Setup to turn between centers are done!

[Chrisjan]

Hi Everybody, I just want to pass on a huge thanks for the very first thread of advice you all gave me right after I joined... which was to get rid of the mandrels! I eventually have a dead drive center and a live tail stock center. Decided to get the dead one from machinist stockists instead of woodworking shops here in South Africa, especially after the lathe bit the nail of my index finger while experimenting with an aggressive crown drive - quick splash of ca stopped any blood trying to get out. Took a lot of shimming on the tail stock and bashing the head stock with a rubber mallet until the two points met...

Turned a piece of hardwood quickly to test it. Turned it over and ran it again and it was smooth as a baby's bum... At last my lathe is cutting straight bodies - not out of round anymore - what a pleasure... lets see how long it takes before it needs some bashing to straighten it all again.

Now for the next piece of advice needed; what dia (in mm) knockout punch do I need to disassemble a comfort kit (also 7mm)? In particular the lower barrel to get through the transmission. I have a whole order of 5 pens to cut round and re-finish the Karee wood (rhus lancea) before my brother picks it up tomorrow afternoon... He will hate the out of round look - and definitaly not pay me a cent for it

 

[randyrls]

Chris; The actual dimension isn't important. To knock out the cap finial you just need a dowel or pin punch that fits inside the brass tube. To disassemble the nib, use a smaller punch that will go thru the transmission but not thru the hole in the nib A 3mm may work. Use it to push out the nib, then use the same punch used on the finial to push out the transmission.

A transfer punch set is useful to disassemble any pen. This one is metric, but you may be able to get one locally.
G5655 25 pc. Transfer Punch Set - Metric

After doing this, the fittings may not fit tightly enough. If so, just put a small drop of medium or thick CA glue on the inside of the tube and press as usual. If the fitting is loose, push on while rotating the fitting. Don't put any CA on the fitting, it will squeeze out onto the surface and make a terrible mess!

Hope this helps.

 

[jzerger]

The first time I did it, I took a transmission with me to Lowes and found a metal rod (I think 1/8", maybe 1/16") that fit through the transmission and not the tip. I tried nails but they're not straight enough. I cut it to about 6" long and have been disassembling with it since to tap out the tip.
Incidentally, a 1/4" carriage bolt fits a 7mm tube for the rest of the
disassembling. I don't live close enough to a Harbor Freight to make it worth the trip for punches. You may have stuff laying around that'll work just fine.

 

[wee willie]

I used to use a welding rod with the flux removed before I got the transfer punches

 

[mhbeauford]

Before I got my punch set, I used a suitable size drill bit, put the smooth end into the pen and struck the sharp end with a wooden mallet or club.

 

[Chrisjan]

Problem is one need to cover over 100 mm in length to get through the transmission and op the nib out... got myself an extra log Allen key that barely sneaks by the thread is the transmission - it worked though...

I disassembled the four pens after my visit to the tool shop and got going cutting between centers. spend the whole day just fixing two pens. Decided to turn teflon bushings to do ca finish on - else the centers got covered... not done yet...

I noticed on sanding the first one that you unintentionally round the corners at the end of the blank causing a ridge when fitting to the hardware. No use measuring diligently just to end up with a rounded corner looking and feeling under size - probably needs some practice...