Jr Gent Problems

[StuartCovey]

I have a customer who is saying that the Jr Gent I and II kits have problems with the cap threads. He says he knows a supplier that refuses to carry them because of this, and several turners who will not use them.

Is this true?

I have made several Jr Gent II Rollerballs and Fountains and have not had any problems so far. Is it luck that I have not had any problems or is this not true?

 

[jallan]

Stuart, I like and make the Jr. Gent 1 rollerball and fountain pens all of the time and I never had a cap problem . Might have been a bad batch of kits. They are my best seller and I never had one come back.
Jallan
www.cedarcreekcustompens.com

 

[Ambidex]

I have a customer who is saying that the Jr Gent I and II kits have problems with the cap threads. He says he knows a supplier that refuses to carry them because of this, and several turners who will not use them.

Is this true?

I have made several Jr Gent II Rollerballs and Fountains and have not had any problems so far. Is it luck that I have not had any problems or is this not true?

my answer is ? sold and gave away 1's and 2's for about 3 years and haven't had a complaint yet...perhaps I'm misunderstanding the issue?

 

[toddlajoie]

I thought I remember a batch of Jr Gent 2's about 2 years ago that had a thread issue, I think a tendency to cross-thread, but it was a small number and was quickly resolved. Any of the ones I had that seemed like that, threading and unthreading several times seemed to work it out... I carry both pretty regularly, and have never had problems other than when someone thought it was a PULL OFF cap rather than a SCREW-OFF cap... (friggin doctors...)

I don't ever remember issues with the Jr Gent 1's threads, other than the fact that they are black enamel over brass and can wear over time.

If you ask enough people, you will eventually hear the opinions you mention about nearly every component set (or anything else for that matter) available.

 

[StuartCovey]

Hmmm. He said it was mainly a quality problem, but the threading on the cap was the main problem.
But I haven't noticed anything with mine, so I just wanted to make sure that they were ok to sell as far as quality goes.

 

[Dan Masshardt]

Hmmm. He said it was mainly a quality problem, but the threading on the cap was the main problem. But I haven't noticed anything with mine, so I just wanted to make sure that they were ok to sell as far as quality goes.

I think they're both fine. They are different grades of kits- one costs much more than the other but threads aren't generally a problem except for user error.

A search will yield you some threads on the issue in the past.

 

[mikespenturningz]

I have that same customer and have already explained that the Jr. Gent 2 does not have a thread problem. The Jr. Gent 1 on the other hand is problematic. I have had or replace several inserts. I know this is the same customer because the wording is exactly the same.

 

[edstreet]

Both the I (baron) and the II (gent series) can have the same problem in certain situations. The most obvious being how the end user treats the threads. As with any plastic material it can become brittle, crack, chip and break, fairly easy to I might add. So easy in fact that many companies are now stocking replacement inserts for the cap.

If you goof and have to disassemble the upper tube then there are many cases where you can/will destroy the threads getting it apart. One of the biggest problems is when the lower assembly is epoxied in place and you over tighten the cap. The weakest link in the chain will break and since the lower coupler is epoxied in that would be the screw threads. The other case would be pulling the body loose from the cap or pushing it back together. Both cases will destroy the plastic threads.

The other case that easily comes to mind is when there is buildup in the tube and the maker forces in the insert and causes the threads to bind on the lower coupler. This also happens if you use a gent jr threaded insert on a majestic jr kit, the center band does not provide enough clearance and compresses the threads and cause a very nasty tight fit.

 

[PenMan1]

In the past 6 years Jr Gent II has gone through many pretty serious problem. The center band threads have been a constant source of aggravation for me.

After looking at a post here a day or two ago, it looks like the old thread adapters that came loose and climbed up the cap tube are coming back

IMHO, they really have junked up this hardware set, AGAIN!

I think I'm done with Jr Gent II as soon as I find a suitable replacement. WHO NEEDS a constant headache?

 

[Ambidex]

Both the I (baron) and the II (gent series) can have the same problem in certain situations. The most obvious being how the end user treats the threads. As with any plastic material it can become brittle, crack, chip and break, fairly easy to I might add. So easy in fact that many companies are now stocking replacement inserts for the cap.

If you goof and have to disassemble the upper tube then there are many cases where you can/will destroy the threads getting it apart. One of the biggest problems is when the lower assembly is epoxied in place and you over tighten the cap. The weakest link in the chain will break and since the lower coupler is epoxied in that would be the screw threads. The other case would be pulling the body loose from the cap or pushing it back together. Both cases will destroy the plastic threads.

The other case that easily comes to mind is when there is buildup in the tube and the maker forces in the insert and causes the threads to bind on the lower coupler. This also happens if you use a gent jr threaded insert on a majestic jr kit, the center band does not provide enough clearance and compresses the threads and cause a very nasty tight fit.

I believe you just answered a question that perplexed me for a couple months Ed. I had sold a very nice bow JrII to a customer and he returned it to me. He said the grains didn't match up like they had before and when I tried to fix I couldn't understand what had happened. He doesn't want a refund...not that type of guy but I had told him if there was an issue I'd fix. After reading this thread I went out and looked at the threads and could see the coupler threads were getting rounded over from too much pressure from inner threads. I don't know if that makes sense but what I'm trying to say is it took too much pressure to replace the cap and was crushing the inner threads and kept the grain match just enough off that it was very noticeable...my next question would be, can I re-tap and re-die these threads without total disassembly or would it be easier to start over and keep this one as a user? Not hijacking..guessing I'm not the only one that's had this problem

 

[alankulwicki7]

I had a problem with 2 different Jr Gent 1 pens where the plastic thread insert in the cap broke. I think one pen was cross threaded when I tried lining up the blanks during the assembly but the other time the plastic thread assembly just broke apart during normal use. Both times I just used a new center section from another kit but I do have to get replacements at some point...

 

[Dale Allen]

There is still the same problem that has been there for over a year for me.
I just got a new JRII and the thread problem is still there.
What I am seeing is that the start of the threads on the metal are tapered to a sharp point. The beginning of the thread on the inner plastic is flattened at the beginning. What happens is the sharp thread digs into the flat inner start thread and gets caught. I suppose eventually it would cut this away and be less of a problem but it is not a good way to sell a new unit. It does not always catch but it does enough to be a concern for me.
My solution has been to carefully cut the inner beginning thread to a taper.
Not an easy thing to do but it does solve the problem I am having.

 

[GaryT45]

I've run into a couple of problems with the Jr Gent I threads.
1) The internal treads have broken on 2 pens (1 for a customer, I for my brothers pen).
2) I have had enought where the lower barrel just won't screw into the cap that before assembly, I now check the components to see if they work correctly. (Threads are jamming).
3) I've had a few pens where after assembly, the lower barrel will just turn and turn and turn and never get tight. My assumption is that the plastic insert is just rotating, and once i glue it in place, it works correctly.

These have all been the lower end Jr. Gent I pens from a couple of suppliers.

 

[StuartCovey]

Thanks guys for all the info.
So what I am seeing is that the Jr Gent I is very problematic, but the Jr Gent II used to have a problems but they have worked out all of them and only occasionally does one come out with a problem.

 

[lorbay]

I only have the Jr 1 and most if not all that I have made have problems with the threads. 30 more to go. I know most people don't have the taps, I do so I just run a tap in the cap and all is fine. It looks to me like its excess glue.
Lin

 

[mikespenturningz]

All I can say is I have not had any repairs on Jr. Gent 2 kits in 3 years. I have made hundreds of them. Now the new hardware doesn't have any track record yet. I hope it will be as good as the last ones and I definitely like the fact that the fountain and the rollerball are interchangeable. This will make it really nice for me as people ask me to convert from fountain to rollerball. I have also been really lucky removing the plastic end on several occasions. That is a nail biting session knocking those out.