First Sculped Arbor pen kit

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FrankH4

Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2019
Messages
13
Location
Kingsville, TX
Used Texas Ebony for this kit. It is going to Canada for a Christmas present for the Grandma in law.
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penicillin

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2019
Messages
1,036
That's a beautiful pen. Well done!

I like the look and finish of the "Sculpted" pen kits. Maybe others find the Sculpted Arbor kit easy. I struggled with the one Sculpted pen I made so far, but I was still a "newbie" when I made it:

* The pen tip did not protrude quite far enough because I did not measure carefully enough.
* It was the first pen that required a tenon, and I thought that an error of 1/32 inch was not critical. I was wrong about that.
* The completed pen's mechanism was very rough and did not function well.

Lessons Learned:
* Exact measurements are critical. Small errors will affect the tip retraction and extension length. Some pen kits are sensitive that way. The Sculpted pens are that type.
* The mechanism is "touchy":
The top pen tube rotates the twist mechanism by gripping three bulging flanges at the top of the mechanism. The rotating tube should not touch the non-rotating part of the mechanism below the flanges. Because those flanges are barely wider than the rest of the mechanism, there is almost no clearance between the rotating tube and the fixed part of the mechanism. If there is the slightest contamination in the tube (like a tiny film of glue), the tube will rub on the part of the mechanism that is not supposed to rotate, making the mechanism rough and grating. I cleaned out the top pen tube using a drill with a rat-tail file. The finished pen now operates smoothly. The tip extension is a bit short, but useable.

The fundamental design issue is that the diameter of the twist mechanism is too close in size to the inside diameter of the pen tube. Hopefully I will do a better job on future Sculpted pens. I have another one started as part of a long term project. I have two more Sculpted kits at home for when I want to make more.

I like the 8 mm pen size for personal use and gifts. Most of the 8 mm twist pen kits I made have threads at the bottom of the mechanism that screw onto matching threads in the center band. They just work. I like the 8 mm click pens, too. The Sculpted pens are more challenging and touchy.
 
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