Problems with PSI Dragon Pen

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Muggsy1776

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Joined
Jan 8, 2010
Messages
132
Location
Shelby Township, Mi
Just wondering if anyone else is having a problem with the PSI Dragon pens cracking on the lower barrels. Of the four pens I've made only one has not split. Very frustrating since they are orders for clients. I'm thinking maybe the center bands are too thick for the brass tubes. I've also experienced some quality control issues on the parts. Once I get these orders done I'll never make another dragon pen.
 
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thewishman

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Mar 9, 2006
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8,181
Location
Reynoldsburg, Ohio, USA.
Someone mentioned pressing the bare tubes on the parts and then removing them. That could help ensure that they will fit and it pre-stretches the brass.

When I'm working with expensive or delicate materials, I sand or file the brass tubes in the completed blanks to slip onto the pen parts, and then use epoxy to secure them.
 

gtriever

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Apr 23, 2017
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1,135
Location
Paducah, Kentucky
I've made a few of them, and didn't have that issue. I use a tapered reamer to slightly bevel the ends of the tubes before pressing the parts together. The taper seems to help with alignment.
 

Muggsy1776

Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2010
Messages
132
Location
Shelby Township, Mi
I use a tapered reamer on all my pens. The cracks occur when pressing the parts together. The last one that cracked I think happened several hours afterward. Shame on me for not thinking of pressing the tubes first before turning. The quality issues that I have are mostly in the tapered tip which has the scales. The mold marks are really obvious and one tip I had had big gouges in t like someone attempted to remove those marks. I'll try to post a picture if I can. It's just hard to charge big dollars for a pen that has flaws in the castings.
 

Jolly Red

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Joined
May 4, 2012
Messages
145
Location
Carterville, IL
I made one when they first came out, and gave it to my wife. The threaded portion of the center broke after a few weeks. The thickness of that part is way too thin in my opinion. I will never do another one of these.
 

WriteON

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Joined
Aug 21, 2013
Messages
3,266
Location
S. Florida
Center band..... hopefully a small drilled out block is being used to press the center band. The threaded band cannot be pressed directly. It will bend, break, distort, weaken or not go into brass tube properly.
 
Last edited:

Bob Kardell

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Joined
Aug 18, 2015
Messages
122
Location
Omaha, NE
I just fixed one ... the threads on the center band had broken. I ordered a new kit and thought I would only have to replace the band. As it turns out the diameter of the center band threads had been increased so I had to change the transmission as well.

I was guessing that they changed the diameter to increase the strength of the threads... worked well after I fixed it ...


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app
 

Pen Zen

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Joined
Jun 18, 2017
Messages
203
Location
North Richland Hills, TX
All of these posts are good information and something to be considered when purchasing this pen kit. It is very helpful when this kind of information is left in the reviews of a pen kit. I have bought a few of these dragon kits but haven't made one yet. This will certainly help me.
 

J_B

Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
113
Location
Shelbyville, KY
I liked the kits except the two I have made both had issues with the top where the stone resides and screws down on to the clip were stripped out and I could not tighten them down. Ended up having to use a drop of CA to secure them. I used a casted pinecone blank that after it was turned it mimicked dragon scales. I forget where I got the blanks. I believe they were in Indiana...not woodturningz. My brother the dragon freak, loved his.
 
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