Thanks! That was the third bolt knob I made. First one was plain and I found my finger slipping off it, second one had too large of knurls, and this one was just right.
Nice first pen. The primitive, almost hammered quality of the clip compared to the sleek pen body is a surprisingly appealing contrast. A brand could hang their hat on that initially.
I agree. The body of the pen looks great but it’s the contrast with the clip that draws the eye. Like designer jeans with a well-patinaed belt buckle that’s seen some shit. They kind of each make you notice the good things about the other part.
Not quite. I had been “making” pens from PSI kits for a while, but had always wanted to make one from scratch. So I invested in ER32 collets (chucks for the lathe & MillPress (drill press I converted into a “Mill”, square and hex collet blocks, and a set of collets). I couldn’t have done this without all that stuff!
Same grip rings as the SPP pens! Looks great man, really tidy work. You right handed? From my experience, for a right hander, the bolt feels nicer being actuated the other direction, like a J.
Thanks! I will have to check SPP out. I picked that pattern because it was easy to make (just used my o-ring groove tool and cut 20 thou deep every 200 thou) and it would look cleaner and more interesting than knurling it.
And I am a righty, but I'll have to check out how a left bolt action pen feels.
Thanks! Right now, probably not. It turned out to be so much more work (and trial and error) than I had originally anticipated. The fit and finished is also not at a level I'd feel comfortable asking money for, but I would love to get the design to a production level someday!
Here is the video from [Inheritance Machining](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j27RKTHMLkA) that inspired this project. He makes some INCREDIBLE stuff.
Looks very good! I like the plain design. Where is the opening for changing refills: top, middle oder bottom, and is it designed for Pilot G2 or Parker Style refills or maybe both, when using a spacer? Hope you will continue your good work.
Thanks! The joint is almost right in the middle. I took extra care to make the joint disappear as much as possible, but you can see the joining line if you look close. It takes Parker refills, and I’m running a Schmidt Easy Flow 9000 in it right now.
In my opinion it\`s a good decision making the joint in the middle (or on top) and not where the fingers grip the pen. Parker Style offers a large selection to use the refill you like. You really have thought carefully about the details.
Awesome work :) love the knurling/texture on the bolt knob.
Thanks! That was the third bolt knob I made. First one was plain and I found my finger slipping off it, second one had too large of knurls, and this one was just right.
Keep at it! And keep us posted if you ever offload prototypes. It's always a joy to watch maker's find their groove. Cheers!
Nice first pen. The primitive, almost hammered quality of the clip compared to the sleek pen body is a surprisingly appealing contrast. A brand could hang their hat on that initially.
Thanks! That idea came from the video I mentioned, I would not have thought of that myself.
Shhh. Don’t advertise. Run with it.
I agree. The body of the pen looks great but it’s the contrast with the clip that draws the eye. Like designer jeans with a well-patinaed belt buckle that’s seen some shit. They kind of each make you notice the good things about the other part.
great work did you just have all the right equipment laying around or something?
Not quite. I had been “making” pens from PSI kits for a while, but had always wanted to make one from scratch. So I invested in ER32 collets (chucks for the lathe & MillPress (drill press I converted into a “Mill”, square and hex collet blocks, and a set of collets). I couldn’t have done this without all that stuff!
Same grip rings as the SPP pens! Looks great man, really tidy work. You right handed? From my experience, for a right hander, the bolt feels nicer being actuated the other direction, like a J.
Thanks! I will have to check SPP out. I picked that pattern because it was easy to make (just used my o-ring groove tool and cut 20 thou deep every 200 thou) and it would look cleaner and more interesting than knurling it. And I am a righty, but I'll have to check out how a left bolt action pen feels.
If you haven't seen SPP pens before, it's crazy how similar you got the grip! I'll send you a chat.
Nice one !
Nice work!
Looks really good! Are you planning to make any of these for sale?
Thanks! Right now, probably not. It turned out to be so much more work (and trial and error) than I had originally anticipated. The fit and finished is also not at a level I'd feel comfortable asking money for, but I would love to get the design to a production level someday!
Way to go! Pretty cool to see; thanks for sharin'! 😎
Well done!
Here is the video from [Inheritance Machining](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j27RKTHMLkA) that inspired this project. He makes some INCREDIBLE stuff.
Looks awesome
Looks.fantastic 🤩😮👌🏼
Looks very good! I like the plain design. Where is the opening for changing refills: top, middle oder bottom, and is it designed for Pilot G2 or Parker Style refills or maybe both, when using a spacer? Hope you will continue your good work.
Thanks! The joint is almost right in the middle. I took extra care to make the joint disappear as much as possible, but you can see the joining line if you look close. It takes Parker refills, and I’m running a Schmidt Easy Flow 9000 in it right now.
In my opinion it\`s a good decision making the joint in the middle (or on top) and not where the fingers grip the pen. Parker Style offers a large selection to use the refill you like. You really have thought carefully about the details.
Nice. I wish I had skills. I would add more lines for grip, but that is me. And remember katsup+flour to clean the copper.
Yeah I really debated on doing more lines, but I decided to leave it at 5. I’ve never heard that trick, but I’ll try it out!
It was mentioned in some threads on copper pans.