CSUSA Aero pen and Abalone shell blank

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larryc

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Wonder if anyone else has had this experience.

In December of last year I purchased (from CSUSA) 5 of the Abalone pen blanks specifically for the CSUSA Aero pens and 5 of the Aero component sets.

I didn't get around to turning them until today and after finishing one I assembled it and the ink fill would not extend past the nib.:confused:

Some measuring and checking against the IAP Bushings and Tubes chart (love that chart) shows that the length of the tube should be 1.98 inches. The supplied blank with tube installed measured 2.367 inches.

This problem can probably be solved by grinding off 0.387 inches of the blank but this is not what I expected to have to do to a finished blank.

I tried calling CSUSA but they had already quit for the day.

I sent them an email and I'm sure I'll hear back from them tomorrow but I was wondering if anyone else had this experience?
 
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Mine was like that too, I got mine probably 6 months ago. Had to take it apart used a pen mill on it and refinished. Definitely a pain in the butt. It is not unique to CSUSA I have gotten other blanks from different vendors that had the same issue. You learn to lay the tube in the bag next to the blank before you start.

Mike
 
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longbeard

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Do you have a sierra tube you can check? Sounds like you have a sierra blank would be my guess. I'm not at home or i would check.

I just looked on their site, the blank does reference the Aero. And i think the tube diameter is different than a sierra now that i think about it, without looking.

Harry
 
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ed4copies

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The diameter of the tube for the aero is unique. So, if the components fit, that is the ONLY components that would fit. So, the length should be correct for that pen. Sounds like a miscommunication (screwup) between the maker of the blank and the maker of the pen kit!!!
 

larryc

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Mine was like that too, I got mine probably 6 months ago. Had to take it apart used a pen mill on it and refinished. Definitely a pain in the butt. It is not unique to CSUSA I have gotten other blanks from different vendors that had the same issue. You learn to lay the tube in the bag next to the blank before you start.

Mike

This blank came with the tube already installed. I don't have the chart in front of me now but I think the Aero tube is unique in diameter. I know I don't have bushings for it.

Edit

I was writing this reply while Ed was posting his.
 
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kovalcik

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Probably not the issue but someone should ask the obvious question, did you square the ends of the blank up to be flush to the tube?
 
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johncrane

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Jan 17, 2006
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i wouldn't call it a pain,but a learning experience, you should always measure before fitting the parts.CSUSA would cut thousands of blanks i would prefer over size blanks, under size would be useless.
 

toddlajoie

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Feeding Hills MA
I have not used the Aero version of these blanks, but I have done several in the Jr2 Series, and it seems to me that these blanks are produced in a much longer version (like the 10" tubes you can buy) and just cut to around what is needed, as the 2 blanks I received for the Jr Gent 2 were the same length overall, and if I remember right, significantly longer than even the body tube should have been. There was enough extra that used a saw to trim it close to size before using the pen mill to square it up. I used the cuttoffs for custom centerbands in Russ Fairfield style slimlines, so you can see that a pretty good amount was cut off. I believe this was the cap tube cutoff, but even the body tube had enough to make one similar, but not quite as long:

109963d1392703260-russ-fairfield-mmsc-voting-15_2.jpg
 

larryc

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Mableton, GA (Near Atlanta)
Got a reply back from CSUSA this morning and they referred my to their Turning Cast Acrylic Pen Blanks instruction sheet which they included in their email.

In the instruction sheet it states,

"Although these acrylic blanks are supplied with specific tube sizes, the type of pen you are turning will require that you cut the blanks to the correct length. Refer to the pen tubes supplied with your pen kit to determine proper length."



Rant:


I applaud them for their prompt response but it would seem that if the blanks were only for the Aero pen then the blanks should be cut to the proper length for the Aero pen.


End of rant

If the world were logical , men would ride sidesaddle
 
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