monophoto
Member
I made several fountain pens a few years ago that used a plastic 'snap cap' insert that captures and holds the pen section inside the cap. I think a similar arrangement is used on some roller ball pens. My thinking at the time was that the snap cap was a really poor design.
One of the problems with them is that they have to screw onto a threaded stud that is part of the cap finial on the pen. Unfortunately, the plastic material that they are made from is brittle and doesn't thread very easily. The instructions that come with pen kits suggest wedging a Phillips screwdriver inside the cap, and then twisting to cut threads in the plastic. My experience was that a No 2 Torx screwdriver worked marginally better than a Phillips screwdriver, but neither worked very well.
Eventually, I opted to use a metric tap to cut the threads before assembling the snap cap in the pen - that worked, but the threads were then a bit loose, and the insert could loosen or tighten over time as the pen is used. That problem can be solved by capping the pen, and then twisting the lower half of the body to adjust the position of the snap cap.
Another thought was to put a drop of CA on the threads before screwing it onto the threaded stud. Obviously, a caution is that the glue must be allowed to cure before the cap is installed on the body of the pen.
How are people currently installing the dreaded snap caps? Are there any better solutions out there?
One of the problems with them is that they have to screw onto a threaded stud that is part of the cap finial on the pen. Unfortunately, the plastic material that they are made from is brittle and doesn't thread very easily. The instructions that come with pen kits suggest wedging a Phillips screwdriver inside the cap, and then twisting to cut threads in the plastic. My experience was that a No 2 Torx screwdriver worked marginally better than a Phillips screwdriver, but neither worked very well.
Eventually, I opted to use a metric tap to cut the threads before assembling the snap cap in the pen - that worked, but the threads were then a bit loose, and the insert could loosen or tighten over time as the pen is used. That problem can be solved by capping the pen, and then twisting the lower half of the body to adjust the position of the snap cap.
Another thought was to put a drop of CA on the threads before screwing it onto the threaded stud. Obviously, a caution is that the glue must be allowed to cure before the cap is installed on the body of the pen.
How are people currently installing the dreaded snap caps? Are there any better solutions out there?
