Dragon pen tubes a weeee bit short

[mmayo]

I just made three dragon pens from PSI. I usually think the tubes in any kit should be the right length if I don't shorten them. The top tube in this kit seems about 1/32"-1/16" short and this leads to a gap between the upper and lower tubes when assembled. The gap is bad and needed to be fixed. I took the very unusual step of grinding a tiny amount of the top of the transmission. It worked, but that is not the answer going forward. I have made a few pens and so I get it that over sanding can cause functionality issues. If I buy other dragon kits I may try to make my own top tube a bit longer and see what happens.

Have any of you seen kits like this? Did the vendors change if you reported the error and make changes to the kit?

 

[penicillin]

Hi Mark - Thanks for sharing. I am planning to make a dragon pen for a young family member who is into dragons. I have not made one yet.

Did you read the Questions and Answers on Penn State's website? Someone asks about threads breaking off, but the answer is what is important. The responder says:

"I have built two of them. The first one I placed the center band on backwards (yes, it is important to make sure it is correctly aligned). The center band has a recess for the threaded piece to set into. If the band is backwards there will be a gap between the two sections."

Could your gap be caused by putting the band on backwards?

 

[mmayo]

I did see that post. The components are clearly recognizable and I believe I did things right. The kit is heavy and longer than most. If they sell I'll make more. I'll be especially careful with tube length and review the instructions again. Like with cigar pens you need a block of wood with a hole when pressing the pen together or put the threads at risk. I did that as they suggested.

Thanks

 

[Dehn0045]

Related to this discussion, I was disappointed with the bushings for the Dragon twist. IMHO they are way oversized, resulting in a poor fit. When I switched to TBC it was an easy fix.

 

[penicillin]

If you figure out the correct tube lengths, please post them.

In the meantime, may I assume that TBC stands for "turn by caliper"? Otherwise, will someone please define it for me?

 

[Sly Dog]

Though "turn by caliper" fits the context, TBC usually means "turn between centers."

 

[randyrls]

Mark; I had the same problem with the Faith, Hope, and Love pen.
In the dragon pen, the tubes are very close to the same length, but the upper tube is the longer one.

I have a couple of dragon pens in the build box right now, so I will check this. Thanks.

 

[mmayo]

I too found the bushings way too large. Yes, I have calipers, but yes they make the pens and the bushings and sell them as a set. One might expect THEM to measure the kit and make the bushings to fit that kit. This is not a bash on all of PSI but hey!

I posted some Facebook stuff showing the new pens and interest brought in several people. Two comments too heavy and too long. The same can be said for the Steampunk pens and with proper blanks they sell well. I have faith now.

 

[mmayo]

Well I read your comments about my using the larger tube on the bottom - No I did not. I checked them. I just pressed a new one together very carefully assuring that the top was longer and it did not mate correctly. There was a gap created by excessive length of the transmission and of course a too short upper tube. I did not over sand the blank as is typical for my work. My remedy today was to grind off 1/16-1/8" of the transmission.

My suggestion is to cut an new custom upper tube from long 3/8" stock 1/8" longer than PSI ships, I will if I make more of these.

 

[penicillin]

I ordered a Dragon pen kit at the end of May, drilled and glued the blank a couple days ago, and finished the pen yesterday. The blank is Inlace Acrylester "Nuclear Grape", chosen by my spouse for this pen. It will be a birthday gift for a young member of our family who is into dragons. I had no issues with bushing size or assembly. I turned it down to the bushings. It just worked.

 

[hzsimms]

I just made three dragon pens from PSI. I usually think the tubes in any kit should be the right length if I don't shorten them. The top tube in this kit seems about 1/32"-1/16" short and this leads to a gap between the upper and lower tubes when assembled. The gap is bad and needed to be fixed. I took the very unusual step of grinding a tiny amount of the top of the transmission. It worked, but that is not the answer going forward. I have made a few pens and so I get it that over sanding can cause functionality issues. If I buy other dragon kits I may try to make my own top tube a bit longer and see what happens.

Have any of you seen kits like this? Did the vendors change if you reported the error and make changes to the kit?

Exact same problem this weekend, exact same solution. This is only the second one of these I've made and the first one had no problems. Valuable lesson learned, though.

 

[jrista]

I made one of these about a month ago. I didn't think I'd over-sanded the blank when trimming it down to size, but when I assembled, there was a slight gap. It wasn't quite enough for me to do anything about it. The kit also seems to have slightly miss-sized bushings. The bushings are sized for the outermost diameter of the center band, which leaves the blank slightly too large to nicely line up with the actual diameter of the ends of the band that butt up against the blanks (which, in fact, is not even consistent around its circumference).

I thought about disassembling and trying to turn that part down more...but, I honestly wasn't real pleased with the quality of the kit in general. I bought two, a brass and a pewter. I think once I make the pewter, it'll be my last of the kit. It just isn't that great of quality...very soft details, obviously visible seams in the details, the mis-sized bushing issue, etc. My thoughts, anyway...

 

[magpens]

I thought about disassembling and trying to turn that part down more...but, I honestly wasn't real pleased with the quality of the kit in general. I bought two, a brass and a pewter. I think once I make the pewter, it'll be my last of the kit. It just isn't that great of quality...very soft details, obviously visible seams in the details, the mis-sized bushing issue, etc. My thoughts, anyway...

I agree . . . . I've had similar experiences with that Dragon kit.