# Could this be what's damaging the cap threads?



## redfishsc (Jul 22, 2008)

I was sitting in class yesterday studying Greek participles. Exciting stuff, right? 

I went to take the cap off the Jr. Gent II FP and did what I always do--- I "whirled" the cap off. Not "twist" but "spun" or "freewheeled" it--- ie, spinning the cap with enough force to unscrew it and then have it revolve a time or two after the threads have separated. 

The it hit me, it's rotating on the nib EXACTLY where the spiral scratches are. 


It looks to me like the Delrin threads are the actual thing cutting into the plating, but I can't imagine Delrin actually doing that to black-ti plating that otherwise looks PRISTINE even after a hard year's labor. 

But repetitive spins....kinda like a stone at the bottom of the creek, give the water and silt enough time and it will polish it clean.


For those of you having the spiral abrasions on your pens, are you twirling the cap as you take it off?


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## leehljp (Jul 22, 2008)

I knew "Greek" class was good for something!  

Say hello to Dr. D. Akin for me!


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## redfishsc (Jul 22, 2008)

Cool--- you know Dr. Akin? He has one of my pens, (it's a "Zen" but I didn't tell him the name, I call it the "magtop").


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## el_d (Jul 22, 2008)

I dont "twirl" the cap off the end of the pen but I have been looking for the Culprit of the plating "scratches".

 I have seen a problem with the Black "Plastic" thread insert on a Jr gent II. I took a NEW black thread insert to work and cut about 3/4 of it in half leaving enough of the insert to cap my pen. 
 There is a "ring" inside the "thread insert" above the threads that looks really rough and chewed up when inspected under a light microscope. I am not sure how the thread insert is made(Injection molding maybe???) but it appears that the "rough ring" is rubbing on the plating as the threads are engaged. The pen is twisted into the cap and the "threaded gouges" on my Black Ti plating lines up with the ring on the cap. The engaged threads raise the pens nib causing the wear seen on my pen(spiral scratch around the niband the end). I cant take light microscope pics and tried to get some SEM pics but the part is too large and my SEM's magnification does not go that low.... 
  So it appears on my Jr Gent II that the scratches are coming from the "rough, chewed up ring" above the threaded cap insert. I will try to clean up the rough egde using a dremmel from the other end as to not damage my threads when I get a chance.....If anybody else sees the same ugly ring let us know. Its kinda hard to believe that the plastic insert would cause such a deep goug on the plating. ....


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## leehljp (Jul 22, 2008)

redfishsc said:


> Cool--- you know Dr. Akin? He has one of my pens, (it's a "Zen" but I didn't tell him the name, I call it the "magtop").



Met him last month in Thailand. Really enjoyed talking with him. I doubt he remembers which one I was in all the people he talked to at the time. 

If I had known that you had given him a pen and which one, I would have told on you!


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## redfishsc (Jul 22, 2008)

Lupe, 

I've noticed that ring inside it before, but it's so far up in there it's hard to see it. I may see if I have a sacrificial thread part (ie, a goofed up kit) that I can cut in half on the bandsaw for closer inspection.


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## rlharding (Jul 22, 2008)

Last week I decided that this was the culprit in my case. I took the cap apart and cut off about half inch.  The very top part protrudes slightly yet it is enough to contact the narrowed pen part just below the nib.  All I did then was to roll up some sand paper and sand the inner and outer edge.

Of course, since the pen is already marked I don't know if this is the fix but I will try it on the pens I make from here in.


Has anyone come up with a method to remove the scratches?


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## redfishsc (Jul 22, 2008)

I dunno, Ruth. If the scratches have actually scraped the surface of the plating, any attempt to buff them out might remove more plating than you'd be happy with. 

If the scratches are actually just plastic residue that's marred the nib, I'd assume acetone would remove it (acetone won't hurt the plating but will wreak havoc on your blank finish).

What is on my JGII nib coupler is way to deep to be buffed out, unfortunately. Then again I've used the heck out of this pen so I can't complain too awful loudly.


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## Brewmeister35 (Jul 22, 2008)

That little ring past the threads does seem to be the culprit.  I don't think it's from spinning the cap or anything because on mine, it is actually like cutting a thread with one continuous line.  The scratches on mine are the same distance from the threads as that ring is from the bottom of the cap.  I sent two of them back to CSU and they repaired them and one already has the deep scratch again within a week of use.  I've emailed them back and asked if they figured out the problem besides just repairing my pens and have heard no response from them yet.


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## el_d (Jul 22, 2008)

Here are really overexposed pic's that I took. Wish I had a better camera.....


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## redfishsc (Jul 22, 2008)

BTW here is another pic that I've been meaning to upload. Just as yet another photo of the problem.


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## bitshird (Jul 27, 2008)

Matt, are you sure it's caused by the cap threads? and not some artifact on the cap tube?


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## redfishsc (Jul 27, 2008)

I had thought of that, bitshird, but I just can't see how this many pen makers could be having the exact same problem in the exact same place if it were some sort of debris in the chamber. The ONLY thing I can think of is if we are putting glue on the thread insert prior to assembly, causing it to *maybe* pile up at the edge of the cap threads when inserted (thus protruding upward and contacting the nib coupler). But I've looked inside my pen with an LED and there is no such glue that I can see, and surely I would see it, right?

What baffles me most is that most of these pens are Jr. Gent II's but there are a couple of Barons posted that do it too. So we can't point every finger in the same direction, and I'm not ready to chalk it totally up to user-error either. Capping a FP isn't all that hard, lol. :bulgy-eyes:


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## bitshird (Jul 29, 2008)

Matt, I haven't had it happen to either of the Jr Gents or any of the Barons I've done, but I got it on a Ti. American 2000, I managed to buff the scratches off the front section with a flex shaft with Diamond paste on a hard felt buff, took the cap apart and chamfered the tube and the thread connector with a counter sink, no problems since then, that might work on the connector for the Gents as well. only do it in both ends, don't try to cut into it, just lightly break the edges of the first thread and the opposite end, chamfering the tube also makes things go together easier


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## MuddyWater (Jul 30, 2008)

*What about this*

I have been reading all of the information about this topic, as I also have seen this on some of my pens.  Like most, these are pens that I have just made and do not have that much use on them.  One is a black titanium FP that I carry daily and after a short time I noticed what everyone esle is seeing. 

I had a Jr. Gent rollerball kit that I had not assembled yet and decided to check it out.  When I took it out of the bag, I examined the nib and it looked to be fine.  I then screwed the threaded insert for the cap onto the nib, as if I were placing a cap on the pen.  After only a few times of screwing on the cap and taking it off, I noticed some lite scratches where they have been appearing.  So, I don't think the problem is in the way that people are assemblying the pen.  I would be interested to see if anyone else might have a kit they have not assembled yet and can reproduce the scratches.  If so, that leads me to believe it is a defect in the kit, or there was a bad batch of pens that are being sold.


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## redfishsc (Jul 30, 2008)

I think Bitshird may have found the solution. I'd like to try it on the pen that I posted above, but I'm not sure how I can tell if it's "stopped" causing scratches, as the ones in my pen are too deep to buff off.


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## Russianwolf (Jul 30, 2008)

Noticed it on my Baron daily writer too. I'll look at the new kits and see what can be done.


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