Mistral Ball Point Pen Threads Question

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TonyL

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Hi Folks:

I just bought two of these, but haven't open the packaging yet. I also just watched a FB video of the FP version being capped. There seems to be much play in the threads from the video. Has any one have experience with the Mistral ball point? I really don't want to deal with slop in threads. Thank you.
 
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magpens

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Tony,

Would you be able to post a link to that FB video you mentioned, please ?

I tried to do a search but could not find it.
 

stuckinohio

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Tony,
I
didn't look for the video, but I have a Mistral. The threads are a little loose while putting the cap on. The cap does secure nicely however, and there is no play once the cap is installed.

What I have noticed was the cap comes undone a little easier than I would like. If I remember correctly, the cap came off while I had it in my pocket. But to be fair, I can't remember the circumstances when it happened so I'm not sure what I was doing or what may have caused it.

If someone is using it for a desk pen it would be absolutely no problem in my mind. If it's a carry pen I probably wouldn't recommend it.

Lewis
 

Phil Dart

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Allow me to help. As you know, I'm the guy behind Beaufort Ink and the Mistral suite of pen kits. I've addressed this issue on Facebook and I'm happy to address it here. In fact I will just copy and paste what I wrote there. Suffice to say, that the wobble you are referring to is no more or less than you experience with a Dayacom, or any other well designed pen kit that uses acme threads on the cap.

This is what I wrote:

Despite comments to that contrary, every pen out there will wobble to a certain extent. If it doesn't, it's not going to last very long. Try a Dayacom jr, or a Majestic and prove it for yourself. For that matter, screw a faceplate onto your lathe spindle and tell me there is no wobble. It's a mistake to confuse quality with design - they are not the same thing.

To prevent the plating on the connector being worn off by the cap thread, the cap thread is nylon, and it would be easy to eliminate any wobble completely, simply by manufacturing the thread insert to be tighter. However, the Mistral is designed to stand the test of time, and if the thread insert was tight and free of wobble, it is then subject to wear and abrasion, meaning that the insert will simply just wear out over time. A looser fit more or less eliminates the risk of abrasion, but the pay off is a bit of wobble. The important thing with any thread though, is that it locates properly on the shoulder so that it doesn't wobble when the cap is fully fitted, and it doesn't come undone by accident in your pocket, which in both cases, the Mistral is designed to achieve.

The Mistral cap has a double lead thread, which means that you can screw on the cap from either of two starting positions. If it was a triple start or a quadruple start, nobody would be saying it looks course because there would appear to be more threads on it. But because the thread, by design, starts in only two places, it appears that the pitch is courser because there seem to be less threads on it. In fact, fully open to fully closed is two and a half turns, which for a fountain pen kit is a particularly fine thread - designed that way to emulate the classic marques of yesteryear, for which pen collectors pay a fortune. Take a Baron with a standard metric thread, which closes in about one and a quarter turns - now that's course, but it looks fine because its a quadruple start. The Mistral thread is double lead by design, and is not a coarse thread.

There are literally thousands Mistrals out there now, and I can honestly say we have never had any feed back from makers that their customers think there is too much wobble in the cap thread. The usual feedback is how nice, smooth and easy it is to fit the cap, and how well it stays closed. Having said that, every maker must judge for themselves, and I can fully understand if it's not to everyone's taste. But as I say, please do not confuse quality with design and specification. The Mistral is designed the way it is BECAUSE it is high quality, not because there has been any corner cutting through poor quality. In twenty or thirty years time, both the plating and the threads will still be going strong on any Mistral you make today.

I hope that helps.
 

TonyL

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Thank you Phil; I really appreciate the response. I have heard that the Shakespeare does not behave this way and threads very smoothly and firmly. Is there something different about the Shakespeare thread design?

So far, of the 400 pens that I made with non-metal female threads, I have not had one break, nor have any of my clients reporting one breaking. I have only been turning for a little over 3 years which is no comparison with 20 or 30 years. I am particularly hard on my personal use pens because I immediately returns the caps to the barrel when not writing to prevent the FP or RB refill from prematurely drying-out. As I said, none have been tested for more than 3 years. I am not refuting or contesting your assertions and experience; I am just sharing mine. Again. many thanks! I am looking forward to turning my first Mistral and later Shakespeare once they are restocked!
 
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Phil Dart

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Thank you Phil; I really appreciate the response. I have heard that the Shakespeare does not behave this way and threads very smoothly and firmly. Is there something different about the Shakespeare thread design?
Yes Tony - very different. It's a metal on metal, single start, 10x0.8 standard metric thread, which takes a massive four and a quarter turns to get the cap on and off. I think you are bit confused though because it's not a Beaufort Ink pen kit. We neither make it or supply it and has nothing to do with us - we would have designed it with rather more finesse than that if it was. Believe me though, it still wobbles.

So far, of the 400 pens that I made with non-metal female threads, I have not had one break, nor have any of my clients reporting one breaking. I have only been turning for a little over 3 years which is no comparison with 20 or 30 years. I am particularly hard on my personal use pens because I immediately returns the caps to the barrel when not writing to prevent the FP or RB refill from prematurely drying-out. As I said, none have been tested for more than 3 years. I am not refuting or contesting your assertions and experience; I am just sharing mine. Again. many thanks! I am looking forward to turning my first Mistral and later Shakespeare once they are restocked!
Clearly we have not tested our pens over 20 years either Tony, but we have simulated 20 years by testing to 16000 opening/closing operations over the course of a week. If someone used a Mistral twice a day, every day for twenty years, they would open and close it less than that. I have no problem is saying that a Mistral will still be in good condition after 20 years.
 
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Phil Dart

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Does anyone no where the Mistral is Manufactured?

Thanks
Tim
I do, funnily enough.

The components are manufactured in Taiwan, and the nib and converter, or the mechanisms in the case of the ballpoint and pencil are all manufactured for us in in Germany. The refills are our own too. That's right, the nib is not a far eastern IPG - it really is made in Germany.

Does that help?
 

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