Page 1
PROJECT PEN KITS
Comfort Chrome Plated Pen Kit
Code: 200355
PREPARING THE BLANKS, HINTS & TIPS
Preparing a wooden or acrylic/polyester
blank for a pen mandrel.
1. Cut a blank to the length of each tube
plus approximately 2.5mm to allow for
trimming and squaring off the ends.
2. Mark the centre on the end of the blank.
3. Using the recommended drill bit, drill a
hole lengthwise through the blank.
4. Apply epoxy glue, Polyurethane glue or
gap filling cyanoacrylate (super glue) to
the tubes.
5. Insert the tube into the blank with a
twisting motion to spread the glue
evenly inside the hole.
6. Centre the tube lengthwise inside the
blank.
7. Allow the adhesive to cure.
8. When cured, square the ends of the
blank. Using a barrel trimmer with a
guide matching the inner diameter
of the tube or a universal pen blank
squaring jig with a disc sander.
9. Take the excess material down flush
with the ends of the brass tube. (do
not trim beyond the length of the tube
since this may interfere with operation
of the mechanism and assembly).
TURNING THE BLANK, HINTS & TIPS
1. Starting from the headstock end,
mount the bushings and blanks onto
a pen mandrel in the following order,
using bushing set 611007.
2. Small diameter bush followed by the
blank chosen to be the lower part of the
pen (If using a wooden blank, check the
grain alignment).
3. Larger diameter bush followed by the
blank chosen to be the upper part of
the pen, finally one of the standard
bushes supplied with the mandrel.
4. Do not worry about the long sleeve
bushing as yet.
5. Secure the bushings and blanks onto
the mandrel.
6. Slide the tailstock with a live centre into
place against the mandrel and lock in
position. This is for support; only slight
pressure is required.
7. Using sharp tools, roughly turn the
blanks down to a cylinder.
8. You may decide at this point to omit
the comfort grip. If you so chose, ignore
the following stages and continue with
stage 13.
9. If using the comfort grip, make a pencil
mark 27mm from the Nib end of the
lower blank.
10. Use a parting tool, remove this 27mm
section of the blank down to the brass
tube. Keep a sharp, 90 degree corner
on the blank.
11. Remove the blanks and bushings from
the mandrel.
12. Place the long sleeve bushing over
the 27mm section of the brass tube,
reassemble the blanks and bushing on
the mandrel as before.
For more info and
videos scan here
WHAT’S REQUIRED
Bushing Set:
611007
Drill Bit Size:
7 mm
Minimum Blank Size:
16 mm x 16 mm x 85 mm
Tips/Hints
• If using a wooden blank, draw a short
pencil line lengthwise across the centre
of the blank. This will help maintain
grain alignment when mounting the
blanks onto a mandrel.
• Excessive pressure may cause the drill
bit to wander and/or split the blank.
Slow the feed rate and back the drill
bit out repeatedly for chip removal.
• Roughen the brass tube slightly with
abrasive for better adhesion.
• Certain acrylic blanks are more
transparent than others, especially
lighter colors or blanks with light
colored swirls. To avoid the risk of the
brass tube showing through the pen
blank, paint the tubes white or black
before gluing them in.
• The barrel trimmer guide also cleans
any adhesive that may have gotten
inside of the tube.
13. Turn the blanks down to become Pen
Barrels with the profile of your choice.
14. Turn the blanks very slightly oversize,
then sand and polish the ends down
to the same diameter as the bushings.
15. Using successively finer abrasives
gradually sand and polish the Pen
Barrels.
16. Finish the Pen Barrels with your
preferred choice of polish.
•Tips/Hints
Don’t be afraid to sharpen frequently
especially when turning acrylics.
Continues over...
Page 2
ASSEMBLY, HINTS & TIPS
Layout parts according to diagram A
1. Slip the Cushion Grip, wide end first,
over the exposed end of the brass tube
on the lower Pen Barrel.
2. Press the Nib into the Lower Pen Barrel
against the Cushion Grip.
3. Press the Twist Mechanism, brass end
first, into the top of the Lower Pen
Barrel to the Indentation.
Note: Be very careful not to press the Twist
Mechanism too far into the Pen Barrel as it
cannot be pulled out.
To determine if the Twist Mechanism is at
the correct depth. Insert the Refill into the
Pen Barrel and screw fully into the Twist
Mechanism.
Actuate the Twist Mechanism to expose
the Refill’s point. When properly fitted
the point should be fully hidden when
retracted and just the chamfered portion
of the Refill visible when extended.
If the point does not extend far enough,
remove the Refill and press the Twist
Mechanism a little further into the tube.
4. Slide the Clip onto the Cap, do not try to
force the Clip onto the Cap by hand it
will seat fully when the Cap is pressed
into the top end of the Upper Pen
Barrel.
5. Press the Clip/Cap assembly into the top
of the Upper Pen Barrel.
6. Slide the Centre Band over the Twist
Mechanism.
7. Push (by hand) the Upper Pen Barrel
over the exposed Twist Mechanism to
complete the pen.
8. There is sufficient grip between the
Upper Pen Barrel and the Twist
Mechanism to keep the Upper Pen
Barrel in place.
9. The Pen is operated by twisting the two
halves in opposite directions to extend
or retract the point.
10. To replace the refill: Pull the two halves
apart and change the refill. Push back
together.
Tips/Hints
• Use a woodworking vice, one handed bar
clamp, arbor press or a dedicated pen
press.
• Press parts together slowly and steadily
• When pressing the parts together,
CHECK the parts are correctly aligned
with each other and straight. If the part
is crooked or misaligned, it will result in
a poor fit or render the pen unuseable.
• When laying out your pen barrel with the
parts, pay careful attention to keep the
pen barrels in the same orientation as
when on the mandrel. i.e. a barrel may
have a “top” and “bottom”, now is the
time to be certain of the orientation.
DIAGRAM A
Visit the Knowledge blog ‘How To Make A Pen’ for hints, tips and videos
knowledge.axminstertools.com/pen-turning
VIEW OUR FULL RANGE OF
PEN CASES AND DISPLAY BOXES ONLINE
Axminster Tools, Axminster, Devon, EX13 5PH
AXMINSTERTOOLS.COM
Loading...