Pen11

These are the parts that are in the package. Gold plated are shown, but they are available in many different platings, including better quality gold, Titanium, chrome, black, and brushed finishes.

1- Brass tubes

2- Tip

3- Twist mechanism

4- Center ring

5- Clip,

6- Cap

7- Pen refill (similar to "Cross")

These parts kits are available from almost everyone who sells woodturning supplies. And, they are called by almost as many different names. They are called the "Traditional" at Hut Products, the "Slimline" at Penn State Industries, the "American Slim Style" at Woodcraft, the "Twist Pen" at Craft Supplies, and the "7mm Twist Pen" at Berea Hardwoods. The price for the single kit with the basic Gold plating is somewhere around $3.00. Often, the only apparent difference is in the shape of the clip . Most suppliers also have a selection of different center bands and clips.

Recommendation:

Buy all pen parts and supplies from the same source.

Parts that appear to be the same may not be interchangeable when they are purchased from different sources. . These differences may be as small as 0.002" or 0.003", but that can be enough to make the difference between a high quality pen and one that falls apart in the hands of its user, or breaks the wood if it is too larger for the brass tube..

This is the only advice that I can offer to someone purchasing their first pen kits. I hear everyone saying that all of these parts kit from the various suppliers are the same and come from a single source in Taiwan or China; but if that were true, then I would think that all of the parts would be interchangeable. They aren't. These differences are reflected in all of the other parts that are pressed into the brass tubes. Caps can be too tight or too loose, tips will fall out of a tube that is too large, and the length of the refill will be wrong.

The solution is to buy everything from the same source, and save the mixing of parts until after we have made a few pens. Buying a single kit from a different supplier to check their compatability would be a good idea. I purchase most pen parts from Bill Bombeck at Arizona Silhouette or at the local Woodcraft store. They are the same kits, and made by Berea Hardwoods. Others will recommend a different supplier, but I have no recent experience with any of the others.