Gatsby Problem - Asking for suggestions

[tmeccariello]

I have made a few Gatsby's from Penn State Industries and one customer just told me about an issue with his. The cap that slides over the transmission is spinning too freely and the refill is not advancing properly. Not enough friction or bite between the cap and transmission. If I wedge a small piece of paper around the transmission it makes it makes the cap fit more snug and the cap doesn't spin freely. Would it be wise to drop a drop of CA glue and attach the transmission permanently to the cap? Any potential down sides?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Travis

 

[Herb G]

How do you plan on changing the ink cartridge if you glue the cap to the transmission?

 

[tmeccariello]

the transmission and cap will untwist together and you can back the transmission out. it kind of already does this with a snug fitting cap. it will just be stuck in the end of the cap. I see one potential issue where over tightening the cap could cause the threads to over tighten between the transmission and the body.

 

[lhowell]

Dont buy Gatsby's. Get Mesa's, Sierra's, or other types of the Gatsby style from Beartoothwoods or Bereahardwoods or Exoticblanks.com. Most of these kits are better quality than what PSI offers.

 

[tmeccariello]

I have wondered if other sites have better pens or if they are all from the same supplier then bought by different middle men and sold under different style names. I will keep that in mind for future pens however trying to find a solution for this issue. Thanks for the input.

 

[Cwalker935]

The only downside that I can see is that you might have a problem if you ever need to change out the transmission. I would put a drop of glue in it.

 

[tmeccariello]

yeah the transmission and cap would have to be replaced together but if it gives him a functional pen I think its worth the extra trouble if it ever needs to be replaced.

 

[walshjp17]

Rather than standard CA, try thread locker CA. It can be loosened with a hard twist if necessary. I think the Threadlocker Blue is what most folks use.

 

[lhowell]

Have you tried a different transmission from another kit to see if it was that transmission or if there is a tolerance issue with the cap?

 

[tmeccariello]

its not the mechanism of the transmission but yeah more of a tolerance issue between the cap and transmission fit. a new cap seemed to decrease the problem. however I still see this being a problem in the future, especially with customers who fidget and twist the pen mechanism unnecessarily. Can't really see why the cap and transmission are separate, kind of makes sense to have them one piece (ie. glued together which I plan to do). yes if the transmission fails down the road the cap will have to be replaced as well but it will take out the possibility of this happening to any other kit.