Sierra Mechanism Extraction

[chriselle]

I've had a Sierra come back from a customer who has managed to push the mechanism too far into the body for the threads on the front section to catch the mechanism. Any easy hacks to get the mechanism out? Actually, my wife has the pen and I'm out of the country so it's not just as simple as using a punch to knock out the mechanism through the back. She isn't comfortable with that. Thoughts?

 

[jttheclockman]

https://www.penturners.org/threads/another-sierra-problem.58724/#post-987847

Easy, probably not. But there are a couple methods listed in the thread I linked which is in the library. I always make sure I tighten those trannys down with pliers and tell customer to do the same when replacing refill. The problem comes from turning the cap to hard. Many have used a spacer in the top of the cap to prevent the tranny from being pushed up too far. That could be a solution for you in the future.

 

[leehljp]

Welcome back Chris. I really miss Japan, seeing Fuji and the food!

I cannot for the life of me, remember how I did it, but I did get one out long ago. It is Father's Day back here and I have family with til this afternoon. If no one else gives a solution, I will check it out. I have 3 Sierras in a couple of bags in dis-repair that I have experimented with over the years. I will check it out this afternoon.

 

[chriselle]

Welcome back Chris. I really miss Japan, seeing Fuji and the food!

I cannot for the life of me, remember how I did it, but I did get one out long ago. It is Father's Day back here and I have family with til this afternoon. If no one else gives a solution, I will check it out. I have 3 Sierras in a couple of bags in dis-repair that I have experimented with over the years. I will check it out this afternoon.

Hey Hank. Good to hear from you. I'm actually back in Victoria Canada for a year or two...a little longer than planned because of Covid. Life is good though. Will be going back to Japan in the late fall but my wife is there taking care of the pen business.

I think I'll take a sacrificial front section and turn it down and make an extraction tool out of it and send it in the mail to my wife.

 

[chriselle]

https://www.penturners.org/threads/another-sierra-problem.58724/#post-987847

Easy, probably not. But there are a couple methods listed in the thread I linked which is in the library. I always make sure I tighten those trannys down with pliers and tell customer to do the same when replacing refill. The problem comes from turning the cap to hard. Many have used a spacer in the top of the cap to prevent the tranny from being pushed up too far. That could be a solution for you in the future.

Thanks John. I do give instructions on the importance of keeping that thread tight. This is the first one actually to come back in all these years and many hundreds of Sierras sold. So, mostly people listen... haha. Of course, it's going to come back at the time I can't have access to repair it..lol. The spacer is something I'll look into incorporating into future sales. I think I'll just turn down the shoulder of a junk front section for a permanent extraction tool.

 

[jttheclockman]

Thanks John. I do give instructions on the importance of keeping that thread tight. This is the first one actually to come back in all these years and many hundreds of Sierras sold. So, mostly people listen... haha. Of course, it's going to come back at the time I can't have access to repair it..lol. The spacer is something I'll look into incorporating into future sales. I think I'll just turn down the shoulder of a junk front section for a permanent extraction tool.

If you read the link I supplied that is one of the fixes mentioned and there is photos of it. The other was a pair of needle nose pliers. The other was a small piece of wood forced up there to grab the threads. May have been a few others too. but good luck.

 

[JohnU]

This isn't an uncommon problem. I've seen many people unscrew the lower nib section from the pen without pulling the transmission out of the pen body first. Then they try to screw it back in place and push the transmission up the tube. I had a fix where I cut the threads off of an old pen and glued it to a dowel rod so it could be inserted up the pen tube and threaded into the transmission to pull it out. Since then I've switched to Exotic Blank's Sierra Knurl. It's the only Sierra style I have found that the nib unscrews to expose the ink. (Like a cigar pen kit) That way you can use a little locktite to secure the transmission in place and they never need to remove it.

 

[Mr Vic]

Can't remember the thread size but it's possible to screw in a bolt or screw to pull it out

 

[JohnU]

Can't remember the thread size but it's possible to screw in a bolt or screw to pull it out

I agree, and did that a few times. Also,There were a couple different thread sizes used depending on where the kit came from.

 

[Dalecamino]

Hi Chris!

 

[leehljp]

JohnU:

I had a fix where I cut the threads off of an old pen and glued it to a dowel rod so it could be inserted up the pen tube and threaded into the transmission to pull it out.

John T:

The other was a pair of needle nose pliers. The other was a small piece of wood forced up there to grab the threads.

Needle nose pliers and wood was what I had used. Seems like I got one done with needle nose pliers but it was messy; the wood dowel jammed into it was what I used to undo it two or three other times.

 

[mmayo]

No help now, but switch to Diamond knurl "Sierra" style pens.

 

[mmayo]

No help now, but switch to Diamond knurl "Sierra" style pens.

If you do you'll never need the fix whatever it is.

 

[chriselle]

Hi Chris!

Hey Chuck... good to see you still doing the pen stuff. It's been a while.