Are slimlines the same everywhere?

[gomeral]

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but I have to ask because I can't find anything definitive. Are slimline pens basically the same, regardless of manufacturer? I don't mean are all bands or clips the same, and I'm not really even talking finishes - I expect some are better than others. I mean: Are slimline bushings the same dia. from everyone? (Or the corollary, are slimline fittings the same dia. from everyone?) If this is true, does this not imply that the fittings are essentially interchangeable?

I can't help but fret that this is a stupid question, but I have some slimline kits from Woodcraft and PSI, and I have bushings from each source, and I'm wondering if I have to keep them separate.

All of this was prompted because I recently noticed that my 5.6mm pencil bushings from PSI don't match up with the Woodcraft 5.6mm pencil fittings. :frown:


Thanks,

daniel

P.S. Since the title is generic, I'll add a second question - do most people find that finishes are essentially the same from different sources? If I buy rhodium from one source, is it basically the same color and quality as from another source?

 

[rjwolfe3]

Truthfully, if you take calipers and measure the pen kits, you will find that even slimline kits from the same supplier don't match when it comes to size. They aren't off by much but I don't think some manufacturers have q.c. As far as finishes, if you stick with the higher end platings you don't have to worry about the quality of the plating from any of the suppliers.

 

[Skye]

Some slimline bushings barely want to fit on certain mandrels.

I'd buy a set of bushings when you buy the kits, and keep them in their own box labeled by supplier. That you you know they'll match.

 

[ed4copies]

It IS best to keep them separate.

The 7mm inside diameter is not exactly the same. PSI won't fit right on everyone else's mandrel (too small) - unless you sand the mandrel a bit, then the other mfgs. bushings are a tad sloppy.

It would be too easy if they were all the same!!

 

[Larry Gottlieb]

My bushings all fit on my mandrels (8). I use kits from two different sources and have mixed parts with no problems.

Larry

 

[hilltopper46]

All of this was prompted because I recently noticed that my 5.6mm pencil bushings from PSI don't match up with the Woodcraft 5.6mm pencil fittings. :frown:

That's OK - IMHO, they don't line up with the PSI fittings either. :biggrin:

On a more serious note - not all the 5.6 lead kits have the same size fittings - I have successfully used the PSI fittings with the CSUSA workshop pencil (with some careful measuring with my caliper), but would not try to use it with the sketcher. I'm not sure which 5.6 lead pencil WoodCraft sells....

 

[gomeral]

*sigh* Well, now that I know the bushings aren't interchangable between kits, my luck continues. Just got a bunch of Sierras in, now I get to stare at them until sometime after the 19th, when the bushings are expected to ship. :frown:



daniel

 

[ed4copies]

MAKE bushings!

Piece of corian or acrylic, drill like a 7mm pen, insert 7mm tube that fits your mandrel, cut to the length of a bushing, turn to inside diameter of sierra, then fit on sierra tube to be exact. Now turn outside to match the fittings - Voila = waiting is over.

 

[gomeral]

MAKE bushings! Piece of corian or acrylic, drill like a 7mm pen, insert 7mm tube that fits your mandrel, cut to the length of a bushing, turn to inside diameter of sierra, then fit on sierra tube to be exact. Now turn outside to match the fittings - Voila = waiting is over.

Heh - lemons into lemonade, eh, Ed? Very good idea! I posted my whine last night right before I realized that a package of Corian sent by a very gracious James (jskeen) had arrived, so I went to bed last night pondering this very concept. However, I was planning on just drilling the Corian for the mandrel OD, then turning to the OD of the Sierra fittings. Since the Sierra is a 1-tube pen, I can make wide bushings to fill up the mandrel and kill two birds with one stone.

I'm going to try to make some bushings some evening this week so I can turn pens this weekend.

Thanks for the butt-kicking! :biggrin:



daniel