Help! Springy rollerball

[darrin1200]

I hope someone can help with this. I just finished a Sterling Silver Canadiana (very similar to a Cambridge) in Redheart for a client.He came to me and asked if the refil was supposed to push back into the nib while writing.

I checked it out and sure enough while writing with hardly any pressure, the pen would push back into the nib. The Canadiana refill is held forward with a small spring in the reciever. I compared it with the springs in my Baron's and Sedona's, as they use the same system. The spring in the Sedona is slightly larger and exerts a little more pressure. However if you excert to much pressure it still pushes back into the nib. This is most notable if you write with the pen in an almost vertical position (which my client does).
Is there anything I can do to eliminate this. Is the only option, a larger spring?
Has anyone else had a problem with this and how did you deal with it?
Or most embarassing case, have I messed up the assy of the pen.

My client is not very happy considering the price tag, and I told him I will find a solution immediately.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Darrin

 

[wolftat]

The only complaint I had of an issue like this was due to the customer pushing way too hard, I know this because he damaged the tips of 3 different refills. I would check to make sure the body of the pen isn't a bit too long first for my own knowledge and then put a heavier spring into the end or you can alway adhere a small plug into the end to make the spring stand out a bit more too..

If he is writing on a vertical surface he may be losing ink at the ball and trying to compensate by pushing harder, this can be fixed with a space pen refill.

 

[NewLondon88]

Nto being familiar with the kit, I can see that if there was some problem
with assembly (parts not fully compress fit?) it might leave the tube a little
too long, which would allow the refill to retract when pressed. The kit
manufacturers must have taken into account how hard people would likely
press to write and used the appropriate spring.. so it seems to me like the
tube is a bit long or the refill is a bit short. (possible to mix refills from
another kit?)

If you remove the spring and measure how far the refill extends, compare
that to how far you want it to extend, you can cut a small piece of dowel
and put that in the end cap. That should act as a backstop for the refill.

Also, check that the spring isn't installed
backwards.. that would give you extra slack.

 

[ed4copies]

If you press fit the components and did not glue them, it is possible for the spring tension to force the nib or the finial end out of the brass tube. This makes your pen longer and the tension is relieved.

But, the refill point will be easily forced into the body, since the spring is now farther away.

It happens. DAMHIKT

 

[THarvey]

If it is like the Cambridge, the spring is a cone shape. If you put the spring in backwards, it would cause the problem you described.

 

[Jgrden]

Stretch the spring.

 

[RussFairfield]

That spring is there to prevent applying too much pressure on the ball and damaging the tip. Stretch the spring, or put a little piece of wood or a ball of paper in the end of the pen, to increase the pressure.

 

[PenMan1]

Turn the spring over, likely installed upside down.

 

[darrin1200]

Thanks everyone for all the posts.

The spring being turned backwards was not the problem, put the slightly larger Sedona spring in it. Was not satisfactory. I manufactured a small wooden plug to go on the sprin increasing the pressure. Still allows some movement but tip cannot go all the way into the nib.

The problem he was having with the spring, is that when he wrote on multiple copy form, there was insufficient pressure for the carbon image to transfer on lower copies.

He is quite happy with the fix and says he will probably buy another pen in the future.

There is nothing better than a happy satisfied customer.

Darrin

 

[hunter-27]

Thanks everyone for all the posts.

The spring being turned backwards was not the problem, put the slightly larger Sedona spring in it. Was not satisfactory. I manufactured a small wooden plug to go on the sprin increasing the pressure. Still allows some movement but tip cannot go all the way into the nib.

The problem he was having with the spring, is that when he wrote on multiple copy form, there was insufficient pressure for the carbon image to transfer on lower copies.

He is quite happy with the fix and says he will probably buy another pen in the future.

There is nothing better than a happy satisfied customer.

Darrin

Most Duplicate forms are writted with ballpoints not rollerballs for that very reason.