What would you do?

[Verne]

It's been about 6 or 7 months since I've turned anything.
Last Friday I decided that I needed to get busy and create some pens. As I was turning my neighbor came over to see what all the smell was: CA, wood, antlers, etc., well, you get the idea.
As he looked at a particular nice set of antler blanks I had finished, he posed the question: What do you do if you put the wrong bushings on and turn the cigar long piece with the short piece bushings, and vice versa.
I didn't have an answer for him (as of course, I've never made such an idiotic mistake before, I didn't have an answer for him), however, sez I...I'm on this website group and they have an answer for almost anything and I'll ask and let you know.
So, my turning friends...what would you do?
Vern

 

[turned_for_good]

Tell your friend that it may be wise to just start over with a new blank and chalk this one up to experience.

 

[rherrell]

Originally posted by Verne

It's been about 6 or 7 months since I've turned anything.
Last Friday I decided that I needed to get busy and create some pens. As I was turning my neighbor came over to see what all the smell was: CA, wood, antlers, etc., well, you get the idea.
As he looked at a particular nice set of antler blanks I had finished, he posed the question: What do you do if you put the wrong bushings on and turn the cigar long piece with the short piece bushings, and vice versa.
I didn't have an answer for him (as of course, I've never made such an idiotic mistake before, I didn't have an answer for him), however, sez I...I'm on this website group and they have an answer for almost anything and I'll ask and let you know.
So, my turning friends...what would you do?
Vern

Hey Vern, what's that thing getting longer in the middle of your face?
Well, I used to save all those hoping one day to find a solution. They got to taking up so much room in my shop I had to throw them out.

 

[alamocdc]

I know a fella who did this once and he gave the wrongly turned blanks away (and they were Olivewood Cigar blanks). The enterprising recipient salvaged them by making a few modifications and sold the resulting completed pen. Names withheld to protect the guilty.

 

[Firefyter-emt]

What I did a long time ago was to print out Berea & CSUSA kit instructions and had them sprial bound into 2 books that are kept in the shop. I then use calipers to check the bushings to put them in proper order. If you pay attention, there is no way to screw up, other than you did not do something like measure the bushings.

 

[rherrell]

You're no fun, Lee!

 

[TellicoTurning]

Since I have a severe case of CRS and that dreaded Someztimers disease... I do the same thing Lee does.. I don't really read the instructions, but always look at the pictures..

 

[GBusardo]

I've done it and I scrapped the blanks I was not a happy camper!! Come to think of it, I might have done it twice! Or maybe the second time I caught myself.

 

[Verne]

The sad part of it is that my "friend" was in the process of turning a bunch of cigar pens. Had already made 4 and had 4 to go, AND, the instructions were in a binder opened to "Berea Cigar Pen" lying next to the assembly area. Go figure, maybe we will be able to sacrifice something out of it, if only to "chalk it up". Oh all right, it wasn't a friend at all.
Vern

 

[rherrell]

Originally posted by Verne

The sad part of it is that my "friend" was in the process of turning a bunch of cigar pens. Had already made 4 and had 4 to go, AND, the instructions were in a binder opened to "Berea Cigar Pen" lying next to the assembly area. Go figure, maybe we will be able to sacrifice something out of it, if only to "chalk it up". Oh all right, it wasn't a friend at all.Vern

That thing on your face is getting smaller now, Vern.

 

[Rojo22]

Lets see with enough CA and imagination we could make, earrings, a set of wind chimes, really small kaleidescopes, train whistles, and if you get enough of them, my all time favorite is TRIVETS! At least that is er, um what I have heard OTHER people do with them.....yeah, thats it...

 

[Verne]

Yep, it's time to quit for the day. After reading the friendly advice I went to make another set. Same setup I've been using for 3 days now. Yep, turned the bottom with the top bushings!!!!!! Measured before inserting the nib and drive and yep, sure did!
At least I can save this one.......tomorrow,,,,,
Y'all have a great evening, it's been fun.
Oh, and Rick, it was just some of my kids antler, not one of the great blanks you sent because of that NY thingy.
Vern

 

[hughbie]

<hanging my head> my name is hugh and i'm a pen turner....
i've done the very same thing....i turn all the wood/plastic off and start over....no need in throwing the tubes away....

ya know, there are times when i don't even learn from mistakes either.....DAMHIKT

 

[ed4copies]

<center>Hasn't anyone ever heard of </center>

<center>OOOPPPPPSSSSSSSSSSS</center>

<center>rings???????</center>

You part off the section next to the bushings on both pieces and add a "feature", then turn the FEATURE to the correct dimension!!!

 

[wdcav1952]

Great idea from Ed Brown, one of the all time great mistake makers!!!![}]

 

[pssherman]

You could just use the blanks as they are. The transmission will still work, just push it in to the appropriate depth for what you have. It may look a little lopsided but most people would think that is how it supposed to look. I made the same mistake once. Seeing that there was enough adjustment room, I went ahead and assembled the pen. I sold that pen at a craft show.

 

[mrcook4570]

A friend of mine gave me such a pen once. You can file, sand, or cut off part of the black plastic piece of the refill until it extends to the appropriate length. It will result in a usable pen but I wouldn't try to sell it. I would feel like an idiot explaining to the customer that they will have to modify each new refill.

 

[Proud_Poppa_of_2]

What's all this talk about turning the cigar long piece with the short piece bushings? I've turned 843 cigar pens since I started pen turning last November and I have never run into such a situation. How is it that y'all have so much experience with this?

Do we have a tutorial on how to do this in the library? Have you experts have been holding out on us newbies? Please share this secret technique.

 

[ed4copies]

He who turns 843 pens CANNOT claim to be a "newbie".

As long as you haven't had to know this yet, just keep it up!!!

IF you assembled it that way and just sold it, it was probably the one someone brought to ME at a show, and asked if it LOOKED RIGHT?????

I, of course, said the joy of a handmade product is "It looked RIGHT to the guy who made it!!"[8)][8)][8)]

So, YOU'RE the GUY????[:0][:0][:0][:0][:0]

 

[mdburn_em]

I turned the one end down to the proper dimensions and built the other end up with a lot of CA. I simply could not throw it out and I'm not smart enough to think of anything else.

 

[Jarheaded]

I am going to do something strange and actually admit that I did it. I now have a beautiful BOW pen with 3 celtic knots in it and a very long point unless I retract it and then it looks almost normal. It is just another of many that are not allowed to leave the house.

Lee, I am willing to bet that you have a clean desk and work area too.

 

[jwoodwright]

Stan, what you do is remove the little black cap on the refill, introduce the metal end to Mr. Sander, then clean-up the end and put the cap back on the refill...

Of course it's your new and special pen and not for sale...

How's that go? D.A.M.H.I.K.T. [:0][:I][}]

 

[wdcav1952]

Originally posted by pssherman

You could just use the blanks as they are. The transmission will still work, just push it in to the appropriate depth for what you have. It may look a little lopsided but most people would think that is how it supposed to look. I made the same mistake once. Seeing that there was enough adjustment room, I went ahead and assembled the pen. I sold that pen at a craft show.

Are you serious?? I would never want my name attached to a mis-made pen that I sold!

If you were making a joke about selling a screw-up, I apologize for misunderstanding you.

 

[rherrell]

How do you "push in" a Parker type transmission?

 

[Rojo22]

Rick
There is a tool you can buy that is a specialty tool, that will push the Parker style transmission a little deeper into the tube. I think you can get it at Home Depot....

I would advise that any "adjustment" be very slight, as you will creep up on the "exact" placement VERY quickly.

FINE PRINT:

Use of the "adjustment tool" will void all warranties. This is a tongue in cheek post. Under no circumstances should you damage a good hammer with a Parker style transmission.

 

[rherrell]

Now that's funny, I don't care who you are!

 

[pssherman]

Originally posted by rherrell

How do you "push in" a Parker type transmission?

Rick,
My mind must be failing me. When I went out to the shop last night, I noticed that the cigar pen had a screw-on transmission. The pen that I wrote about was not the cigar pen but probably the "designer" pen from PSI.

 

[pssherman]

Originally posted by wdcav1952

Originally posted by pssherman

You could just use the blanks as they are. The transmission will still work, just push it in to the appropriate depth for what you have. It may look a little lopsided but most people would think that is how it supposed to look. I made the same mistake once. Seeing that there was enough adjustment room, I went ahead and assembled the pen. I sold that pen at a craft show.

Are you serious?? I would never want my name attached to a mis-made pen that I sold!

If you were making a joke about selling a screw-up, I apologize for misunderstanding you.

Cav,
Yea I was serious, but it was a "designer" pen from PSI instead of the cigar pen. My memory isn't what it used to be. The pen functioned correctly, it was only the centerband that was slightly out of place. Most of the customers at the craft show had never seen a pen that was not sold at Walmart so a shifted centerband does not look out of place to them. The customer chose the pen because of the grain pattern and aroma of the aromatic cedar that I used.

 

[rherrell]

Heck, I figured it was something like that. As far as the memory failing, I grew up in the sixties, catch my drift? catch my drift? catch my drift?