my Bolt action pen doesnt work

[JettLake]

I made a bolt action tec pen and the tip doesn't retract. My first thought was the spring. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

[pshrynk]

Those require pretty long springs. If you got them mixed up you might have problems that way.

 

[StanBrown]

Check to see if you put the spring in backwards (upside down). The tapered (small) end of the spring should be up - toward the body of the refill. The wide end should be down, toward the tip. If the spring is backwards, the refill will not retract properly.

 

[robersonjr]

If the spring is correct, there is one area I had a problem with. Check to make sure the bolt is not screwed in too far as this will stop the refill from retracting. If it is, just loosen the Phillip's screw that holds the bolt, loosen the bolt by one turn and retighten the screw, this should allow the refill to properly retract.

 

[JettLake]

I flipped the spring over and it still gets stuck

 

[JettLake]

It gets stuck even without the spring, I cant tell where it is catching

 

[JettLake]

The tip coupler is a little crooked, that seems to be the main issue.

 

[sbwertz]

One of my trainers had the same problem. She said she used some sandpaper on the mechanism to free it up. I've texted her to ask exactly what she did. I'll update when she replies.

 

[sbwertz]

She said she sanded the edges of the transmission because it had tiny metal and plastic burrs. Once the parts were sanded smooth, the pen worked properly.

 

[gtriever]

I had that problem with a Clip Bolt Action. There was a small burr inside the tip coupler that I removed with a drill bit, turned by hand.