Just got my cigar pen starter kit and mandrel

[Fay Prozora]

I just got my new starter cigar pen kits and the bushing are a little bit confusing. I can't figure out which bushing goes to the nib end and which goes to the cap end and such. There is a diagram in the instructions but the bushings are not marked. I tried them on the brass tube and one of them feels like it is tiny bit tapered. I do wish they would put a marking on them like they do with the drill bits. This will be my first time turning cigars. The instructions are not hard to follow but I don't know which one go to which end and the middle part of the pen. I guess I'll wait until I get to my shop and use my calipers to measure and mark them myself before I start a pen. The kits look very nice and they came in a nice plastic box so it will be nice to keep my pen kits separate from each other. Now to label the box. I have one for the slim lines I have been making. I got a new mandrel too as my old one is bent and I could not get a decent pen turned with a crooked mandrel. I hope this will last me a very long time. I saw a video on laminating with soda can aluminum so I'm going to try it. I can't wait to get started. I have plenty of wood to play with as I found some nice hardwood at the Habitat store a few days ago. This is going to be fun trying out a different pen. Fay

 

[csr67]

I have that same kit if it's the one from Woodcraft. Yes, you need to use your caliper to measure each bushing since two of them are very close in size. I keep mine in order on a pipe cleaner now so I can tell what bushing goes where...

 

[Fay Prozora]

Thank you. I thought that may be the case. Not quite sure yet how I'm going to mark the bushings but will find a way. Can't wait to try these kits.. Fay

 

[Edgar]

This bushing drawing from PSI might help clarify how the bushings must be used.

http://www.pennstateind.com/library/PKBIG-BU.pdf

I don't make cigar pens very often, so I just keep this drawing handy and check the bushings with my calipers before I start turning one.

 

[magpens]

My advice is to measure the bushings with your calipers and compare your measurements with the instruction sheet. Not all instruction sheets state the bushing sizes. The Woodcraft Cigar instruction sheet *does* give the bushing dimensions:

http://www2.woodcraft.com/PDF/77C21.pdf

As for keeping your bushings in order in your storage box ....
You know those white tie tapes in the bulk food section of your grocery store ...
Take a few of those and store your bushings in order on one of them ... you can write the sizes on the tape as well as the kit name. The tape has a wire in it so you can fold up the ends to keep the bushings from sliding off .... Mal's tip for the day !!

 

[t001xa22]

Fay, the method I use to organize cigar bushings is to vibrator etch each bushing on the inside diameter sleeve section that goes into the tube. I number them "1" through "4" and lightly wipe a smear of "white out" over the etch to enhance the visibility. This may seem like a bit of excess effort, but I have yet to mix them up since. By etching on the tube section, my chisel work up on the material diameter will never touch this area. Just an idea; this method took me all of 10 minutes to do. Obviously, I use this same method for any multiple bushing sets that have a specific diameter order.

 

[Fay Prozora]

I have an engraver thing that I could use to mark them with and those are great ideas. Will use one of them when I get to my shop. I think I will mark them 1 2 3 and 4 with 4 being the nib end. Thanks for all of the ideas and I do save medicine bottles too so that is a way to keep up with them. I can mark the bottles and keep each set of bushings in them. I have a set for slim lines, and for the soft grip pens and now for the cigar pens. I also have a set for the eggoscope kaleidoscopes . Some times I use those for spacers when I need one. Thanks again every one.. Fay

 

[thewishman]

I always pair the bushings together and remember the two that are larger go on top and the two smaller go on the bottom. To clarify - the bigger of each - the bigger of the two small ones and the bigger of the two large ones go on top.

 

[CrimsonKeel]

on my pennstate bushings the one end id longer and that is how i tell them apart. not sure if your kit is the same but i bet it is

 

[Fay Prozora]

Thank you every one. I think I have it down as to what goes where. I studied them last night and found they differ but ever so slightly. I can tell by the feel of the two middle ones in my fingers, I can tell which one goes to the cap end but the one that goes to the nib end and the clip end, I found that the two are so slight in the size so I will put the smaller one at the nib end. Will use my calipers and then I have to find that darn engraver and mark them. Thank you all for the replies. I'm sure these pens will turn out great I hope any way. I think better than my slim lines do. This is going ot be fun and I ight try the lamination on one of these. Fay

 

[randyrls]

Fay; Not to beat this to death, but it is a common OOPS post to say, "I put the bushings in the wrong order or the blanks in the wrong order and now nothing fits". I've done the OOPS post myself.

Because the blanks are tapered end to end and are different sizes at each end, you need to assemble the blanks and bushings on the mandrel carefully.

 

[Fay Prozora]

I'll do that but will still use my calipers to measure them and mark them too. Thanks again every one.. Fay

 

[Sabaharr]

I make a lot of Cigars and can glance at the bushings and tell which is which. Here is how. 2 are noticeably much larger that the others. These go in the center. The larger of these 2 goes on the bottom of the cap and the smaller is the one that goes on the top of the ink barrel. They should butt up together on your mandrel if you are turning both pieces together. Of the 2 remaining the larger one goes on the top of the pen and the smaller one is the nib end. If you want to mark them then color code the end that goes into the tube with some different colored fingernail polish.