Question - Internal Space

[EventHorizonVII]

I will be getting a PenPal from PSI this week. I only plan on doing small items, pens, wine stoppers, maybe some salt and pepper shakers.

I figure the small investment is good if I end up not enjoying turning as much as I 'think' I will.

My question is based on your experience, is there enough space within most pen's barrel to include a small piece of paper? Something akin to a secret message only to be discovered when the writer runs out of ink and needs to replace the cartridge.

 

[ed4copies]

You will only know for certain if you try it.

Personally, I don't think there is enough room in most pen designs.

 

[egnald]

Some models would definitly have a problem as even the stick on label on some ink cartridges offer just enough resistance to keep the refill from extending and retracting correctly. For others, as Ed said, you will only know for certain if you try it. - Dave

 

[magpens]

@EventHorizonVII

Some pen kits will accept a "hidden note" . . . the Sierra or Gatsby or Wall Street III . . . they all have a 27/64" brass tube.
And another possibility is the Cigar . . . but beware of the centerband restriction.
I make quite a few Cigars with a single barrel instead of the original 2-barrel design . . . the single barrel modification has no centerband; that helps.
There is an article in the IAP Resources section on how to convert the 2-barrel to a single barrel, and I take that a step further which helps even more.
I discard the "two original brass tubes plus centerband" for one long brass tube of the same diameter ( 10 mm ) leaving out the centerband.

I think you would have trouble getting a note into a Slimline or a Streamline, however. . . the tube size of 7 mm is restrictive.

 

[Kenny Durrant]

Well I can't answer your question but first I'll agree with Ed. Give it a try. I think it's a great idea. Thinking back there's been a few that I'd liked to have done something like that to. Good Luck.

 

[Fine Engineer]

Looking at a Designer, you could definitely fit a small note in the top section. It looks like there is some space between the top of the transmission and the end of the tube. You will have to do some trials to see just how much of a note you can leave, but I'd say you could go twice the size of a fortune cookie note with little problem.

This is a cool idea, I just might have to try it myself.


Jeff

 

[EventHorizonVII]

Really appreciate all the feedback on this. What a great community!

 

[penicillin]

I just looked at a few turned pens that were handy. My answer is, "It depends on the pen kit."

* Some would take a small note where you replace the ink, in a place where the recipient would find it and it would not interfere with the pen operation.
* Some would take a small note in a place where the recipient is not likely to find it.
* Some would not fit a small note.

P.S. Don't expect many of your pen recipients to find their notes, ever.

I helped a family member move a long time ago. I left a nice note hidden in the drawer compartment of their desk. You had to remove the drawer to see it. Twenty years later, I got a phone call, "I found the note! I found the note!" By then, I had forgotten about leaving it in the first place.

 

[EventHorizonVII]

I just looked at a few turned pens that were handy. My answer is, "It depends on the pen kit."

* Some would take a small note where you replace the ink, in a place where the recipient would find it and it would not interfere with the pen operation.
* Some would take a small note in a place where the recipient is not likely to find it.
* Some would not fit a small note.

P.S. Don't expect many of your pen recipients to find their notes, ever.

I helped a family member move a long time ago. I left a nice note hidden in the drawer compartment of their desk. You had to remove the drawer to see it. Twenty years later, I got a phone call, "I found the note! I found the note!" By then, I had forgotten about leaving it in the first place.

What in the National Treasure are you doing lol

I think I will just stick to putting it within the pen box itself. It was mostly going to be Bible verse references.

 

[penicillin]

My pens are gifts, so I use inexpensive plastic display tubes with a thin decorative ribbon tied on the outside. I put a descriptive label inside the display tube with the pen. The label faces out so that it is readable without opening the tube. There is no reason why you could not use the same idea, but with Bible verses, or you could fold a label to fit in a corner - one side has the Bible verse, and the other has a description of the pen and its refill.

Here is a link to sample documents of the type I use, including two versions of the gift labels. The link to the pen tubes I use is also in the thread:
https://www.penturners.org/threads/documents-for-tracking-pen-making-for-gifts-etc.159678/

 

[EventHorizonVII]

My pens are gifts, so I use inexpensive plastic display tubes with a thin decorative ribbon tied on the outside. I put a descriptive label inside the display tube with the pen. The label faces out so that it is readable without opening the tube. There is no reason why you could not use the same idea, but with Bible verses, or you could fold a label to fit in a corner - one side has the Bible verse, and the other has a description of the pen and its refill.

Here is a link to sample documents of the type I use, including two versions of the gift labels. The link to the pen tubes I use is also in the thread:
https://www.penturners.org/threads/documents-for-tracking-pen-making-for-gifts-etc.159678/

Awesome, thank you!