Section/housing question

[AllenJ]

I'm preparing to turn a pen section. I've watched and read a few tutorials, so I think I have my head wrapped around the process, but one question remains: When the housing, section, and converter are all assembled, will there be a gap inside the section between the converter and housing, or should they be touching? It seems like this detail won't affect the operation of the pen either way. It would be easier to leave a small gap. Thank you for any advice.

Allen

 

[Oliver X]

I'm assuming you're talking about a fountain pen or rollerball that uses a fountain pen converter. The converter should fit snugly onto the nipple at the back of the housing.

 

[AllenJ]

Thanks Oliver, I neglected to say fountain pen, but my question is: what's happening inside the section? Is there a small gap between the housing and converter?

 

[duncsuss]

Thanks Oliver, I neglected to say fountain pen, but my question is: what's happening inside the section? Is there a small gap between the housing and converter?

I aim for no gap there - the mouth of the converter should be pushed snug against the back end of the housing for the best protection against ink leaks.

There can be a small gap between the outside of the converter and the inside wall of the bored-out tenon it pushes into.

 

[Oliver X]

No gap. As I said the converter fits onto the back of the housing. You should be able to assemble them outside the section to get an idea of how they fit together. The converter, unless it's threaded, doesn't need to touch the section at all. The hole it fits into is just clearance. Converters take the place of cartridges and should be interchangeable with such. The cartridge needs to be pushed fully onto the nipple to open the seal, be it a ball, disk or membrane. A converter that doesn't fully seat will result in a leaky, probably non-working pen.

 

[AllenJ]

Thank you to both of you. After reading your answers, I still didn't get it. I studied my parts a little more carefully and the light bulb finally came on. I now realize how silly my question was. Thanks for helping me get there!