need advice

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

ceebee425

Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Messages
3
Location
Texas
I am new here and also to pen turning. I just turned my first acrylic, round top euorpean and it looks great. However, it will not work. The transmission works fine until i put the ink refill in. Then it will retract but not extend back out. I feel it is the transmission, but how do I fix it or get it out so I can replace it?

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in Advance.
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

Smitty37

Passed Away Mar 29, 2018
In Memoriam
Joined
Nov 23, 2009
Messages
12,823
Location
Milford, Delaware 19963
Tip problem

I am new here and also to pen turning. I just turned my first acrylic, round top euorpean and it looks great. However, it will not work. The transmission works fine until i put the ink refill in. Then it will retract but not extend back out. I feel it is the transmission, but how do I fix it or get it out so I can replace it?

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in Advance.
Take the refill and try inserting it in the nib ... if it fits easily the problem is elsewhere if it doesn't you need to clean out the nib. A small drill bit used by hand might work for this cleaning.
 

ToddMR

Member
Joined
May 3, 2010
Messages
1,715
Location
Columbus, OH
Make sure the ink refill doesn't have a protective piece over the tip. Some do some don't. I have even over looked that little plastic piece sometimes because not all of them have it on there.
 

ToddMR

Member
Joined
May 3, 2010
Messages
1,715
Location
Columbus, OH
First check the refill for the tip cover... but if you need to remove the transmission, get a set of punches from harbor freight or PSI... they work great in dismantling pens.


I so couldn't live without my punch set! Best $$ I ever spent for pen tools.
 

ceebee425

Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Messages
3
Location
Texas
Thanks everyone

Sorry it took me so long to respond to your suggestions, every one of them very good. The Doctor put my wife in the hospital the day after I posted the question, so I have a little busy.

I checked the nib and the ink refill to see if it had a cover on it. Everything was good there. Thanks for the suggestion to use a punch set, I think that is the answer. I will order the set from PSI tomorrow and use it to replace the transmission. Pretty sure that will cure the problem, but if not I will probably ask for more help.

Thanks again everyone for you help and suggestions.

CB
 

Brooks803

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2009
Messages
5,632
Location
Aiken, South Carolina
Sorry it took me so long to respond to your suggestions, every one of them very good. The Doctor put my wife in the hospital the day after I posted the question, so I have a little busy.

I checked the nib and the ink refill to see if it had a cover on it. Everything was good there. Thanks for the suggestion to use a punch set, I think that is the answer. I will order the set from PSI tomorrow and use it to replace the transmission. Pretty sure that will cure the problem, but if not I will probably ask for more help.

Thanks again everyone for you help and suggestions.

CB

If you have a harbor freight anywhere nearby you can buy 2 or 3 sets for the price you'll pay at PSI. I bought myself 2 sets, one for knocking parts out and the second for making pin chucks for closed end pens.
 

toddlajoie

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Messages
1,728
Location
Feeding Hills MA
The Euro transmissions get pushed in pretty far, so it's going to take some work to get it out. I'd suggest if you have a Harbor Freight within reasonable distance, that is the place to get the punch set. I think mine was in the $10 range while PSI's is $20 or so (and in reality, they are just steel rods, and the sizes don't necessarily need to be precise, I can't say I've ever even seen if mine are labeled for size, I just grab one that fits...)

You will need to first find the largest one that will fit THROUGH the transmission. It will be larger than the tip on the refill, and use that one to knock out the tip end with a hammer (you can use one of those rubber "jar opener" grippers to hold your acrylic blank firmly in your hand. Leather also works good). Then find one that is the largest that will fit inside the main tube. If you're going to use a hammer for this one, you're going to need to hit it quite a bit to get the trans out, and in the end, it may get a bit banged up, so you MAY need to replace it (only happened to me once but it is possible...). What can work better is to take a 2 inch or so block of wood and drill a hole larger than the refill, but smaller than the pen body where the trans is. Then put the trans in the hole, so the pen body is against the wood. Put the punch through the end where the tip was, and sandwich the whole thing between your pen press, good clamp, or vice. This will allow you to put nice even pressure to push the trans out, which will be a lot less damaging than repeated whacking with a hammer...
 

ceebee425

Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Messages
3
Location
Texas
Thanks for the additional suggestions

As a matter of fact I do have a Harbor Freight tools not too far away. I will try to make the journey there tomorrow or the next day. I am not cheap but don't have much money so that will help.

Toddlajoie, thanks for the additional advice. I like your idea of using a block of wood to hold the blank while driving out the transmission. I will try that.

Thanks again everyone. I don't mind losing the pen kit but I sure would hate to lose the blank with all the work I have in it.

CB
 

Smitty37

Passed Away Mar 29, 2018
In Memoriam
Joined
Nov 23, 2009
Messages
12,823
Location
Milford, Delaware 19963
Harbor Freight

Sorry it took me so long to respond to your suggestions, every one of them very good. The Doctor put my wife in the hospital the day after I posted the question, so I have a little busy.

I checked the nib and the ink refill to see if it had a cover on it. Everything was good there. Thanks for the suggestion to use a punch set, I think that is the answer. I will order the set from PSI tomorrow and use it to replace the transmission. Pretty sure that will cure the problem, but if not I will probably ask for more help.

Thanks again everyone for you help and suggestions.

CB
Even buying on line harbor freight's punch set will cost less than PSI and it's about the same thing.
 
Top Bottom