Notes on fitting the accent cabochon to a Mistral pen kit

Download a printable PDF version of these cabochon instructions HERE

The accent components for Mistral pen kits are currently available in a choice of 5 different platings. They consist of a ring for the centre band and a cabochon for the cap finial, and are supplied in a small bag with the kit itself. Supplying them unfitted allows us to offer Mistral pen kits in no less than 15 different colour combinations.

Fitting the centre band accent ring is very straight forward and is dealt with in the instructions for the kit, which are downloadable from our main website. Most of the time, fitting the cabochon is straight forward too, but just occasionally it can be a little tricky. In all cases though, any problems that arise can be easily overcome.
 

Cap finial

Accent cabochon

When pressing components into a pen tube, the tube has a little bit of “give” in it. If the inside of the tube is clean and free of dirt or glue, there is rarely a problem. On the other hand, the cap finial into which the cabochon needs to be pressed has no “give” in it whatsoever. We are aware of that, and the difference in size between the small stem of the cabochon and the hole it fits into is incredibly small in order to facilitate a satisfactory compression fit. The cabochon usually presses into the finial with a pop, so that the top surfaces of both elements are flush with each other.

Just occasionally however, in instances where the stem of the cabochon might have a slightly thicker covering of plating, and the inside of the hole in the finial also does too, because the platings on Mistral pen kits are pretty much bomb proof the combination of a few extra microns on both parts can cause the cabochon to be incredibly difficult to press in. As already said, most of the time it presses in with a satisfying pop without much effort, but if it seems that it isn’t going in without excessive force, simply take it out again and run a 5mm drill bit through the hole in the finial. You don’t even need to mount the drill bit, you can hand hold it – you are only removing a few microns of plating. You will then find that the finial will go in with no effort, and you may even need to introduce a small spot of glue on the stem to stop it rattling if you’ve overdone the part with the drill bit.

The converse of this is in instances where both elements have a covering of plating that is a little thinner. That can mean that the cabochon could be a little loose in the finial, in which case a spot of glue on the stem will again solve the problem.

It goes without saying that the plating on the parts that will ultimately remain visible is tightly controlled. The need to occasionally ream out the hole or introduce glue to the proceedings is not a reflection on the quality of our pen kits, it is just that the parts that will not be seen are used logistically to facilitate the plating of the parts that will be seen, and therefore cannot be controlled quite so tightly. We could easily factory fit all the accents in order to prevent these issues from ever arising, but that would also serve to reduce the choices we are able to offer. We hope you agree that the occasional spot of glue or use of a hand held drill bit, both of which are the work of seconds, is a price worth paying for the quality and choices we are able to offer.