New Kits

[montmill]

I guess I'm a slow learner. Everytime I get a new pen kit I seem to mess up before I finally figure out how to assemble it. Now I'm working on some Junior Gents and am confused by all the various options, pen, rollerball, fountain pen, pencil. Just getting to know all the styles and options takes some study.

How do you handle this? I know after awhile experience takes care of it but is there an overview of all the Junior Gentlemen options available and how they may differer? For example, do they all use the same bushings, tubes etc.

Do you stick with a few basic styles or do you like to try new ones? Thanks, confused old guy.

 

[magpens]

@montmill

David, ..... I don't think there is an overview article.

Please tell us which type of Jr. Gent kit you are working on .... is it a rollerball ? . . And which vendor/manufacturer ?

Usually, the manufacturer's instruction sheet is pretty helpful for doing the assembly.
If in doubt, the PSI instructions are quite explicit and give dimensions for bushings, but unfortunately PSI does not have a Jr. Gent by that name

Craft Supplies USA has pretty good instructions ..... have a look at this link .....

https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/docs/jr_gentlemens_pen.pdf

 

[montmill]

Thanks for the reply. I can't remember where I got them from since it was so long ago. It is a rollerball with the option of a fountain pen conversion. I notice the threads are black plastic and some pictures show what appears to be metal. I am using the instructions you referenced, thanks so much.

 

[magpens]

@montmill
The center band slides on to one end of the black plastic cylinder.
That combination then goes into one end of the shorter (fatter) brass tube.
The cap with clip goes into the other end.

 

[montmill]

Thanks, of course I didn't put the center band on the black plastic cylinder . Now to get it apart without breaking everything. I have the Harbor Freight punch set and have a close fitting punch but that plastic is tight. Any tips?

 

[magpens]

@montmill
I know the plastic is a tight fit inside the short, fat brass tube.

What can I suggest ? . . Hmmm ..... I would try a punch, as you have .... but it will have to be a close fit inside the brass tube.
( ... or try the "back end" of a 29/64" drill bit ... )

Also, try to avoid hammering the punch ..... try to just firmly push out the black cylinder.
Hammering could damage the plastic.

 

[Bats]

Also, try to avoid hammering the punch ..... try to just firmly push out the black cylinder.
Hammering could damage the plastic.

It can also cause the plastic to expand, wedging it in even tighter. I know I saw a thread on here about extracting those plastic inserts (that I think included a tool/method to do so), but I can't seem to find it now. Maybe someone else will have better luck with search terms.

 

[egnald]

I have had this same dilemma in the past. My solution was to cut and paste the instruction sheet into a new one that shows things according to the kit style I use. Also added notes in my own words so that I would understand what to do the next time I assemble one. I payed special attention to orientation of the bushings and how to turn the blank and keep track of the orientation for matching the grain pattern at assembly.

The Jr. series is another one of my favorite styles. Good luck sorting things out. - Dave

 

[magpens]

It can also cause the plastic to expand, wedging it in even tighter. I know I saw a thread on here about extracting those plastic inserts (that I think included a tool/method to do so), but I can't seem to find it now. Maybe someone else will have better luck with search terms.

@Bats @montmill

Is it this thread ?

Pen Disassembly

I bought the Penn State pen assembler/disassembler to try to salvage a couple of Majestic Jr. pen kits where the blanks cracked during assembly. It worked well with all parts but the center band assembly. Does anyone have a suggestion as to how I can salvage the center band? The rest is of...

www.penturners.org

 

[magpens]

@egnald

"My solution was to cut and paste the instruction sheet into a new one that shows things according to the kit style I use."

So ... do you actually partially "rewrite" the instruction sheet ? . . I am not sure how to do that with a PSI instruction sheet, for example, which includes diagrams as well as text. . Maybe it depends on the text editor you use, but I use only the very primitive Microsoft "Notepad".

 

[egnald]

So ... do you actually partially "rewrite" the instruction sheet ?

Yes, I essentially re-write the instruction sheet. I have a Windows utility (snipping tool) that can be used to cut out an image including text from the screen so it can be pasted in a document. So I basically start with a blank document and paste in bits of the .pdf file captured from my screen and add the appropriate commentary either in the Microsoft Word document, or with an ink pen afterwards. I haven't done this with too many of them, but I did for the Jr. Gent as the instruction sheet I had for it just wasn't clear enough for me to keep from repeating mistakes I made along the way.

I keep all of my instruction sheets in a 3-ring binder, slipped into plastic sheet protectors so I can remove them when I need to.

Dave

 

[Bats]

Is it this thread ?

Yep, I think that is the one. And I found it in my search, too - but I must've skipped over the helpful bits, since all I saw was "sand through the side" and decided I was in the wrong place.

 

[magpens]

Yes, I essentially re-write the instruction sheet. I have a Windows utility (snipping tool) that can be used to cut out an image including text from the screen so it can be pasted in a document. So I basically start with a blank document and paste in bits of the .pdf file captured from my screen and add the appropriate commentary either in the Microsoft Word document, or with an ink pen afterwards. I haven't done this with too many of them, but I did for the Jr. Gent as the instruction sheet I had for it just wasn't clear enough for me to keep from repeating mistakes I made along the way.

I keep all of my instruction sheets in a 3-ring binder, slipped into plastic sheet protectors so I can remove them when I need to.

Dave

Thanks for the tips !!! . Some vendors have better instructions than others. . Sometimes it helps to re-write in your own lingo !