Looking for the right kit....

[woodscavenger]

I have been off the board for a while. I changed jobs and moved from NC to Boise ID. I am still working on getting my shop up and running. So I am suffering a bit from turning withdrawal. In the mean time I have been lurking and searching. I have want to try some new things and want some advice.

1) Which of the kits with RB and FP options are the easiest to modify from the standpoint of closed and double closed end? Which are the easiest to deal with removing the CB but keeping the threads?

I have been looking at the Gisi's work and would like to head a little bit that way.....don't worry Brian, I am merely a dabbler.

I do like a heavier pen but not necessarily as large as the Statesmen or Emporer and I don't want to spend a bunch of $$$ for the kits to experiment with.

2) Who carries thin pick guard material? I have some but I would like it to accent the work not be the main statement in a glue up.

 

[Chuck Key]

Originally posted by woodscavenger
<br />
1) Which of the kits with RB and FP options are the easiest to modify from the standpoint of closed and double closed end? Which are the easiest to deal with removing the CB but keeping the threads?

I would vote Panache. You can remove as many parts as you like right down to the two remaining male/female threads. There is no clip with the <s>clip</s> kit but it does not look like that would be an issue with what you have in mind. The Panache uses the Jr. size front section.

Chuckie

 

[wayneis]

I agree with Chuckie, the Panache is a fantastic kit for closed end pens.

Wayne

 

[vick]

Brain Gisi seemed in the past to only use the El Toro this kit requires no modification to eliminate the centerband. Now he seems to use the Gentlemans kit, very little modification is needed to eliminate the center band. Since he makes his own clip and fastens it externally any kit can easily be made a double closed end with his method. If you look at Bill Jackmans tutorial, his method has opened up many kits to closed ends caps without having to make your own clip.


I have also found CSU Snap Cap (Americana Rollerball) and the Baron to be very customizeable. If you are looking to midsized pens. Many people seem to think of snap caps as cheap pens so you may want to stay with threaded kits.

Note: I would say stay away from the El Grande it is a pain to modify. I have done it a couple times but for the life of me I can not figure out why I fought with that kit when so many others are better suited.

Never used Panache so no opinion on that kit.

 

[vick]

Originally posted by woodscavenger
2) Who carries thin pick guard material? I have some but I would like it to accent the work not be the main statement in a glue up.

You might check out a product called gravoply (google it). This is what Mark Gisi said that he uses. It is expensive though and I have never personally used it. For thin accents in palstic I have gone to the hobby shop and picked up styrene sheets, they come in very thin thickness's but do not have multiple colors.

 

[bjackman]

Originally posted by vick
<br />Note: I would say stay away from the El Grande it is a pain to modify. I have done it a couple times but for the life of me I can not figure out why I fought with that kit when so many others are better suited.

Mike,
Interesting statement. What was it that gave you such headaches w/ the E.G. kit? I really like it's customizability (word? [?])

 

[vick]

Originally posted by bjackman
<br />

Originally posted by vick
<br />Note: I would say stay away from the El Grande it is a pain to modify. I have done it a couple times but for the life of me I can not figure out why I fought with that kit when so many others are better suited.

Mike,
Interesting statement. What was it that gave you such headaches w/ the E.G. kit? I really like it's customizability (word? [?])

WARNING LONG RAMBLE ----

First let me say I am talking about the El Grande not the Churchill which I have never tried and I understand their have been some changes that make it easier to modify. On the El Grande the threaded cap for the cap/centerband holder is a 3 step deal. The first part goes into the tube, the second step hold the very thin centerband and the third step is the black part that shows up at the bottom of the cap. Because of the width of the center band if you turn it all flush to the inside tube diameter you can run in length problems with the cap so you have to acount for that. Also the threading goes all the way down to the 3rd step and has an angled entry hole so that if you turn the step all the way down to the ID of the tube you are actually cutting into the threads. They still seem to work okay but I can tell a slight difference when you start threading them. You can also drill a stepped hole and turn the 3rd step down and stop before you hit the threading, but you have to worry about drilling your stepped hole dead on and you will have to make the OD of the cap slightly larger for the stepped hole. This does take care of the length issues since the tube goes into just the smaller of the 2 stepped holes. Another reason I do not like it is that it is a very light kit to begin with and when I do the double solid bodied pens it seems that it weighs to little for a pen that size which gives it a cheap feal.

Don't get me wrong I know you can do it, I have done it several times but the kits I mentioned take almost no effort(Gent or Baron) to kill the centerband or you can leave it off with out modifying at all (snap cap, El Toro). I will say I like the shape of the nib section on the EL Grande (kind of like the Gent but plastic) and that is one of the reasons I have messed with it so much in the past.

 

[Scott]

Hi Shane!

I have nothing to add to what these excellent penmakers have told you. Listen to them! []

I just wanted to welcome you to Idaho!

Scott.

 

[tnilmerl]

As I understand your question, you ask for a kits with both RB anf FP options and easy to eliminate centerband. For removing the centerband, any of the kits with a separate threading insert would satisfy that requirement. Look at something like the Robusto (Havana). Churchhill has separate thread insert, but I'm don't know if you can get it in a FP. Woodcraft has discontinued the Robusto Jr (the FP selection for the Robusto), so picking up some of their kits on the discontinued rack can save you some bucks. While the tube length for the Jr is significantly shorter than the RB, the nibs are interchangeable.

Almost of the slimmer kits (American and Euro style RB/FB) have a threaded center band, so eliminating the centerband is not economically easy.