Designer Twist questions...modifications....

[woodscavenger]

I have been looking at the Designer kit from PSI with the 8mm tubes and the parker refill. I was wondering if the pen can be done without the CB and do it more like some of the modified slimlines we do so I can have more flexibility with the shapes and size of the pen. Does anyone have any experience with them??

 

[alamocdc]

Shane, this is the only Designer/Euro I make. To date, I've only turned one w/o using the stock CB. On that occassion, I used a contrasting wood. The thing you have to keep in mind (or otherwise consider) is that the stock CB "hides" the gold part of the fitting that the transmission (twist mechanism) screws on to... when it's correctly turned and assembled, that is. [] So you may wish to "bury" this into the lower portion of the upper barrel. I would do it by cutting the blank for theupper barrel about 3/32" longer than usual and drilling out the extra length the size of the fitting. I hope that all made sense. Of course if you don't care about the little piece of gold trim showing (it doens't look bad), you could just do it like you do a regular modified SL.

 

[ctEaglesc]

I have played around with modified designs quite a bit.
here is an example from my album(sorry thumbs don't work for me and here they would be appropriate)

Both of these are done as "longwoods" but the lower is with the designer kit{PKMONPAR from Woodturningz and the one with the antler is a slimline.
In modifying the designer, the "b" mandrel works well as it is made for the 8mm tubes.(make your own bushings)
As far as "hiding" the gold ring the tranny screws onto I grind them off or turn them off to leave a slight shoulder to nest on the bottom blank's tube and countersink the bottom of the top so it fits over it.
A similar modificaton can be done with the Perfect Fit from the "b" company.