CORTONA PEN KIT

[jttheclockman]

I just got done doing another Cortona pen kit and will eventually show the few I have done soon. The point in writing this is to maybe save someone a headache down the road. This kit is very and I mean very tube sensitive so beware if you trim ends by sanding. I did this on a blank I just made and maybe took off a little less than a 1/32" with sanding or a bit more. When I went to assemble kit there was a gap of about that much between nib and body of kit. I scratched my head trying to figure it out. Maybe just trim some off the refill but that did not work. To make a long story short the tube slides up into the cap section which in turn twists the refill when used. But it is so precise that any variation and now there is a gap. I have not actually ever ran into a kit where the tube is that critical. My fix was to drill the silver sleeve in the cap tube just about 1/32" to relieve the difference in the gap. Just found the exact size bit and carefully remove some material. I did have to remove same amount off refill because it would just stick out the nib when closed. Have to say it is one kit that does not get sold and lesson learned. This happens when you try new kits. Many times there is a learning curve so this is one that I am sharing and hope it saves someone down the road. Happy Turning.

 

[KenB259]

I have made quite a few of those and I always have to wiggle them a bit and they kind of snap into place. It's hard to describe but I bet you're is fine. They just just push together differently than most other kits.

 

[jttheclockman]

I have made quite a few of those and I always have to wiggle them a bit and they kind of snap into place. It's hard to describe but I bet you're is fine. They just just push together differently than most other kits.

So do you think I did not have to do what I did?? When I pushed the nib section up into the cap section it bottomed out on the silver ring with that brass tube. I tried wiggling but would not get by. After your post I just took another look with a kit without a blank and there is no way. If you have a kit try this. Put the refill in. This will be able to slide into that silver part in the cap but the section where the refill screws in, bottoms out with that silver piece that is up in the brass section of the cap. Then lay the tube next to the completed section and you will see that the tube is just the perfect length to fit between the 2 halfs. Any small reduction in tube by sanding or trimming will show in the end. There maybe a 1/64" play there but that is it. I will take photo later. I thought it was the refill that was bottoming out and trimmed the top some but was not. It was the 2 silver pieces meeting each other. You can even see the indents on the silver section of the nib and they meet the brass section of the cap as they should.

 

[KenB259]

So do you think I did not have to do what I did?? When I pushed the nib section up into the cap section it bottomed out on the silver ring with that brass tube. I tried wiggling but would not get by. After your post I just took another look with a kit without a blank and there is no way. If you have a kit try this. Put the refill in. This will be able to slide into that silver part in the cap but the section where the refill screws in, bottoms out with that silver piece that is up in the brass section of the cap. Then lay the tube next to the completed section and you will see that the tube is just the perfect length to fit between the 2 halfs. Any small reduction in tube by sanding or trimming will show in the end. There maybe a 1/64" play there but that is it. I will take photo later. I thought it was the refill that was bottoming out and trimmed the top some but was not. It was the 2 silver pieces meeting each other. You can even see the indents on the silver section of the nib and they meet the brass section of the cap as they should.

Just trying to be helpful, sorry.

 

[jttheclockman]

Just trying to be helpful, sorry.

Hey I understand. I am open for any suggestions. As I said I never seen a kit that has this tight of tolerance. I took some photos and will post. Mayb I am doing something wrong. As I said I made a few of these already and did not run into this. Probably because I did not sand ends as much. What I do on occassion, if I over turn the ends and they do match components, I will sand back just a bit to get closer because the ends are basically rounded anyway. That is the OCD kicking in.

 

[jttheclockman]

Have included a few photos of what I am saying. If you look at the one where the kit is completed and I laid the tube next to it you can see it is a perfect fit. So any removal of tube length will show up at the nib end as a gap. I can not push the components closer together any more than this. There is a stop at the cap end.

 

[jcm71]

I have made about twenty of these, and have run in to the same issue. Always a 1/32 inch gap or thereabouts when assembling with normal pressure. When I place the nib on a table and press down vertically by hand, the pen blank has always seated nicely with no gap.

 

[jttheclockman]

I have made about twenty of these, and have run in to the same issue. Always a 1/32 inch gap or thereabouts when assembling with normal pressure. When I place the nib on a table and press down vertically by hand, the pen blank has always seated nicely with no gap.

Yes and that is just about all the fudge factor you have. The thing is when a person has to change refill hope that it falls back into same place and you do not have to lean on it to make up that 1/32" I had to make up about a 1/16" (measurements are not exact but was a gap) and it was not possible. So my thoughts are hope this helps someone down the road if they run into same problem. I learned from this but again never seen a kit that sensitive tube wise.