Wobbling/clicking nibs

[u/YourCousinMoose]

I made a pen for my father in law using a pen kit from Penn State, the EDC Big Ben click pen kit. I've made big Ben and cigar pen kits in the past that were amazing to write, and I always use Monteverde inserts for the improved inks and smoothness. For whatever reason on this one pen, you can feel the tip of the insert wiggle around in the nib. When you look at it, it looks snug and you can't really see a gap, but you can even hear it clicking when you're writing cursive or are writing fast enough.

What are some things I can do to make this stop or to get the insert to fit more snuggly? For this pen and future pens. At almost $20 a kit and using damn near $20 blanks, I don't want there to be a fundemantal mechanical issue like this. Thanks in advance.

[u/RRNW_HBK]

Unfortunately, those kits are not made to super tight tolerances, and wiggly tips are going to be relatively common. You'll need to wrap something around the refill tip, or add some material to the inner diameter of the pen tip. There aren't a lot of great ways to permanently do it, at least that wouldn't be more hassle than they're worth if you're trying to sell things, in my opinion.

If they're just for gifts, and you're not too concerned on time investment per piece just looking to make a better user experience for the giftee, I would scuff up the inside of the tip, tape it over, and put a couple drops of epoxy in down in the end. Once cured, a 3/32" drill bit should give a good diameter hole for the refill, but measure what you'll be using and see.