What am i doing wrong??

[Celt40]

I have got about 8 Sierra/Gatsby kits. I realy like the look and feel to this kit. The problem i have is that almost all of the kits so far, i have had a problem when assembling it.
I know that this type of kit is fairly straight forward to assemble. I have all the assembly instructions, and i follow them each time. I always have a problem after i have inserted the clip into the barrel. It's the next bit i have the problem with?????[:I] After i have screwed the twist mech into the nib. When i then start to put refill and spring in the mech will not retract without a lot of fiddling around. It never seems to retract like the Slimline or the European ????

What am i doing wrong!!. Or am i just as thick as mince
( scots saying )

 

[skiprat]

Dermot, not done one of those kits yet but I had a similar problem on a custom pen. I was certain that I had drilled the right size holes in the nib section, but the damned thing kept sticking. Turns out I had the spring the wrong way round. The thin end of the spring should have been the first end to go on the refill. If I put the wider end on first, then the thin end would jam in the nib. If your kit has a parker style refill, maybe that is the problem.

 

[PenWorks]

Place the refill in and screw in the mechanism, test, does it work properly? If so then it most likely has to do with your brass tube fitting around the front section. I use a wire brush to clean the inside of my tubes out prior to assembly, it gets ALL the junk out.

If it does not work properly after just testing the assembly, are you screwing the mechanism on tight. It should be put on tighly.
Have you tried other "parker" syle refills? You may have just gotten a bad batch of refills or the hole was not drilled properly.
Take a small bit and clean out the hole where the ball point comes out.

 

[ESwindell]

Dermot,
Are you trying to put the refill through the mechanism? It goes in the lower section (nib) and then the twist part goes on then it is placed into the turned top piece. Hope this helps.
God Bless,
Eric

 

[pentex]

Be sure and clean all the glue from inside the tubes.

 

[jdoug5170]

I know, I know, I'm new...but, is it possible that you are sanding too far when squaring up the ends prior to turning, therefore making the blank too short or the ink refill to long? Don't bother to ask me why I thought about this.

Doug

 

[Randy_]

Originally posted by PenWorks

.....Have you tried other "parker" syle refills? You may have just gotten a bad batch of refills or the hole was not drilled properly. Take a small bit and clean out the hole where the ball point comes out.

Hey Dermot: I may not be understanding your problem correctly; but I think Anthony might be pointing you in the correct direction. Take your refills and try to push the point of the refill into the tip of the pen from the outside and see if it passes freely or hangs up. A not terribly uncommon problem is that control of the thickness of the plating sometimes gets messed up and a extra thick plating will cause the hole in the tip to be a little undersized. The tips of the generic Parker refills should be about 0.095" and a number 40 or a 41 drill bit run through the tip of the pen should give you a proper sized hole. The Parker brand refills used to be just a hair larger than the generic ones from the far East and they required a #38 drill bit to ream the tip holes to a friction-free fit.

 

[Mike in Nanaimo]

Dermot; Try these instructions and you may find them easier than the Gatsby ones. I have likely made well over 50 of these and have never had a problem. http://www.beartoothwoods.com/FAQ/SierraPen.pdf

 

[randyrls]

Originally posted by PenWorks

I use a wire brush to clean the inside of my tubes out prior to assembly, it gets ALL the junk out.

Anthony; I agree. Gun shops will have sets of brass wire "barrel brushes" in several calibers.

I got a set at Woodcraft (my personal candy store) but HF has sets as well.

 

[Celt40]

Thanks all for your help. I think the problem might be as Skiprat mentioned. Thats why only some have not went together and some have. What makes me think this is that i did'nt mention that when i have this problem the spring get stuck. I have a job getting it out.
I will need to look closer at what way i put the spring in.

As for a bad batch, i have some from Beartoothwoods & some from Craft Supplies USA.

I will go through all your suggestions and hopfully i will over come this problem.