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1930's blanks odd ID

jaylah

Full Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2016
Posts
22
Location
United Kingdom
First Name
John
Hi I've just purchased some 1930 acrylic blanks, they are already turned and pre-drilled,unfortunately only one has a 7mm hole, the others are around 6mm and 11mm, in other words none of my pen blanks will fit. So my question is, are there any pen kits this size available and how can I find out What the ID of the blanks are without a micrometre. Thanks for reading.
 

Morse

Graduate Member
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Dec 20, 2016
Posts
679
Location
Cheshire. UK
First Name
Dave
Bit rough. I bought two sets of “transfer punch sets” one metric one imperial.
These are round dowels which are of specific diameter and are used to find the centre of a hole.
As I said it’s a bit rough.
Otherwise redrill them. There’s certainly 8 mm kits out there, flyfishing and bolt action to name a couple.
Dave
 

wm460

Grand Master
Joined
Mar 16, 2013
Posts
23,095
Location
Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, Australia.
First Name
Mark
Hi I've just purchased some 1930 acrylic blanks, they are already turned and pre-drilled,unfortunately only one has a 7mm hole, the others are around 6mm and 11mm, in other words none of my pen blanks will fit. So my question is, are there any pen kits this size available and how can I find out What the ID of the blanks are without a micrometre. Thanks for reading.

Shock Absorber Pen Kit and Workshop Sketch Pencil Kit both take a 11 mm drill bit
The 6mm one you can drill out to what ever kit chooses your fancy.
Timberbits has a number of kits that are over 11mm tubes.
 

jaylah

Full Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2016
Posts
22
Location
United Kingdom
First Name
John
Bit rough. I bought two sets of “transfer punch sets” one metric one imperial.
These are round dowels which are of specific diameter and are used to find the centre of a hole.
As I said it’s a bit rough.
Otherwise redrill them. There’s certainly 8 mm kits out there, flyfishing and bolt action to name a couple.
Dave

Thanks Dave with these blanks being so old I wont chance the punch method, and with them already being turned, there isn't a great deal of acrylic to play with so re - drilling would be a last resort. thanks for your help :thumbs:
 

jaylah

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Joined
Jul 25, 2016
Posts
22
Location
United Kingdom
First Name
John
Shock Absorber Pen Kit and Workshop Sketch Pencil Kit both take a 11 mm drill bit
The 6mm one you can drill out to what ever kit chooses your fancy.
Timberbits has a number of kits that are over 11mm tubes.

Thanks I'll have a look on their site. There isnt much acrylic on the blank, they seem to of been turned round ready for assembling and polishing so I was hoping that I wouldn't have to re-drill them.
 

Lons

Fellow
Joined
Dec 17, 2013
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Location
Northumberland
First Name
Bob
Hi John

A photo of the blanks would help and I suspect the blanks possibly aren't acrylic as you state though I may be wrong.

They're more likely to be cellulose acetate and manufactured as tubes so not turned. These were manufactured for a number of pen makers, Conway Stewart being one of them and a major company at the time and the process was that the material was wound in a spiral around a former, size of which determined the centre bore dia. If you look very carefully at this type of blank you can see the winding.

If it is these then they can be drilled, I've done it many times, but it needs to be done slowly and carefully or you'll ruin the blank. 6mm can easily be opened for 7mm slimlines and 11mm for sierra size kits but I've used them for others as well, remember you don't have much thickness of material to play with so minimal turning and slaow sanding / polishing afterwards.

1930-40s Vintage Pen Rod (Cellulose Acetate) - Pen Blanks - Shop

Vintage blanks are also readily available which are solid and I've never seen those offered as already drilled and turned.

Conway Stewart Pen Blanks - Pen Blanks - Shop
 

silver

General dogsbody
Executive Member
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Jun 29, 2013
Posts
6,301
Location
Somewhere in Staffordshire,
First Name
Eamonn.
@jayla John,
As per [MENTION=361]Lons[/MENTION] said in his post, drill them out to suit your own pen kits and tubes.

I have done it many times and it's easily done, provided you take your time and drill it out steadily.

Don't let the size of any hole drilled in a blank restrict what you can do with it, look beyond it and see what you want.

See the last one I didn't on a Zephyr pen kit.

http://www.penturners.co.uk/other-material-turned-items/22388-zephyr-caramel-twist.html
 

jaylah

Full Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2016
Posts
22
Location
United Kingdom
First Name
John
Cellulose

Hi John

A photo of the blanks would help and I suspect the blanks possibly aren't acrylic as you state though I may be wrong.

They're more likely to be cellulose acetate and manufactured as tubes so not turned. These were manufactured for a number of pen makers, Conway Stewart being one of them and a major company at the time and the process was that the material was wound in a spiral around a former, size of which determined the centre bore dia. If you look very carefully at this type of blank you can see the winding.

If it is these then they can be drilled, I've done it many times, but it needs to be done slowly and carefully or you'll ruin the blank. 6mm can easily be opened for 7mm slimlines and 11mm for sierra size kits but I've used them for others as well, remember you don't have much thickness of material to play with so minimal turning and slaow sanding / polishing afterwards.

1930-40s Vintage Pen Rod (Cellulose Acetate) - Pen Blanks - Shop

Vintage blanks are also readily available which are solid and I've never seen those offered as already drilled and turned.

Conway Stewart Pen Blanks - Pen Blanks - Shop

Hi Bob yes, sorry,they are cellulose, the turners workshop was where I purchased them from. The OD on the 6mm leaves very little margin for error when drilling, and I always have problems with my pillar drill as it bottoms out before it comes through the other side of the blank, so I then have to reposition the blank in the pen vice and it doesn't always line up.
Bit hard to explain, but I'd like to find a 6mm pen to fit this blank,while I'd try to open the others up as the OD on them has a bit more cellulose. Hope you can understand this rather long reply.
 

Vic Perrin

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Executive Member
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Feb 23, 2014
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8,215
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Rugeley Staffs
First Name
Vic
I have had a number of these blanks from the Turners Workshop and they can easily be drilled out. I also soaked the 6 mm ones in boiling water to expand it and a slimline tube went in easily :thumbs::thumbs:
 

Dibbs

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Jun 4, 2018
Posts
47
Location
Leeds
First Name
Ian
I have had a number of these blanks from the Turners Workshop and they can easily be drilled out. I also soaked the 6 mm ones in boiling water to expand it and a slimline tube went in easily :thumbs::thumbs:

I have a few of these. That is very good to know.
 
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