My take on bushing storage

[BHuij]

I've been using a simple Flambeau compartment box to store my bushings, but it was getting over-full, and with a recent push to utilize wall/pegboard storage more so I have fewer things cluttering up my small workbench and limited shelf space in the garage, I wanted to rethink that approach.

I saw things like this Bushing Buddy from PSI, but it just felt extremely inefficient on space, and rather expensive for what it is, to boot. The idea of hanging them stuck with me though.

So after a little bit of prototyping the model, and maybe 3-4 iterations of getting the tolerances just right, I just printed about 30 of these, and will be moving all of my bushings to the pegboard where they're up and out of the way, but easily accessible. I print these from standard 95A TPU with 3 perimeters and 0% infill. The idea is that the very end is slightly bulbous, easy to push a bushing over it or pull it back off, but tight enough that I can't get it to shake loose even when I try. It's long enough to hold even 4-bushing sets, and it hangs easily on standard pegboard hooks, with space to glue on a label if you want.

And since I pay $20 USD for a 1kg spool of this TPU, each one of these little bushing holders costs me a whopping $0.06

 

[BHuij]

Forgive the second picture of them hanging on my pegboard that the forum decided to flip upside down for some reason.

 

[egnald]

Outstanding! I like the second picture. It made me wonder if you were using anti-gravity filament - Dave

 

[Woodchipper]

Looked at my bushing stash. I'm slowly getting away from bushings. I'm considering sorting my bushings according to the ID of the tube, tied with the drill bit for the blank. Then sort according to the tube/bushing diameter.

 

[BHuij]

Looked at my bushing stash. I'm slowly getting away from bushings. I'm considering sorting my bushings according to the ID of the tube, tied with the drill bit for the blank. Then sort according to the tube/bushing diameter.

Yeah, in theory you really only need one set of bushings for every tube size you use, and the OD of the actual pen barrel/cap/what have you can then just be set with calipers to match the exact hardware you're going to press fit into it.

But I have the bushings and they gotta get stored somewhere *shrug*

 

[Woodchipper]

BHuij, my calipers get a workout. I first measure the pen components and mark them on a Dollar Tree dry erase board for reference; place it where I can see it while turning. I turn to those dimensions.

 

[BHuij]

I've had success before using the caliper method. It seems to me though that my biggest challenge with getting things to fit properly is estimating the right amount of excess diameter to leave off the tool before proceeding to sanding. Maybe one of these days I'll be so good with the skew that I can start my sanding at 400, and have only a negligible reduction in diameter from the sanding process

 

[Woodchipper]

I've had success before using the caliper method. It seems to me though that my biggest challenge with getting things to fit properly is estimating the right amount of excess diameter to leave off the tool before proceeding to sanding. Maybe one of these days I'll be so good with the skew that I can start my sanding at 400, and have only a negligible reduction in diameter from the sanding process

I have found that a couple of thousandths doesn't make a big difference.
FWIW, I did goof on two lever action pens. Measured the sleeve for the upper section at 0.410. Disaster as that is waaay too thin. Sent back and measured the upper part and came up with 0.475. Result was I had to start over with blanks, tubes, gluing and turning. I had four extra tubes JIC.

 

[leehljp]

I've had success before using the caliper method. It seems to me though that my biggest challenge with getting things to fit properly is estimating the right amount of excess diameter to leave off the tool before proceeding to sanding. Maybe one of these days I'll be so good with the skew that I can start my sanding at 400, and have only a negligible reduction in diameter from the sanding process

I never have learned to use the skew successfully. I only use a scraper that I made to my own needs and the way that I hold it best. There have been a few people that try to push the idea that you canNOT do as well with a scraper as you can with a skew, or they try to intimidate those who haven't learned to use a skew. I just don't get intimidated but such talk, and posted LONG ago photos of pens turned to a proper diameter with my home made scraper and using calipers for sizing, and making it smoother (every time) with the scraper than 600 grit sandpaper will make it. YES a sharpened scraper and even a high quality carbide insert used in a scraper mode can do the same.

Keep at it, Practice and it will come, whether skew or scraper.