Another Walmart Pen question

[underdog]

Do the pen blanks get a tube inserted inside like normal pen kits? Or is the wood unsupported? Not sure I'm getting this. I looked at the tutorial recently posted, but saw nothing that informed me about this.

 

[splinter99]

hello

only the top portion of the wood has a tube glued in it..and that is the sleeve that comes off of the top of the pen. the bottom of the wood is unsupported, .hope this helps.there are some pics in my galery that may help

 

[Marc Phillips]

Originally posted by underdog
<br />
Do the pen blanks get a tube inserted inside like normal pen kits? Or is the wood unsupported? Not sure I'm getting this. I looked at the tutorial recently posted, but saw nothing that informed me about this.

Not sure what Harold meant by the bottom being unsupported... but anyhoo, here's the pic from my pictorial... there is an upper barrel and a lower barrel. The upper is connected to the pen cap/clip, the lower barrel has the threaded pen tip and a barrel that goes into the hole you drill in the blank... so the pen "supports" the wood in that there is something inside the pen blank.. although it is plastic and not real supportive.

 

[Randy_]

Just bought my pens this evening so I haven't built one yet; but I'm thinking about glueing the wood to the plastic tubes(both lower and upper) for a little extra strength.

 

[splinter99]

I glue the top tube into the wood, I think mark drills a little smaller and doesnt use the top tube..I glued the plastic tube in the first ones, but this makes it hard if not impossible to take out all the componets if you have a problem..I think a cigar pen tube could be used in the entire pen..have to try that some time

 

[underdog]

Thanks Marc,

I thought that you cut the blue plastic barrel off of the upper part. But I see now that you cut the tab off of that barrel. So then you just turn one piece to fit between the upper and lower barrel...

Nifty. I gotta try it...

 

[DocRon]

I used the method without the aluminum barrel, and I drilled with a 23/64 bit (solved the problem I had the other day, thanx to some advice from here). Here is a quick-and-dirty photo of the first one, made from spalted maple. The clip is not showing, but it is there. Man, these are CHEAP components, but still fun.[] Made the bushings to fit from some acrylic cut-offs I had.

 

[Marc Phillips]

Originally posted by DocRon
<br />I used the method without the aluminum barrel, and I drilled with a 23/64 bit (solved the problem I had the other day, thanx to some advice from here). Here is a quick-and-dirty photo of the first one, made from spalted maple. The clip is not showing, but it is there. Man, these are CHEAP components, but still fun.[] Made the bushings to fit from some acrylic cut-offs I had.

Heheh.... El Cheapo for sure!

... but, like I said before, this is going to help me out on all those give-away pens...

"Ooohh.. can I have a pen?"

"Sure... here ya go [] "

 

[Randy_]

I'm not sure anyone has explicitly mentioned it yet. The refill is a generic Parker so you can replace it with a Parker brand refill or a gel refill if you are so inclined.

 

[splinter99]

I tried one tonight using Marcs method and I think it's better. discard the top barrel and use a smaller hole(23/64). As for the refills I am using the ones from cigar kits to replace the plastic ones..( I use a real parker brand when I sell cigar pens)

 

[underdog]

Ok.. another question after I destroyed one of these this evening.

I'm missing something on how to mount it to the mandrel shaft. I can get the lower barrel on the mandrel (after I ream it slightly with a 1/4 inch bit) and cut off the collar. That's no prob.

(Of course I realized that the upper barrel stays as is after cutting that tab off. I realized that after I reamed it out to 1/4 also. Suddenly the clicker no longer works.. OOPS![])

So now I realize that the blank gets drilled out to 23/64 which in turn will fit over the barrels, but then how to mount the blank to the 1/4 shaft for turning?

Must be in those bushings you guys mentioned. I'm unfamiliar with pen turning and so know abs. nothing about the bushing sizes...

What's to do now? I have a mandrel with some bushings, but I think they're for standard pens..

Can I just make my own bushings for mounting the blank on? Drill 1/4 in hole in the bushing blank, mount on mandrel, cut/step down to 23/64, cut the higher part to match the lower nib, cut/step down to make a matching bushing for the upper part, and then part off?

 

[Marc Phillips]

Originally posted by underdog
<br />Ok.. another question after I destroyed one of these this evening.

I'm missing something on how to mount it to the mandrel shaft. I can get the lower barrel on the mandrel (after I ream it slightly with a 1/4 inch bit) and cut off the collar. That's no prob.

(Of course I realized that the upper barrel stays as is after cutting that tab off. I realized that after I reamed it out to 1/4 also. Suddenly the clicker no longer works.. OOPS![])

So now I realize that the blank gets drilled out to 23/64 which in turn will fit over the barrels, but then how to mount the blank to the 1/4 shaft for turning?

Must be in those bushings you guys mentioned. I'm unfamiliar with pen turning and so know abs. nothing about the bushing sizes...

What's to do now? I have a mandrel with some bushings, but I think they're for standard pens..

Can I just make my own bushings for mounting the blank on? Drill 1/4 in hole in the bushing blank, mount on mandrel, cut/step down to 23/64, cut the higher part to match the lower nib, cut/step down to make a matching bushing for the upper part, and then part off?

Okee dokee.... You need to make bushings []

The bushings will need to have a hole the size of your mandrel, a collar that is 23/64" to fit inside the hole drilled through the blank, and collars that are the size of the parts of the pen that you will want to match up with the blank when you are turning/sanding...
Hope this helps... sometimes a pic helps more []

<br />

 

[Jerryconn]

I have been to 2 or 3 of the WMs in the area and I cannot find these pens, are they stocked somewhere other than with the school/office supplies in the pens area?

 

[underdog]

Thanks Marc,

That confirms what I was thinking. And Corian will work for making bushings yes?

Jerry,

I'm not sure whether anyone else carries these or not. You might try Office Depot or Office Max, they both have online catalogs.

I keep wondering how many other pens we can find that will work for the same purpose....

 

[Ron Mc]

Jerry,
I have only found them at Walmart. I looked at the local Office Depot with no luck. This weekend I'm going to check Sams and Costco. If I can find them in bulk I'll send you some.

 

[Jerryconn]

Thanks Ron that would be great! I guess what I should have said is, Am I looking in the wrong place inside Walmart? I cannot find them with the other pens in the school & office supplies section. Are they stocked somewhere else in the stores?

 

[samm47]

Please give me a drawing or dementions of the bushings please...I am really confused....Sorry to be so stupid...

 

[Skye]

Marc drew the bushings on the first page. Now, the only dimension left off is what you turn down to. If you have a micrometer, just measure the pen parts, then turn a bushing to match.

 

[Skye]

This may help. Can anyone give us the mystery measurements?

 

[txbob]

A=.430
B=.400

 

[Skye]

 

[low_48]

Look by the greeting cards, in the stationery section. Not by the school supplies. They are called "The Elite". I had trouble finding them tonight till I hit the correct section. Good luck.

 

[underdog]

Well there it is after trying to upload photos to a non-existent album.

Cherry, with conversion varnish, wiped on. Walmart Pen Kit.

Only took me three tries to get this pen right. First "kit" I drilled out the upper barrel and wiped out the clicky mechanism. I also didn't realize that I'd cut off the wrong collar on the lower barrel, until I went to take apart the second kit. Unfortunately I realised just a tad too late I'd done it again on the second kit...

Third times the charm I guess.

Don't be too hard on me though, I'm working with a bent mandrel, I made my own bushings out of a hard exotic, and it's my first pen, ever.

 

[Marc Phillips]

Originally posted by underdog
<br />

Well there it is after trying to upload photos to a non-existent album.

Cherry, with conversion varnish, wiped on. Walmart Pen Kit.

Only took me three tries to get this pen right. First "kit" I drilled out the upper barrel and wiped out the clicky mechanism. I also didn't realize that I'd cut off the wrong collar on the lower barrel, until I went to take apart the second kit. Unfortunately I realised just a tad too late I'd done it again on the second kit...

Third times the charm I guess.

Don't be too hard on me though, I'm working with a bent mandrel, I made my own bushings out of a hard exotic, and it's my first pen, ever.

Wow... first pen? ... you are in trouble now! []

Looks great... and the second one is going to be a LOT easier!

 

[Jerryconn]

Super looking pen Jim, if that is your 1st I can't wait to see the 5th, 10th, .... Great job![]

 

[underdog]

Yeah, it was a hoot! Can't wait to do some more... I gotta go buy up the rest of Walmarts stock...

 

[ken69912001]

I posted a Walmart pen that I did but I did the wood in two parts.

 

[Thumbs]

Jim, that is a great lookinf first! (Read envy, envy, envy!)

Jerry, I found them at my local Walmart in the school supplies section, but it took me quite awhile because they just didn't seem to stand out in the crowd, so to speak.......I almost gave up, too![]