I'm not really too upset about this, since this is all a learning process for me and I'll chalk it up to a newbie mistake.....however, I'd like to know what that mistake was. I thought I'd share my experience and ask a question.
I turned my first high end kit today. An Art Deco rollerball. I had problems with the cap tube from the get-go. It was very difficult to fit into the drilled blank, so initially I thought that I hadn't drilled the blank straight. OK, I decide....forge ahead. Again, problems trimming the barrel, the barrel trimmer adaptor got stuck in the tube. Again, I stubbornly forge ahead (do you notice a trend here?).
When I pressed the center band in, I heard a crack, just when the metal portion entered the tube. Two hairline cracks appeared. The only thing I can figure is that the brass tube that came with the kit was out of round. I should have stopped when the tube wouldn't fit correctly in the blank and had PSI replace it. Has anyone else ever had a problem with out of round tubes? It really seemed ok when turning, didn't turn on the lathe out of round (but maybe it was just enough out of round). I was making this to donate to a silent auction for my children's school. Now I'll probably keep it, until it falls apart, then learn how to disassemble a pen and re-use the parts. I'll turn another for the auction.
The other thing I learned, is that I need digital calipers. Close enough was ok for trimlines, but I'd like the tolerances to the nib, center, and cap to be dead on for higher end kits.
Thanks for any input.
I turned my first high end kit today. An Art Deco rollerball. I had problems with the cap tube from the get-go. It was very difficult to fit into the drilled blank, so initially I thought that I hadn't drilled the blank straight. OK, I decide....forge ahead. Again, problems trimming the barrel, the barrel trimmer adaptor got stuck in the tube. Again, I stubbornly forge ahead (do you notice a trend here?).
When I pressed the center band in, I heard a crack, just when the metal portion entered the tube. Two hairline cracks appeared. The only thing I can figure is that the brass tube that came with the kit was out of round. I should have stopped when the tube wouldn't fit correctly in the blank and had PSI replace it. Has anyone else ever had a problem with out of round tubes? It really seemed ok when turning, didn't turn on the lathe out of round (but maybe it was just enough out of round). I was making this to donate to a silent auction for my children's school. Now I'll probably keep it, until it falls apart, then learn how to disassemble a pen and re-use the parts. I'll turn another for the auction.
The other thing I learned, is that I need digital calipers. Close enough was ok for trimlines, but I'd like the tolerances to the nib, center, and cap to be dead on for higher end kits.
Thanks for any input.