Pen differences

[gawdelpus]

Can anyone tell me the difference between a "standard Sierra" if there is such a thing and a "Mesa" style pen ? . The reason I ask is up until today I have been happily using sierras for all my Laser kits with no problems to date . Eoday I tried to make a sierra pen with a new blank from "Woodturningz" now two things happened ,on the first one before I got to the bushing size the pattern started to disappear . It was one of those pearl and black diamond patterns , In the end I sanded off the black pattern and ended up with a pearl finish, Next on assembly the finial or clip end was a bit loose had to glue it into the tube ,again not Ideal. So in light of this experience I feel the sizing for the "Mesa" type kit must be slightly larger in the bushes and tube dia.WE don't have "Mesa " kits available locally for me to check, so when they say suitable for "Sierra " or "Mesa" I presume they are the same . The Sierra Vista is the same size tube as the standard sierra,but considerably larger in the finial and nib ends. My conclusion is the Mesa kit is not an exact match for a sierra ,any enlightenment welcome , cheers John

 

[Wood Butcher]

First you gotta understand that the kits have different manufacturers and their specs are different too. I use the Sierra style kits from Berea, Woodtirningz and PSI and they are all a little different. The Woodturningz kits are from main land China and are slightly off in the measurements when you use the IAP charts for tube, bushings and part sizes. I use a micrometer to measure the actual parts and then turn to that dimension. The tubes from the China kits are thinner by a couple of thousands and that's enough to cause issues unless you get plenty of glue on them in the now oversized 27/64" hole. I prefer Berea kits for quality followed by PSI then Woodturningz. If you, as I do, just like making pens and selling some to folks who enjoy them, then inexpensive kits allow us to sell pens for $30 to $40 and use the funds received to do it again. It's not a business or a competition to me, it's a hobby that "almost" supports itself, unlike golf and other things I pursued. I do it for fun. Hell, at 70 it better be fun or I ain't doing it.
WB

 

[gawdelpus]

Thanks for that , I have checked with Fritz and he says the tubes were sightly out ,and have been modified for his next batch to be a tighter fit
Cheers ~ John