1st Shop Pencil

[oxx44]

Well I finally got around to trying a new kit.
Smokey Pearl, on a Chrome Sketch/Shop Pencil.
I am pleased with the results except for one thing. After taking the photos I retracted the lead and went to retract it and it wont come out. I have tried everything minus taking the kit apart and I would really like to avoid that. Has anyone else had this issue? and is it fixable?
PROBLEM FIXED!

Hope the photos are improving. I am still playing with alot of options and built a light tent. (but thats a topic for another place).

 

[ldubia]

Very nice work. You did a great job on the pencil.

I am wondering if you had any issues with the lower barrel threads. IO have two kits that are not threading in. The pencil will not come together.
Larry

 

[oxx44]

Very nice work. You did a great job on the pencil.

I am wondering if you had any issues with the lower barrel threads. IO have two kits that are not threading in. The pencil will not come together.
Larry

Threads are perfect but I just can't get the lead out anymore.

 

[nava1uni]

Who made the kits? There are some differences between kits. On the one with the lead not coming back out you should check to make sure that the sharpener is screwed in all the way otherwise it will not push down far enough to allow the end to open and the lead to be allowed to exit.
Larry, your kits may not be threading in due to glue in the threads.
There are some differences between Rockler, Penn State and Woodcraft.

 

[oxx44]

Who made the kits?.

I dont know who made them, but I bought them from William Wood-write, if that helps.
Cap is screwed in all the way it will go.

OK OK. I fixed it. I had to take the cap off and use the blunt end of a drill bit and push it through. I think my mistake was when I retracted the lead i didn't let it slide all the way back in. It got wedged somehow. I will just chalk it up to a fluke. Hope it doesn't happen again cause I really love this kit. The tenon made me nervous because i didn't have a parting tool small enough but I just took my time and very small cuts.

 

[rjwolfe3]

Looks like a PSI kit.

Pencil looks great btw!

 

[oxx44]

I am wondering if you had any issues with the lower barrel threads. IO have two kits that are not threading in. The pencil will not come together.
Larry

Did you use a pen mill on your blanks. Cause I was a lil scared of hurting the threads with the shaft spinning on them. I just took my time and made sure I didn't need to take to much off the end.

 

[toddlajoie]

I am wondering if you had any issues with the lower barrel threads. IO have two kits that are not threading in. The pencil will not come together.
Larry

Did you use a pen mill on your blanks. Cause I was a lil scared of hurting the threads with the shaft spinning on them. I just took my time and made sure I didn't need to take to much off the end.

I'm confused on the assembly of this kit, if you had the threaded inserts IN the tubes before you squared them. I have never seen a kit that had to be made that way. Am I misunderstanding what you're saying

 

[rjwolfe3]

yep the tube come prethreaded

 

[Caden_Hrabak]

Great pen and a great blank

 

[dexter0606]

Rick
I think I know what went wrong for you. Happened once to me also. When you install the cap / sharpener end you used CA as per instructions I'm assuming. When you "retracted" the lead back into the pencil it probably hung up on some excess glue. When I make them now I don't put leads into them right away. Give the CA a chance to set.
Nice looking pencil by the way!

 

[oxx44]

Rick
I think I know what went wrong for you. Happened once to me also. When you install the cap / sharpener end you used CA as per instructions I'm assuming. When you "retracted" the lead back into the pencil it probably hung up on some excess glue. When I make them now I don't put leads into them right away. Give the CA a chance to set.
Nice looking pencil by the way!

That was my first thought aswell, I did let the Med CA sit for 30 mins. But I could not find what it was hung up on. It has worked perfectly ever since though.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[wizard]

I think it's a very nice pencil and blank! Good job!

 

[JimMc7]

Very nice work. You did a great job on the pencil.

I am wondering if you had any issues with the lower barrel threads. IO have two kits that are not threading in. The pencil will not come together.
Larry

+1 re oxx44's work on the pencil -- very nice and I'm a fan of that blank, too.

Larry, I've had the same trouble threading in the pencil/nib mechanism. I try to avoid using these techniques:

1. Sacrifice a mechanism and grind flats on either side so you can get leverage to use this mechanism as a poor man's tap to ensure smooth threading of your good nib.
2. Use this same mechanism as a holder if you paint tubes -- prevents paint gumming the threads -- I use spray paint for tubes and clean the sacrificial mechanism with acetone soon after painting to keep it reasonably clean.
3. Spread epoxy or CA on the tube only after positioning the thread end of the tube in the blank (very end is "dry" but no problems for me so far with tube coming out) -- minimizes chance glue gums the threads. After milling/squaring the end, carefully seal any gaps between tube and blank on this threaded end with some medium CA and re-mill -- otherwise you can get dark sanding gunk seeping into that end if you wet-sand -- particularly with lighter color acrylic/PR blanks (minimize this problem by reverse painting these blanks).

Here's the one I use: