alphageek
Former Moderator
This review is going to focus on the Schmidt Cartridge Rollerball and how it works with an existing Jr Gent II Kit. I won't be focusing on the writing capabilities because with my limited time, it has been writing great. I have no issues with the quality of the part. I'm going to concentrate on my view of the claim that this will work with kit hardware (specifically the Jr Gent style). Note that I don't claim to be an expert - as a matter of fact I hope to have reviewed this as a layman for laymen.
First off, I'll start with some details of my observations and follow that up with my conclusions.
Image one contains a picture of the two nibs (a fountain nib and the replacement nib). My first concern is that although the length is appropriate, the threading is significantly different. The size appears to be about the same, but the pitch is about double on the replacement.
Image two shows a stock Jr Gent nib holder that I cut open with a dremel to see the inside. It is difficult to see in this picture, but the internal threads are course like the stock nib. There is relatively few threads - it appears to be about 3 times around the inside. The interesting side effect of this cut was that it made this holder work much more like a die. This holder was MUCH more proficient at cutting threads than just screwing a part into an unmodified holder.
Image three shows 2 of the new nibs in holders. The top one is the unmodified holder, the lower one is the holder with the slot cut out of it. I screwed in the new part into each holder. The top part is screwed in to the point that I could screw it in by hand. When you compare it to the lower one you can see that its not quite as far in as the one in the modified holder. When I screwed in the part into the lower holder, it actually cut new threads into the plastic part. The top one did not. Image 4 will show the comparison of the effect on the threads.
Image 4 shows 3 holders after some use (inserting and removing a couple of times). The top one is the stock nib. The middle one is the nib that was inserted into the stop holder. The bottom one is the one inserted into the modified (cut) holder. It is nearly impossible to see in the picture, and very hard in person … but the middle holder has a very small amount of "squishing" on the end of the threads. In the bottom piece you can see where the cut holder has created new threads (look for the lighter "grey" coloring on the piece.)
Thus you can see some of the core "data" that I used for my conclusions. Note that I tried to do the best I could to have pictures to back up what my eyes can see, but macro pictures at this size are not my expertise.
Finally, my conclusion..
On the question of "can this be used with a Jr Gent (or similar) kit hardware?". My answer is that it is possible. I have been using one for about a week and I can confirm that you can write with a Jr Gent with one of these replacement rollerballs. However, in my opinion - that is as far as I would be willing to take it. It is possible and I have seen it work. However, I will not be putting this into a pen that I will be giving to another person (neither for a gift nor for sale).
Here is the main reasons I won't go forward my self with these at this time:
* The thread is different than the kit holders
* I can't reliably get the nib to sit completely flush into the holder
* I believe that damage is happening to the threads by forcing it to fit.
If I ever get to making non-kit pens, this part becomes very interesting. I like the idea of being able to use very good custom ink in a custom pen other than a fountain pen. Until that time, I will be sticking to either the stock rollerballs for kits.
Hopefully I have given others some data to be able to make their own decisions.
First off, I'll start with some details of my observations and follow that up with my conclusions.
Image one contains a picture of the two nibs (a fountain nib and the replacement nib). My first concern is that although the length is appropriate, the threading is significantly different. The size appears to be about the same, but the pitch is about double on the replacement.
Image two shows a stock Jr Gent nib holder that I cut open with a dremel to see the inside. It is difficult to see in this picture, but the internal threads are course like the stock nib. There is relatively few threads - it appears to be about 3 times around the inside. The interesting side effect of this cut was that it made this holder work much more like a die. This holder was MUCH more proficient at cutting threads than just screwing a part into an unmodified holder.
Image three shows 2 of the new nibs in holders. The top one is the unmodified holder, the lower one is the holder with the slot cut out of it. I screwed in the new part into each holder. The top part is screwed in to the point that I could screw it in by hand. When you compare it to the lower one you can see that its not quite as far in as the one in the modified holder. When I screwed in the part into the lower holder, it actually cut new threads into the plastic part. The top one did not. Image 4 will show the comparison of the effect on the threads.
Image 4 shows 3 holders after some use (inserting and removing a couple of times). The top one is the stock nib. The middle one is the nib that was inserted into the stop holder. The bottom one is the one inserted into the modified (cut) holder. It is nearly impossible to see in the picture, and very hard in person … but the middle holder has a very small amount of "squishing" on the end of the threads. In the bottom piece you can see where the cut holder has created new threads (look for the lighter "grey" coloring on the piece.)
Thus you can see some of the core "data" that I used for my conclusions. Note that I tried to do the best I could to have pictures to back up what my eyes can see, but macro pictures at this size are not my expertise.
Finally, my conclusion..
On the question of "can this be used with a Jr Gent (or similar) kit hardware?". My answer is that it is possible. I have been using one for about a week and I can confirm that you can write with a Jr Gent with one of these replacement rollerballs. However, in my opinion - that is as far as I would be willing to take it. It is possible and I have seen it work. However, I will not be putting this into a pen that I will be giving to another person (neither for a gift nor for sale).
Here is the main reasons I won't go forward my self with these at this time:
* The thread is different than the kit holders
* I can't reliably get the nib to sit completely flush into the holder
* I believe that damage is happening to the threads by forcing it to fit.
If I ever get to making non-kit pens, this part becomes very interesting. I like the idea of being able to use very good custom ink in a custom pen other than a fountain pen. Until that time, I will be sticking to either the stock rollerballs for kits.
Hopefully I have given others some data to be able to make their own decisions.