Advise Please

[Old Griz]

I am planning to do a solid body Ligero FP... I have an idea on paper (see below)... The concept is to use a shortened lower barrel tube and then drill the rest of the lower barrel smaller in diameter so I have clearance for the ink cartridge.. I don't intend to make this one deep enough for the converter.. that will come later if this works.. I am also increasing the length of the pen by .5to.75".. most likely .5
Well the question is..
Am I on the right track... and if not where am I going wrong..
The cap will get a similar treatment instead of the plastic top and the trim ring will disappear and only a very short piece of the plastic overlay will remain.

Just so you don't go reaching for your calculators 11/32"=.343"

 

[wdcav1952]

Griz,

Looks workable to my untrained eye. DW Frommer did an article on a closed end FP in the article list. Perhaps consider extending the depth of the smaller drilled hole to accomodate the converter from the beginning instead of adding later? Make lots of drawings, closed end pens are my next thing to try! []

 

[driften]

I hope someone else steps up, but I think you are on the right track. I hope you are not using wood for this pen. I think to help stabilize wood movement you would want to keep the brass long. For acrylics I have been thinking of not using any tube at all on a pen that would like just like what you are doing....

 

[DCBluesman]

First let me state my disclaimer. I AM NOT A WOODWORKER. Now that we know where to place my credibility, I'm concerned that you are cutting your lower barrel tube to 3/8". I did that with two different top barrels for Barons. In both cases, the glue- in was just slightly off on the angle. When I inserted the pressure fit components, the sides blew out--TWICE, mind you. (Who says I never learn? Hush, Eagle! []) I've since increased the length of brass to either 1/2" or 5/8", depending on how lucky I feel. [8D]

 

[Old Griz]

I intend to ream the brass tube a touch so that I have to glue the pressure fit components instead of press fitting them. I also thought about blow-out problems... but a longer tube sounds like a good plan even if I ream them out.

 

[woodscavenger]

Griz, the drawing looks great. I only have a couple of comments.

1. Are you going to go with that taper or are you goind to mimic the ligero end and make it a postable pen? I think Rich has something like that in his PMG album? I guess part of the answer may be how you do the top. Either way is going to be really cool.

2. How do you plan on turning the thing? All of the closed forms I have done (not that many, maybe 8) have used the full length tube. I turn them with my scroll chuck. I put a scrap in the jaws and round it off to the diameter of the bushing size. I leave about 5mm of that diameter which mimics the bushing and then step the rest of the lenght down to the I.D. of the brass tubing. You could use the same method but you would need to create a double step in order to get a good tight fit.

3. Lou had a bad experience. I hope that doesn't happen to you. It makes me wonder how the tube was trimmed. Since I make a sleeve for one of my barrel trimmers so I am pretty confident that the tube is square to the top of the blank before I start turning it. The step you use may make it a little more difficult to square up the blank depending on your method. If you created a step sleeve for your trimmer I think you could still get a nice square trim and likely would not split out the top.

4. Lou, do you use a chamfer tool before you press your fittings in? Before I got mine from BB I commonly would get a small brass lip that turned inward on the inside lip of many of my larger brass tubes like the baron that gave me some trouble pressing things together. Before I got the chamfer tool I used a sharp utility knife to smooth the inside lip.

Griz, good luck. Just do it the way you drew it! Show us pics.

 

[Old Griz]

Shane,
1. The <b>"plan"</b> is to make the taper as close to the pic as possible. I am not planning on the cap posting. The cap on the Ligero does not post, the cap on the El Grande does. Very similar pens with some minor dimensional differences. I intend to replace the black plastic top of the cap with a wood finial similar in shape to the bottom barrel.
2. I intend to turn it in my Axminster chuck using the tailstock live center for support. I am going to make a "bushing extension" that fits the inner 11/32" diameter for support. The initial drilling will be done on my scroll chuck with the pin jaws on place. So will the squaring of the tube and barrel. I also make trimmer adapters to fit the various tubes on the kits... I am just too damned cheap to buy the adapters at $12-20 ea. Since the tube will be slightly reamed to a slip fit, I will be gluing the press fit adapter in place and that should eliminate any worry about blow out.

Now all I need is the time and guts to get it done.. []
If the temp here ever gets down to something closer to reasonable I can get some work done in the shop...
Yesterday was 100 with high humidity.. been in that range for a couple of days and no rain for over 2 weeks... my grass is brown and thank goodness I can water the veggie garden... but if we don't get some rain, the corn is definately going to suffer...

 

[DCBluesman]

Originally posted by woodscavenger
<br />4. Lou, do you use a chamfer tool before you press your fittings in? Before I got mine from BB I commonly would get a small brass lip that turned inward on the inside lip of many of my larger brass tubes like the baron that gave me some trouble pressing things together. Before I got the chamfer tool I used a sharp utility knife to smooth the inside lip.

Yes, I use the chamfering tool. What happened to mine, as far as I can tell, is that the small area of glued surface was insufficient for the pressure of the fitting. By lengthening the tube 1/8-1/4" (thus increasing the glued surface by 33-67%)the problem went away. I've done a half-dozen or more since with no blowouts.

 

[woodscavenger]

Tom, let us know how it goes. I figured you had everything worked out. A photo log might be a great little show and tell for some others wanting to give it a go.

As for the heat and humidity I feel for you. I am here in NC and my weather meter in my shop at night has been in the 80/80 club every night. 80 degrees and 80% humidity. I have a small outdoor 12'x10' shop. I turn a big fan on, put on my goggles and dust mask and sweat like a dog!