Good news, bad news.

[Woodchipper]

I just completed my bolt action pen with the camo blank that I had posted about in another thread. OK, I read the instructions several times to refresh my memory. Everything went OK with the pen press. I carefully inspected it and found a hiccup. There is a itty-bitty gap between the components at both ends of the blank. I was sure to press the parts firmly and careful not to crack the blank. First, do you penturners measure the length of the blank before assembly? I use a Whiteside pen mill set from Woodcraft. Any ideas or suggestions to prevent this in the future? Thanks.

 

[Kenny Durrant]

John I use the same brand pen mill. I always cut the blank longer than the tube to allow for play when gluing in the tube. When the glue is cured I use the pen mill to square and flush up the blank and tube. If the mill is getting dull sometimes will round over the brass. Depending on how much pressure and how dull it is you could be cracking the blank or the brass is hitting the pen parts before the blank. After milking a blank and tube I make sure it all flush and smooth on the ends. Sometimes I'll need to take a small rat tail file and clean up any glue or brass that might be on the ends inside the tube. I'm sure there's something small and easy that your missing. This part of pen turning usually isn't that complicated.

 

[Woodchipper]

Thanks and I do the same. This was an acrylic blank. I cleaned up the ends and the tube ends. I would think that the parts would press into place without any gap. This is the mystery.

 

[Paul in OKC]

Is the gap all the way around? If so the angle of the blade on the mill could be off, cutting slightly convex-ish, if that makes sense.

 

[MPVic]

Had that happen frequently until I switched to Rick Herrell's sanding jig - no more gaps!! Wish I had switched before I bought those pen mills.

 

[RunnerVince]

Had that happen frequently until I switched to Rick Herrell's sanding jig - no more gaps!! Wish I had switched before I bought those pen mills.

I've had similar amazing experiences with Rick's jig. Between that and using a TBC method, the fitment on my projects has improved drastically, and in this case I'm pretty sure it's the tools, not the user (me), that's made the difference.

 

[penicillin]

Yes. For some kits, I measure the blanks very carefully after I mill them to square them up and flush them with the tubes. Sometimes I measure the tubes first just to be sure they are correct. (I have been burned once or twice by improperly sized tubes.)

Why? Some pen kits depend on the precise length of the two blanks. They must add up (with the center band) to an exact length. If you mess up by 1/32 inch, the pen tip won't be right after assembly. DAMHIK.

So ... I measure with calipers before turning. ... and measure again. ... and measure again ...

 

[RunnerVince]

Yes. For some kits, I measure the blanks very carefully after I mill them to square them up and flush them with the tubes. Sometimes I measure the tubes first just to be sure they are correct. (I have been burned once or twice by improperly sized tubes.)

Why? Some pen kits depend on the precise length of the two blanks. They must add up (with the center band) to an exact length. If you mess up by 1/32 inch, the pen tip won't be right after assembly. DAMHIK.

So ... I measure with calipers before turning. ... and measure again. ... and measure again ...

Where do you find the target length? Most of the instructions that I see for the pen kits do not include the measurements.

 

[greenacres2]

Penn State does a good job of putting tube lengths in their instructions--other manufacturers are spotty.

For that reason....

The IAP Bushing & Tubes app can be found on the Resources tab of this site. Many thanks to those who developed & have maintained it, especially Wayne & Edgar--who work for free (though i think Edgar does sell pecans to Wayne!!). Recent upgrade. Diameters & lengths for a huge number of hardware packages. Worthwhile app!!
earl

 

[Woodchipper]

Is the gap all the way around? If so the angle of the blade on the mill could be off, cutting slightly convex-ish, if that makes sense.

Same all around the pen. In the future, I'm going to measure the OAL. I might have removed too much. I guess I'm the first to do this, huh?

 

[Paul in OKC]

Same all around the pen. In the future, I'm going to measure the OAL. I might have removed too much. I guess I'm the first to do this, huh?

I think it is more form the angle of the blades on the pen mill. Many of the mills leave a bit to be desired. Or if you sharpen your own it's hard to have the proper angle. I tend to sharpen mine with a very slight convex shape, which puts a concave shape on the blank. That lets the material touch the fittings. Very slight is the key.

 

[Woodchipper]

Paul, thanks for the tip. I use the DMT diamond files for the pen mill and other things.