# sierra and cigar



## crashgtr (Mar 30, 2018)

Hi 

It's been a while but I am finally back to making pens after a very long hiatus.

I have a cigar pen I made in 2002 come back to me because the pen tip will no longer stay extended and even when extended it does not stick out far enough. This was one of the very early pens I made with PR.

I tried replacing the transmission but that did not help.  I am thinking I need to disassemble the bottom half of the pen but can't quite figure out  how to do it.
The nib unscrews then I am left with a pressed part with threads on the top and the bottom of the bottom half.  I have a puch kit but there is nothing for the punch to be able to push out since both sides are the same diameter.

Any suggestions?


I also have a sierra that was in the bottom of my laptop bag that came apart and won't go back together, the nib end suddenly doesn't seem to fit, it keeps falling out. The pen was fine before this, I was using it for about a month or 2.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!


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## ed4copies (Mar 30, 2018)

The only thing controlling the pen extending is the transmission.

If you replaced it and nothing changed, the refill must be too short--does it have the 'sawtooth" top, characteristic of Parker style refills?  Did the transmission screw onto the coupler, firmly?  Is the tip of the pen still firmly seated in the tube?  If it slipped, you should see the space between the tip and your pen body, unless the pen body is also no longer connected to the brass tube (CAN happen, but rare)

Those are all the things I can think of that would give the condition you describe.

But then, you have the pen in your hand--you may find a different problem.


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## jttheclockman (Mar 30, 2018)

crashgtr said:


> Hi
> 
> It's been a while but I am finally back to making pens after a very long hiatus.
> 
> ...



You do know the cap is what holds everything together right?? The refill gets put in then the tranny gets screwed on and the cap get pushed onto blank and then blank gets pushed onto tranny. The top of tranny gets pushed into cap which screws the refill in and out. On the sierra.

On the cigar why would you have to replace the bottom half??  The acrylic did not grow so if it worked before should work now. I would guess the refill is wrong size or the spring is on backwards. There is a wide and narrow side on the spring. The narrow goes toward the refill.


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## denharv (Mar 30, 2018)

Suggestion for cigar. All things being equal, if new trans didn't do it, must be the refill or the spring. A spring too strong or long, or a refill that is too short would have those problems. Only other thing I can think of would be the nib trim ring has been replaced with one too thick.


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## denharv (Mar 30, 2018)

Looks like the Sierra was turned CCW until the trans unscrewed from the nib end. I think you can see the trans in pic 2 in the barrel. Can usually pull this out with small pair of needle nose pliers.


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## jttheclockman (Mar 30, 2018)

I have over the years made it a point on both sierras and cigars when you screw the tranny on to use a small pair of pliers to give it that extra oomf because hand tight is never enough because of oils on hands and metal slipping in the hands. Have not had a problem since and I always show mu customers this too when explaining how to change refills for the future. Now if they remember or actually do it is out of my hands. Also any of those screw to open pens I make sure to mention it is a fine tuned instrument and not a bic. That is what you pay for. So gentle gets the job done.


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## crashgtr (Mar 30, 2018)

*sierra and cigar- both fixed*

Wanted to say thanks for the advice!

After disassembling what I could , It Turned out the cigar pen had the spring in backwards. 
I think since this was one of the first pens I made, the tip did not stick extend as far as expected but at  least the pen can be used and the ink can be retracted or extended.

The sierra i was able to fix with the advice of pull the trans out of the top part with needle nosed pliers.

Thanks for the help!!


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## 1shootist (Jan 6, 2019)

I'd be thrilled a pen I made 16 years earlier still survives. Good job !


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