Problems with Berea Flat-top American Double-twist

[monkeynutz]

Anybody worked with this kit much? Never used it before, but got an order for 10 of them, so into it I went... Long story short, I'm having fitment problems in all sorts of places, some where parts press into tubes, and others where parts press or screw into each other. Seems half the parts need CA, but I know better than to go splashing that all around. I took good care of the tubes, and some press-fits are OK, but others are not. Also had one pen that I couldn't get the cap off after final assembly (like I would to change the refill). There seems to be no pattern, just one or two things not perfect about every pen. Made 4 of them so far, and not 100% happy with any of them. Is this kit a lemon?? Can't believe it's all me... :redface: Advice, please...

 

[Rudy Vey]

Used to make hundreds of them. In the past they had a good press fit. This kit can be a bit challenging, though. Two things are important: exact length is needed and more important is that there is absolutely no residue of glue inside the upper tube otherwise it will bind. Also, the lower end of the upper barrel must be absolutely square when the centerband is pressed on. A slight angle here is also very bad and the pen will bind. This is a great classic kit and I have made many, many of them (had a lot of corporate orders for them). Berea offers two ways of making this pen, one is with the upper tube cut short so the brass tube is exposed, the other way is to cut this tenon later. I always did the way with the short cut blank, just made sure the tube was absolutely square to the blank.

 

[livertrans]

I've nothing but problems with the Berea kit also. I think I ruined 5 straight kits. My solution was to go with CSUSA's Americana kit. Much easier to understand instructions and you cut the tendon for the centerband the same way you would for a Euro pen, to a diameter depth to fit the centerband, not all the way to the tube. This makes assembly a breeze. A plus is if you go with the 10K kit and above the centerbands are much more attractive. This has been my experence.

 

[DaveM]

I have made dozens of these, and they are pretty good kits. There are just a few tricks to making them work well. I always turn the tenon, or if I use the short blank method, then I face the edge a bit. This way, I know I don't have an angle.

I check and double check the blank length. If you get too excited with the trimmer, the pen won't work.

The big trick is to make sure the tube being pressed into the centerband is clean. A small bit of glue or junk here will deform the inside of the tube, and things will get sticky. Sometimes, the CB, or the tube will need a few passes with a file to get a perfect fit. The inside of this assembly must accept the transmission with no binding.

The inside of the end ofthe centerband that faces the nib must fit over the lower blank without binding. This in my experience, is where most of the failures are. If the lower blank is even the slightest bit oversized, the pen won't work. On some platings, a light touch with the file is necessary to open up the inside of this part just the slightest bit.

On a few batches of chrome ones, the nib opening is just a bit tight. A couple of touches with a very small file will allow the refill to extend and retract without binding.

This seems like a long list, but it's not really too bad. Most of it is just good penmaking practice. The final result is a smooth, reliable pen.

The flat top double twist American pens are always among my best sellers, and I always get requests for them. I try to steer people to fancier pens, but these seem to be favorites. They are a nice, medium size for both man and women. They have a fairly classic design, and they look nice with both wood and acrylic.

Dave

 

[Rudy Vey]

One more thing, when ever I made those, I run a letter "L" drill bit through the upper barrel and make sure nothing is inside. Another trick is to drop a transmission through the barrel after it is cleaned, it should go through it easily and not bind.

 

[redfishsc]

When I bought my lathe used several years ago, the previous owner had bought a couple 10-packs of these from Woodcraft (aka Berea reseller). He made a few and gave up in frustration (he had some medical issues that didn't help him much however).


I made 12-15 of them and also quit making them out of frustration.

Rudy and some others seem to have figured them out.

Personally, there are so many other similar sized kits that cause so few grey hairs and cost so much less in time, that I don't even offer them.

For those that can make them and avoid the pitfalls, they are a pretty kit.

 

[monkeynutz]

Update: Made about 4 more, and only had serious issues with one of them. Had to CA the twist holder fitting into the lower tube, as it was turning in the tube. I don't know if it was the tube or the fitting at fault. I face off my blanks on a disk sander, rather than using a pen mill. This prevents any reaming of the tubes (not to mention the dreaded dark circles)... I also pressed one of the caps on too tight, which made for a less-than-smooth extend/retract, but that was my fault.

I'm also of the opinion that this is a nice-looking kit, with a good compromise in heft between the fat pens and the slims. I hope that the fitment issues prove to be the exception, rather than the rule... And thanks to you guys for your advice.

 

[monkeynutz]

Final tally: Took 12 blanks, 13 kits, and more than my share of nerves to produce 10 finished pens... Don't know if I wanna use this kit any more... Too much drama. :redface: