Question about securing the twist mech.

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darrin1200

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Joined
Mar 17, 2010
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1,833
Location
Lyn, Ontario, Canada
I have a question for anyone out there.

Twist pens such as the Regal and the Cigar are popular pens with my clients. The problem is the twist mechanism turning within the upper barrel. The mechanism is designed to be unscrewed in the middle to change the refill, but I find that sometimes the upper barrel will twist before the mech unscrews. This is especially bad with wood pens, as it throws off the grain alignment.

I have tried Blue locktight, but it does not seem to work. I don't like CA, because of the off gasing effect on finishes. Epoxy would be a permanent solution but extreme care would be needed not to accidentally lock up the mechanism with a stray strand of glue. I would like to be able to remove the mechanism for repair or replacement down the road. Removal of course would require tools or special procedure.

Has anyone found something that reliably works? I was contemplating Shellac, but what cut would you use so that it acted as a glue without running all over the place? Would it have a strong enough shear strength?

I have a Black Titanium Cigar that I have to assemble tommorrow, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 

thewishman

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Mar 9, 2006
Messages
8,181
Location
Reynoldsburg, Ohio, USA.
I have been sealing the center of cigar pens and advising customers to change the refill by unscrewing the "nose cone." With the double twist mech, it is difficult to tighten the transmission enough to stay together, consistently.

Blue Loctite works for me, it needs to be a good coating. Red may be a better choice if Blue is not working for you.
 

darrin1200

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Joined
Mar 17, 2010
Messages
1,833
Location
Lyn, Ontario, Canada
I posted this question on a couple of boards and from the tips I received, I am going with the small dab of epoxy.

Removing the nib cone might be an option with the cigar (which is what I am working on right now), but it won't work on others such as the regal or sierra.

Some suggestions from other boards, is to pull the cap off and then untwist the mechanism.

The reason I do not like this idea, is that the pen is not designed to be pulled apart repeatedly. I also don't want my clients to have to worry about realignment of the grain. It also says inthe instructions specificly not to.

Quote

12. Please Note: To Change the refill, simply screw off the cap. Do Not Pull.

A a side note, I am going to try an experiment using shellac as an adhesive for hold in parts together. To see if it will hold and be removeable after a period of time.

Thanks again.
 

PenMan1

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Joined
Jul 8, 2009
Messages
6,380
Location
Eatonton, Georgia
Ditto on changing the refill from the nib. Additionally, if blue Loctite isn't working for you, IMHO, red Loctite would be a better solution than Epoxy. The red Loctite application requires a less precise application to avoid locking up the tranny, AND if you have to replace the transmission in the future, Loctite becomes workable by applying a warm hair dryer to the joint. Epoxy..... Not so much.

Respectfully submitted.
 
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