I made a Summit Pencil for my wife, which lasted a week before it stopped working due to the "transmission" (for lack of a better word ) failing and no longer extending the lead, but it does extend a small brass piece which I believe is what pushes the lead out. The thing is , this Wood Workers Shop, which is everywhere, and shall remain nameless, has sold me very poor quality kits. This is not the only one that quit. I had a Slimline with a broken out of the bag transmission. It came out in small pieces. There have been a few others and I no longer want to buy from them. So, where do I go to get decent kits? Are they all the same , just sold by different companies? Or, is there a decent place to get pens and pencils that will work for a long period of time?
Where do you get good kits? Not Happy With Quality at Local Shop
- Thread starter rodtod11
- Start date
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Displaced Canadian
Member
I'm not sure anybody has a reliable pencil. I use pentel's that you buy at Office Depot and make bodies for them.
I don't know how much different the kits really are, something to note is 24 ct gold doesn't wear well. If you want to sell use TI gold. The vender catalog section lists quite a few sellers that are members. Any one of them can help you.
I don't know how much different the kits really are, something to note is 24 ct gold doesn't wear well. If you want to sell use TI gold. The vender catalog section lists quite a few sellers that are members. Any one of them can help you.
ldubia
Member
I have heard the Perfect Fit pen/pencil is good. I have not tried them yet but have a couple to do. Otherwise, I gave up on pencils as kits. I had the same problem with them working a week or so then quitting. A customer lost faith n me as a maker due to that issue, even though I replaced the pencils for him free four times. I returned his money on the fifth and offered to give him a free pen instead.
edstreet
Member
longbeard
Member
Check out the vendors catalog, great people to deal with. Excelent quality and service.
healeydays
Member
Have you ever shown the process on one of these? Love to see it...
KenV
Member
Schmidt makes a good pencil insert -- none are bullet proof, but the durability goes up as the diameter increases.
Pentel is the "gold standard" for durability -- new "skins" have been added for a number of years. Don Ward has articles on his site -- and there was an article published in Woodturning Designs earlier this year on doing it with shorter drilling by adding a centerband.
Pentel is the "gold standard" for durability -- new "skins" have been added for a number of years. Don Ward has articles on his site -- and there was an article published in Woodturning Designs earlier this year on doing it with shorter drilling by adding a centerband.
BSea
Member
I've heard (though don't know 1st hand) that timberbits has a Parker style pencil transmission that's a swap for several pens. Some may need a minor modification. But the transmission is supposed to work really well.
Here's the link: Pen Making :: Pen Components :: Parker Style Lead Mechanism - Pen Kits, Pen blanks, Clock Kits and wood turning accessories.
There is a video that explains how it works.
Here's the link: Pen Making :: Pen Components :: Parker Style Lead Mechanism - Pen Kits, Pen blanks, Clock Kits and wood turning accessories.
There is a video that explains how it works.
A number of vendors here sell good quality pen kits at very reasonable prices, you can check the vendor catalogs or visit their web sites.