Is the black sleeve needed?

[rblakemore]

Some of the larger pens, Jr series, WC Continental and El Grande, etc. use a plastic sleeve with the center band in the upper barrel. Is this sleeve needed? I do not see the use for and want to leave it out. I have a WC continental that I am disassembling to re-turn and the sleeve is in the way of removing the center band.
So, my question, can I leave the plastic leave out??

 

[ed4copies]

The threads are in that sleeve, they hold the cap on.

 

[rblakemore]

Uh oh; I missed that that.
Thanks.

 

[darrin1200]

Done carefully, you can remove the center band and keep the plastic threaded piece. You have to pay attention to how far in you press the part. But when you are finished it looks like a continuous pen without the band.
Its one way to lean towards kitless without the cost of buying the triple start taps and dies.

I did one a little while back for Mack C. I'll see if I can find a picture to show.

 

[Dale Allen]

I have taken these apart in the past but not always successfully.
Of course the first step is to remove the cap. That can be done by tapping it out using a plastic rod sized to just go past the threaded black sleeve.
Then it is best to make another plastic rod that just fits onside the tube and press on the black sleeve from the cap end. Using something to hold the blank you may be able to either tap it out, I use a small wooden mallet, or press it out.
If the idea is to save the blank you may have to grip the blank in your had and tap it out. Success kinda depends on how tight the center band assembly is stuck.
Too much force or too much tapping may shatter the black plastic.

 

[darrin1200]

Here is the pen I did for Mack. This was made using a Baron fountain pen kit and adding the roller convertor.

As you can see, I left off the shoulder ring from the barrel allowing a smoother transition to the thread portion. Care must be taken so as not to crack the end when it gets very thin.

On the cap, I left off the the center band. I needed turn the inside edge of the cap a little so that it would ride over the barrel edge just a bit. Like two opposing chamfers coming together. Then with a with a little tweaking to the diameter, I was able to get a balance so that the transition from cap to barrel was fairly smooth.

Hope this helps.

 

[JohnGreco]

You can trim the excess plastic off of the sleeve beyond the threads if that helps. The sleeve helps the lower pen section to stay somewhat straight so the cap doesn't cross-thread but it's not entirely necessary. Best of luck.