My second trial of a kitless pen

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brainick

brainick

Member
Joined
May 10, 2024
Messages
36
Location
Munich
Hi everybody!

Since I have a little free time, I would like to dedicate my next 8-9 days to improving my pen-making skills. This is my 2nd kitless pen and it is way better than the first one. I have used an acrylic rod from German tobacco pipe manufacturer (pfeifenecke.de) and I love it. Currently I am not able to add clips and other details like brass ring etc. but I will give it a shot later on.

In this pen, you see a Bock 250 nib. The Pen blank is finished with 3M Zona sandpaper and Yorkshire Grit Abrasive Paste (Fine).

IMG_7590.JPEG
 
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Hippie3180 said:
Very well done.
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mark james said:
Excellent artistry. I love the material.
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Thank you both! I am opening threads with a single lead die. What is the general approach to this topic? I have checked some posts here and most people prefer triple leads in terms of efficiency. Are there pens with single-lead threads or eventually should everybody buy double or triple-lead taps and dies? I am just a beginner and 250€ (I mean Tapco M13x.8) for one set triple tap and die set seems too much for me. Or any advice for the more affordable option would be appreciated about tap and dies.
 
brainick said:
Thank you both! I am opening threads with a single lead die. What is the general approach to this topic? I have checked some posts here and most people prefer triple leads in terms of efficiency. Are there pens with single-lead threads or eventually should everybody buy double or triple-lead taps and dies? I am just a beginner and 250€ (I mean Tapco M13x.8) for one set triple tap and die set seems too much for me. Or any advice for the more affordable option would be appreciated about tap and dies.
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I know of folks here in the US who do only single threads. I don't think it's unheard of. The goal is to minimize the number of turns to close the cap. You light stick with single threads for a while until you can swing triple.

Maybe look for someone letting go of a set of tap and die, that's what I did.
 
Excellent work. Nobody would ever guess that this is only your second kitless pen!
Can't wait to see what you do next...
 
brainick said:
Hi everybody!

Since I have a little free time, I would like to dedicate my next 8-9 days to improving my pen-making skills. This is my 2nd kitless pen and it is way better than the first one. I have used an acrylic rod from German tobacco pipe manufacturer (pfeifenecke.de) and I love it. Currently I am not able to add clips and other details like brass ring etc. but I will give it a shot later on.

In this pen, you see a Bock 250 nib. The Pen blank is finished with 3M Zona sandpaper and Yorkshire Grit Abrasive Paste (Fine).

View attachment 373255
Click to expand...
Very subtle elegance. Beautiful work.
 
Hippie3180 said:
I know of folks here in the US who do only single threads. I don't think it's unheard of. The goal is to minimize the number of turns to close the cap. You light stick with single threads for a while until you can swing triple.

Maybe look for someone letting go of a set of tap and die, that's what I did.
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You are right. Maybe I can improve my pen turning with single threads, and then upgrade my tools. At the end of the day, triple threading is not something requires extra skill. Thank you ;)

d_bondi said:
Excellent work. Nobody would ever guess that this is only your second kitless pen!
Can't wait to see what you do next...
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sorcerertd said:
I agree with David. That looks much better than I would expect for a second kitless pen. The blank looks great, and quite well polished.
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Penchant 4 said:
Very subtle elegance. Beautiful work.
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Thank you folks for the nice words! I do love that blank either.

I think, I will try an ebonite blank next week. I have never turned one, curious about it. Not sure but I may leave the surface rough and apply black urushi afterwards. But first, I have to turn the blank into a pen 🙃
 
That's very nice! If you managed making the section, adding rings and finials would be easy, trust me! You may want trying different ideas on a cheap piece of POM (delrin) or similar, until you'll be happy with your skills, design, size etc. (another benefit will be that you'll have the proper mandrels for fixing the pen parts for different stages of fine shaping or finishing, mandrels are useful anyway). Speaking about single vs multiple starts threads, this is just your choice and (later, probably) your client demand, when you'll afford letting him to ask for specific design. That's the same with the clip. I, personally, don't believe anymore in classic clips, as I don't think there are too many people hanging their pens in their inside pockets, so I mainly make clipless pens, but I always add a roll stopper with some significance for the pen. So, on short, first do whatever you are happy with, when your clients will dictate you how and what to do, will be another experience.
 
sorins said:
That's very nice! If you managed making the section, adding rings and finials would be easy, trust me! You may want trying different ideas on a cheap piece of POM (delrin) or similar, until you'll be happy with your skills, design, size etc. (another benefit will be that you'll have the proper mandrels for fixing the pen parts for different stages of fine shaping or finishing, mandrels are useful anyway). Speaking about single vs multiple starts threads, this is just your choice and (later, probably) your client demand, when you'll afford letting him to ask for specific design. That's the same with the clip. I, personally, don't believe anymore in classic clips, as I don't think there are too many people hanging their pens in their inside pockets, so I mainly make clipless pens, but I always add a roll stopper with some significance for the pen. So, on short, first do whatever you are happy with, when your clients will dictate you how and what to do, will be another experience.
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Thank you! Very insightful words. I was thinking, that adding pen clips or finials was harder than making progress, so It is a relief for me to know that. On the other hand, I found the roller stopper very good idea, especially for women (Swarovski stones and Lego parts come to my mind for adding to the cap). Currently I am not selling any pen but I can start with kit pens. Hope the day come when customers have special thread or other custom requests for my bespoke pens.

Greetings from Munich,

Ahmet
 
That is a beautiful pen Ahmet.
I checked out that website, and they have a great variety of material.
Your design is well executed. My only caveat, would be the large step near the section. In my experience, that is a turn off for many pen enthusiasts.
As for the threads, there are many ways to skin a cat, LOL. However, with hand taps, you are limited. I have found that most people want less that 2 turns to cap/uncap. One turn being preferable. You can get one turn with single threads, but it is not very secure or stable. I would try for two turns of the cap. Triple threads are expensive but, with care and the materials we use, the taps and dies last a long time. I've been using the same set for about 7 years. They still working just fine.
As for ebonite, if you've never turned it, have a care. My first time I turned it, my wife nearly divorced me. The smell can be very strong. Try to keep your heat, while drilling and turn, way down. It can take a long time for the off gassing to dissipate.

I hope to see more of your work.
 
I prefer not to add every single pen in a different post (hope it is fine with the rules).

This time I gave a shot for an ebonite blank. It smells very bad (it reminds me of days when I was working at a shipyard rubber department) and I find it hard to polish the material. Maybe the reason is the manufacturer because there were two types of ebonite and I selected inexpensive one. I can say that no one would like to write with any pen with any kind of that odor. When turning and sanding in garage, I opened the garage door for good ventilation. By the way, the section is made with acrylic to add a style.

Another thing I realized with ebony, the nature of the material is that it picks up an electric charge very quickly with a few frictions and therefore always remains dusty. Never thought about that as an engineer :)

Here you can see some scratches on the cap.

Ekran görüntüsü 2024-05-18 150154.png


And this is my stinky pen :) Probably I will request for the return the rest of the ebonites :)

IMG_7613.JPEG
 
brainick said:
I prefer not to add every single pen in a different post (hope it is fine with the rules).

This time I gave a shot for an ebonite blank. It smells very bad (it reminds me of days when I was working at a shipyard rubber department) and I find it hard to polish the material. Maybe the reason is the manufacturer because there were two types of ebonite and I selected inexpensive one. I can say that no one would like to write with any pen with any kind of that odor. When turning and sanding in garage, I opened the garage door for good ventilation. By the way, the section is made with acrylic to add a style.

Another thing I realized with ebony, the nature of the material is that it picks up an electric charge very quickly with a few frictions and therefore always remains dusty. Never thought about that as an engineer :)

Here you can see some scratches on the cap.

View attachment 373363

And this is my stinky pen :) Probably I will request for the return the rest of the ebonites :)

View attachment 373362
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Ebonite smells that way, it's totally normal. Ebonite is made of vulcanized rubber, this means a high sulfur content…thus the smell. Ebonite is a very traditional fountain pen material.
 
darrin1200 said:
That is a beautiful pen Ahmet.
I checked out that website, and they have a great variety of material.
Your design is well executed. My only caveat, would be the large step near the section. In my experience, that is a turn off for many pen enthusiasts.
As for the threads, there are many ways to skin a cat, LOL. However, with hand taps, you are limited. I have found that most people want less that 2 turns to cap/uncap. One turn being preferable. You can get one turn with single threads, but it is not very secure or stable. I would try for two turns of the cap. Triple threads are expensive but, with care and the materials we use, the taps and dies last a long time. I've been using the same set for about 7 years. They still working just fine.
As for ebonite, if you've never turned it, have a care. My first time I turned it, my wife nearly divorced me. The smell can be very strong. Try to keep your heat, while drilling and turn, way down. It can take a long time for the off gassing to dissipate.

I hope to see more of your work.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the tips!

Could you please elaborate on the phrase "the large step near the section"? I just couldn't figure it out.

I am planning to add some kit pens to my website, hopefully I can order new triple lead tap and die from Beaufort Ink later on.
 
brainick said:
Thank you for the tips!

Could you please elaborate on the phrase "the large step near the section"? I just couldn't figure it out.

I am planning to add some kit pens to my website, hopefully I can order new triple lead tap and die from Beaufort Ink later on.
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The step that is just behind the cap threads. In my experience most people don't like the feel of the sharp step. While this can allow a flush cap and body, which may be the priority, you can find a compromise that fits your style.
This is my Lewis model. The cap is a 15mm dia, to the body's 14mm, with 13mm tripple threads. For me, this has worked to a good combination.

IMG_6051.jpeg



IMG_3700.jpeg
 
darrin1200 said:
The step that is just behind the cap threads. In my experience most people don't like the feel of the sharp step. While this can allow a flush cap and body, which may be the priority, you can find a compromise that fits your style.
This is my Lewis model. The cap is a 15mm dia, to the body's 14mm, with 13mm tripple threads. For me, this has worked to a good combination.
Click to expand...
Beautiful pens! I got your point. To be honest, I was vaguely uncomfortable about it from the beginning, because when I tried to write it myself, this area would get caught in my hand, and yes, it's not a nice feeling. My first two pens' body diameter is about 15.6mm just before the threads and I am using 13mm thread. So there is an 1.3mm thickness difference transition at that point. This difference is 0.5mm at your pens.

I will consider this issue for the next projects. Thank you very much.

Your pens' lines seem so smooth and precise. Can you achieve this smoothness with a wood lathe?
 
brainick said:
Beautiful pens! I got your point. To be honest, I was vaguely uncomfortable about it from the beginning, because when I tried to write it myself, this area would get caught in my hand, and yes, it's not a nice feeling. My first two pens' body diameter is about 15.6mm just before the threads and I am using 13mm thread. So there is an 1.3mm thickness difference transition at that point. This difference is 0.5mm at your pens.

I will consider this issue for the next projects. Thank you very much.

Your pens' lines seem so smooth and precise. Can you achieve this smoothness with a wood lathe?
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Morning.
I use a metal lathe for almost all of my pen work. I only use the wood lathe when I need a curved line, and for sanding and polishing.
However, it can all be done well, with practice and a steady hand, on a wood lathe. The metal lathe saves a lot of time and can help with repeatability and production. It also makes it a lot easier to hit that 12.9mm thread tenon without measuring a dozen times, LOL.

Personally, while you can make any pen using a wood lathe, if you are going to follow this custom path you need a metal lathe. I have turned aluminum and even brass on my woodlathe, but it was not easy and it was hard on tools. As you start to add your own metal rings and trim, you will want a metal lathe.
 
Before this pen, I sharpened my carbide tips and, I believe they paid well. According to the recent two pens, the surface is way smoother. I can say that I made it much more slowly and carefully. I tried to keep the step between the body and the section narrower, so the pen became generally thinner. The body diameter is about 14.5mm and the cap is about 15.3mm.

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