Use calipers to measure pen diameter?

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TonyL

TonyL

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Again, please forgive the newbie questions.

Is it "appropriate" to you calipers to measure the thickness and/or diameter of your pens?


I thought if there was a dimension that you wanted to replicate, using calipers may be the way to go.

Thank you for reading (and not rolling your eyes too much :smile:.)

Best,

Tony
 
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Yes, most of us use calipers to mic the components where the blank will meet the components. If im doing a wood blank, i will usually turn the blank under the size of the components, then build it up with ca to the final size to match, using the calipers to mic the blank also.


Harry
 
Wow! I guess my question was not as dumb as I thought....
Which (brand/model/etc.) calipers do you guys/gals own?
 
TonyL said:
Wow! I guess my question was not as dumb as I thought....
Which (brand/model/etc.) calipers do you guys/gals own?
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Some have expensive and some have not so expensive. I have the not so expensive from Harbor Frieght...$9.99, use a coupon and get them a little cheaper. I only use the to mic the ends of the blanks and the components. Also, if you don't have a set of transfer punches, get you a set of those too. Great for taking your pens apart for repairs and numerous things pen related. $9.99 also.


Harry
 
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Good morning; I am still fairly and now consider calipers to be one of my best friends. Before I start a pen, I spend a little time to ensure that I understand the fit of the metal components and how the blank material will look. I will use calipers and compare the bushing sizes to the actual component pieces, note that in the machining the components may not always match the bushings. The bushings are great and necessary; but, measure to the component pieces and not only the bushings. My wife and I use a small General Tools digital calipers that measures in mm, decimal inches and fractions. To ensure fit, I measure tubes, blanks as they are turned, drill bits, bushings, any item used in the pen making.
 
Thank you very much. I thought it was a no-brainer. I didn't know if their use would somehow compromise the "art" of this craft.
 
I use a Mitutoya digital caliper but for most its overkill. The cheap ones will work well enough for what you want. I use mine everyday most of the day, and batteries last forever in it. the cheaper ones can eat batteries. You will only need a 4 or 6 inch one for pen work and it should have both metric and inch capabilities.
 
Bushings are only to get you close. How close is good enough is a personal judgement. The better you get the smaller that amount gets to be.

Let me add that sometimes the questions you ask have been answered thousands of times. So what. Ask them anyway. Not all answers are easily found using the search functions if you dont know how to phrase your search, And more importantly there are a lot of new members that will benefit from the answers as well as you . They may just hesitate to ask. This forum is very forgiving of new people asking questions and we all started somewhere. Dont be bashful about it.
 
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I keep my Harbor Freight calipers next to the lathe. But the drill press (20 feet away) is where my micrometer sits. Sometimes. NOw....... where did I set my pencil......
 
It's amazing how good questions are born from pure ignorance (my being the ignorant on). It's also good to be comfortable asking them :-). I will buy tonight or tomorrow.
 
mredburn said:
I use a Mitutoya digital caliper but for most its overkill. The cheap ones will work well enough for what you want.
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I just wanted to echo what mredburn mentioned. I too use expensive Mitutoya calipers and micrometers for other hobbies, for pens a cheap set of Verniers works fine.

Charlie
 
I use both calipers and micrometers. Calipers are versatile because you can measure OD, ID, length, and depth. Depending on the micrometer, it may be more accurate than your caliper but you would still need a caliper.
 
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