bushing problems

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sbwertz

sbwertz

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Joined
May 11, 2010
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Phoenix, AZ
If my hair weren't already gray, this week would turn it that way! I set up a bunch of pen kits for the other volunteers to turn on the days I am not at the center (I'm there two days a week.) When I went in on Tuesday, I found that they had turned several different pen kits that I had set up for them. Unfortunately, they took the bushings out of the little labeled bags for each kit, and left them all loose in a tray where they just dumped them when they were through with them. I had four different pen kits with the bushings all mixed together. This is complicated by the fact that Woodcraft does not list the bushing sizes on their website, just the part numbers. And the IAP bushing chart is six years out of date. And two of them use the same drill bit sizes.

I had to take a micrometer and measure them and resort them. To make things MORE interesting, two of the bushings seem to have totally disappeared. I now have 1 each of the large and small bushings for the Rhinehard/Sedona/Navigator ballpoint pens.

DON'T YOU DARE LAUGH!
 
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From now on I am going to leave ONE TYPE of kit at a time for them to turn, then put those away (with their bushings!) and put out a different one. I set them up with the kits already drilled, tubed rounded and milled so all they have to do is put them on the mandrel and turn them, sand and finish them, and put them together. The head of the crafts department is out with a brain tumor, so there isn't ANYONE there every day. I'm there Tuesday and Friday , and two other sighted volunteers are there Wednesday and Thursday, and two of the visually impaired turners are now able to teach without a volunteer to supervise them as needed. But no one is there every day. I'm amazed how much can go awry between Tuesday and Friday!

Oh, and just to make things more interesting, the Ceres Jr. bushings....which have never been used yet....have disappeared. And they are no longer available from Rockler! And they are weird sized tubes....13/32 and 31/64. I don't have anything else that uses that sized drill bit.
 
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That must certainly have been a frustrating experience; however, I would like to correct one thing you said. All of the IAP Bushing & Tubes charts were updated in Nov & Dec 2015. Links to the latest charts are on both the IAP Home Page and in the Library itself.

I suppose you don't have an iPhone or iPad - our Bushings & Tubes app would have been a great help. If you find yourself in this situation again, just send me a PM or email before you start trying to sort things and I will be glad to supply you with any bushing dimensions you need if we have them.

You're doing a great job with the Lighthouse for the Blind. Keep up the good work.

Edgar
 
I suppose I will have to turn wooden bushings for the Ceres pens...I have 10 kits...so I can mount them on the mandrel and use calipers to fit them to the kits. I think I can use a 7mm tube with a bit of really hard wood and make wooden bushings. I have the dimensions for them....thanks to the library's file on Rockler kits. I will probably wind up turning those kits myself and donating them to their store to sell because it would be very difficult for a blind turner to turn them without bushings.

Ah, well. They say you need to use your imagination and creativity to stave off dementia when you get to my age!

I wonder if I could turn them between centers with just the dead center and live center in the ends of the brass tubes? Then use the calipers to turn them to size. With a little luck they may show up, just stuck somewhere they don't belong.
 
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Sharon... They just need to suck it up and learn to use a caliper like all the other turners (Like ME). PLEASE NOTE: (I worked for the Cleveland Society for the Blind) for one summer, so I do not say this without understanding :smile:). I was told repeatedly: "Do not coddle me!!!"

But truthfully, I suspect they can get the feel of the calipers if they are previously set, or if an aide sets them to the bushing size... Just another skill to throw at the folks! I really feel they will take on the challenge!.

But... Don't hesitate to PM me if you need bushings :tongue:. Sometimes, easy is better!

Sharon, thanks for your time with this - you're a saint!
 
What I would suggest if you have so many different kits and so many bushings, I would mark them with an engraver and maybe use a key. For each kit use a letter and a number for the bushing starting at the nib end. Keep copies of the key in various places:smile: If you run out of letters just double up and start over. I have to make note of this. That was a pretty good suggestion:biggrin:
 
Sharon, if you have some scrap Corian or other solid surface material, use this for bushings. I would not even put a tube in them. Just drill to fit the mandrel.
 
Here is how I solved the bushing problems. I bought a set of these

Robot Check

I have a set of sharpies in about ten different colors. I marked all the pieces of each set of bushings with the sharpies, each one a different color, marking them on the part that goes inside the tube so it wouldn't be turned/sanded off. I then took some card stock and wrote the pen kits and the bushing sizes on a card, (using the same color sharpie as the bushings) covered it on both sides with clear packing tape, and poked a hole in it. Then I threaded the bushings and the tag on one of the blanket pens. They can then all go into a box. So they can be sorted by color if they get mixed together.
 
Charlie_W said:
Sharon, if you have some scrap Corian or other solid surface material, use this for bushings. I would not even put a tube in them. Just drill to fit the mandrel.
Click to expand...

Charlie, I agree. Corian works well. Rather than to order and pay as much for shipping as the product (busings) aluminum came to mind. It was easy to cut but a little off center whereas the Corian would probably drill straight.

My two cents.
 
sbwertz said:
Here is how I solved the bushing problems. I bought a set of these

Robot Check

I have a set of sharpies in about ten different colors. I marked all the pieces of each set of bushings with the sharpies, each one a different color, marking them on the part that goes inside the tube so it wouldn't be turned/sanded off. I then took some card stock and wrote the pen kits and the bushing sizes on a card, (using the same color sharpie as the bushings) covered it on both sides with clear packing tape, and poked a hole in it. Then I threaded the bushings and the tag on one of the blanket pens. They can then all go into a box. So they can be sorted by color if they get mixed together.
Click to expand...

I like the color identification style. Thanks for the idea.
 
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