Thread: Sierra Manufacture error!?

I've had the nib bit come out but not what you've had

Eek! the sierra's my "learner" kit i chose to start pens with, i hope this doesn't happen too often, i started with 10 kits so i'm not at all that experienced yet but i have given them all homes with family. Good for me to know about the possibility of it occurring though mate, appreciate the post.

Neal.

Hi Amos,

Right here, right now on my desk is a pen I have had returned with that exact same fault.

It too, is a black titanium - I wonder if its anything to do with that finish?

The customer wasn't too worried. Of course disappointed, but very happy that I am able to fix it.

Nathan.

Is this because the prices of the kits are comming down and down which is a good thing but does that mean they are getting made differently than the so called cheap kits ? I have not had any trouble with any of the Sierra's that I have been making so I am keen to hear what others think ?


Cheers Ian

I have had the same thing happen with a couple of these kits , not sure why, I have just repaired them and put it down to something out of tolerance . I do a slight stress test these days to make sure they stay together cheers John

There are probably a number of reasons, they are basically press fitted, somtimes the very act of the refill pushing down will push it off, (had this happen when I did a bulk lot- about 3 out of 100), other times customers forget how to pull apart and pull unduly on the end and off it comes--that is why I suggest threads, at least if they undo it and it is the wrong way, they can do it up again.
In the example I showed, the customer has been pushing down hard on the click and it came adrift. As I said , I can now recall 3 Sirra's in particular and each caused undue embarassment. Amos

Amos I have had the top end come of and then the nib, the only problem was that I was at sea and had no super glue. I was lucky that one of my boys had got some liquid nails and that did the trick.
David

Amos, it's dissapointing for that to happen, there is nothing worse than one of your pens failing after a customer has paid good money for it.

I think your idea of the threaded section is a great idea. Not only to fix this problem but also to make it better to replace the refill on the Sierra, which is my main beef with that kit.

Maybe a redesigned model with this modification, and given a new name, or just "Sierra 2".
I would gladly pay the small price increase for the extra machining step in the manufacturing process. For peace of mind once the pen goes out the door if nothing else.

I've had that happen before. Very irritating.

It raises an interesting point about these pens being sold as a premium, hand crafted item, yet if the underlying kit is not the same high quality craftsmanship it lets the whole thing down.

Cheers,
Dave

Dave, the comment I got was "your pens are great on the outside but poor quality on the inside!" OW! OUCH! that stung me deeply and really upset me--but, there is truth in it!!!?????? Amos

Hey Amos,

I have had a couple do the same thing and I'm sure wether the kit is wholey to blame, one of mine come back with a definite ding (been Dropped) and the other had cracks as if there had been some side ways stresses (Probably sat on), I offer repairs and fix any little troubles such as operator errors (Mostly Twising the transmission the wrong way or too far) but on the whole the returns are very minimal, The only thing that sort of worries me is what happens after you have delivered the pen, most people who buy our pens are buying it as a Quality Product (and treat it with the respect it deserves) and some people shouldn't be alowwed to have one.

HazzaB

Hazza, personally I back the pen, and anything high end gets a "life time warranty", of course that excludes maltreatment-drops and washes and being used as a door jam!, If it is a Titanium/Gold Sierra, it certainly warrants good will on our part, even though it was dropped! squashed! I even look after simple slimline and entry level Sierras, it is just good practice to do so, and for me it seems the right thing to do. Amos

Hey Amos,

I Wholey agree with you, I will always do the right thing by the Pen, and the Customer,

HazzaB

Originally Posted by Woodenink

Hazza, personally I back the pen, and anything high end gets a "life time warranty", of course that excludes maltreatment-drops and washes and being used as a door jam!, If it is a Titanium/Gold Sierra, it certainly warrants good will on our part, even though it was dropped! squashed! I even look after simple slimline and entry level Sierras, it is just good practice to do so, and for me it seems the right thing to do. Amos

Amos

I've had that happen too more than once unfortunately, and the only kits I use are the Black Titanium / Titanium Gold kits, usually out of the USA, supposedly due to the quality of the kit.
I always back the "lifetime warranty", even once where there were obvious teeth marks in the pen, as this person is a regular customer, I have only objected once, and that is when the user wanted a new pen, when the ink ran out.
I agree with the screw thread idea, as that would make fixing manufacturing errors easier, and also make the kit more "substantial".
I have had to fix more than 1 kit, where the user is a "fiddler", continuing to dismantle and reassemble the pen, just like a compulsive continuing to click a click pen.