Quality kits?

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Silvir

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Hello all,

I just have a quick question. Where do you all buy your pen kits? I shop mostly online for its 90 miles to the nearest city. Recently I bought some Rhodium plated slimline pen kits from Craft Supplies. I get micro cracks at both ends of the pen 6 out of 10 times when using these kits with some woods. I am thinking that the plating is too thick for the brass tubes for it does offer somewhat more resistance when seating the ends. The black TN kits were OK. I use Russ's method of a 9/32 drill bit and polyurethane glue and that helped some but cocobolo and some other woods always crack.

Are the kits from most suppliers manufactured by the same company with different names placed on the bag?

I am also in the market for cheaper kits for my students in my junior high school shop class. I would like a good quality "cheaper" kit for them. They love to make pens. I am thinking of some type of satin metal kit either in gold or nickel.

Thanks in advance ... Bob
 
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Hi Bob!

Similar to what Ron MC said, I make sure that my brass tubings are all the way clean and even go as far as to take an exacto knife to "trim" out the inside a bit. The idea is that a little bit loose can be fixed with some glue, but too tight is broken! ;)

The other thing I do for woods I'm nervous are going to crack on the ends is after I mill the ends down I put thin CA on and let it absorb. I haven't had any end cracking since I started doing those two steps.

Hope that helps!
 
Ron's question was good and I'd also ask what you're using to press the pen together with.

Sometimes even with a pen press if you start the insertion with the part the slighted bit croocked, it can sort of spread the openning as it straightens itself. I've watched in horror as this has happened.
 
This might seem like a ridiculous question, but are you milling the ends absolutely flush with the tube? I made about 12 pens before I found this site and learned that was what I was supposed to do. The instructions I got with the Woodcraft kits didn't say that it needed to be done so I didn't. I had several cracks as a result.
 
What they said.

I use a hand-held countersink bit from Harbor Freight to chamfer the ends of the tubes after I've trimmed the ends of the blanks. It helps clean out the little metal burr that is sometimes there (not that <u>I</u> ever get THAT close to the tube when I'm trimming or anything).
 
I use gorilla glue and always manage to get some inside the tubes. I use a chainsaw sharpening file to get this glue out. I also use a rifle case chamfering tool to chamfer the inside of each tube after remilling the tubes after turning, to clean up any CA glue that might have got on the end. Never saw any plating cracks yet. I think the chamfering tool is a RSBS make. A gun shop should point you in the right direction if you want one. You might want to mic the diameter of the parts that are cracking and compare them to other manufacturers. I have heard of some companies having bad batches. It is not always easy to control the plating thickness.
 
To answer the other pen kit question... the least expensive pen kits I've found are at http://www.woodnwhimsies.com/Pen_Kits.htm

I found the Comfort Grip Pen to be of pretty good quality. The slimlines would be perfect for the students.
 
I'm not Joe but I have had very good service with Wood n Whimsies. I had a couple of kits with missing parts and they express mailed replacements kits the day I sent an email about it. The prices are great and the service top notch. Just last week I had a kit with bad threads on the transmission coupler for a cigar pen. I dropped them a note and they are sending me three kits for my troubles. It don't get much better than that. Overall I've bought around 150 kits or so from them for me and my Dad and I'll be back for more.
 
Thanks, Phil...even if you're not Joe. Now I've got another supplier to consider. I quite like the prices...especially since they don't increase with the higher quality platings (e.g., Blk Titanium).
 
Originally posted by Rmartin
<br />Thanks for the link. Maybe they should send you some kits for free. I have a feeling they are going to get some new customers.
Click to expand...

Yep, bought a few things today. Except I forgot the bushings for the cigars I bought. [:(!] Oh well, get em later.
 
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