OK that makes sense. So where is the friction fit for the cap then. Is it just on the first part of the body behind the section or is part of the section used in the friction fit as well. What do you think in regards to the derlin wearing down over time? Do you think this would be a future problem? Obviously you didn't think it would be too bad or you would not have done it. I am just trying to picture where the friction hits and if it does wear down, does that mean the cap will continually slide further onto the body and risk the nib bottoming out or does it have a shoulder to prevent that?
Frisction fit caps have been discussed on here before but I don't think that derlin was ever a thought of or discussed option, so I am trying to get a feel for any pitfalls.
Thanks
A bunch of really good questions. First, the inner Delrin liner in the cap is shaped to fit about 1/2" of the barrel just below the section, and it's pretty snug -- doesn't wobble like it would if it only engaged a small part of the circumference.
The inside of the cap is "stepped" so that there is an inner shoulder that rests about where the nib fits into the section, so it would never go down further than it was intended to.
As to eventual wear of the inner sleeve, Delrin is pretty high on the Rockwell scale as well as having much higher abrasion and wear resistance than either nylon or polyethylene. I imagine that if anything fails, it's likely to be the Loctite Plastic Bond that holds the Delrin in place, but I suspect that unless it is exposed to extremes of temperature, it's likely to wear pretty well. Even if the sleeve does eventually come loose, it can be easily replaced.
Time will tell, I guess....
Doug