keep the block inside the jaws and the pen and press the twist into it. The block of wood will keep it from going too far into the pen.
Now that I've said that, let me add that you should first fold a piece of paper over so it is 4 layers thick and keep that at one end of the block also. After pressing first time, insert the ink cartridge and twist to see if it protrudes far enough out the end of the pen. If not, take out the ink cartridge and remove a couple layers of paper and press again, then test and so forth.
This is what Stuart referred to when he said to "sneak up on it".
In making the block you can get it more accurate by cutting slightly long 1/16" or so and sand it down to right lenght with course sandpaper.
You are not the first to make the mistake you did by many, many beginning pen makers so don't let it bother you. Nice first pen.
There is a penturners group on YAHOO and they make some really great pen's. See if you can find them, I don't have the exact address.
Don
