Wish me luck!!

[Firefyter-emt]

Well I spent a little time on my little 1930's metal lathe and made myself a pin chuck for the Churchill / El-Grande kits. I also left the point that the metal lathe centered the stock on so that I can use my tailstock to make sure the chuck has a perfectly centered grab on it. I now have a cocobolo blank drilled and I have the inside soaking with thin CA to harden it from the inside. (Two step drilling to allow use of a ink converter)

Tomorow I will epoxy the tube in and give it a shot. I am really pushing it with this blank, I have just a hair under a 1/4" left on the bottom after dilling for the converter so I have to use everything that I can!

Inital test with my pin chuck held in a jacobs chuck shows a very true running center with the tailstock backed off. I made the pin chuck with 1" of room (1/2" thick) to grab it in the drill chuck and turned a "bushing" to match the Churchill kit.

I want to make sure the body makes it before I drill and glue up the cap because it's another one of those El-Grande Streamlines which can not have the tubes recovered from the blank easily. So if it works, it will be a closed end, center band removed, cocobolo FP

 

[Firefyter-emt]

Figure I would add a photo just because..

 

[Darley]

Nice and neat pin chuck Lee you done well, don't forgot to post the pen picture when finished I know you will do good

 

[Firefyter-emt]

Thanks, I will post it up, if I don't mess the blank up! It's crosscut cocobolo to boot!

By the way, you can't quite see it, but the stub that the chuck holds on to is about the same diameter as the shaft the brass tube slides on to. The brass shown is from a short body El-Toro which appears to give me the ability to use this for closed end El-Toro's as well.

 

[GaryMGg]

Lookin' forward to seeing this one.

 

[LEAP]

Sounds like you've been busy. Can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[Firefyter-emt]

Tadaaa!

Wow, did this work nice! I have to make a couple more for other kits now!
The only "issue" I had was with sanding, just the hand sanding that is. I kept slipping the blank off and dropping the pin! I think I had to make 2 new ones durning the sanding process. [)]

Here is the body and the cap is almost done as well. I had a brain fart on the cap and used the wrong drill size on the large tube. This was "filled" with epoxy and will become my pen so I can get away with it. I had to "flare out" the cap at the coupler which is not my style, but seeing as how this cap will have a centerband shaved coupler I think I can pull it off style wise.

More to come later when I put it all togather. []

 

[Darley]

Look good to me Lee you done well will you post the pen soon?

 

[great12b4ever]

Lee let us know when you are going to start selling some of these pen chucks. I am ready[][][] Really looks good

Rob

 

[Firefyter-emt]

Rob to be fully honest, the ones that AZ supply are a better design and cost close to what I would have to charge. My biggest problem is that I do not have enough free time to make them to resell.

The cap is having issues right now and I am debating to call it "good enough" and try again or what.

My first screw up, stupid me, I used the wrong drill bit. I should of stopped there, but I said, heck with it.. I will keep going!

Issue 2: I had a small tear out (common with this cut of cocobolo) so I had to taper the top of the cap more than I would of liked.

Issue 3: I think I may of had a spot of epoxy deep in the tube or I should of turned the coupler a bit thinner. I broke off part of the coupler on the cap trying to press it in. I have never had this happen, but it could be from the missing band too. The next one will be a tight slip fit and CA to secure.

So I have it togather after using my pen mill sander to sand the coupler flush, but it looks a bit odd. I could try to turn it down a bit and install a center band of wood and re-turn, but it would be hard at this point. All in all, the body was a slam dunk and the cap is a "non-issue" I just need to make the coupler a slip it the next time and that will make sure that does not happen again. This cap "got messy" when I filled such a large gap with epoxy. I had to sacrafice my pen mill sleeve to line up the 2 cap tubes in the epoxy while it dried and the broken coupler may of been more on a bad clean out and me not thinking how far that coupler is pressed in without the centerband.

The good news is that I have the lacquer drying on another cap that will be bandless so I can test it out on that one. This is that oak Rappahannock pen I have been working on. There is something with the wood that will not take CA in spots. I have burnt thru way too many times and you can see where the CA just will not build in spots. The lacquer seems to be spraying on perfect though. Sad thing is that I really wanted a CA finish on this one. [V]

 

[Jerryconn]

This is kinda funny, I am working on a El Grande that will be double closed end and with none of the provided center bands as well as couple of other modifications! Yours is looking very nice Lee.

 

[stevers]

No such thing as good enough Lee. Now when can I expect mine for a cigar and maybe an Americana.[][][]

 

[LEAP]

Lee,
Sounds like its time to buy Murphy a stout and send him on his way!