AAAARRRRRGGgggghhhh!!!! (Euro woes)

[GaryMadore]

The Round Top European kits from Lee Valley are gonna land me in the looney bin!

I am running about 25% when it comes to getting the transmissions in: Most of the time I find them to be too tight in the tubes and they end up jamming, bending, not-working, etc., etc., etc....

I now have a drawer full of RT Euro kits - minus the transmissions (anybody need a lifetime supply of nibs, refills, center bands, and clips?)

AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGhhhhhhhhhhhh....... (!!!)

Thanks, I feel better now....

Cheers!

Gary

 

[ldb2000]

Hi Gary , let it out , don't you know it's not good to keep it bottled up inside :biggrin:
Don't despair , several suppliers sell just transmissions for any 7mm pen (slim , comfort , euro and others) . I get my transmissions and tubes when needed from www.woodpenpro.com , they are cheap and you can salvage all those kits you learned on .

 

[1080Wayne]

Gary Have had the odd problem . but nothing like 25% . Are you sure the tubes are free of glue ? Wayne

 

[lane223]

Been there, cussed at it. BEFORE you start putting together the upper barrel together, take the transmission and insert the brass end in the tube. It should turn/spin freely. If not, check for burrs or glue deposits. You can even tape some 600 grit sandpaper on a transfer punch (or anything round and small enough) and enlarge/polish the bottom end of the upper barrel. Just go in far enough so the brass portion of the transmission has enough clearance to turn.

 

[GaryMadore]

Thanks for the tips guys....

Butch: Thanks to you, I may now have an "extra" 10 or so (complete) Euro kits

Wayne: I was gnashing my teeth and exaggerating. I guess it's still 75/25, but the other way around (75% success - on a good day) I'm glad that I'm not alone

Lane: I think we may be talking about different kits: The ones that are killing me have the transmission in the bottom tube and it appears to me as if it's the brass part that is supposed to provide the friction fit. I clean the tubes (Lee Valley mill) but never thought of cleaning 'em out with sandpaper - I bet this will be the ticket for me regardless of which end the #@%&@##$ transmission goes in

Thanks again,

Cheers!

Gary (and all this time I thought all I would ever need is extra tubes... Hah!)

 

[JimB]

Gary, I have found when this has happened to me on any kit it has been my fault for not getting ALL the glue out of the tube. I bout a set of files at Harbour Freight for $6 and use the round one on all my tubes. Haven't had a prblem since I started doing this. I was making the mistake of thinking "If I don't see any glue then there isn't any". I was wrong. I file all the tubes now.

 

[hughbie]

i'm in the same boat as Jim.....i have a round file on my workbench and use it fairly regular to remover glue in a tube....just a few strokes and it's clean

 

[GaryMadore]

Thanks again everyone - I was obviously under the impression - mistakenly so - that the pen mills (c/w fancy HSS pilot shafts/reamers/scrapers) completely cleaned out the tubes.

I guess it hasn't helped that I tend to be rather (ahem) generous with epoxy in the mistaken belief that the mill would take care of cleaning it all out.

A question for Jim and Hugh and/or anyone else who files: Do you find that things still fit OK after filing, or do you need to help them stay put with some CA glue?

On the bright side of all of this, it's a good day when you learn something - so this has been a very good day. Thanks again you guys.

Cheers!

Gary (stopped at Lee Valley this afternoon and bought another dozen kits to play with...)

 

[MobilMan]

Gary. Lane had me mixed up also. I didn't know they made a Euro. with the transmission in the top tube. ??????? Until it's put together. A pen mill [even a sharp one] can mushroom the very end of the tube somewhat. I use a phillips screwdriver to knock down the small ridge. I've got a narrow pocket knife blade I use to get any glue out of the tube, which very seldom happens. If you use a round file, just file easy, just enough to remove any glue. You don't want to make the inside diameter any larger or nib-clip/cap parts will be loose. Just keep having fun.

 

[JimB]

Gary, I made the same mistake in the beginning thinking the mill removed everything. I learned the same way you are learning. Just do light filing around the whole interior of the tube. The file easily removes the glue without removing any brass. I've never had to use anything to hold any parts together.

Also, the round file I use is tapered so it is bigger near the handle so on smaller tubes I need to be careful not to push it in to far.

Good news is this takes maybe 1 minute per pen. It also resolved the problem I had with some pens being 'stiff' when i was extending or retracking the tip.

I file every tube even if I don't think it needs it.

 

[nava1uni]

I use a reamer to take the sharp edge off of the tube prior to trying to press in the transmission. It works very well and I use an Exacto knife and a dental tool to get all of the glue out of the tube if it get past the clay or dental wax that I use to seal the ends prior to gluing them into the blanks. The sharp edge can get caught if you aren't pressing the transmission in exactly square. Rounding off that edge with a reamer will help a lot and it is more even for me then when I have used a file. I bet you are going to get lots of answers to this thread.

 

[NewLondon88]

ok, here's my own $.02 :biggrin:

I only use the round file if I somehow get a LOT of glue in the tube.
Not that this has ever happened.. ever. not even once. twice... a day.

I end up using the small rod from the disassembly kit pushing up from the
bottom .. I poke at the sides to dislodge any remaining glue and it pops
right out.

If I DO need to sand anything in the tube, I put a cotter pin in the collet of
my Dremel tool, cut a tiny strip of sandpaper and slip it in the cutter pin and
roll it up like a flap wheel. Rolled up it will fit into the smallest tube. When the
Dremel is turned on, the paper expands to the width of the tube. Works nice.

Not that I've ever had to do anything like this. Ever. :biggrin:

 

[rick_lindsey]

Thanks for posting this... I put together 3 euros today (I had turned 1.5 of them yesterday, but assembled all 3 today) and all of them had a *very* tight fit putting the top barrel onto the transmission. I just rolled up some 600 grit sandpaper and lightly sanded the inside of the brass. They're still tight, but not quite so bad .

-Rick

 

[GaryMadore]

If I DO need to sand anything in the tube, I put a cotter pin in the collet of
my Dremel tool, cut a tiny strip of sandpaper and slip it in the cutter pin and
roll it up like a flap wheel.

Wow: A cotter pin and a dremel to make a mini flap-wheel... Now THAT is genius!

I'm going to try easing the edge of the tubes as well: Thanks Cindy.

OK, I have a coffee in-hand and I'm off to my Man Cave (aka "workshop") for a while....

Cheers!

Gary

 

[GaryMadore]

UPDATE:

Following the advice given here, I used the 7mm pilot shaft/cutter/reamer thingy held in my hand to clean out the tubes. (I used the sharp edge like a knife/scraper)

Surpise, surprise, surprise: Little flakes of glue came drifting out of the "perfectly clean" tubes - AND the transmission slid into place just as slick as snot on a rooster's beak.

In fact, on the first assembly I used as much force as I usually do and slammed the transmission in waaaaaaaay too deep.

Thanks everyone: My trip to the Looney Bin has been postponed.

Cheers!

Gary

 

[Chris Bar]

Beeswax

 

[redfishsc]

I really like the look and feel of the roundtop euros, but when I made my first Perfect Fit, I waved goodbuy to this PITB euro style pen.