Elegant Americans... maybe in kit name only

[Old Griz]

Here are a couple of acrylic Elegant Americans...
Not my favorite kit, but my customers seem to like them in acrylics..
I generally get $35 each in acrylics... and have figured out how to make the PF Pencil Mechanism work in them (see directions on Arizona Silhouette site).
The biggest problem on these kits is that the upper barrel length is EXTREMELY critical.. if you do more than just barely kiss the tubes when trimming you are going to be too short and leave a slight gap between the centerband and upper barrel - BEEN THERE DONE THAT
If that happens, just put a piece of 400 grit sandpaper on a piece of flat stock and hold the upper barrel square to it and sand lightly so that the brass mechanism is sanded even with the blank. Then rub with a little Ren wax to smooth the operation, something I do whether I need to sand or not.. it makes the pen operate smoother..
There were two others that did not photo well ... the pencil lines in the blanks were too close in color to the base color to come out nicely.. but you get the idea from these...

Red/Blue Pearl on Black Acrylic
This is the one the I screwed the tube up on and saved today...

White Crushed Velvet

Pearl Horn w/Black Pencil lines - this is my favorite one..

 

[ashaw]

Tom
Looks great... Like your background...

Alan

 

[Ron Mc]

Tom,
I really like the Pearl Horn w/ Black pencil lines. It looks a lot like a heavily spalted wood.

 

[vick]

Tom they look great es[ecially the pearl horn. I have also wound up with gaps due to over trimming. I actually really like the way this kit looks, but I had a couple people that had problems with the twist mechanism so I stopped making them.

 

[Old Griz]

Originally posted by vick
<br />Tom they look great es[ecially the pearl horn. I have also wound up with gaps due to over trimming. I actually really like the way this kit looks, but I had a couple people that had problems with the twist mechanism so I stopped making them.

Mike, what problems were they having.... until I started waxing the joint of the upper barrel and centerband I found the mechanisms to be a bit rough in operation... but the touch of wax seems to have solved that problem... I have two (a pen and a pencil) that I keep using at least once each day just to see how the will stand the test of time.... 6 months of daily use so far with no problems...

 

[vick]

As far as I can tell they were ham handing them, and you could not unscrew it from the transmisson to change the refill. When you twisted to the left the point would just rectract and go back out. Not sure if I am explaining this very well.

 

[Old Griz]

When you turned it to the left did the centerband spin instead of unscrewing... if so you might want to put a drop of CA inside the tube when you press in the centerband...

 

[vick]

No the cb was not spinning, it seemed to be the transmission. I just chose to quit making them, I will spend my money on kits that I do not seem to have problems with.

note - this was about a year ago so they may have improved the kit since then.

 

[ctEaglesc]

Griz-
Are they essentially the same as the "b" company flattop American with different window dressing?

 

[Old Griz]

Eagle, I don't know... I have never made that kit... but I do know they offer the bushing in both A and B mandrel configurations..

 

[vick]

Eagle,
They are not. If I remember correctly in the elegant the top barrel actually screws onto the lower barrel. And the trim ring is part of the trasmisson and presses into the bottom.

 

[Old Griz]

Yes the top barrel screws into the bottom barrel and the centerband contains part of the mechanism...

 

[ctEaglesc]

Vick and Griz-
Doesn't the tranny have to "seat" in the finial stud?
That was the weak link in the flat tops and the reason I stopped making them.
There isn't much"meat" to grab the trany and if the customer isn't careful the pen will turn but cannot be taken apart to change the refill.
That is what happens on the Wood Craft kits made by the "b" company.

 

[woodscavenger]

#3 is my favorite blank.

 

[Glenn McCullough]

They look great!!! I , too have not made them, nor the Oxford for the same reason. I have not had to service any other pen more than those, except the click pen( embarrased to say i made one).