A couple issues with cigar kits

[patmurris]

Hi all,

I haven't been turning pens for very long but have done a few cigar kits among others and overall i had a couple issues with these kits - regular or 'ultra':

- When i tried replacing the 'no name' parker refill with a Schmidt 'easy flow', i found out it would not retract properly - like the refill 'sticks' somewhere. Even after extending and retracting several times, it still does not work properly.

- More recently, during assembly, i had to press quiet hard to get the top over the transmission, so much that now i cannot remove it. On one pen, the top is rubbing hard on the bottom and the pen is difficult to operate - you have to turn hard to extend the tip...

Just wondering whether these are 'known' issues or just bad luck...?

Note that i got my kits from different sources and i'm not sure which ones where involved.

Thanks for your feedback and experience.

 

[arioux]

The refill not retracting is a common one when changing to a better refill. You need to file the inside of the tip with a very small file a a little drill bit.

For the other issue, soory, can't help

 

[JimB]

If a pen is hard to press together then you should stop. Most likely there is a problem. Each time this has happened to me, with any style pen, it is because there was some glue in the tube. You would be surprised how even the smallest amount can cause a real problem.

 

[Hubert H]

Make the 2 for what Jim said. HWH

 

[Smitty37]

One other thing

Difficult fit can sometimes be traced to the transmission - many transmission have one or more small nipples that sometimes are a tad higher than they should be and filing them down a little may be necessary. I have not seen this in cigars but have in 7mm kits of all stripes.

 

[patmurris]

If a pen is hard to press together then you should stop. Most likely there is a problem. Each time this has happened to me, with any style pen, it is because there was some glue in the tube. You would be surprised how even the smallest amount can cause a real problem.

You are certainly right - i should have stopped and check!

However, on cigars the transmission fits into an 'inside' tube attached to the finial which should be free of glue or anything, so it seems there is an issue with the parts in that case.

What i suspect is some of my kits are MIC rather then Taiwan... so many copies out there...

 

[Smitty37]

Check

Try filing down those nipples as I suggested --- it will probably fix the problem for you. I looked at some transmissions and they do have that nipple.

 

[Sylvanite]

Before assembling a cigar pen, lay out the kit parts such that you can see how far the transmission will press into the 8mm tube attached to the finial. There are several different styles of cigar kit, and on some of them, the upper tube is longer. On others the transmission has a tall shoulder. If you mix-and-match parts, or if you trim the upper barrerl a bit short, or if the kit happens to be out-of-spec, the transmission shoulder can contact the tube. When it does, you wind up with exactly the symptoms you describe. The pen is difficult to press together, and hard to turn.

Fortunately, the problem is easy to fix if you catch it before assembly. Just shorten the 8mm tube a little. It only needs to be long enough to engage the transmission so you can typically remove quite a bit without harming pen operation. I unscrew the tube coupler from the finial and sand the tube down to about an inch long using a disk sander. Then I deburr the edges and it's good to go.

I hope that helps,
Eric