JR Retro Conversion?

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IPD_Mrs

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Most of the nicer pen kits come in either fountain or roller ball. Can the roller ball JR Retro be converted to a ball point? My wife want a nice pen but hates roller balls. Any ideas?

Mike
 
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gerryr

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Why does she dislike rollerballs?

The Jr. Gent is available in a ballpoint, but you could not buy one of each kit and easily swap a couple of parts because the ballpoint uses smaller tubes than the rollerball/fountain pen.
 

IPD_Mrs

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She doesn't like the roller ball because the ink tends to smear and she prefers the feel of the ball point. She was looking at the silver bullet from csusa, but it is not as fancy as the Retro, Gentlemans or Statesman.
 

gerryr

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The Jr. Gent ballpoint is your best bet. Is she by any chance, left-handed? I think lefties tend to complain about RB ink smearing a lot more than righties do.
 

IPD_Mrs

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No I am not a leftie.. I am just a very fast thinking, fast writing individual who is VERY picky and my poor husband has to put up with it!!!!!!!!!!!

Linda
 

IPD_Mrs

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I'm not real fond of that Junior Gent either. Unfortunately. I like the looks of the Emperor the best - BUT I don't care particularly for a "fat" pen or one that is too narrow as my hand cramps up quickly. See - told you all I was picky :)

Linda
 

JimGo

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Linda,
I'm a lefty. I used to hate rollerballs 'till I tried one of the refills that come with the better-quality kits (e.g., the Schmidt 5888 or the Mont Blanc refills). Might I suggest that you try one of those in a cheap pen (i.e., not one of Mike's) before ruling out the rollerballs? I have samples of each, and will be happy to work out a trade with Mike if you'd like to try them.
 

gerryr

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Take a look at Berea's El Grande ballpoint. If you don't mind dealing with the cap, it's possible to modify a rollerball to accept Parker ballpoint refills.

We should also ask if Mike has a made a rollerball that you've tried writing with. If he has, what one was it and how did it feel (aside from the rollerball issue)?
 

IPD_Mrs

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OK So you got me looking and I found this:

Features


Model: Schmidt® 2010 M Rollerball to Ballpoint Converter refills; converts most Rollerball pens into Ball pens. Fits in place of Schmidt, Hauser, Schneider Topball 850 and Pilot G2 refills. Super Capacity Medium Point: Top class Ball refill, High quality Stainless Steel Tip, and Carbide-ball. Black ink!

Dimensions: Length - 4 3/8" (11,6 cm); Diameter - .245" (0.62cm)

The only difference between this and the 5888 is the 5888 is 4 5/16 long. It would reason that you could sand 1/16 off the top plastic portion of the refill. Has anyone tried anything like this?
 

IPD_Mrs

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gerryr,
I have the El Grande and she thinks it is like writting with a log. I would kind of like to get in on the group csusa buy and get a few Jr Retros or else get a few Barons from AS. Can anyone tell me how the two compair feel wise? The JR Retros are a little more, but there is a little style to them and not as much as the higher ends which can tend to distract from the wood.

Mike
 

IPD_Mrs

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Thus far I haven't kept any of the pens that have been made for myself (with the exception of the very first one I did myself which is a simple slimline - yes I also turn guys *when I can get him off the lathe of course - laugh*) I almost kept a Sierra but I cramped up writing with it within 5 minutes. I don't like the cigars or the El Grandes when they are really large. We have never given any of the high end kits a try as we have only been turning since getting the Lathe for Christmas and buying each other turning sets as gifts. - Linda
 

gerryr

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First of all, you wouldn't have to shorten that Schmidt 2010 refill to use it in a rollerball kit. You may have to shorten the spring a bit, but there should be enough slop in the spring to just use it as is with no modifications.

Second, the Jr. Retro/Gent/Statesman are the same length as the Baron/Sedona, they are just a bit fatter, like maybe 1/32". The nib holder on the Juniors is round, hexagonal on the Baron and triangular on the Sedona. The diameters are very similar. I doubt you would notice any real difference in feel. However, if the Sierra cramped your hand, I'm guessing that any of those could easily do the same. The nib holder is a smaller diameter than the nib end of the Sierra. Was the El Grande you tried a ballpoint or rollerball? If it was the ballpoint, measure the diameter where it feels too big. It may be larger than the EG rollerball nib holder. The EG rollerball nib hold and the Churchill rollerball nib holder are the same size and I actually find them more comfortable than the smaller pens. I do not have large hands, just average size.
 

gketell

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Try one of the Europeans or Olympias. They are kinda in between the slims and a cigar. The look very much the same but the Oly is much easier to turn.

Or the comfort-grip pens. The Sierra is a good size but my fingers slip constantly so I grip it too tight and get cramps. The comfort-grip would solve that.

Or try a shape with a finger-grip on any of the tapered-tip pens (slims/oly/etc).

And there is another one that CSUSA has in their new catalog but isn't on their web site after the remodel. It looks like an oversized, tapered slim. It looks really comfortable but the description makes it seem a REAL PITA to make.

GK
 

IPD_Mrs

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Thanks Mark - it's nice to know I'm not the only "roller-hater" here [;)] Gerry - I have never heard of the Olympias and believe it or not with all of the Euro's we have turned I've never actually used one to do anything more than write my name on a piece of paper [:0] They may be the right size - the reason this came up was that we are wanting to do a very Special pen and were looking for a higher end pen to do it with - but nothing was ballpoint [V] Oh and as for size of hands - I wear (barely) a size 4 wedding ring and a 2 pinky ring. . . very small hands. [:D]
 

gerryr

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The Olympia is only available from AZ Silhouette. It uses Cross refills and can be made thick or thin. The nicest looking, at least to me, Euros are made by Berea and use a Parker refill. They're available in a variety of platings. The PKMONT-PAR by PSI is an easier pen to make than Berea's Euro, but is only available in 24K plating, although several people here that I respect a lot say they are very durable. The advantage of the Parker refill is that you can get gel refills which write just about as smoothly as a rollerball.
 

Randy_

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Near as I can tell, the tip of the Parker ballpoint refill is the same diameter as the tip of the rollerball refills. The Parker refill is a little smaller in body diameter; but that doesn't matter and the rollerball refills are about 1/2"± longer than the Parker refills. Seems like you could cut a 1/2" long spacer from a 1/4" hardwood dowel and stick it into any rollerball pen and use the Parker refill?? You would need to use a spring on the tip end of the Parker refill since it doesn't have the same shoulder that keeps the rollerball refill from extending too far out of the pen tip and you would have to play with the length of the spacer so the Parker tip extended out of the pen tip by the correct amount.
 

JimGo

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Randy,
I did something similar for a customer who insisted that he hated rollerballs, except I went a less time consuming route. Home Depot had some spacers that were the right ID and OD, and I just cut it to length. I think it cost me $0.20.
 

Randy_

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Because the Parker refill is much more widely available when the customer needs to replace the original ink cartridge. And they would also have the option of using the gel refill if they preferred which is the same physical size as the BP cartridge.
 

IPD_Mrs

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If the customer is my wife then I better have the refill handy no matter where or how hard it is to get. I learned a long time ago that life is so wonderful when the spouse is happy![}:)]

Gerry,
I am with you, if the 2010M will work why bother with mods. I think I am going to order a couple and try. If it works out I will post photos and may even buy in bulk and have them available for members.

Mike
 

Randy_

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Originally posted by JimGo
<br />.....except I went a less time consuming route. Home Depot had some spacers that were the right ID and OD, and I just cut it to length. I think it cost me $0.20.


Certainly a simple and elegant solution; but I'm not sure I understand where there is any time savings over using a wooden dowel?

For anyone who tries this alternative, it would probably be a good idea to put a little dab of epoxy on the end of the spacer before sticking it in the pen body so it will glue itself to the spring that is already there. This will prevent the potential of losing it when a refill is changed.
 
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