No Tubes

[aggromere]

Just for something to do I was going to make a pen from a clear acrylic rod. Does anyone know what reduction in drill size is needed to have the kit parts fit without tubes?

I just thought it would be something interesting to have, a completely clear pen that you could see through.

 

[wolftat]

You just need to measure the inside of the tube that is supposed to go with the kit, then take it up a couple thousands of an inch and start hunting for the bit.

 

[bruce119]

Hmmmmm kind of interesting.

Sounds like a job for a good set of calipers.

I too thought of a clear tube but for something else. I would need to polish the inside of the tube sounds like you will have to also. That could be tricky.

I would like to hear some tips for polishing the inside of a "drilled" clear cast poly resin tube ????


Bruce

 

[maxwell_smart007]

acetone? Seems like that would dissolve hte ridges of the resin?

 

[mick]

Drill it with PAM... it works well when cutting threads in resins. Why not in helping smooth the inside?

 

[BRobbins629]

I would like to hear some tips for polishing the inside of a "drilled" clear cast poly resin tube ????
Bruce

There's an accessory for a dremel or rotary flex shaft handpiece that is just a split rod, or you can even make one. I take sandpaper and micromesh strips about 1/2" x 1", put them in the slot and work through the grits just as you would the outside, preferably wet. You can also buff with tripoli and white diamond on a q-tip in a dremel or a dowel wrapped in cotton. Just takes a little practice and patience.

 

[cnirenberg]

Just for something to do I was going to make a pen from a clear acrylic rod. Does anyone know what reduction in drill size is needed to have the kit parts fit without tubes?

I just thought it would be something interesting to have, a completely clear pen that you could see through.

I tried it with some acrylic rod that I got from a "plastics place" here in town. Chucked it up and melted that sucker like summer does to a popsicle. Stunk the place up to high heaven too. Next time I'm going to use Lucite or a clear blank from Dawn and Ed. You just need to make sure and do a test on the acrylic and see how it reacts to heat from turning drilling ect. I use Pam to drill and sand now, and haven't had to do any out of the ordinary steps to get a clear finish on the inside of the blank.

 

[NewLondon88]

There's an accessory for a dremel or rotary flex shaft handpiece that is just a split rod, or you can even make one.

I don't have that accessory, but you're right about making one. I just
put a cotter pin in the collet and slip the sandpaper in the slot, wrap it
around the pin and use it as a flap wheel. Works well enough.

 

[seawolf]

A single section of a rifle cleaning rod with the right size cotton/felt fixed swab with acrilic polish of your choice to finish. 7mm is 30 cal. ect.
Mark

 

[ngeb528]

Without tubes, you'd see any fittings (transmission, cap, nib. Picturing it in my head kind of makes me think it wouldn't look very good, but give it a try and post the pic so I can see it actually put together.

 

[ldb2000]

You mean kinda like this one ..... It's called a Demonstrator ,
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=38113&highlight=demonstrator

As a kitless ballpoint it wont hold up to the stress of pressing in the parts from a kit and being used for very long . I got the T-shirt:biggrin:

 

[workinforwood]

Wet sand the inside and then shoot some polyurethane into the tube. The poly will remove any scratches left by filling them.

 

[Rmartin]

I would like to hear some tips for polishing the inside of a "drilled" clear cast poly resin tube ????

I use a hand held drill with the same grits I use on the outside, and plastic polish to finish it off. Like this: