Kitless necessities

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Simplex

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Joined
Aug 22, 2010
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Location
Mather, Ca
I would like to take a crack at going kitless but I need to know what the tool requirements are. I'm not looking for a lot of commentary here just a bullet point list. Starting with the tap and die set....go!

1. Tap and die set
2.
3.
4.
etc.
 
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1. Desire
2. Desire
3. Desire
4. Desire

The necessary tools will fall into place once you've worked with the tools you have. I've made a few kitless pens without anything more than a scroll chuck and a regular mandrel.
 
There really is no fast answers to this but .
2 collet chuck and collets
3 die holder for tailstock
4 drill chuck for tailstock
5 large set of drill bits
6 knowledge
 
ldb2000 said:
There really is no fast answers to this but .
2 collet chuck and collets
3 die holder for tailstock
4 drill chuck for tailstock
5 large set of drill bits
6 knowledge
Click to expand...

I think I have found vendors for all but #6. Where can I buy that?
 
Perhaps the cheapest and most frequently overlooked to is a $5 set of center drills. They really are essential for building your own pens.

And I'll make an edit to Butch's list. A large set of SHORT (screw machine) drill bits. Pen makers bits are difficult to use on a midi lathe with a huge Jacobs chuck in the tailstock.
 
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PenMan1 said:
Perhaps the cheapest and most frequently overlooked to is a $5 set of center drills. They really are essential for building your own pens.
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While they do come in handy at times , the tip of your skew makes great centered holes for starting drill bits . I have a set of starter drills here , buried somewhere . I use them when I'm making bushings and for working with stainless and titanium on the metal lathe , but when I'm working with wood , acrylic , aluminum and brass , I'm already facing the end of the blanks with my skew so I just turn it around and make my center dimple with the tip . It has to be centered since I just turned the end and faced the blank .
 
For fountain pens, the minimum is a source for nibs and feeds. For roller balls, a source for refills and springs. For twists, a source for transmissions and refills. If you've made kit pens, you should have all the tools you need to get started. For my journey, the next tool was a metal lathe and ended with a home made CNC.
 
Yes...Desire..I think that's what you need the most. You don't need many tools. You don't even need that much knowledge. If you have enough desire, then all your failures will lead you to ultimate success. If you don't have the desire..a few failures and you will just give up. You have to remember that failure is how people learn. I can tell you not to touch the stove because it is hot. You do not know what is hot until you touch hot.
 
Tap guide to place in your Jacob`s chuck while you are tapping a hole. $9.95 at The Little Machine Shop, that helps a lot, for so little of a cost. Carl
 
fernhills said:
Tap guide to place in your Jacob`s chuck while you are tapping a hole. $9.95 at The Little Machine Shop, that helps a lot, for so little of a cost. Carl
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Or you can just hold the tap in your drill chuck and turn your headstock by hand while advancing the tailstock .


workinforwood said:
Yes...Desire..I think that's what you need the most. You don't need many tools. You don't even need that much knowledge. If you have enough desire, then all your failures will lead you to ultimate success. If you don't have the desire..a few failures and you will just give up. You have to remember that failure is how people learn. I can tell you not to touch the stove because it is hot. You do not know what is hot until you touch hot.
Click to expand...

While I agree that "Desire" is important , a little knowledge is just as important . Without the basic knowledge of the tools and techniques , you might never even know how to get started . Failure is an important step in the learning process but it can stymie desire if it occurs without some success as well . With knowledge you can get successes that will be inspirational to desire which will then temper the disappointment of failure , human nature is funny that way , why bother trying if are only going to fail .
 
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