Thanks Ash. Still learning all of this. Is that an aesthetic thing, or is there a mechanical reason?
That’s a good question and it’s a little bit of both. And, by the way, pretty much everybody does this when they start. So it’s not a criticism and it’s not the end of the world but it is something you won’t see very often on pens made by, shall we say, more experienced makers.
Aesthetically I do think it stands out a little.
Some established pens do have an unthreaded area behind the threads but it’s usually at the major diameter, not turned down to the minor, and it’s because the caps are internally configured to post snugly on the barrel, meaning the threads are further inside the cap. So they need that extra bit of length to be there.
Also it is adding a weakness to that area. The chances of it breaking are obviously quite slim but it does reduce the wall thickness at that point.
The other thing is it’s always tricky to sand/polish areas like that. So you’re making life more difficult for yourself. Imagine if that wasn’t there and the rebate is inside the cap. Once you turn the threads on the barrel right up to the step you’re done. No cutting sandpaper to 3mm strips and trying to sand it without running into the threads as the lathe is spinning. (I did say you weren’t the first
).
Tip: For the rebate you can use a drill a smidge larger than the major diameter of the treads.
I hope that makes sense.
Cheers
Ash