Hi, sorry if this is an obvious problem, I've just started making pens -well haven't made one yet. I've made a blank drilling jig and glued the brass barrels in, but they don't seem to want to get on the mandle, got one jammed half on before it pushed off the wooden blank then it was a difficult job to file and then sand the barrel off. Is this common? it's so close to being the right size but not quite, am I missing something here? or do I just throw away the 10 pen sets I've got and buy better ones. Thanks for any input you have
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Assuming you have a shop bought mandrel and bushes the most likely problems is that you have glue in the tubes which is stopping you getting it onto the mandrel, clean out the glue and they should fit. Also are you using abrasive paper on the tube before you glue it to help it to key?
Peter
Peter
woodhacker
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Throw nowt away lad. It sounds like the glue got inside the brass tube, try plugging the end prior to glueing (tatter peel, plastercine anything that can be pushed out afterwards).
Don't despair you'll get there.
Peter
Don't despair you'll get there.
Peter
Hi John - welcome to the fold. You can prove the theory of the guys above by mounting a naked tube on your mandrel. straight from the packet. If it fits, there is a problem with your process. If it doesn't, there is a problem with the tubes or the mandrel. You haven't said what either the kit or the mandrel is.
I use a small round diamond file to clean the insides of my tubes. When you trim your blanks you can get a little burr on the inside ends of the brass tubes. File around the inside edge at a slight angle to remove the burr as well as any glue. Should then be ok.
It's been mentioned above but when I started back in February 2016 I over cleaned/squared the ends with the pen trimmer/glue cleaner outer... This left a burr (again mentioned above). It was a squeeze but I managed to get blanks onto and of the mandrel. The biggest problem came when assembling the pens the twist mechanism didn't fit and because I had pushed the blanks onto the mandrel it made it even harder to de-burr. I now have a small de-burring tool )metal work type) Never had a problem since.
Penpal
Grand Master
John welcome to the forum.
Question where in France do you call home?
Are there Wood turning, Arts , Craft organisations near you? Google is your friend.
Try and arrange face to face help before you go in ten directions at once.
There are two Pierres on this forum from around central France who can more easily in your own language talk you through this situation.
Trust all is well right now.
Peter.
Question where in France do you call home?
Are there Wood turning, Arts , Craft organisations near you? Google is your friend.
Try and arrange face to face help before you go in ten directions at once.
There are two Pierres on this forum from around central France who can more easily in your own language talk you through this situation.
Trust all is well right now.
Peter.
wm460
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Penpal
Grand Master
Available from gunsmiths are cartridge reamers that ream inside and out for about 20 of our pesos (read dollars). As well I use a long slim reamer sold by electric firms with a cross handle for 12 of our Aussie Dollars. Look for a drill that is a neat slide fit in tubes mount in a wood handle for complete cleaning of the tube.
Peter.
Peter.
Hi thanks for your reply, I live near Carcassonne down in the south of France, one of the many Brits that live here. I don't know of any local woodworking clubs locally, although there is a couple of thriving craft shop/ galleries in my town of Limoux. Woodturning is new to me although I did some 50 years ago at school. a friend of a friend gave me a decent lathe along with a good set of hardly used expensive tools and a box with a lot of pen making stuff including a mandel and pen sets. The mandle is 6.34mm o/d and the brass tubes straight from the packet seem to be about 6.22mm. the only thing printed on the pen set pack is NEP 401 - Wood and a price of £3.25. i've going to try and upload some photosView attachment 31426View attachment 31427View attachment 31428View attachment 31429View attachment 31430
If you have many of the same pen kits with the 6.22mm id tubes, you may be better off making your own mandrel if you can't find one to fit, or turn them between centres.
Peter
Peter
Your mandrel is probably your problem then. It would certainly be considered on the large side. All sorts of people are going to tell you what their mandrels measure now, and sadly there is no standard. But somewhere around 6.2 is what most of them are made to.