Prototype

[hrigg]

Not sure if this is advanced enough for that forum, but I'm looking for some feedback for this...

It's a rosewood rollerball, with a double closed end, a recessed clip and a snap cap. It's made from three different Berea kits, and a nylon washer provides the snap feature. The washer was trimmed down to fit inside the Robusto CB, and it's currently held in by epoxy. The cap has survived a week of being taken on and off, but I'm uncertain about how long it will last. For that reason, plus still needing to build another one, I'm not ready to declare it a success. Here's a picture with the cap off...

The recessed clip is held in with epoxy only, and the pen is a little rough because there is no finish. The next one will have a slightly longer cap and a dowel to help hold in the clip.

Your thoughts, please?

 

[rsmith]

I think it's a great start, and as it is said always, funtion is the most important thing, final form will come. I love the snap-cap idea, that will differentiate it right there. Be careful of the clip though. It looks well done, but it is important to have a clip with that style extend fully into the tube so it can be held in place with something (the dowel), like you said. Epoxy will hold it, but not enough to stand up to the pressure exerted by clipping and unclipping in a pocket. Nice job

 

[hrigg]

Thank you for your input. I used Russ Fairfield's method of cutting off just part of the clip attachment, then inserting the clip and remaining "hook" through a hole into the cap. There's about a ¼" of epoxy inside the cap at the top, which was poured around the hook, embedding it pretty well. I didn't get a picture before I put it together, but I will for the next one. The clip has a little spring to it, but I haven't stressed it very much.