Band clamp advice

[rtrinkner]

I'd like to buy a band clamp similar to the one pictured in Marshall and Oldfield's book. I looked on Amazon, but only found nylon ones for chairs and furniture, or the metal ones used for garden hoses.

 

Is there a band clamp for use in small items like fountain pen cap lips?

 

Thanks,

 

Richard T

[fountainbel]

Hi Richard,

I suggest to ask your dentist, I did & bought a "second hand"

This is a very handy tool, don't forget to buy also a roll of clamping band !

These band clamps are used around your teeth during filling of cavties.

Wishing you succes !

Francis

[Rabbit]

Hi Richard,

I suggest to ask your dentist, I did & bought a "second hand"

This is a very handy tool, don't forget to buy also a roll of clamping band !

These band clamps are used around your teeth during filling of cavties.

Wishing you succes !

Francis

We call these "Tofflemires" or Tofflemire matrix band retainers/holders named after the dentist who invented it I suppose, and the bands are refered to as "matrix bands" and are usualy made from thin metal strips but can also be mylar plastic strips. The holders come in different styles, but the striaght/universal one is probably more useful for pen related use and is the most common one in dentistry (although I often prefer the angled ones).

 

--Stephen

[rtrinkner]

Thanks, Stephen and Francis.

 

Is this the right product: Tofflemire band

 

They look to have a bend in them. Is that the sort that you use on pens? Or should I be looking for straight bands elsewhere?

 

Thanks,

 

Richard

[Ron Z]

I'm cheap. I use Scotch 33+ electrical tape. It stretches easily, and retracts back to hold the gap closed. It works very well, and I always have some around in the shop or in my tool box.

 

Just stretch a bit as you wrap a piece around the cap lip. Remove a day or two later.

[rtrinkner]

I'm cheap. I use Scotch 33+ electrical tape. It stretches easily, and retracts back to hold the gap closed. It works very well, and I always have some around in the shop or in my tool box.

 

Just stretch a bit as you wrap a piece around the cap lip. Remove a day or two later.

 

Excellent! I'll give the tape a try.

 

Richard T

[Rabbit]

Thanks, Stephen and Francis.

 

Is this the right product: Tofflemire band

 

They look to have a bend in them. Is that the sort that you use on pens? Or should I be looking for straight bands elsewhere?

 

Thanks,

 

Richard

Richard,

 

Yes, that's the Tofflemire band retainer I'm referring to. I think I need to clarify what I mean by straight vs. angled. In my first post, I was referring to the band holder and not the bands, but since you pointed out the angle in the bands, that's a good point to talk about. The bands, such as the ones in that photo, are angled so that when you fold them to make a loop, the top part of the loop will be wider than the bottom part (which corresponds to the emergence profile of a tooth as it comes out of the gums--teeth are generally more narrow at the gum line and then get wider about 2/3 up). The bands themselves are usually sold separately, and for working on a pen, this cone-like shape would be undesirable--you'd want to go with a straight band so that when you fold it to make a loop, it is not cone-like. For that you'd probably make or purchase the bands elsewhere. The product you're looking at is just the holder itself and probably doesn't come with any bands unless specified in the description.

 

Some of the holders have an angled head though. Normally we place a straight matrix holder on the cheek-side of a back tooth, and the handle just projects out between the lips and the teeth. Occasionally though we need to place the matrix holder on the tongue-side of a back tooth, but because the teeth are in an arch, that would cause the handle on a straight device to hit against the front teeth. To avoid this, they make some holders with an angled head. For pen repair, a straight head would be better.

 

So bottom line--buy a straight or "universal" holder/retainer and then elsewhere get strips that are straight for making the band.

 

Or use Ron's method which sounds easier and less expensive.

 

--Stephen

 

edit for spelling/typos. I was at work and typed that really fast!

Edited February 8, 2010 by Rabbit

[rtrinkner]

Superb explanation! I think I'll try Ron's tape recommendation. If that doesn't work well for me, I'll try the clamp.

 

Thanks,

 

Richard T

[Ron Z]

Note that it does have to be 33+, not just any electrical tape. Ive used the stuff for over 30 years, used other stuff on occasion, and can tell you that it's properties are unique.

[fountainbel]

Thanks, Stephen and Francis.

 

Is this the right product: Tofflemire band

 

They look to have a bend in them. Is that the sort that you use on pens? Or should I be looking for straight bands elsewhere?

 

Thanks,

 

Richard

Richard,

 

Yes, that's the Tofflemire band retainer I'm referring to. I think I need to clarify what I mean by straight vs. angled. In my first post, I was referring to the band holder and not the bands, but since you pointed out the angle in the bands, that's a good point to talk about. The bands, such as the ones in that photo, are angled so that when you fold them to make a loop, the top part of the loop will be wider than the bottom part (which corresponds to the emergence profile of a tooth as it comes out of the gums--teeth are generally more narrow at the gum line and then get wider about 2/3 up). The bands themselves are usually sold separately, and for working on a pen, this cone-like shape would be undesirable--you'd want to go with a straight band so that when you fold it to make a loop, it is not cone-like. For that you'd probably make or purchase the bands elsewhere. The product you're looking at is just the holder itself and probably doesn't come with any bands unless specified in the description.

 

Some of the holders have an angled head though. Normally we place a straight matrix holder on the cheek-side of a back tooth, and the handle just projects out between the lips and the teeth. Occasionally though we need to place the matrix holder on the tongue-side of a back tooth, but because the teeth are in an arch, that would cause the handle on a straight device to hit against the front teeth. To avoid this, they make some holders with an angled head. For pen repair, a straight head would be better.

 

So bottom line--buy a straight or "universal" holder/retainer and then elsewhere get strips that are straight for making the band.

 

Or use Ron's method which sounds easier and less expensive.

 

--Stephen

 

edit for spelling/typos. I was at work and typed that really fast!

 

Hi Stephen & Richard.

My dentist sold me a small roll stainless steel band of 0.02 mm thick, I think one meter long.

One simply cuts the approperiate length & introduces it in the band clamp.

By the way, my band clamp has a straight head.

Before I had the clamp I used a small Panduit band, used to bind electrical wires.

This also worked rather well, but the Panduit band was not so broad, I prefer the bandclamp which clamps on a broader surface.

Looking forward to hear on your experiences with Ron's 33+wondertape !

Francis

[rtrinkner]

Folks asked me to report the results of Ron's MEK/Scotch 33+ suggestion.

 

Drumm roll please..... It worked great!

 

1. Finding Scotch 33+ wasn't hard, but you have to look in the electric department of the hardware store, not the tape section. I confounded several tape section attendants in my local hardware store (Boulder's own "McGuckin's," the largest privately owned hardware store in the US, I'm told) who even had to turn to the Internet to learn about 33+. It turns out that it was located in the electric section of the store. It cost around $5.99 as I recall.

 

2. I applied MEK to the cap lip crack from both the inside and outside of the cap lip. I then wrapped the lip tightly with the a few wrappings of 33+ tape, stretching the tape as per Ron's suggestion. On this Sheaffer Balance, I probably used about a 4-inch length of tape, wrapping around about three times.

 

3. I waited three days before unwrapping the tap. I sanded the repaired area gently with MicroMesh sticks and pads until the area was shiny again.

 

I can now see no longer see the crack from the outside of the cap. From the inside of the cap, I can see where I applied the MEK, but I can't see the crack itself. It was a fairly large J-shaped crack that so loosened the cap's purchase on the pen barrel that I could not previously post the cap. Now it posts well (although I do so gingerly).

 

Now the rose-glow Balance Junior looks like new. It's a bit small for my hand, but it's my first rose-glow pen, so I'll probably keep it for my collection. It's in my chest pocket as I type, and will likely be used to grade a class set of economics essays this afternoon.

 

Thanks to everybody for their advice!

 

Richard T

[Ron Z]

Drumm roll please..... It worked great!

 

Of course it did!

 

I'm glad that you had a successful repair. A roseglow is certainly worth the effort.

 

I do want to repeat my earlier comment that the tape has to be Scotch 33+. As you've noted, it's found in the electrical department of hardware and home stores. The properties of the tape are unique. I first encountered it in my summer jobs when I worked on the electrical crew in a shop that built vacuum heat treating furnaces. I've used it for the last 35 years since introduced to it, for everything from the usual taping of electrical connections, to the top layer of waterproofing for RF connectors on antennas on towers. No other tape will stretch and then pull back to become more secure as does the 33+.

 

The only comment that I'd add is that you really needed only one, maybe two layers to do the job. (I told you I was cheap).

[Douglas]

I agree with Ron. Scotch 33+ is the only electrical tape that I use for doing electrical work or any other task (including pens). My father in law occasionally buys large quantities of items at Sams Club then shares them with me and my brother in law. When does this with regular elecrical tape, I politely say "thank you" but it just sits on the shelf. If you try Scotch 33+ you will never go back to the other brands of tape. I should also mention that it comes in a whole rainbow of colors so no need to settle for traditional black.

[Ron Z]

I should also mention that it comes in a whole rainbow of colors so no need to settle for traditional black.

 

I refuse to use pink. :roflmho:

[lcoldfield]

The ones that I sell are obtainable from dental tool suppliers - they need a minor modification for cap lips and a source of 3 thou brass shim to make the bands.

 

Laurence (penpractice.com)

[PenLovingE]

Resurrecting a super dead topic here. AliExpress now has the tofflemire and band clamps for about five bucks. I feel like the advantage is you can heat the pen while in the clamp. Can you do that with the scotch33 plus electrical tape?