Can I borrow a Sierra kit ??

[arose62]

Dear Gentlefolk,

having miscalculated (see point 2:C), I am one "Titanium Gold/Black Titanium" Sierra kit short for an order of 10 matching pens.

My options are:
1) desperately contact Addictive Pen Kits.
I've done that, and thank goodness, or else I would be 3 kits short. :2tsup: But the next shipment is too far away.

2) very, very, very carefully ask the wife if she really needs the pen I finished last night for her team leader's Christmas gift. I appreciate her marketing efforts, and that it's been paid for by her co-workers, but I could disassemble it and ... Nah ... don't go there:oo:

3) ask here if anyone has a spare kit I can "borrow" until they are back in stock. I'm happy to toss in a cocobolo, beefwood, purpleheart or zebrawood blank as 'interest'.

Cheers,
Andrew

[ss_11000]

i wood but, i ran out of blk ti and only have gold and chrome ones left.

good luck in your search.

[lubbing5cherubs]

I have one here if needed
Toni

[DJ’s Timber]

I also have one sitting here too if needed

[Simomatra]

I also have a spare as of yesterday if needed

[arose62]

Thank you for the offers, and apologies for missing the other obvious option:

4) does anyone want to sell me a Ti Black/Gold kit?

I claim tiredness, and resolve not to type after midnight anymore:rolleyes:

Cheers,
Andrew

[triden]

I have one here if you have had no luck.

[arose62]

Thank you to:

1) Lubbing5Cherubs :2tsup:, and
2) Triden :2tsup: for supplying the Sierra kits I was panicking about.

and
3) Ubeaut for this wonderful community!:2tsup:

Now, if I can just get someone to stop the rain, so the garage can un-flood, and I can get the last few pens done:(

Cheers,
Andrew

[PenTurner]

Good to hear about the help, Keep it up folks, Amos:):2tsup::2tsup:

[lubbing5cherubs]

Gidday Glad I was able to help with the pen kit but the rain you will have to talk to the man upstairs about that one
Toni

[triden]

Andrew, better let the floor dry properly, we don't want any accidents and get Work Cover involved:D

[arose62]

...well very nearly almost, and what's left to be done doesn't involve the lathe, just scissors and paper.:D

Seeing as how I was helped out by this board, and it's members, I'll try to give something back in the form of hints I've collected so far.

1) the best tool I've found for getting glue out of the brass tubes is the depth probe on my vernier calipers. It's adjustable in length, has nice square edges, and just works!

2) when pressing a Sierra cap on, I put the plastic bag over the clip to save scratching the barrel.

3) before assembling a Sierra, I countersink the tube to take off the sharp edge. (That tip from Froggie)

4) I then blacken inside the tube with a permanent marker. (I think it looks a bit better than scratched brass if anyone looks)

5) I wipe a tiny bit of grease around the nib where the barrel slides.

6) After a lot of searching for a way to present the pens, and having tried necklace boxes (but they are a bit too long), I've gone for CD gift boxes, and printed custom liners. Not shown yet is a paper loop to hold the pen in place by it's clip.

Cheers,
Andrew.

P.S. Triden - No workers were harmed during the making of the pens. Cocobolo scares me, so I had rubber gloves, dust mask, face shield, DC running, fan blowing over my shoulder, wife notified of wood name, botanical name, and potential symptoms.:oo:

[arose62]

And the finished product...

[ss_11000]

Nice work andrew - the gift boxes are a nice touch:cool:

[HappyHammer]

Nice work andrew - the gift boxes are a nice touch:cool:
Agreed great looking pens but isn't the packaging a bit over-sized?:q

HH.

[arose62]

No way - it's a mark of quality!!

Surely you've heard that the way to tell a really, really swish restaurant is by the fact that they have huge plates, and tiny morsels of really beautifully prepared food:D

Same sort of thing here.

Maybe I should use a bigger box next time??

Anyway, when I dropped them off, the customer was very happy, and remarked favourably about the presentation.

Cheers,
Andrew

[Simomatra]

Very nice Andrew and a nice professional touch with presentation

[HappyHammer]

Don't get me wrong I think they look great in the boxes but I find when you buy things of quality the packaging is of a very high standard but understated as the real star of the show is the content not it's package.:q:U

HH.

[Mrs Woodpecker]

Great job !! The presentation packages are a nice touch.
Cheers,
Shirley

[smagrath]

Hi Andrew,
Now work is cooling down I'm back in the shed with a few pens coming - I actually sold my first yesterday for a christmas present - $35 for a camphor laurel roller...

These are great pens... I love the finish you get on them. Anyway, in terms of keeping the glue out of the brass, I've used potatoes... before you glue the brass in, press the tube through a potato to fill it up. Glue in as normal, Then push the potato cork out.:U

I guess that trick is well known around the group...:;

[arose62]

Hi Smagrath,

good to see you on here!

I used playdough to block the tubes, but found it fiddly, and it did not work 100%.

So now I just hook out all the glue I can with a toothpick, then (ab)use the vernier to pop off the "skin" of glue as needed when it is dry.

Each to their own...

Cheers,
Andrew

[PenTurner]

Andrew, thanks for sharing those good ideas with us, Amos:)