CSUSA rollerball pen...

[penhead]

Anyone ever use this kit...and why in the world would anyone make a kit like that...and how do I get my money back...CSUSA rep, you still here..gotta question for you..

 

[KKingery]

John, which rollerball are you talking about. I did 2 of the "Americana Rollerballs", and I love them!

 

[Gary]

What kit...CSUSA rollerball covers a lot of ground?

Originally posted by penhead
<br />Anyone ever use this kit...and why in the world would anyone make a kit like that...and how do I get my money back...CSUSA rep, you still here..gotta question for you..

 

[penhead]

If you look at CSUSA's website and under pen kits...its listed as "10K rollerball pen" and its part number is 050-4415...

 

[jimr]

Does your question have to do with getting the white plastic thing correctly screwed onto the top cap? I posted a shot of my first rollerball, the same one you mentioned, a couple of weeks ago. That was really my only problem. I got some advice on it and am going to give it another shot. I think the pen is very attractive. What is your difficulty with it?

 

[penhead]

Which is why I am looking for others feelings toward this kit...I may be the only one who feels the instructions are just a little lacking to begin with.

The little white plastic nib cap wasn't a problem. However, instead of pressing in the cap/clip and then trying to mange the nib cap on inside the tube..it was easier to screw it on and then press in the cap/clip.

My complaint with the kit is having to "notch" one end of the barrell.

 

[Old Griz]

I also did not like that kit.. but if you are looking for a nice rollerball in a similar style check this one out by CSU... it has been a good seller for me.. http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/cgi-bin/shopper?preadd=action&key=050-4085
Unlike the other kit.. on this kit the top screws onto the body, but the cap does not post..

 

[penhead]

Thanks Tom,
I might try that kit..I like the fact that the top screws in, and doesn't rely on that cheap chintzy little piece of white plastic that I am betting wouldn't last for a few months to hold the top and bottom together.

 

[PenWorks]

I quite making and selling any of the roller kits with the plastic press cap. I think even when you get them right, there is a dependability problem after the sale. The pens I sold with the press cap haunt me.

Has anyone seen my dog? I know it was late last night, but try and be a touch more specific next time when refering to a pen kit. LOL

Anthony

 

[Fred in NC]

Anthony: If you mean that dog with four legs and a tail, yes, it was roaming behind my house last night.

 

[PenWorks]

Yeh, that's him Fred, [] he has a little white plastic color made out of plastic press caps that I ended up throwing away.

I think he was looking for John's house to find more, but got lost, thanks []

 

[penhead]

OK, joke if you will...
...but look at this page and tell me - should I have called it an "assorted styles" rollerball pen...[]

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/catalog/pen_kits.html

...as for your dog, maybe he ran away with the CSUSA rep that was around here earlier..[][:0]

 

[PenWorks]

My appologies [] You did name the pen. Who the heck would name a pen kit "rollerball pen" now that's original. It must have been the very first roller pen kit made. [] and they had some left over just for you []

That was pretty guttsy of Nils, to introduce himself as the CSU rep. What was he thinking [B)]

Anthony

 

[wayneis]

I have an clip cap with the white plastic that I made about a year ago and use it almost daily and it hasn't wore out yet. As far as the notch goes it's pretty easy if you have a Dremel tool with a 1/8" grinding wheel which is what I use.

Wayne

 

[Gary]

I made one of those...one.

 

[penhead]

Hey, Nils wanted feedback...a lot of the CSUSA kits are really nice, but that "assorted styles" 10K rollerball..well, first off, the directions simply state to "notch" the barrell where the cap/clip goes..the first kit I didn't quite understand what that meant, to me it just wasn't obvious, and after the cap/clip got pressed in - well - then I realized what the instructions were trying to tell me..ok, I will eat that one, my fault for not understanding the instructions...next kit, notched the barrell where the cap/clip goes...notch not quite right so pressing cap/clip into tube cracked wood....

...like wayne says though, it probably works better notching with the Dremel wheel..but still, even with the Dremel, there is no way to know if you have the correct shape/size of the notch untill you have pressed the cap/clip into the barrell...and then if it ain't right, its a little bit to late...

...as far as the white plastic nib cap...my wife grabs my pen rejects...so after she uses it a while if she ain't happy...well....I usually get a little more shop time when that happens...after all, she does the books..!

 

[KKingery]

I don't think that's the same rollerball style I have made. Directions don't say anything about "notching" the clip/cap area. Only to part off the bottom section of the upper barrel.

 

[penhead]

Here's the cut/paste from instructions:

5. Notch one end of the remaining barrel to accept the clip and cap assembly (a 1/8“ flat file or a rotary tool will work).
Press the clip and cap assembly into the barrel.

And here's the link to the .pdf:

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/pdf/rollerball_pen.pdf

 

[KKingery]

Ah...that's not the same kit I've been using. The Americana Rollerball does not require that step.

 

[jimr]

I misunderstood early in this thread. I did not get the same kit as you. I also got the 10k Americana Rollerball. I still don't like the little plastic think that has to go inside in the top half but I just did one this morning and threaded it onto the cap nut first and then put it in through the open end. Works better. But I do like the looks of the pen and I much prefer one where the cap end posts while in use.

 

[Darley]

Originally posted by penhead
<br />Here's the cut/paste from instructions:

5. Notch one end of the remaining barrel to accept the clip and cap assembly (a 1/8“ flat file or a rotary tool will work).
Press the clip and cap assembly into the barrel.

And here's the link to the .pdf:

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/pdf/rollerball_pen.pdf

Hi Penhead, I'm to don't like this kit as you have to be precise to cut the notch, the first one I went to far and you couldsee the gat between the clip and the uper barrel, the instruction is the same as mine

http://lib1.store.vip.sc5.yahoo.com/lib/gpwoodturning/rl101g.pdf

I got a spalted mango to finish in this kit and scare to ruined it, you got the chance to turn 2 barrel at once, I turn 1 barrel at the time

Serge

 

[penhead]

Exactly my point Serge, you have to be exactly precise when cutting that notch, and the only way I see to be that precise would be to make some form of a template...gonna have to come up with something - I still have a few of the kits left []

 

[PenWorks]

If you spent as much time reading the instructions and taking the time to do your work as you put into watching the Go Daddy commercal, what about 200 times by now, you should have no problem []

I'll post a pic in the next day or two what I have done with all the press cap pens where I have ruined the top. They make great desk pens. []

Anthony

 

[penhead]

Don't have to watch'em any more...got'em memorized...see'em with my eyes closed[]

Originally posted by penworks
<br />If you spent as much time reading the instructions and taking the time to do your work as you put into watching the Go Daddy commercal, what about 200 times by now, you should have no problem []

I'll post a pic in the next day or two what I have done with all the press cap pens where I have ruined the top. They make great desk pens. []

Anthony

 

[PenWorks]

A penny for your thoughts [}]

 

[DCBluesman]

If you give me a penny for my thoughts and I give you my two cents worth, where does the extra penny go? []

Originally posted by penworks
<br />A penny for your thoughts [}]

 

[C_Ludwigsen]

The other cent is a government subsidy. But then they collect 1-1/2 cents tax.

 

[penhead]

Sorry Anthony, I'm gonna have to refund your penny...
...wife caught me thinking again and made me wash my thoughts out[]

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by Darley
<br />.....I'm to don't like this kit as you have to be precise to cut the notch.....

Serge: Don't mean to be contentious; but your comment puzzles me a bit?? Fact is that pen crafting is a precision operation. We turn our barrels to be perfectly round and if they are off by more than a few thousandths, they won't match up with nibs, center bands and finials. We square the blank ends to a fraction of a degree so that all of the pieces will mate properly without gaps and transmissions must be inserted into blanks precisely or they will not function properly. Seems to me that the precision cutting of a clip notch falls right into the careful craftsmanship that is required in other aspects of pen crafting. I didn't find it easy to do any of the above mentioned tasks the first time; but with a little practice I've managed to learn to make a pretty good pen. I think that idea applies to cutting clip notches as well. After a little practice, cutting pen notches shouldn't be any more difficult than any other aspect of crafting a fine pen. If it were easy, there wouldn't be much point in doing it!!

 

[nilsatcraft]

Hello!
I just posted a long apology on another topic. I'm really sorry for not getting back to all of these posts. I didn't realize that they were here and I didn't bookmark the page so I forgot about it all together. It was totally my fault and I apologize for that.
In response to the posts about the fountain pens, they have actually been really successful for us but I understand what you mean about the trouble of having to make a notch for the clip. It is for this reason that we offer so many other fountain pens that don't require that. It's still been really popular though, so we'll continue to offer it. I haven't tried making this pen before but it sounds like many of the posts have the same advice that I would offer on how to make the notch. That's the beauty of a forum- someone's bound to have a solution. Thanks for your patience and I'll keep checking back. Also, please feel free to let me know if I've neglected anyone's questions.

 

[nilsatcraft]

One more note about these fountain pens that use the white nib... I hope I'm not repeating someone else's thread but it is essential that you use what's called the Nib Cap Adjuster Tool when making these pens. It is a special tool used to thread the nib cap on until it seats the lid perfectly onto the pen. You can get away with a large screwdriver and probably some other things, but for $3.99, it's a lifesaver. The part number is 050-0060. Good luck!

 

[PenWorks]

Here is the pic of what I do with pens with no caps (ussually the plastic friction fit) I buy old desk sets & refurb them. This is one of my favorites, a Parker from the 60's looks like it came out of the Jetsons or the front end to my dads old Buick. This is a pair of Americana rollers, that ended up capless []

 

[penhead]

Thanks Anthony...great idea..!