Not exactly sure what to call this...except AWESOME!

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Brooks803

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Call it a kit...call it kitless...it fits either way.

I've had this idea in my head for quite a while and finally had an afternoon to try it out. Everyone and their brother has been wanting a FP Zen right? That's basically what this is, but I went several steps beyond that. First I made it a mini FP, then I replaced the cap, added custom finials and VIOLA!

Wanna know how I did it? :tongue::biggrin:

I promise that I'll let yall know how I did it sometime tomorrow. I want to see what your thoughts are on how I went about making it work. I already have it written out in a PM to myself so all I'll have to do is copy and paste :wink:

The materials I used for this pen is Era 1930's Cellulose Acetate with Black Ebonite finials. I left the ebonite satin for a nice contrast. One other thing. There is no brass in this pen. Cellulose Acetate is made on a mandrel so it already had the perfect sized hole for the kit parts. So I epoxied them in place. Last but not least I swapped out the nib for a #5 polished steel Bock nib.

Thanks for looking!

DSC03163 (673x700).jpg DSC03168 (664x700).jpg DSC03167 (619x700).jpg DSC03174 (700x363).jpg









This pen is MINE MINE MINE!!!!
 
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turncrazy43

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Apr 22, 2012
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Marietta, GA
Very, very nice work Jonathon. But we always expect high quality from you.
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Everyday I,m vertical is a great day
 

76winger

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Aug 30, 2009
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Lebanon Indiana
It looks really cool, but I find myself wondering how it will be to hold onto in use. The section where you'd be gripping it looks mighty short. Have you tried that out yet?
 

Brooks803

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Thanks for the comments so far! I'm still gonna fill everyone in on how I made this, but since the response isn't that high I'll make yall wait a bit more :devil::biggrin:


Nice job, I know you said, tomorrow on how to do it. But did you removed the magnet and insert in the new lid?

Thanks Don. All I used in the cap is the magnet and clip. Didn't use the plastic insert.

It looks really cool, but I find myself wondering how it will be to hold onto in use. The section where you'd be gripping it looks mighty short. Have you tried that out yet?

Thanks Dave. It's actually very comfortable to me. I don't actually grip the front section at all. Instead my fingers are resting on the shoulder.
 

Brooks803

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but since the response isn't that high I'll make yall wait a bit more :devil::biggrin:

No problem, been thinking about doing a tut on Zen FP for over five years :redface:

http://www.penturners.org/forum/f13/zen-fountain-pen-4099/index2.html#post4099

I'm glad you posted the link to your original Zen FP John. That's where I got the inspiration for my pen. Hell, I even had a piece of serpentine cebloplast set out to make mine with! I decided to go with the cellulose acetate instead though. The dimensions were to perfect to pass up.

make sure you bring this pen when you come over...hahhahahah

No worries on that Jason. It'll be in MY pocket :wink:
 

Brooks803

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Here ya go...

Here's how I pulled off my pen. I didn't take any pictures so you'll have to use your imagination. If I go to make another I'll try and remember to snap a few and do a proper tutorial.

First you have to sacrifice a Zen & Stretch kit. You need the stretch for the front section only. You can't use the stock stretch coupler bc it has the cap threads on it and can't be removed. Now this step will ultimately be erased bc of how I went about making this work, but I had a badly scratched up kit so I said the heck with it. Now the stretch section is NOT a fit for the zen couplers. First thing you have to do is drill out the zen coupler threads and rethread with a 9x.75mm tap. The stretch section fits that. Since you now have the size threads that most custom pen makers are using you can make your own section instead of having to sacrifice a kit section. Do the same rethreading for the end finial coupler as well. Then make your own finial to fit. That takes care of the body. For the cap you just need to remove the magnet from the zen kit. Sometimes they're loose out of the bag. That's how mine was. I haven't tried to remove one that's good and attached, but I'm thinking soaking the part in acetone might work. Drill out the cap for the magnet and epoxy in place. Make your cap finial however you like to use a clip or not, your call on that.

One alternative for a cap just came to mind. Maybe it's possible to drill out the cap threads on the stretch cap and epoxy in the magnet in there. That'd be a perfect fit for the section plus eliminate the need to make an entire cap. I'm assuming it'll work since both kits are the same size in the cap. Might have to give it a try...
 

SteveG

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Dec 21, 2009
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Eugene, Oregon 97404
Let me see if I understand this...You have made a Stretch kit-Zen kit-Kitless. Right?

Never mind the terminology technicalities, it is crazy cool. You never fail to present something to savor. Keep 'em coming.

Steve
 
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