Pen bushings. How do you?

[James White]

How do you keep track of them? So far I have been able to keep them from getting commingled. But I only have a few sets so far. Have you ever gotten them mixed up? Is there some way to identify them if you do?

Also do I need to get one Woodcraft European set one form Rockler a PSI etc... Or do they interchange? I noticed that Craft Supply had a separate set for there Apprentice European (nice bargain kit) and Regular European. Are they indeed different? How about the slim line sets. Surely they must all be the same. Rite??

James

[Lee Koepke]

I asked myself the same question. Santa brought me a Craftsman portable toolbox that has small parts dividers on top and larger ones below. My pen kits came with small baggies, I used a label maker and labeled the bins and as I collect more bushings, intend to keep them in a small baggie from the pen kits, and label them accordingly.

[Thom Sturgill]

I keep them in the little baggies, and keep the baggies in a plastic divided tray that fits in a Plano tackle box I bought years ago when I was doing jewelry work. The mandrel, end mill, and other small tools also live in the tray.

I also keep a micrometer handy to verify the size before (and after) using the bushing. I started doing that after having some pens turn out too small after having sanded too agressively over the blank/bushing joint. Many of the instruction sets will specify the bushing diameter.

[Greg Just]

I try to keep mine in baggies like others have mentioned. Like Thom, I use a micrometer to measure them. Some of the more detailed instructions give sizes for the bushings and they can vary from kit to kit and by manufacturer.

Not to highjack this thread, but are there bushing made from better (harder) materials that can withstand some sanding and not need to be replaced when they get too small?

[Brian Morgan]

I use the pill containers from the drugstore. I label each container with the bushing number (and source as there are differences), and also measure with calipers before first use. All of this info is on the label made with a Brother p-Touch labeling system.

[Jim Burr]

I use Ziploc bags for the whole shootin' match. I use a permanent marker to label the bag, toss the bushing set in, leave the kits in the little bags they come in put a set of instructions in each bag. I also have a dial indicator to measure the bushings...the Cigar bushings always mess me up:confused:

[Roger Bullock]

Like the others I try to keep bushings in their original bag and keep all pen making supplies in a dedicated pen supply plastic case with drawers. I also mark which pens each bushing set will make on the bags.

As a side note, I went to make a couple Gatsby pens the other day only to realize that I hadn't ordered the bushing kit when I placed my kit order. I was wanting to get these pens made for Christmas but was out of shipping days so I could not place an order. I was thinking about going over to see if a metal working friend of mine could turn a set for me when a light bulb went off....if he could turn them out of metal, why don't I just measure the kit and turn a set out of wood? They got the job done and the pen was completed in time for Christmas. Since that worked, I've also make a few extra spacer bushings and longer bushings to be used when I am turning a single barrel pen or those odd times that I am only turning one section of a two section pen.

[Michael James]

+1 on original baggies and a tackle box, but I just dump mine in the bottom section with other junk. I really only make about 3 kits regularly.

[James Combs]

I picked up a couple of Grizzly 18 Drawer Cabinets (http://www.grizzly.com/products/18-Drawer-Oak-Cabinet-/H7936) when I was setting up my pen assembly station. I place the kits in the drawers along with one of the long plastic pen tubes you can get from WoodCraft containing the bushings. I put the pen name and bushing number on the tube with a magic marker.

BTW if you mosey over to IAP (International Association of Pen-Turners) site you can find a PDF file and an Excel file that lists all the bushings by vendor showing the size and bushing number of each and what pen it is used for. It's a great piece of reference material.

[John Terefenko]

You can always paint the ends different colors and keep a master sheet. Thinking outside the box.

[Mike Ragsdale]

I use a piece of coat hanger wire bent in the shape of a large safety pen and long enough to hold the bushings. The loop on the end made by wrapping the wire twice around a 3/8 bolt or drill bit and then back to the closure works to hang them if you need to. I got the idea from friend in the club when he loaned me his bushings when I was caught without. Should you not want to make them they can be bought too.
Amazon.com: Extra-LARGE 4" Steel Safety Pin Set - Fully ... (http://www.amazon.com/Extra-LARGE-Steel-Safety-Pin-Set/dp/B001ECMXHG)

[Peter Fabricius]

The short answer is to make your own from Corian. Shape them with cone shapes at the end going against the blank so you do not sand them or get CA on them when finishing the pen.
Make them up and store them on a home made "Scottish Safety Pin" like Mike noted above. The wire is just a 14/2 copper wire from the inside of cut offs house wiring.
Picture attached. I only have three sets of bought bushings and I never use them anymore. Only the Corian bushings and I measure the pen hardware to get the sizes right on and then also measure the blanks to get them exactly as needed for each end of the blanks.
Picture shows a set of Sierra steel bushings and then my home made Corian bushings as the lower set and the top set is newly made for a Sedona Fountain pen from William Wood Write. The long piece at the left side is a new Insert tool also from Corian and a little handle has subsequently been added.
enjoy
Peter F.

[James White]

Thank you all for you input. Sounds like there is no magic bullet here. Just be careful and organized so as not to lose track of which ones go to what kits. Although I do like the idea of painting the ends.

BTW if you mosey over to IAP (International Association of Pen-Turners) site you can find a PDF file and an Excel file that lists all the bushings by vendor showing the size and bushing number of each and what pen it is used for. It's a great piece of reference material.

I will look that up right now. That will answer the interchangeability question.

James

[Lee Koepke]

wow, turning your own bushings sounds like a great idea!

Even though bushings arent terribly expensive, I'd rather spend that money and get me one more kit ... thanks again to the collective knowledge base!!!