Refills that rattle

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Joined
Mar 16, 2008
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165
Location
Hayward, CA, USA.
While I'm relatively new to the sport of pen turning, I've made enough to realize that there are vast differences in quality between kits. I've learned many things about selecting pen kits, quality of metal plating, nylon threads vs metal and finikey double twist mechanisms have pared my choice of kits down a bit. When the pens are turned to extend the refill, the nib holds the end tight and the rattle is non existent.

But one problem I've noticed that seems to be pervasive is the fact that rollerball and ballpoint kits (Atlas/Carbara, Wall Street II/Sierra twist, European, among others) tend to have too much space around the inside of the nib which leaves the refill free to rattle around when the refill is retracted. Pens such as Woodcraft's Classic American ballpoint and the typical slimline style don't suffer as much from rattling.

Making the inside tube diameter smaller to better hold the refill is the obvious answer, but in some cases refills with spring tips are only removable from the midsection. Pens such as the euro can be fixed by placing a restrictor in the nib before assembly since the refill screws in from the back.

So, my question is... how have you all dealt with this issue [?]
 
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Randy_

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Nov 29, 2004
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Dallas suburb, Texas, USA.
Vince: I've never had the problem; but two solutions occur to me. First and easiest is to simply stretch the spring a little so there is more pressure on the refill. The second would to cut a piece of something that is semi-soft and flexible and form it into a cylinder to fit inside of the tube. This might reduce/eliminate the rattle or at least mute the noise. Of course, you would have to be careful to not get the fit too tight or the refill might not deploy properly.

If the pen if for your own use and not for sale, you could simply wrap the refill with a couple turns of masking tape or something similar. Fill up the gap; but not make it too tight that the refill does not move freely.

And finally, perhaps just forget about it. Your hearing may be overly sensitive and detecting a "problem" that others people may not even be aware of. Take a pen that you consider to be too noisy and show it to some of your friends and see if they consider it to be a problem.

Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. We see faults in our own pens that others don't see at all.
 

arioux

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Jan 20, 2005
Messages
1,734
Location
Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada.
Hi,

Don't know about other models but for the atlas, i take out the spring, pull on it to make it a little longer and voila, no more rattle,

Hope this help

Alfred
 
Joined
Mar 16, 2008
Messages
165
Location
Hayward, CA, USA.
arioux, extending the spring on the Atlas eliminates the rattle completely and resolves the problem of the unsupported refill end. Why didn't I think of that! [:p]

The issue still remains with pens such as the Euro which are completely unsupported at the tip when retracted.

I'm going to experiment with placing a blob of polymer clay inside the nib, then running the refill through it to form a support.
 
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