Blank Trimmers

[Woodpecker26]

Hello All,

I sometimes have pens that when I put them together the mechanism slips. I've seen all the good tips for this. I had one today. would have been one of my best, but slips, and if you push on the tip it goes in by itself. I looked in the tube, and I'm wondering if the barrel trimmer actually shaved off some of the tube. I had another blank one time where this was obvious. Anyone else have this happen? Maybe there's a slight wobble on my drill press or something.

Thanks in advance for the replies.

 

[Woodpecker26]

Another side note here is that I always use the same blank holding vise to trim the blanks as I do to drill the holes. Is this a bad idea? Maybe it doesn't have enough give in it if it's not totally lined up?

Thanks

 

[sbell111]

What do you mean the mechanism "slips"?

 

[sbell111]

The only time that I've seen a 7mm mechanism retract when you push on the tip, it was because the mechanism was pushed in too far. This caused the refill to be blocked by the tip so that it was not able to extend far enough to allow it to fall into the 'locked' position.

 

[BSea]

It could also just be a bad mechanism.

 

[BayouPenturner]

I had several transmissions over the past few years that were bad and would let the refil creep back into the nib. I changed the transmissions and the problem was gone. I did find not all transmissions are created equal.

I can not tell how or why, but dome feel better.

 

[Woodpecker26]

Thanks everyone. What I mean by a 'slip': It's a 7mm Designer pen. When you turn the upper portion of the pen clockwise to extend the writing tip, it should get to the end of it's journey and stop. In this case, I believe the inside tube is slipping and turning around the transmission before extending all the way. I can see some marks on the inside of the tube and am now wondering if the way I trim them is flawed, and actually removing some of the tube, causing the transmission to be looser inside the tube. As far as the tip pushing back in when writing, I see now this is because it is not all the way extended, due to the 'slippage' of the tube around the transmission.

Bayou, how do you change a transmission?

Thanks

 

[bjbear76]

I've had this happen to me too. I quit using the barrel trimmer and started sanding the ends square my lathe. I haven't had an issue with slipping since.

 

[randyrls]

As far as the tip pushing back in when writing, I see now this is because it is not all the way extended, due to the 'slippage' of the tube around the transmission.

how do you change a transmission?

You can either disassemble or pry out a transmission. You can move the transmission with the pry method


Pry out:
You can leave the nib in place. Drill a 7mm hole in a scrap piece of wood. Cut the piece in half to make a clamp for the transmission. Put a washer that just fits over the transmission onto the transmission. Put the clamp on the transmission and fasten in a vise. Leave about 1/4" between the clamp and the washer. You may need to camp the vise jaws very firmly. Using two screw drivers, pry up on the washer. If the transmission slips upward, tighten the vise further.


To disassemble a pen lower barrel, you will need a set of transfer punches. These are handy to have for a variety of tasks.
Remove the cap and ink fill from the pen.
First remove the nib. Take a 1/8" punch and insert it thru the transmission. Hold the barrel in your hand and gently tap the punch with a small hammer until the nib is free. Arrange a soft landing spot for the nib.

Next insert the largest punch that will fit into the brass tube from the nib end of the tube and repeat the process above until the transmission is free. You can now replace or re-seat the transmission. It may be a good idea to glue the nib and transmission in when reassembling the pen.

With care, both these methods can fix a problem with the transmission and not damage the pen or tube.

 

[BayouPenturner]

I do exactly as Randy described.

I have begun to disassemble the pen as described using a small punch to remove the nib then another punch to tap out the transmission.

They sell dis-assembly tools, I prefer to use the correct size punch from my HF punch set. Use the cushioned pliers to hold the blank. The pliers makes all the difference to hold it firm.

Good luck.

 

[Woodpecker26]

Thanks for all the tips and detailed disassembly instructions, much appreciated.