Wal-mart pen problem

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smoky10

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I have been making the wal-mart pens and giving them away, with the first going to my granddaughter. Frday she came in and handed me the pen in pieces and said it won't stay together and asked if I can fix it. It looks like the threads stripped either from me tightening it to tight or from the clicker being used a lot. I don't think I'll be making any of these pens to sell. Has anyone else had any problems with these?
 
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I take it that the nib is where the threads stripped out? If it's a plastic tip, I wouldent doubt it. Keep in mind, she may have taken it apart and stripped the threads. Regardless, I dont think they have the build quality to put a price on them.
 
Hi,

I have said it in an other tread, i made 3 and all 3 failed.

Finished for me. It's fun to try, show you how to adapt a market pen but you get what you pay for.

Alfred
 
Skye, It was where the body of the pen screws together that failed, in the middle.

Alfred, I agree, it was nice to make something different but they are what they are, a cheap pen.
 
From what I've read, it seems people are buying these to play around with and make cheap "give-away" pens. The problem I see with doing that is that they are cheaply made with apparently often plastic parts. So someone sees your nicely made cigar or whatever pen and asks you to give them a pen(actually seems pretty rude to me). You give them one of these and within a week it disintegrates. What is their opinion of your pens after that? It doesn't seem to me that this will help your reputation as a quality pen maker.
 
Here is one of the 3 I have tried. The other 2 went to my adult daughters. 2 weeks and no failures yet. And I turn down the lower barrel and use no tubing in the blanks. Corncob with CA finish.



2006101023526_WALCOB.jpg
 
I've been playing with these and have given 3 away so far. I'm also using a couple on and off. Actually the parker refill writes quite nicely.

If you don't take it apart I don't see why it won't last a while. You only have to remove the nib to replace the refill also, so gluing it together to prevent fiddling with it may be an option....

I thought it was great fun. I haven't turned any other pens... Yet. I have one slimline kit I plan to turn for the wife, then I'm going to order several slimlines and Euro's for Christmas presents.
 
If you want to play with cheap give-aways, you can always do one of these. It's a modified Bic Clicker. Reliable mechanism and rights well enough. I made these (turned between centers and no tube!) about 4 years ago when I got my first lathe. I made them from scrap wood and gave them all away.

20061010185355_oak_bic.jpg
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I won't be doing any more. First reason being these will be a reflection upon the turner so if they crap out, and they will, well, it goes against one's rep. Secondly, for the extra hassle of turning them along with the 68 cents or so they cost for each pen, a $1.70 for a slimmie really isn't that much but yields a far more reliable pen to give away.
 
I made about 10 Walmart pens... then got bored with it and don't make them anymore... but the ones I made are still going strong (at least the ones I gave to the office personnel) with no problems..
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... seems like maybe there was a difference in these pens depending on where in the US you bought them?
 
Haven't bothered with'em. Won't bother with'em. Garbage in, garbage out, whether it's wrapped in exotic wood or not. Lol, I've had enough trouble with failures from American-style flat-tops and crap refills, I don't need the hassles of fine-tuning a walmart pen.
 
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