Cigar pen fitment

[Firefyter-emt]

Guys, I have made a few cigars now and I only seem to have one issue. It appears like the center end of the lower tube is a hair too big. If the part that pressed into the lower tube that accepts the transmission to thread on was not rounded it may fit perfect. My issue is not too much wood left, the blanks are perfect to the bushing, but if you look at it you can just see the edge of the wood. Now short of lightly rounding that edge of the blank prior the lacquer finish, what is wrong? Do I have a bad bushing that is a hair too thick? All the others are perfect, this one just seems a bit big. These are Berea pens & the proper Berea bushings (from BB)
You can just make it out in the closeup photo.

 

[mick]

Lee, Have you used the bushings a lot....in other words do you finish on the lathe....is there a coat, or coats of lacquer on the bushings making them oversized? I've had a couple of cigars I've had to take apart and turn down just a bit because of the same problem and this is what I've decided it is. For the record I've got one set of BB bushings and I couldn't say for a fact that they were the ones I was using when I have the problem. Most other times I use my Woodcraft bushings. I like them better simply because there are only 3 bushings. The middle bushing is a step bushing. This lessens the confusion when setting up the blanks on the lathe.

 

[Nolan]

I have had the same problem so all I did was "sand" my bushing down to the size I would like it to finish to. To me the step in the wood although is only minor it makes the finished pen look cheap or half finished IMO. And a side note I think it is exagerated because the wood side of the fitting has a rounded edge twowards the wood, unlike the other fittings.
Nolan

 

[Firefyter-emt]

I have only turned 4 pens on the bushings and I made myself 3 "spray rods" with 1/4" all thread (I use bushing sleves to spray the cigars on them) On a side note, for spraying lacquer, they work awesome. I turned a quick couple handles, center drilled them and epoxied the all thread in. I have 2 nuts on towards the handle a couple 1/4" brass tube chunks and an acorn nut. The handles allow me to keep the spray off the makdrel & bushings, finish the end grain, and prevent the clear from chipping when removed.

BTT, I may "mill" the bushing down a bit, like you said, it just makes it look like a poor kit or a poor turn with that edge showing.

EDIT: Here are my "spraying rods". I also have 3 hooks in my office that I can hand them on if it is too humid out, all I have to do is turn on the AC to a warmer setting and Viola! No more blushing clear!

 

[Nolan]

Very nice spray rods!! I have been doing all my finishes in enduro but if I start to spray I will definatly STEAL your idea.
Nolan

 

[Firefyter-emt]

Yea they work quite nice. The best part is I can let them dry over night on them without worry of messing up the finish before I put them on my peg board drying rack. I can also be spraying 3 and still be turning a 4th pen on the lathe.

 

[angboy]

I think this is a problem with the way that band is- like someone else pointed out, that band that goes up against the wood is round, whereas the other places where wood and kit join, the kit part is squared off.

I was told about this by Fritz at WT the first time I ordered these kits and he suggested rounding it off a little bit while still on the lathe and in the bushings, and that's worked for me- so it's not a bushing issue I don't think. I just use a parting tool to kind of cut a groove in just next to the bushing so that it's rounded over and the wood is going in a little bit. Hope that makes sense! But I think the bottom line is, no matter how you do it, that place on the blank needs to be messed with to get it to look right!

 

[OSCAR15]

I have run into this too...although not with this particular kit. My cigars are PSI.
I do think however, that on occasion, it is possible that the suppliers may have bushings that aren't up to spec. After all this is all made in Taiwan...
I would mike it out first...Maybe contact Berea and ask them. Could be that you got a bad set of bushings. []

 

[mick]

Lee, I like your spray rods. I may have to "borrow" the idea if you don't mind.........lol

 

[bonefish]

A way to find out for sure is to measure the bushings with a micrometer, and also measure the diameter of the metal fittings where they join the wood.

If the measurements are not the same, the bushings will have to be modified, either by sanding them down, or building them up.

I measure the parts anyway on all the pens I make, in case the manufacturing tolerences are off from lot to lot.

Bonefish

 

[Firefyter-emt]

Yea, I did check them, insert that presses into that end is just a hair (maybe .02) smaller than the bushing, but that is on the outside , not the bottom of the taper on the insert. I may try rounding the edge of the next one and try that out..