Cigar pen twist mechanism question

[DLGunn]

I just made my first cigar pen. I am have trouble getting the ink refill to retract all the way into the tip of the pen. Any advise? Also, is the refill supposed to extend out past the tip no matter which way I twist the pen? If I twist it all the way to the right, or all the way to the left, the refill is out where you can write with it. If I twist it back to the "middle", I have to kind of twist it back and forth a little before it will fully retract. Please help, this it the first pen I have turned besides a slimline.

 

[dntrost]

It sounds like maybe the nib might have a little plating in it making it stick if you take a small round file inside the tip of the nib and make the hole a little bigger it might help. Some cigar pens have a double twist (opens either way you turn them) or single twist (only opens in one direction) but since the spring is not retracting the cartridge so it sounds like your nib might just have plating inside it (had this happen many times on cigars and slims)

 

[Rmartin]

Sound like there is something catching the refill like Dion says.

A little WD-40 will free the twist mechanism.

Cigars are sensitive to the tube lenght. Barrel trim too much and the pen won't fully retract.

 

[bobaltig]

I had that happen once. There was some crud inside the nib, possibly from the plating process, I don't know for sure. I took a small twist drill and reamed out the inside of the nib - by hand - and it fixed the problem. I sized the bit by trial and error until I found a bit that would start to go in the nib, but wouldn't go all the way through when it caught on something. I just twisted the bit by hand until it went all the way through.

Bob
"By the time a man is old enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere."
www.altig.net