nib on pen closes when I write

[carolynbty]

Hi,

When I write with some of the pens I have made, the nib on the ink cartridge moves back up so i keep needing to twist the pen to fix it so I can continue writing. I make slimline and comfort pens. Am I inserting the cartridge wrong or is it a faulty cartridge. Any advice appreciated!!!!

Also when i assemble some pens it cracks at the end that I'm inserting either the clip or the nib......any ideas why????

Thanks Carolyn

 

[stevers]

Number one;
The transmission on the slims, comforts and euro's have an indent when fully extended. You should feel the twist mechanism slip into the indent when you have it fully extended.

Number two;
A common reason for cracking at the nib is because there is a little residual glue left in the tube. This causes the nib to fit too tight and seem too large for the opening in the tube. This is a likely reason for the cracking.

Hope this helps.

 

[nava1uni]

Another reason for the cracking could be that when you are pressing the parts together the alignment may not be good and causing uneven pressure. One way to help with this problem is to gently ream the tube ends so that there is a slight slope and the pressed parts will go together more easily. I bought a carbide reamer for about $5.00 and it works great. I also clean out the tubes with a brass brush which removes any residual glue.

 

[randyrls]

Hi,

Also when i assemble some pens it cracks at the end that I'm inserting either the clip or the nib......any ideas why????

Thanks Carolyn

Carolyn; As others mentioned, glue in the tube is the number one reason for cracking the blank. Also on the list is mis-alignment. Some woods are prone to cracking. You may also want to use Polyurethane glue (Gorrilla Glue) as it foams during curing and may provide more of a cushion to the blank.

A deburring tool made for reloading bullet cartridges can be used to create a bevel on the inside of the brass tube.. I was going to suggest a local gun shop, but I notice where you live and these may not be available where you are. Arizona Silhouette sells the deburring tools.

One problem I have with 7mm tubes is that the pen mill leaves a small raised brass nub on the brass tube. You need to make sure the blank end is flat with no part of the brass tube protruding. I use the reamer tool to remove this nub.

Some material like Corian and some brittle plastics will not expand even a little bit when the fittings are pressed in, so they crack.

In this case, I will expand the end of the tube by inserting a rod that just fits inside the bare brass tube. Twist the rod sideways with the rod inserted about 1/8" to 1/4" into the tube. DO this gently and check the fit of the fittings until it is a snug slip fit. Drill and glue blank as normal and turn. Glue in fittings with a drop of CA (superglue) inside the tube. Insert fitting and give it a good twist to spread the glue.

I have only done this on 7mm tubes. If you have larger tubes and stepped bushings, you are on your own!

 

[fiferb]

Are you left handed? I gave my left handed sister a slimline pen and the way she writes with it makes it close as well. I couldn't find a solution for her other than go to a double twist cigar or a capped pen.

 

[kirkfranks]

I have seen some of the "lowest cost" slimline transmissions do this. I think the China manufacturer does not have as much of the locking component to their transmissions.
If you are already using the better line of kits then never mind.

 

[sbell111]

Are you sure that you are not pushing in the transmission too far? If you push it in too far, the refill will contact the inside of the nib, stopping it from going out far enough to engaging the indent.

 

[lwalden]

And welcome to the forum, Carolyn!!

 

[Skye]

Here's why the nib is going back in; you're twisting it. Seriously, I have the same problem. With some slimline kits, the transmissions don't take much torque to twist. Sometimes they're tougher, sometimes they take a very light touch. I'm not sure what company is which, or if it's just a luck-of-the-draw.

Anyhow, as you're writing, your putting pressure on the lower barrel with your fingertips and it's rarely even from right to left. The upper barrel rests on the web of skin between your thumb and finger. Sometimes it's also got a bit of a grip on it, depending on your writing style. Now, as you write, these two grips on the one pen, on two different barrels, work against each other and you manage to slowly twist the pen closed.

The answer? .......... beats me!

 

[ed4copies]

Skye,

I don't understand how beating YOU will help, but I'm sure we can enlist a volunteer to stop in and give it a try!!

 

[ed4copies]

WELCOME
Carolyn

Would you like to beat Skye??​

 

[Skye]

I have a paddle she can use!

 

[carolynbty]

Fiferb..I'm actually right handed....emmmmm

Anyway thanks everybody for advice. Only been making pens for about a month and just learning as I go along...It's been fun, not to mention expensive to set up. Need to start selling them to get a bit of money back on it.

Thanks again

Carolyn

 

[MobilMan]

Could it just boil down to "the luck of the Irish"?

 

[carolynbty]

yeah i guess it could.....and there's no cure for being Irish!!!

 

[ed4copies]

On a serious note, I have had two transmissions (out of 300 pens) that slipped. They (all 300) are from the China supplier rather than Taiwan. While this is a very low percentage, you COULD have gotten a bad one too.

 

[OLDMAN5050]

I have found that the cheep kits (fun line as some are called) are china kits. the are inferior to the better kits amde in tiawan. and these only cost a few cents more. just what i have found..

 

[sbell111]

The Chinese kits get a beating around here, but I haven't been able to find many problems with them. Certainly, I have had no problems with those inexpensive kits that I've bought from our favored resellers. Buying them directly from Rizheng, I have noticed occasional problems.

These issues have been limited to not more than a few issues per hundred kits (or less) and the company has been willing to send me replacement bits when I've bothered to tell them about it. Generally, I just factor this small percentage of rejects into the cost of doing business and order slightly more kits than I actually think I'll need. At their reduced price, if I do end up with a few bad bits, I still come out ahead.

When I get a kit with a bad part, I check my 'extra parts' box to see if I have a replacement. If I do, all is good. If not, I sort that kit into the 'extra parts' box and grab another.

 

[Tim'sTurnings]

Cross problem too.

I am sure the ballpoint transmission we use has NOTHING to do with the problems descriabed. I have purchased and had cross pen/pencil sets given to me for years. ACTUAL factory made Cross pens. I have had the same problem with ALL of them. They all unscrew back into the nib on all of them. I am sure it is just how you write, not the different types of kits we use. I have read there are some that are advertised as "locking" refill mechanism. I would try one of those to see if the problem goes away. Just MHO.

 

[sbell111]

Every slimline/comfort transmission that I have ever examined was a 'locking' mechanism. As you turn the mechanism, you will see the refill go farther and farther out of the nib until it gets toward the end of the 'twist'. At that point, the refill stops advancing and kind of falls back a bit. It is now 'locked' and cannot close until the barrel is twisted in the other direction.

In a few cases, we've seen cases where the refill could not advance to the point where it locked. Generally, this is because the transmission was either pressed into the tube too far or there is someong 'fouling' the nib, stopping the refill from advancing far enough to lock.

 

[ldb2000]

Every slimline/comfort transmission that I have ever examined was a 'locking' mechanism. As you turn the mechanism, you will see the refill go farther and farther out of the nib until it gets toward the end of the 'twist'. At that point, the refill stops advancing and kind of falls back a bit. It is now 'locked' and cannot close until the barrel is twisted in the other direction.

In a few cases, we've cases where the refill could not advance to the point where it locked. Generally, this is because the transmission was either pressed into the tube too far or there is someong 'fouling' the nib, stopping the refill from advancing far enough to lock.

BINGO !!! This would be my guess too . I've seen this several times as I was trying to determine how deep to drill the stepped holes in some of my kitless pens .