Jr. Statesman II Kit problems

[candy1land]

I just turned a beautiful Jr. Statesman II in Olive wood this weekend. I found two issues - one of which is about the kit itself?

It appeared to me that when I pushed in the coupler on the end of the long barrel of the pen where you screw the end cap on it looked like the hardware flared the pen tube outward making it expand - if that makes sense.

Once the pen was assembled and I ran my fingers from the ink end of the lower barrel up to the end cap I can feel that the end is flaring out - meaning larger diameter than the rest of the lower barrel.

I believe it cracked the CA as well. I'm waiting a few days to see if more cracks develop. I need to take it apart and do the lower barrel over now. But before I do I am wondering why the pen hardware would be too big for the end of the tube made for this kit?

The other issue is olive wood and CA. Any trouble with this wood taking a CA finish? I didn't like the way it turned out at all and I've done quite a few good one's in a row. I see horizontal lines in the finish and vertical as well from the sanding of the CA coats.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

Candy

 

[Manny]

I have heard of tubes getting mixed up in the kits before. Some people have had that same issue. As for olive I find it takes a finish really well. Better than most from my experience. Might be the moisture in the air. We are in for some serious rain.

Manny

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Cindy, I've done a couple of hundred Jr.s and never had this problem, have had the clip problem. Could it be that when you clued the tupe in you got glue inside the tube, I lways after milling clean out the insides of the tube with a excto and rat tail file. As to CA finish remember that Olive wood is very oily and that could effect the finish...

 

[Manny]

Now that I think of it. Scratches in the finish are more indicative to the process than the material. I would start there first.