Steel threads

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azamiryou

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Aug 14, 2010
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I have a pen with solid stainless steel components, including both the male and female cap threads. The threading action is a little bit "rough". (This is a kit pen, I did not make the steel parts.)

Is this normal?

Is there a "standard" fix to make it work more smoothly? I'm thinking of putting a little lapping compound on the threads and screwing/unscrewing it a bunch of times, but perhaps there is a better solution...
 
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dbledsoe

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I bought four of the same kit, and they are all that way. I decided I would not sell them or give them away. I don't think you can fix it.
 

azamiryou

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Nothing ventured, nothing gained.:cool:

I decided to try the lapping compound (aka valve grinding compound). I used a toothpick to put a small amount on the body threads, then put the cap on and screwed/unscrewed the cap multiple times. It didn't take long to smooth out considerably. I then moved the cap to the posted position, and repeated the process. I didn't have to add more compound, the little bit clinging to the cap threads was plenty.

After both were smooth, I wiped off the compound and tested. It was much improved, but still had a little bit of "catching", so I added a little beeswax to the threads. It's all much better now.

The hardest / most time-consuming part was wiping the compound out of all the threads.
 

mredburn

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Jul 5, 2009
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After lapping with valve compound try white diamond to further smooth it out. There are some diamond polishing pastes from lapidary work if you want to pursue that.
 
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