Originally posted by gerryr
<br />I'm about ready to try my first closed end pen, a Jr. Gents. I understand how to do this for a fountain pen, but I'm going to do a rollerball. What do people do about the spring? Should I just add another 5/8" to the depth of the hole to accomodate it?
Gerry,
Here is how I do it for the Baron. I would imagine that the idea would be similar. The important thing is to measure the length of the gent assembled to obtain the proper measurement for the added depth. I drill a 1/4" hole to accommodate the spring. In my opinion, the larger hole required for the tube would allow the refill to move around and the spring to get lost.
Here is a diagram:
It should be noted that I drill these on the lathe. They can be done on a press however. I would recommend drilling the 25/64" first, and then the 1/4". If done on the lathe, it centers very easily. Also, check your overall length of the blank. 3 and 5/8" gives me plenty for my live center to bite while turning until I get the shape down and part off the waist. Then the pin chuck takes over (It is turned on the pin chuck from the beginning) and allows the end to be rounded, sanded and finished.
This shows the intial chuckig and setup:
Please let me know of any additional questions you might have. I am sure that others will chime in to help too.
Fangar