Baron to Gentleman conversion

[Russianwolf]

So I was in the shop the other day and was prepping a blank that someone gave me that has cast tubes in it. They gave me several and I knew one was a gent while the others are all barons. So I get the tubes cleaned out and I grab a set of baron tubes to see which I'm dealing with. The tubes slid straight into the tubes in the blank, so it's the gent. But it got me to thinking.

The baron tubes are nearly a perfect fit for the inside of the gent tubes. Has anyone ever tried to convert a gent blank to a baron? I'm not sure if there's enough material left on the tube afterwards, but I thought it was a rather funny coincidence.

 

[marcruby]

I imagine the drawback would be the thinness of the material left after turning. You would probably have to leave the turning proud of the fittings. Which would be a problem where the barrel fits into the cap.

 

[ragz]

why not make it a curved style turning?
Leave more material in the body and bring the ends into the bushings.
It would probably be still pretty thin once you get the shape and might still crack

 

[wdcav1952]

True it is an interesting coincidence, but to me, that is all it is. I see no reason to attempt such a conversion when both are good kits on their own merits.

 

[wolftat]

I also don't understand why you would want to do that, but it is your choice. If you want to do it and still want the walls to have some wood on them, try using the "Tropical Barons", they have fittings that are slightly larger in diameter than the regular Barons. I use them a lot.

 

[NewLondon88]

The baron tubes are nearly a perfect fit for the inside of the gent tubes.

Cool! A telescoping pen! :biggrin: