Pen Repair and Mistakes

**Goggomobile** · 9th January 2015, 07:30 AM

Hi All
Over the years I have repaired many returned pens which Ive made and sold to friends. These pens have suffered abuse or had some sort of accident. I enjoy hearing the stories of what happened.... I get a lot of return business as a result.

I've learnt that sometime you have to match the pen to suit the person ..eg more durable coatings, better pen kits...

I've also made plenty of mistakes while making pens which has helped avoid pitfalls.

Here are some ....

1) beach pens - Mechanisim full of sand from the beach. often this jams the internal mechanism and scratches the outside. For these I extraxt all pressed parts and totally replace. sometimes resurface the turn faces.

2) pool pens - often pens go for a swim with there owners. Chlorine pool water left in pens wrecks the mechanism real quick. full extraction is required but often very successful.

3) WWF pens - these pens often look like they have had 2 rounds with a boxer. Often people will play with the pen all day and eventually wear groves and coatings off the metal parts and turned pieces. I repair these with new metal parts and resurface... Often a full rebuild. Or replace with a better quality kit.

Why do I go to the effort ? These pens often have a lot of sentimental value .. Eg wedding presents, gifts to partners etc...

Randal

**Lyle** · 9th January 2015, 07:45 AM

Sounds like the old woodcutters story, "I've had this axe for over 40 years, same axe, it is bloody great. Chops well, swings well, excellent balance, takes an edge well.
I've only had to replace the head twice and 6 handles.... They just don't make axes like these anymore!"

**dai sensei** · 9th January 2015, 09:28 AM

But you forgot

4) Washing pens - dishwasher and washing machines, doesn't do finishes any good but the refill normally always explodes, making a mess of the inside. People look at me strange when I say they are not dish washer safe but then get a giggle when I say why.

5) Standing pens - dropped pens that then get stood on whilst resting against something else, usually come back as banana or broken in half pen and often past repair

6) Concrete pens - dropped in concrete (I used to work on bridge/tunnel construction sites), sometimes never to be seen again (I can name a few bridges that contain my pens

), others put in pocket and forgotten, becoming concrete encrusted.

7) BBQ pens - dropped in fires, depends on for how long whether it can be saved

8) Diving pens - dropped over the side of boat/pier whilst fishing/boating etc (similar to pool pen), if retrieved quickly can be saved

perhaps others can add some more

**Mobyturns** · 9th January 2015, 09:38 AM

9. Mulcher pens - beyond repair.

I have a bit of a tradition and give a pen & pencil set to my fellow employees being retrenched or retiring. One mate came back a little upset as he lost his in his new job as a gardner at a retirement home. He could not find it after searching through a garden bed he had spread mulch on. I gave him a replacement as fortunately it was in hairy oak that I had a fair bit of from the same log. Quite a while latter he rang me to say he found some of the remains of the original pen. Seems it must have come out of his pocket and went through the mulcher.

**maddog 62** · 10th January 2015, 10:50 AM

10) mining pens
humidity, sweat, mud and the dreaded anfo
add anfo with sweat you have the perfect corrosive compound (it loves springs and mechanisms)

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