Nothing but problems

[TattooedTurner]

I've been sick all week and tired of laying around watching movies I decided to finish a pen (now a pencil) that I turned last Sunday. It's the Flat Top/American kit from Berea/BTW. My first problem was cutting the tenon. I have the card for the 3 pens they carry that lets you know if you've got the remainder of the upper barrel the right size. I cut it perfectly! Unfortunately I was using the wrong side of the card so it came up about 1/32" short, which is a real problem for the pen since the twist mech is attached to the finial. The tube sticking out a little bit through the CB means the lower barrel doesn't slide all the way up. Sanding it down makes the overall length too short and it won't fully retract. As it turns out, I only had the pen kits in gun metal & chrome, neither looked all that great with the Koa IMO. I rooted through my workbench and found a gold pencil kit. Sweet! I generally don't care for gold hardware but I thought it was a great match. The pencil mech screws into the nib, so sanding that pesky 1/32" off the upper tube wouldn't be an issue. I put the CA on yesterday and sanded & polished today. Uh-oh, got a sand through on the lower barrel. More oil, wait, apply several more coats CA, sand & buff to a nice gloss. Ready to put this troublesome little project together. Every going smooth them BAM! The CA chipped at the CB when I put it on! This wasn't the barrel I refinished, the glue had a full day to cure. Now I need a pair of rubber coated vice grips to get the CB off without ruining it. I think I'll wait until I'm feeling better but this WILL get finished!

¡No más! (for now)

 

[Penultimate]

Bummer about all your issues. But, good for you I sticking with it and over coming. I bought a pair of spark wire pliers from Harbor Freight. They are a little flimsy but the y work. Good luck.


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[MRDucks2]

I actually had a tough time with any pliers, padded pliers or padding with pliers. In my glove drawer I had some of the thin gray Kevlar gloves dipped in a rubber. Found that wearing one of them and holding the pen during disassembly gives me much better grip and zero damage from any means.


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[leehljp]

Jay,

Sorry to hear about your illness. And, Glad you are well enough to work on pens. LOML fusses at me when I get jumpy after colds, flu, etc. that keep me inside for more than 2 days. I MUST go do something. (Three to four hours max is all I personally can tolerate in watching TV or movies or sports, at which the I become jumpy to go DO something. LOML says I am strange.)

Then there comes the realization when recuperating that you would have been better off staying in bed - less damage done than trying to DO something. :redface:

I think most all of us go through this process; just wish that we had better results!

 

[TattooedTurner]

Thanks for the ideas. After sleeping until 11:00, something I haven't done since 1986, I'm feeling a little better but still sick. I'll be taking it easy today and put this off for another week. I'm thinking an oops band on each end is the way to go.