First (completed) Kitless

[Maverick KB]

First, thanks for taking a look here. Comments, pointers or even just downright criticism are encouraged. I've got a thick skin; you can't offend me.

This is all new for me. I've been turning for only a couple of years, only found and joined IAP a few months ago, never tried a kitless pen before, and never worked with brass, aluminum or plastic acetal (Delrin) before. I had no idea what a BASH was, but when I saw the kitless competition I knew I would be spending a lot of time and money in the shed. In two weeks I obtained many new tools, learned many new things and read every library article or post I could find on how to make a kitless pen. Here's the result.


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First Kitless Pen Story by MaverickKB | Photobucket


The clip was made from a 24" long solid brass rod. First I took the rod to the grinding wheel and flattened one side, leaving about a 1/4 " section on the end untouched. Then I removed a little more material where I wanted a tighter radius in my bend. With the metal still warm I placed the .25" piece on the end in a bench vice and slowly bent the shape of my clip. The extra length of the rod gave me great leverage and control. Once I had the shape close to where I wanted it I removed it from the vice and tweaked it a bit with some pliers. This left some nasty tool marks to deal with later. Next time I'll probably use a scrap of leather to protect the brass. Then over to the band saw to nibble a bit. I'd left some areas thicker after grinding so they wouldn't bend as fast as the thinner sections. Time to remove some bulk. Once I had things pretty well evened out I used a diamond needle file set to smooth everything out and remove most of the tool marks. With the tool marks gone and the shape how I wanted it, I started sanding with abranet from 180 to 500 then wet sanded Micro-Mesh pads from 1500-12,000. All this was done by hand with the clip held in a bench vice. For convenience and maximum efficiency, the vice sat in my lap at my desk and I worked on it for an entire work day. This was a great way to get through a stressful work day!

Most of my taps & dies came from a large metric kit I obtained from Northern Tool. I also acquired several other taps & dies from a few sources, but a special thanks to Silver Pen Parts for the top notch service and making sure I got my taps in time to still complete this project for the Bash!
Aluminum was fun to work with. A bit difficult on the timber lathe and will dull a carbide tip in a hurry, but I will most certainly be working with it again. A note of caution though, if you haven't worked with it before… don't cut corners on safety. It doesn't take welding gloves to keep your hands safe, I used the same 7 mil and 9 mil rubber gloves I use for finish applications. (be sure it's at least 7 mil though, thinner gloves won't stand up). I still took care with the razor sharp ribbons and needle like shavings, but they never got through the gloves. A respirator is a must, you don't want to breathe in that metal dust and if you have a dust management system, be sure to use it too. A full shield helps keep the cheeks and nose from getting sand blasted, but eye pro is a must. I didn't wear gloves at first and the shavings and splinters made me itch like after working with fiberglass insulation.

In the end, I had a kitless competition piece I was proud of, learned a lot, got some new tools and took my skills and hobby to the next level.

Thanks again for taking a look.

 

[Curly]

Danger danger Will Smith!!

Ken that is a super pen for a first kitless. Well done.

You mentioned. "First I took the rod to the grinding wheel and flattened one side". I am not sure if you were referring to a bench grinder or not but you should never grind any non-ferrous metal in one. Non-ferrous metals like brass, aluminium, copper, et cetera, will load up the grinding wheel with metal particles. They stick in the spaces between the grit and can cause the outer edge of the wheel to get hot and expand resulting in the wheel fracturing and exploding. Please don't use the wheel again until you dress it and remove all traces of the brass in it. I'd like to see you continue making pens without a big dent in your forehead. A sander or file is the right tool for the job.

 

[BSea]

I'm impressed. :good:

I don't think sitting in a chair and sanding all day would be much help to me in stress relief though . If I did a clip like that, I'd have to use one of those small belt sanders, then some buffing wheels. As you might imagine, I hate sanding.

I like the look of the bigger threads than we normally see. I'd like to know dimensions and what size nib you used.

 

[Maverick KB]

Ken that is a super pen for a first kitless. Well done.

You mentioned. "First I took the rod to the grinding wheel and flattened one side". I am not sure if you were referring to a bench grinder or not but you should never grind any non-ferrous metal in one. Non-ferrous metals like brass, aluminium, copper, et cetera, will load up the grinding wheel with metal particles. They stick in the spaces between the grit and can cause the outer edge of the wheel to get hot and expand resulting in the wheel fracturing and exploding. Please don't use the wheel again until you dress it and remove all traces of the brass in it. I'd like to see you continue making pens without a big dent in your forehead. A sander or file is the right tool for the job.

Thank you. Very good to know. Yes, it was a bench grinder and an old stone wheel. I didn't see any sign of brass in it, but I'll be sure to dress it up again just to be sure.

There's something to be said about HAVING the right tool for the job. Sounds like I need new toys, I mean tools. :biggrin:

I'm impressed. :good:

I don't think sitting in a chair and sanding all day would be much help to me in stress relief though . If I did a clip like that, I'd have to use one of those small belt sanders, then some buffing wheels. As you might imagine, I hate sanding.

I like the look of the bigger threads than we normally see. I'd like to know dimensions and what size nib you used.

Most of the dimensions were mentioned here: http://www.penturners.org/forum/f330/kitless-pen-contest-voting-138905/#post1836091

in short, it was a #5 nib I had lying around. I think it may have been sold to me as a spare for a kit, but I'm not sure. I removed the nib and feeder from the lower it was in and matched it to a M6.5x.5 thread. I used that to tap my lower.

Cap/Body = M10x1.25 (from NT tap/die kit)
lower/Body = M8x1 (from NT tap/die kit)
Nib/feed assembly = M6.5x.5 (from Silver Pen Parts)

aluminum = Aluminum 6061-T6511 Bare - Extruded Round - 0.625" (onlinemetals.com)
Brass = Brass 360 H02 - Extruded Round - 0.25" (onlinemetals.com)

 

[BSea]

I'm impressed. :good:

I don't think sitting in a chair and sanding all day would be much help to me in stress relief though . If I did a clip like that, I'd have to use one of those small belt sanders, then some buffing wheels. As you might imagine, I hate sanding.

I like the look of the bigger threads than we normally see. I'd like to know dimensions and what size nib you used.

Most of the dimensions were mentioned here: http://www.penturners.org/forum/f330/kitless-pen-contest-voting-138905/#post1836091

in short, it was a #5 nib I had lying around. I think it may have been sold to me as a spare for a kit, but I'm not sure. I removed the nib and feeder from the lower it was in and matched it to a M6.5x.5 thread. I used that to tap my lower.

Cap/Body = M10x1.25 (from NT tap/die kit)
lower/Body = M8x1 (from NT tap/die kit)
Nib/feed assembly = M6.5x.5 (from Silver Pen Parts)

aluminum = Aluminum 6061-T6511 Bare - Extruded Round - 0.625" (onlinemetals.com)
Brass = Brass 360 H02 - Extruded Round - 0.25" (onlinemetals.com)

Thanks! I knew I'd seen the pen before. I should have looked over in the contest. I like the body size you made. I'm always trying to make smaller pens. I do haver a small metal lathe, but I've never made an all metal pen yet. I'll have to add it to the list if for nothing else than to make a thinner fountain or rollerball.

 

[Maverick KB]

Thanks! I knew I'd seen the pen before. I should have looked over in the contest. I like the body size you made. I'm always trying to make smaller pens. I do haver a small metal lathe, but I've never made an all metal pen yet. I'll have to add it to the list if for nothing else than to make a thinner fountain or rollerball.

M8x1 over M6.5x.5 is kind of tricky for dimensions. You have to really be dead on with your drilling. A metal lathe would have made this so much easier... I did it entirely on a wood lathe.

I made this one for my wife. She has small hands and had carpel tunnel surgery a little while back, so big or heavy pens are not comfortable for her. I find it very comfortable for a quick note, but with larger hands probably wouldn't use it to write a dissertation. She on the other hand has been using it since I finished the competition photos and has been very pleased with it. It's also proving to be quite durable.

 

[SteveG]

Aloha Ken,
I AM APPALLED...at myself. I have been making "kit" pens for a number of years, and also have ben collecting all the stuff to go the kitless route, but have not yet taken the leap. You, however, have taken that leap right away, and it sounds like it feels pretty good!:biggrin: Look great too! Fine job in so many respects. To have fabricated a clip on the first time out is a great achievement in itself. Congratulations!

Your thread title indicates prior incomplete "learning" experiences, so I realize this first pen has some unseen (here) ancestors. I really look forward to seeing what comes next, with such a great start under your belt. And your success serves as a prompt to get me moving in this same direction.
Great pen!

 

[Maverick KB]

Aloha Ken,
I AM APPALLED...at myself. I have been making "kit" pens for a number of years, and also have ben collecting all the stuff to go the kitless route, but have not yet taken the leap. You, however, have taken that leap right away, and it sounds like it feels pretty good!:biggrin: Look great too! Fine job in so many respects. To have fabricated a clip on the first time out is a great achievement in itself. Congratulations!

Your thread title indicates prior incomplete "learning" experiences, so I realize this first pen has some unseen (here) ancestors. I really look forward to seeing what comes next, with such a great start under your belt. And your success serves as a prompt to get me moving in this same direction.
Great pen!

Thanks, I used the competition as encouragement.

Here are the 2 that I tested materials and technique on first. The aluminum pen is a Schmidt cartridge rollerball. The first rollerball I'd seen that takes fountain pen ink... I'm hooked now!

The orange one is an ebonite pen with Delrin lower and a #6 Phoenix nib from The Classic Nib. I discovered in these pens that my tailstock needed to be shimmed with a business card to properly align it with the headstock.

I never made a cap for the aluminum so I keep it in a leather pouch now. I also never put the clip on the ebonite pen, so it rolls around on my desk. Technically, they are completed working pens, but without caps and clips I don't consider them as such. I do use them both every day though.

 

[Jgrden]

Impressive

 

[Leatherman1998]

Amazing work Sir!