ericatcraft
Member
I wanted to post a reply to many of the concerns that have come to our attention regarding the Jr. Gentlemen and Jr. Statesman pens. First I want to thank all of you who have brought these issues to our attention and I also want to assure everyone that we are currently hand checking every single pen in our inventory to make sure that from here on all pens that are shipped are not defective. If anyone has a pen that is defective or that you are not happy with for any reason please call our customer service center and we’ll arrange for either an exchange or a complete refund.
First, there has been a problem with some of our roller ball nibs and the ink refills. The refill won’t quite fit through the nib. We have determined that a step was skipped in the manufacturing process, the nibs were not polished before they were plated, consequently the inside diameter of the nib is slightly too small on some of the pens so the refill does not fit through. We are happy to replace any nib that has this problem, a simple phone call to us and we’ll mail you for free a replacement nib that you can thread on the pens you have. If you already have a pen assembled and do not want to wait for a replacement part you can use a 3/32†drill bit to fix the problem. Simply insert the bit and rotate it lightly by hand to ream the inside edge of the nib and the refill should fit just fine.
Second: On a recent batch of Jr. gentlemen pens we found that a small percentage of them have had a problem with the nib coupler- it is a little too loose in the brass tube (can be inserted by hand). This was a problem when this particular batch was machined and we are checking every pen before shipping so new pen orders should be free of this problem. If you have a pen with this problem we are happy to send you a new coupler that will fit better. Again, if you don’t want to wait it is a simple fix to glue the part into the tube, we recommend using a thick CA glue and applying a very small amount to the inside of the tube before assembling the pen (with a toothpick, for example). I know that many professional turners recommend gluing any part that has threads or tension from a spring to ensure that parts don’t become loose over time- Dick Sing recommends this in his book Pens From The Wood Lathe.
Third: We have also received feedback that the 27/64†drill bit is too large a bit for these pens and I wanted to address this as well. This is the best drill bit we can find for this pen kit and here is why: as you know all species of wood drill slightly differently, some softer woods and materials drill slightly larger than a dense hardwood even with the exact same setup and drill. If you get a smaller bit than the 27/64†bit we have found that harder woods, Cocobolo for example, may drill too small but the 27/64†is right on. It is a matter of the best fit possible, with all materials possible to turn we feel it is best to recommend a bit that will slightly over drill some materials (and it is very slightly) than a bit that will leave the hole too small with other materials. I have personally made about a dozen of these pens (I realize that is very small time compared to most of you!) and have encountered no problems at all with this bit. If the hole is a little large I have just used a drop or two more of glue and had no problem after that. If you find that all the materials you use are ending up with a hole that is too large we can recommend a 10.5mm drill bit as the best fit for the tube. I know this is a hard size to find but I have heard that MSC (www.mscdirect.com) sells them.
Fourth: Regarding the design of the roller ball nib for the Jr. Gentlemen and Statesman pens, I want to explain the reason for the change. Before I do that I apologize that our website has not been updated with the new photo before today, that was a major oversight on our part and I understand that it is frustrating to order something and then get a different product than was pictured. We are happy to give anyone an exchange for a different pen or a complete refund for any pens that you do not want due to our mistake- just call our customer service staff and they’ll take care of it for you. I believe we’ll have a new photo online today. The reason the nibs were changed is largely due to the threading issues with earlier versions of the pen, the new nib lines up better and the cap is easier to thread onto the nib. That is the main reason for the change- we wanted to improve the functionality of the pen by making the nib slightly larger. The design is similar to other high end pens on the market. In such publications as Penworld many high end pens are featured with a nib similar in style to our new nib. Again I apologize for the web not being current as it should have been, please call us if you no longer want the pens you received and we’ll either exchange or refund the pens no questions asked.
We appreciate all that forum members do to support Craft Supplies USA and assure you that we will continue to find ways to improve our products and services to you, our valued customers.
First, there has been a problem with some of our roller ball nibs and the ink refills. The refill won’t quite fit through the nib. We have determined that a step was skipped in the manufacturing process, the nibs were not polished before they were plated, consequently the inside diameter of the nib is slightly too small on some of the pens so the refill does not fit through. We are happy to replace any nib that has this problem, a simple phone call to us and we’ll mail you for free a replacement nib that you can thread on the pens you have. If you already have a pen assembled and do not want to wait for a replacement part you can use a 3/32†drill bit to fix the problem. Simply insert the bit and rotate it lightly by hand to ream the inside edge of the nib and the refill should fit just fine.
Second: On a recent batch of Jr. gentlemen pens we found that a small percentage of them have had a problem with the nib coupler- it is a little too loose in the brass tube (can be inserted by hand). This was a problem when this particular batch was machined and we are checking every pen before shipping so new pen orders should be free of this problem. If you have a pen with this problem we are happy to send you a new coupler that will fit better. Again, if you don’t want to wait it is a simple fix to glue the part into the tube, we recommend using a thick CA glue and applying a very small amount to the inside of the tube before assembling the pen (with a toothpick, for example). I know that many professional turners recommend gluing any part that has threads or tension from a spring to ensure that parts don’t become loose over time- Dick Sing recommends this in his book Pens From The Wood Lathe.
Third: We have also received feedback that the 27/64†drill bit is too large a bit for these pens and I wanted to address this as well. This is the best drill bit we can find for this pen kit and here is why: as you know all species of wood drill slightly differently, some softer woods and materials drill slightly larger than a dense hardwood even with the exact same setup and drill. If you get a smaller bit than the 27/64†bit we have found that harder woods, Cocobolo for example, may drill too small but the 27/64†is right on. It is a matter of the best fit possible, with all materials possible to turn we feel it is best to recommend a bit that will slightly over drill some materials (and it is very slightly) than a bit that will leave the hole too small with other materials. I have personally made about a dozen of these pens (I realize that is very small time compared to most of you!) and have encountered no problems at all with this bit. If the hole is a little large I have just used a drop or two more of glue and had no problem after that. If you find that all the materials you use are ending up with a hole that is too large we can recommend a 10.5mm drill bit as the best fit for the tube. I know this is a hard size to find but I have heard that MSC (www.mscdirect.com) sells them.
Fourth: Regarding the design of the roller ball nib for the Jr. Gentlemen and Statesman pens, I want to explain the reason for the change. Before I do that I apologize that our website has not been updated with the new photo before today, that was a major oversight on our part and I understand that it is frustrating to order something and then get a different product than was pictured. We are happy to give anyone an exchange for a different pen or a complete refund for any pens that you do not want due to our mistake- just call our customer service staff and they’ll take care of it for you. I believe we’ll have a new photo online today. The reason the nibs were changed is largely due to the threading issues with earlier versions of the pen, the new nib lines up better and the cap is easier to thread onto the nib. That is the main reason for the change- we wanted to improve the functionality of the pen by making the nib slightly larger. The design is similar to other high end pens on the market. In such publications as Penworld many high end pens are featured with a nib similar in style to our new nib. Again I apologize for the web not being current as it should have been, please call us if you no longer want the pens you received and we’ll either exchange or refund the pens no questions asked.
We appreciate all that forum members do to support Craft Supplies USA and assure you that we will continue to find ways to improve our products and services to you, our valued customers.