My slimmest modified slimline

[NGLJ]

It is said that one of the most difficult things to do is to turn a "perfectly' straight pen barrel. "Perfect" is always open to interpretation but never having tried before, I thought why not give it a try. I chose black Corian as the material. In order to succeed I knew that I would have to go pretty thin using a slimline kit. In the process I got a little too thin at nib end. To compensate I trimmed the nib and clip ends and added some purple acrylic. Now I had an additional challenge in order to make the result somewhat respectable. This resulted in going even thinner but It did stay in one piece. The diameter of the barrel is 8.9mm compared to the tube OD of 6.8mm, leaving a wall thickness of 1.05mm including the polyurethane glue. I did not set out to go so thin and I likely would have had less success using wood. Perhaps I will give wood a try! Please see attached final result.

 

[Woodchipper]

Nice and a good design modification. I did the same thing with one of the pink soft grip kits. Somewhere is a photo but I got a new laptop and, during the download, some things have disappeared.

 

[leehljp]

For the most part, a straight slimline is a matter of practice and experience that develops into an acquired skill. And yes, perfectly straight slimline are quite possible. In the early days on IAP, slimline were probably the most commonly made pen and as such, straight barrels were made and posted here very often. If not straight or perfect fittings, comments would come forth, not harshly critical but as constructively critiquing. (I was the beneficiary of some of the early helpful constructive critiquing on this subject.)

I will admit that due to the huge number of pen designs today, pure "straight line" forms do not seem to be nearly as common today.

 

[NGLJ]

I can't say that in general I am a fan of straight and did this by way of something of a self test. However, there are some kits where it works quite well. For example, I have made the attached kit (budget snap cap rollerball 8mm tube hole) in both straight and slightly bowed, and in this case I think straight works the best because the cap is small in proportion to the whole pen. It gives a smooth overall appearance.