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WriteMaster Click Pen Instructions

 WriteMaster™ "click" pens use two barrels, both made from wood blanks measuring 1.75" (44mm) in length by about 5/8" (16mm) square cross-section. The blank for the upper barrel has a 0.433" (11mm) hole; the blank for the lower barrel has a 0.315" (8mm) hole. WoodWrite, Ltd. pre-cut, pre-drilled wood blanks for WriteMaster™ pens are sold in packages of ten (10) blanks, suitable for five (5) pens. The blanks are marked to show grain alignment. Be sure to maintain the orientation of the top and bottom blanks as you proceed if you desire to have the grain match, top to bottom, in your finished pen.The 11mm lining cylinder for the upper barrel is 2.11" (53mm) long, longer than the wood blank by about .36" (9mm). This extra brass protrudes from the lower end of the top barrel (when holding the pen tip downward) and provides support for the three piece decorative ring.

WriteMaster™ pen barrels are turned on a two level mandrel the WoodWrite,Ltd. KT-21. This mandrel has an 11mm level for the top of the pen and an 8mm level for the bottom of the pen.

Prepare a pair of blanks with lining cylinders, as described in Preparing Wood Blanks, paying particular attention for the upper barrel (11mm cylinder), that the ends of the barrels are flush. As for all WoodWrite, Ltd. blanks, be sure to let the adhesive cure overnight before turning, and, remove excess glue that may have hardened around the exposed end of the brass cylinder.

1.When using this mandrel, place the glued top barrel on the mandrel with the exposed brass to the right, then place on the two level spacer with the larger level against the exposed brass. You then place the glued bottom barrel on the 8mm portion of the mandrel against the two level spacer. The single level spacer goes on next followed by the tightened knurled nut. Be sure the needle center of the tailstock is tightly engaged into the right end of the mandrel.

2. Move the saddle to the left so that the cutting tool is aligned with the gage point of the mandrel. Turn the micrometer dial counter-clockwise until the tool just touches the gage point ("0") then back the tool away by turning the micrometer dial four complete turns clockwise ("0"). If the micrometer dial does not read "0" when the tool is just touching the mandrel, reset the zero point.

3. Make your first cutting pass, moving the saddle from left to right. (0.732"[19mm] diameter) You will cut across the gap between the blanks, to turn both blanks to the same dimension.

4. Turn the micrometer dial counter-clockwise one full turn to "0". Make your second cut, moving the saddle from right to left. (0.632"[16mm] diameter)

5. Turn the micrometer dial counter-clockwise one full turn to "0". Make the third cut, from left to right. (0.532" [13.5mm] diameter)

6. Turn the micrometer dial counter-clockwise to "35" and make your fourth cut, from right to left. (0.502" [12.8mm] diameter)

7. Turn the micrometer dial counter-clockwise to "30" and make your fifth cut, from left to right. (0.490" - 0.492" [12.4 - 12.5mm] diameter) You have finished cutting the top barrel; the cutting tool is to the right of the bottom barrel. The remaining cuts will be on the bottom barrel only.

8. Turn the micrometer dial counter-clockwise to "40" and make your sixth cut on the bottom barrel only, from right to left, stopping between the barrels. (0.412" [10.5mm] diameter)

9. Turn the micrometer dial counter-clockwise to "30" and make your seventh cut from left to right. (bottom barrel only). (0.392" [10mm] diameter)

10. Turn the micrometer dial counter-clockwise to "27" and make your final cut from right to left, bottom barrel only. (0.385" - 0.388" [9.8 - 9.9mm] diameter) Stop the lathe and turn the micrometer dial clockwise three and one-half turns to "0". Now, move the saddle to the left end of the lathe bed to be out of your way for smoothing and polishing as described previously. (The tool is positioned to start another WriteMaster™ pen, step 2, above.)

In summary, your tool settings are as follows, starting with the tool just touching the gage point of the mandrel:

CLK 0000 - CCLK 0 - CCLK 0 - CCLK 35 - CCLK 30 (both barrels)

Smooth and polish the barrels.

Pen Assembly

The components of a WriteMaster™ pen are shown below. You have already used the two lining cylinders in the two wood blanks to make the barrels. You will need one each of the black end cap, clip, brass ferrule, 3-piece decorative ring assembly, click mechanism, gold ferrule, one piece decorative ring, black tip, gold tip, ink cartridge and spring.

1.Press fit the brass ferrule into the top end (where the cylinder and the wood are flush) of the upper barrel (containing the 11mm cylinder).

2. Press fit the three piece decorative ring (gold-black-gold) on to the brass. If you have difficulty placing the three-piece ring on the brass, with a fine-toothed file, lightly chamfer the exposed end of the 11mm brass tube. Don’t overdo it; don’t distort the tube. A slight chamfer all the way around will enable you to start the ring assembly onto the cylinder and press fit it properly.

3. Press fit the gold ferrule into the end of the bottom (8mm) barrel that will be opposite the tip (if grain alignment is of concern to you.)

4. Align the gold tip, black tip and decorative (black striped gold) ring at the other end of the barrel and press fit together. Be careful not to over tighten to avoid splitting the black tip.

5. Place the spring over the tip of the ink cartridge and insert fully into the bottom barrel. The ball point won’t be visible at the point end of the barrel.

6. Place the click mechanism over the end of the cartridge and screw the threaded end onto the exposed portion of the gold ferrule. Test the click mechanism by pressing the end while holding the barrel. The point will extend, and, with the next click, retract.

7. Check the clip to be sure the angle between the loop and the stem is acute (less than 90E) to ensure proper pressure on barrel after assembly. Screw the threaded stub of the black end cap through the hole in the clip, into the ferrule, to secure the clip.

8. To replace the cartridge, remove the black end cap and clip. Slide off the upper barrel. Unscrew the click mechanism. Remove the cartridge and spring. Place the spring over the tip of the new cartridge, insert in the pen and reassemble. Caution: It is possible to open the pen by turning the upper barrel, however, disassembly in this manner opens the click mechanism and may result in loss of or damage to its spring.

Q & A

! Once in a while when I’m making WriteMaster™ pens, the cap (upper) barrel seems to bind on the lower barrel.

Remove the ink cartridge and spring from the lower barrel of the pen. Slide the lower barrel unto the mandrel as far as it will go. (You won’t be able to use the knurled nut, but that’s okay.) Bring the tailstock center to the barrel, inserting the point of the center into the gold tip of the pen barrel. Lock the tailstock in place. Re-sand the portion of the barrel where it is binding (near the top, at the gold ferrule.) If you rub the finish off the ferrule, don’t worry. The ferrule is hidden by the cap after assembly. Refinish the barrel with whatever polish you first used, and buff lightly with WoodWrite, Ltd. light finishing compound (CN-03). Re-assemble the pen and you should find that the binding problem has been eliminated.

! I have difficulty in attaching the three-piece decorative ring assembly onto the exposed brass portion of the WriteMaster™ upper pen barrel.

The tolerances are quite close to ensure a good, tight, fit, but, if you’re having problems, using a light touch and a fine-toothed file, gently chamfer the exposed end of the 11 mm brass tube, taking care not to distort the tube. A slight chamfer, all the way around, will enable you to start the decorative ring assembly onto the tube. Your WoodWrite, Ltd. assembly press will then finish the job.