going kitless, ooopses #2 and #3

[duncsuss]

I'm making great strides (if "strides" is defined as "boo-boos"). I didn't get the drill bit stuck in the blank this time -- it had gone in a little deeper than my first depth-gauge told me, so when I parted the barrel off I got a little "pressure relief hole" :redface:

And at the other end of the barrel, when I screwed in the section ("borrowed" from a kit fountain pen), I split the material -- hadn't relieved enough of the internal threads to make space for the "step" at the end of the section threads :redface::redface:

The cap worked out pretty well, though -- so I now have a functional pen!

Next steps: I have some ebonite on order, when it arrives I'll make a screw-in finial for the barrel (destroying the evidence of the drill-through). Then I'll try making a finial and clip for the cap.

I'm still having fun, which is what really matters to me

 

[Carl Fisher]

You're making good progress. Definitely keep at it!

 

[skiprat]

There's an old saying....'You learn nothing from your successes, only from your failures'
The day we have nothing left to learn is a sad day indeed. :tongue:

 

[furini]

I've just started on this road too and made the same 'boo-boos' as you, though as Skip says they are the things we learn the most from. What method are you using to turn your barrel and cap - I've gone for a collet chuck after my first attempts with an ordinary chuck were way out of round. I'm not confident about using a closed end mandrel.

Fun is definitely the word to describe this.

Cheers

Stewart

 

[TerryDowning]

Here's a fix tip for the slight drill through.

Mix up a small amount of 5 min epoxy and color it with some black paint. Load the hole where you drilled through and let it set. Once it's set shape it to the profile of the pen, polish it up and call it a detail.

Good work, it's a nice pen.

 

[duncsuss]

Thanks :wink:

What method are you using to turn your barrel and cap - I've gone for a collet chuck after my first attempts with an ordinary chuck were way out of round.

Me too -- I only have 5 collets currently, which means I have to wrap a layer or two of painters' masking tape around things that are just off-size. I plan to buy a complete set of metric collets from one of the Chinese eBay sellers at some point.

btw ... I see you live in Brighton: it's 30 years since I lived there (by Queens Park), but my brother still does so I visit occasionally

 

[duncsuss]

Here's a fix tip for the slight drill through.

Mix up a small amount of 5 min epoxy and color it with some black paint. Load the hole where you drilled through and let it set. Once it's set shape it to the profile of the pen, polish it up and call it a detail.

Good work, it's a nice pen.

ROFL!!!

thanks

 

[BSea]

Boo Boos are just part of the custom/kitless adventure. Another thing you can do to the barrel, is make a screw in end so you can operate the converter without removing the section.

Here's what I'm talking about. I used the same tap & die as the section.

BTW, this is also my latest boo boo. I stripped the threads on the end of the barrel.

 

[furini]

btw ... I see you live in Brighton: it's 30 years since I lived there (by Queens Park), but my brother still does so I visit occasionally

Brighton's a nice place to visit and a great place to live. I've lived here over 20 years but was a regular visitor during my childhood as well as I grew up just a couple of stops up the Brighton to Victoria line.

My kitless pen is a bit thick at the moment as I only had a 16-15mm collet. I've got the next three sizes now but I quite like the chunky feel, though some might feel the step down to the threads on the barrel is a bit too much.

Looking forward to seeing how your pen comes along.

Cheers

Stewart

 

[duncsuss]

... Another thing you can do to the barrel, is make a screw in end so you can operate the converter without removing the section. ...

I like this idea

How did you make the metal ring? (Or where did you get it from if you bought it?)

Thanks!

 

[BSea]

... Another thing you can do to the barrel, is make a screw in end so you can operate the converter without removing the section. ...

I like this idea

How did you make the metal ring? (Or where did you get it from if you bought it?)

Thanks!

The metal ring is just a piece of brass that I cut from a sheet. It is loose between the 2 pieces. Before I parted the finial for the barrel I screwed the parts together with the brass, and did the final shaping. There is 1 problem with the ring that I'll need to work on. There is a small amount of play, and when screwed together, it can get a hair out of alignment, and you can feel the ring. But if you're careful putting it together, it works fine. That's ok for this one, but not what I'm after for future pens like this one. I'll probably do something similar to this in future pens as long as they aren't as transparent as this blank. But for clearer blanks, I'll have to do something different. I think the glue would show through & not look very good on a clear blank.

BTW, I bought the brass sheet at a hobby store.

 

[hunter-27]

Wish my "boo boos" looked that good.

 

[duncsuss]

Wish my "boo boos" looked that good.

thanks ... :biggrin:

 

[duncsuss]

... Another thing you can do to the barrel, is make a screw in end so you can operate the converter without removing the section. ...

I like this idea

How did you make the metal ring? (Or where did you get it from if you bought it?)

Thanks!

The metal ring is just a piece of brass that I cut from a sheet. It is loose between the 2 pieces. Before I parted the finial for the barrel I screwed the parts together with the brass, and did the final shaping. There is 1 problem with the ring that I'll need to work on. There is a small amount of play, and when screwed together, it can get a hair out of alignment, and you can feel the ring. But if you're careful putting it together, it works fine. That's ok for this one, but not what I'm after for future pens like this one. I'll probably do something similar to this in future pens as long as they aren't as transparent as this blank. But for clearer blanks, I'll have to do something different. I think the glue would show through & not look very good on a clear blank.

BTW, I bought the brass sheet at a hobby store.

Thanks Bob. I might give it a try -- I'm planning to make a finial for the barrel out of black ebonite, so I could glue the brass that side without the glue showing.

 

[BSea]

I just noticed I forgot to include a link in my message above. It should have read:

" I'll probably do something similar to this in future pens . . . . . "

This method should work well with any opaque blank.

 

[duncsuss]

I just noticed I forgot to include a link in my message above. It should have read:

" I'll probably do something similar to this in future pens . . . . . "

This method should work well with any opaque blank.

I'd read dalecamino's write-up before ... think it's a bit too advanced for me to start with, I'm taking baby steps here (but I'll get to it eventually )