El Grande question

[Joe Melton]

The bushings for the upper barrel are different diameters. Am I supposed to taper the upper barrel between the bushings? I think that would look squirelly. If I don't, then the cap is too small.
All the pictures I have found show the upper barrel as having straight sides, but the caps on these are different from the ones that came with my kits (from BB). Mine are smaller.
The instructions on BB's site are not the same as those that came with the kits. These kits have three tubes, one for the lower barrel and two for the upper one.
Standing by for an answer....
Thanks,
Joe

 

[LanceD]

You probably received the Streamlined El Grande. On these, the cap tapers a little at the top and need to be step drilled with two different sized bits. On the regular El Grande the two cap bushings are the same size as are the bushings for the lower tube. Go back to BB's site and look at the pen kit section and scroll down to the El Grande descriptons, there you will see the different kits.

 

[Geo in Winnipeg]

I have not made one ...yet. It sounds like you have an El Grande Streamline. There are instructions on BB's site for both the "El Grande" and the "El Grande Streamline". They are different kits and the upper barrel of the streamline does taper.
Wish I could help you more.

 

[Rudy Vey]

You must have gotten the bushings for the EG Streamlined (very nice pen btw, one of my favourites, not as easy to make as others and not for starters). The ElGrande bushings are the same diameter on both ends for each barrel. You could turn the pen without the proper bushing, measure the diameter of hardware and then turn to size of the barrels carefully to it. Measure the diameter often, for this you need a caliper, though.

 

[Joe Melton]

Thanks, guys. Yes, it is the Steamlined El Grande I am making. The directions on Bill's site were under "Streamline" rather than "El Grande", so I didn't look far enough in the list. But, anyway, they are the same as the directions included with the kits. Oddly enough, I cannot find pictures of this finished pen anywhere.
I decided to turn the cap end down like the cap end of a cigar pen.
I do not like to make this kit so far. Now I have to glue the tubes in after the finish is on (as the instructions say to do), and it will be a problem to keep the glue off the finish when inserting the tubes. I really see no reason the tubes cannot be glued in prior to turning.
Will post pictures when completed.
Joe

 

[LanceD]

Originally posted by Joe Melton
Oddly enough, I cannot find pictures of this finished pen anywhere.

On page 2 of the pen kit images on BB's site there are three images of the Streamline.

 

[Geo in Winnipeg]

Joe, PM sent