Scratches On The Inside Of The Cap Of My Acrylic Demonstrator

[mhguda]

I bought one of the clear acrylic Gama Jumbo demonstrators from Asapens, and it's been a very nice writer from day one.

Here is a photo (copied from their site): http://asapens.in/eshop/image/cache/data/GD-01-500x500.JPG

I have had it for a few months now and use it regularly. And with use have come the scratches - inside of the cap, and nowhere else.

The cap is scratched from all the way to the top of the nib to the rim. I've contacted Asapens and they have offered to help remedy the problem, but it will take time. To begin with, shipping to and from India takes, on average, 3 weeks - it's not unusual that it takes longer. Add the time to work on the problem, and it looks like I'd be missing my pen for at least two months. I am adding a picture of the cap only.

I am asking for suggestions as to how I might fix this myself, in order not to have to send my pen away for fixing. If it is not doable with simple methods then I will avail myself of Asapens offer, which I find very generous.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and suggestions.

 

[mhguda]

The silence on the post is telling... but what? Am I alone in having this problem? No-one else has this pen? Or, it has been perfect for everyone?

I would really like to know. Especially in light of this further development: as I prepared the pen for shipping back to the seller - since I am unable to fix it - I dumped the unused ink - about 1/3 of a barrel, this thing is big! - and rinsed it out. And I noticed the barrel, which I had never put anything but ink in, not even a paper towel or soft cloth to dry it after washing - I had filled it with ink immediately upon its arrival, I was that impatient, this barrel is also cloudy with horizontal scratches all around. I did not notice it before because it was filled with ink. Now that it is empty I can see how it's scoured. All of this is inside the barrel. The outside, and the massive end of the barrel, are clear.

So I think it is not a mechanical problem, but something the ink does. It was a mix of Waterman black and purple ink - I've used in many other pens and never noticed anything strange... Thoughts?

[Hooker56]

mhguda-

 

It looks like a very nice pen. I have no firsthand knowledge of this happening. From looking at the pictures posted, and your confirmation that the eyedropper section is marked as well, I think it was not polished very well inside. When a pen body is turned on a lathe it leaves marks such as those. Unless the manufacturer went back into the barrel to polish it, it will always have scoring like that. It may not have been visible before the pen was inked, but micro traces of ink will get into the scoring and make it visible after inking.

 

Just my best guess. Good luck,

 

Clayton

[watch_art]

Sandpaper on a stick.

 

Get a skinny dowel rod and cut a slit in the end. If you search for an Edison video about the making of the Menlo, you can see what I mean. You'll have to do it by hand but you can still get it done. Rough grits to fine and then some polish. I like plastx from Walmart or auto zone. It's for headlight lens polishing.

[watch_art]

Oh, and the marks are from the machining process not your ink.

[mhguda]

Thanks! this confirms what the seller has told me. I will try to find the video on how to polish out the marks from the machining. Do I use that same stick with sandpaper for the auto polish? I already bought the polish, BTW - but I'm lacking a good polishing tool. Will try to find the one you're referencing.

[mhguda]

Watched the video. I'm scared now! If I try it and botch it, could it be fixed? Especially since the cap tapers. And what grit numbers would I have to use, doing it by hand?

And I would have to do it, because this is what they don't do. But it does clear things up for me, and what the next step should be. Thanks! this has been very helpful.

[watch_art]

For polishing you'll need to make a tool. Something that can hold a buffing wheel on the end. Doing it by hand it may be easier to just go through more grits of paper.

Start at 320 or 400, and buy all the grits up to 3 or 4000. Use water too and keep it flushed so you're not just rubbing grit around in there.

[mhguda]

Thanks watch_art, I will try to get the necessary grits of paper and make a tool - although I'm not hopeful. And not strong in the arms, either.

[watch_art]

All you need to do is keep water in there and spin the dowel rod with your fingers.

Use a razor to split the end of your dowel rod. A ka bob stick will work, too.

 

The stick with sandpaper will look like a tiny flag, and you curl the flag around the stick and shove it in the cap, and spin. It'll take a while.

[mhguda]

I will try it.

[mrmohitmishra]

I have ordered this pen... And now I am deeply worried.

 

If the ink leaves the mark...wouldn't keeping the pen in Soap water solve the problem??

[mhguda]

It's not the ink that makes the mark. The marks are made by the lathe when the pen is turned. And they come out after a while. I tried the polishing, using abrasives, but by hand you can never get it polished enough. So in the end I did the silicone grease thing on both the inside of the cap and the barrel. It's less of an eyesore but knowing that it's not as perfect as I thought is... disturbing.

However the end of the barrel stays glorious.

[watch_art]

If you have a power drill you can put the sandpaper in a stick in that to get some more spin.

[mrmohitmishra]

Edited December 11, 2014 by mrmohitmishra