Trouble with Wood Turningz Cigar Kits

[kenlholley]

I recently ordered several cigar kits from wood turningz. The mechanisms all seemed very tight, hard to turn. I tried to lube a few to see if they would loosen up. They did but now they seem very loose, they almost seem to rattle, they are so loose. Has anyone else had this problem? Is there another solution to the tight mechanisms? Are PSI Big Ben Cigar kits better enough to justify the extra price? Lots of questions and any help will be appreciated.

 

[alphageek]

Woodturningz used to primarily be a PSI reseller. I don't know if thats true or not for the cigar kits they carry now.

The cigar is one of the kits out there with many different versions. My favorite by far is the 2 tone ones that exotics carries (which I "think" are a berea kit) - but thats because of the look of them more than quality for me. Its been a while since I've seen an issue with any cigar quality, but I do tend to stick to the more upscale platings.

 

[Wood Butcher]

Yup, had that issue too. Call them toll free and tell them, they're good at service. I just made some Berea designers and had the same issue so I'm not sure what the problem is. I tried rinsing the tranny in different solvents and got what you did, really loosey-goosey. Let us know if anything occures that resolved the dilemma.
WB

 

[thewishman]

Woodturningz started having cigar kits made for them back in 2006. Prior to that they were reselling them from other companies.

 

[Whaler]

I do a lot of cigar pens and have always bought them here Bear Tooth Woods - Cigar Pen/Pencil Kits and have never had a problem.

 

[kovalcik]

I had a different issue with their cigars. Transmissions were too small. Emailed them and had new ones in a couple of days. They are great at customer service.

 

[Bigj51]

I do a lot of cigar pens and have always bought them here Bear Tooth Woods - Cigar Pen/Pencil Kits and have never had a problem.

Same here. I won't touch a PSI one. Have had such good success with the ones from Beartooth that I have not felt the need to get any from another vendor.

 

[Donnie Kennedy]

Last year I ran into a couple of tranny issues so I did some research and found transmissions sold individually that were compatible with the brand I was buying at the time. They were only $.50 each and kept me from scavenging parts out of other kits I had on-hand or waiting on a replacement to be sent. The place that I was buying the kits from replaced the parts I had to swap, so I always had the replacements at my disposal.

 

[alphageek]

Woodturningz started having cigar kits made for them back in 2006. Prior to that they were reselling them from other companies.

I had a different issue with their cigars. Transmissions were too small. Emailed them and had new ones in a couple of days. They are great at customer service.

Agree that they are great with customer service - and since it sounds like these are their own version (import/whatever) - I agree .... email them and see what they have to say. Maybe they have a known fix or some recommendations.

 

[ed4copies]

Last year I ran into a couple of tranny issues so I did some research and found transmissions sold individually that were compatible with the brand I was buying at the time. They were only $.50 each and kept me from scavenging parts out of other kits I had on-hand or waiting on a replacement to be sent. The place that I was buying the kits from replaced the parts I had to swap, so I always had the replacements at my disposal.

BEWARE!! There are several different size transmissions---don't buy a bunch based on a picture. Buy a couple, test fit and then buy more if they fit your kit. (Also make sure all YOUR kits are the same)

DAMHIKT!!!

 

[wolftat]

I would just call Ryan at Woodturningz, he is an easy guy to talk to and appreciates the feedback. If he has a problem with a part, he needs to know.

 

[kenlholley]

I did call them on Saturday. I've dealt with their customer service before and have always been satisfied with the outcome. Saturday was no different. Forgot the name of the rep. I spoke to but he apologized and told me he would personally check 6 transmissions to verify they were good and get them shipped right out to me. Can't complain about that kind of customer service. I do think I will try the cigar kits from Bear Tooth Woods though to see if they are worth the differecne in price.

Thanks again. You all are really great.

 

[kenlholley]

Cigar Kits fron Wood Turnningz

I did call them on Saturday. I've dealt with their customer service before and have always been satisfied with the outcome. Saturday was no different. Forgot the name of the rep. I spoke to but he apologized and told me he would personally check 6 transmissions to verify they were good and get them shipped right out to me. Can't complain about that kind of customer service. I do think I will try the cigar kits from Bear Tooth Woods though to see if they are worth the differecne in price.

Thanks again. You all are really great.

 

[kenlholley]

I did call them on Saturday. I've dealt with their customer service before and have always been satisfied with the outcome. Saturday was no different. Forgot the name of the rep. I spoke to but he apologized and told me he would personally check 6 transmissions to verify they were good and get them shipped right out to me. Can't complain about that kind of customer service. I do think I will try the cigar kits from Bear Tooth Woods though to see if they are worth the differecne in price.

Thanks again. You all are really great.

 

[Wood Butcher]

ground hog day?

 

[its_virgil]

I think the tightness is caused by the "grease" used inside the transmission. Using a solvent will dissolve the grease hence causing the loose feeling. This has been my observation. After use the transmission seems to loosen on its own as the grease thins out normally.
do a good turn daily!
Don

 

[t001xa22]

I will offer my experience with these kits, in that I have used a number of them. When I remove the parts out of the bag, I test-rotate the transmisson by hand. If it appears too tight, I insert one drop of gun oil in the barrel of the trans, and one drop on the outside where the brass meets the chrome. I rotate the trans a few times with that oil in place, and set it off to settle in while I build the pen. As Don said, it is definitely the grease used that increases the tightness, because when I come back to the parts for assembly, the trans is operating well. The other point of note is when you assemble the top section over the trans stem on the bottom section, rock the top section slightly as you press down to the centerband; the fit is usually very tight, and this helps bring it down completely to the centerband. Just my .02 cents worth.
Bill

 

[its_virgil]

Good point about the gun oil. I use 3-in-1 oil which I failed to mention. The oil thins the grease instead of washing it out as a solvent will do. I have noticed this on cigar kits from most all sources. But, the Berea cigar kits are my go to cigar kit. Berea kits are sold by Arizona Silhouette, Exotic Blanks, Berartooth Woods as well as Woodcraft.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

When I remove the parts out of the bag, I test-rotate the transmisson by hand. If it appears too tight, I insert one drop of gun oil in the barrel of the trans, and one drop on the outside where the brass meets the chrome. I rotate the trans a few times with that oil in place, and set it off to settle in while I build the pen. As Don said, it is definitely the grease used that increases the tightness, because when I come back to the parts for assembly, the trans is operating well.

 

[Smitty37]

The same stiffness can be found in any transmission and it is typically the grease as a number of people have said.

Don't chuck the transmission, there's nothing really wrong with it.

Don't use a solvent - it eliminates the grease ok but the transmission will suffer from premature failure due to lack of lubricant.

Under normal operation the the grease will thin and the transmission will begin to work easier....slimline transmissions seem to loosen up quicker than the others.

You can also help by warming the transmission which will tend to thin the grease a little. I wouldn't make it too hot to touch but noticeably warm then work the transmission awhile.

Take what Ed said seriously. don't just buy an off-the-shelf transmission and bet your life on it working with your kit..the same style kit from different makers might well have a small difference in transmissions. Even different lots from the same manufacturer might have some almost imperceptable differences that the vendor you by from might not know about.

I am communicating right now with a company specializing in transmissions and you would be amazed at how many tiny variations they have in what is essentially the same transmission. Some of them listed in their catalog have 10 or 12 versions

 

[mightymavkev]

I have the same problem.

All my PSI cigars seem to be smoother and have a definite "stop" in the right place and in both directions.

I use 3-in-1 oil on all twist transmissions. 1 drop only on the inside and then I work it back and forth. You can feel it loosen up almost immediately when you work it back and forth.

But I still have problems with the Woodturningz kits in that they will still "catch" every once in a while and the transmission will actually start unscrewing from the lower barrel rather than retract the pen point.

Usually tightening it back and trying again allows it to work but it's frustrating.

I also have problems on all of the different twist pen kits (sierras, slimline pros, and cigars etc..) with slippage on the transmission. It seems like none of these kits fit correctly over the transmission and just turn freely rather than turn the transmission. I don't want to glue my upper barrels to the twist transmission if I don't have to, but I've tried drops of glue and slightly squeezing the upper barrels out of round to try to grip the transmission tighter at least on two sides. Nothing seems to work consistently.

I'm not a professional and I'm not NEAR as good at this as most of you, but I know I'm following the instructions on these and I've done enough of them to know they're just not built that well. I've lately just been doing bolt action kits almost exclusively anymore because they're the only ones that seem to be reliable.

Again, if you all think I'm doing something wrong in general on twist pen kits and could improve my results for these problems I'm all ears. I'm not so delusional to think that while I've followed instructions, I'm not still doing something wrong.

Regarding Woodturningz....

My last interaction with Woodturningz was very positive - as all have been. They're great people and they always help me. This last time however, they refrained from actually sending my replacement parts and instead they "marked" my account supposedly to include them on my next order. I haven't placed one yet so we'll see. I'm not sure if that was a policy change or their way of saying they were skeptical of me or something.

When I started this, I believed I might make pens to sell and as such I purchased a start up supply of different kits to get bulk pricing. I placed ALOT of orders from WoodturningZ because their prices were good and they were just really cool to work with. But I've had a lot of kits with missing parts and the types of transmission issues described in this thread. So maybe my history of asking for replacements "red flagged" me in their system or something. It doesn't matter. I don't have a problem with their policiy as long as they send what I'm missing on my next order. We'll see.

 

[Smitty37]

Woodturningz used to primarily be a PSI reseller. I don't know if thats true or not for the cigar kits they carry now.

The cigar is one of the kits out there with many different versions. My favorite by far is the 2 tone ones that exotics carries (which I "think" are a berea kit) - but thats because of the look of them more than quality for me. Its been a while since I've seen an issue with any cigar quality, but I do tend to stick to the more upscale platings.

You haven't turned a pen in so long I'm surprised you even remember that a "cigar" doesn't require a humidor.:biggrin:

 

[Smitty37]

Last year I ran into a couple of tranny issues so I did some research and found transmissions sold individually that were compatible with the brand I was buying at the time. They were only $.50 each and kept me from scavenging parts out of other kits I had on-hand or waiting on a replacement to be sent. The place that I was buying the kits from replaced the parts I had to swap, so I always had the replacements at my disposal.

BEWARE!! There are several different size transmissions---don't buy a bunch based on a picture. Buy a couple, test fit and then buy more if they fit your kit. (Also make sure all YOUR kits are the same)

DAMHIKT!!!

Even buying your kits from the same supplier will not necessarily guarantee that the transmissions will all be the same. If the supplier makes a small mistake on the sleeve they might well substitute a slightly larger or smaller transmission...unless you try to interchange you'll never know the difference. DAMHIKT

 

[Smitty37]

I also have problems on all of the different twist pen kits (sierras, slimline pros, and cigars etc..) with slippage on the transmission. It seems like none of these kits fit correctly over the transmission and just turn freely rather than turn the transmission. I don't want to glue my upper barrels to the twist transmission if I don't have to, but I've tried drops of glue and slightly squeezing the upper barrels out of round to try to grip the transmission tighter at least on two sides. Nothing seems to work consistently

.

I'm a little confused by this....while I can't say I've never had this problem it has been really rare maybe 6 or 7 out of several hundred pens made. It's fairly easy to fix. You can probably use a drop of loctite (blue I think) which will probably hold but still allow for removal of the top part to change the refill.

Shipping individual parts is expensive so they might just have changed policy. Another point though (and this happens to me now and then) is that buyers sometimes fail to inspect the packages when they receive the parts and then they request missing parts whenever they discover one while making a pen which in some cases could be two or three times over the course of several months. It is best and easiest for both you and the seller if you check all the packages for completeness when you get them. Even if it is a large order.

 

[mightymavkev]

Good point Smitty. I agree with that. Have to admit I didn't think of it at the time.

I did have several that were missing parts and before I asked for replacements, I went through the rest.

Unfortunately, I don't know how I can tell if a transmission is going to catch when it twists or be too loose (or too tight) of a fit in the pen barrel before assembly though.

I didn't mean to imply it was every kit I make or anything. What I was trying to point out was that I think all of the twist pen transmissions in general are pretty sad in terms of quality. They're cheaply made with very little quality control in my opinion. I haven't bought pens from all the vendors out there, but I've bought from CS, PSI, WC, R, and Woodturningz and I've had issues with twist kits from all of them at some point and frankly to me, they don't look like any of them are made better than the other.

I did have more problems with the cigar kits from Woodturningz, but that could also be law of averages since that's where most of my cigar kits came from in the first place. It wouldn't surprise me if I bought the same volume from the other vendors if the failure rate was about the same.

Anyway, woodturningz has always been great to me regardless and I'll continue to use them as one of my primary suppliers.

 

[mightymavkev]

I would like to add that I don't doubt for one second that my experiences are my fault and not the pen kit's.

I'm not that foolish to believe that I'm not the one causing the problems I experience, but I try very hard to follow the instructions and research here to learn so hopefully it's not me.

Not sure what I would be doing incorrectly but it wouldn't surprise if it's something.

 

[Smitty37]

I have found that testing every slimline transmission before I install it helps - if they feel too stiff I've found that working them a few time does more to help than about anything else - the problem is the grease they use getting a little stiff and working it usually restores it. If it doesn't I will discard the transmission. I've also found that if the transmission is too loose, there's nothing you can do about it and you either decide it can be lived with or discard it. I do think slimline transmissions do tend to fail more than they should. Those made in Taiwan seem to be a little more reliable.

I have no idea why they came up with the idea of using a double twist transmission on cigar kits ... one more thing to go wrong and Murphy's Law applies. I think cigar transmissions in general (Chinese made - I don't have much experience with made in Taiwan) have way too high a failure rate but I think that has come to be expected, we aren't sending people to the moon here and failures are rarely if ever life or death situations. I believe that all sellers can do is be prepared to replace more cigar transmissions than they think they should.