Regency Group Buy?? Any interest.

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woodscavenger

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Is anyone interested? I have never done this kit but would like to try to tackle it. I have never run a group buy so I don't know what all is entailed. If we have a lot of interest and someone wants to jump in and help let me know.

This is an email I got from woodchuckers.

"Hello Shane,
Thank you for your inquiry.
We have all 3 types of Regency.
The Fountain pen IB763 is $13.10Cndn or about $9.80US
The Rollerball IB762 is $12.35Cndn
There is discount of 15% for 5 or more and 25% for 20 or more.
Regards
John""
 
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JimGo

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Dang it Shane! I HAD sworn off buying stuff, but yes, I'd be interested. I'd like 5 of the rollerballs, 2 fountain pens, and a set of bushings if they have them.
 

wayneis

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See Rich K. article in Woodturning Design, these kits do not have bushings, you have to make your own. I have to say that I bought a few kits from them and I was not happy at all. The finish on the metal is the worst that I have ever seen. I did a couple Ambassadors but have not got around to the Regency yet.

Wayne
 

DCBluesman

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Jim-- I've got a couple of Regency and Ambassador kits I will sell you at cost if you want to try them before you jump in. The kit, while beautiful, has more than a few drawbacks including NO bushings.
 

Old Griz

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Originally posted by wayneis
<br />See Rich K. article in Woodturning Design, these kits do not have bushings, you have to make your own. I have to say that I bought a few kits from them and I was not happy at all. <b>The finish on the metal is the worst that I have ever seen</b>. I did a couple Ambassadors but have not got around to the Regency yet.

Wayne

Well the metal finish is going to keep me away from these.. I don't mind making bushings.. .but I will not tolerate bad plating
 

jkoehler

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200592814648_regency.jpg
<br />

here is the picture of the pens from the Woodchuckers site.
 

scubaman

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Originally posted by wayneis
<br />See Rich K. article in Woodturning Design, these kits do not have bushings, you have to make your own. I have to say that I bought a few kits from them and I was not happy at all. The finish on the metal is the worst that I have ever seen. I did a couple Ambassadors but have not got around to the Regency yet.
While I don't think the finish is outstanding, what I had was quite good. It's 24k, but this does not appear to be the 24k that you just look at wrong and it disappears. Don't know what the plating thickness is. I sold a few and have not had complaints

Wayne, which finish are you talking about? I would steer anyone away from their silver finish (I found out with the Ambassador I made a few years ago), but it sounds to me like you're saying any finish from woodchuckers/Crafts Supply UK is terrible - and I don't think that is correct.

The lack of bushings should not deter anyone that's been making pens for a while. It's certainly not a 'casual' pen - it takes a little effort, consider it a challenge. The method I dscribe in the article is without bushings.
 

wood-of-1kind

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Hello all,

I have visited Woodchuckers since I live and work in Toronto. Mr. John is the owner and a heck of a nice guy. He stands behind the products that he sells and I'm sure that the plating is not so bad. I am not an expert at plating recognition but the kits that I've examined were of good quality. As a member as already mentioned, the (Regency)kits do not have bushings available and this may be drawback for a novice turner.

-Peter-[:)]
I have NO fiscal advantage for promoting Woodchuckers, but give them a try and I think you will be pleasantly surprised by their pricing and overall service.
 

scubaman

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Originally posted by wood-of-1kind
<br />the (Regency)kits do not have bushings available and this may be drawback for a novice turner.
Aboslutley, this is NOT a beginner's pen!
I have NO fiscal advantage for promoting Woodchuckers, but give them a try and I think you will be pleasantly surprised by their pricing and overall service.
Me neither, and I agree wholeheartedly, I only know John by email and phone, and have been very happy in my dealings with them. But the silver plating is still one I would advice anyone to stay away from [;)]

Having done group buys from woodchuckers before, I should point out that the discount is on mix and match - it's very easy for a few people to come up to 20 kits, and then the pricing is very reasonable. He knows (by now [;)]) how to ship to the US to avoid extra charges at the border.
 

Old Griz

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OK, on the basis of Rich's evaluation of the plating I am in for 3 Regency Fountain Pens...
Rich, if I am not mistaken the Ambassador is an extremely big pen, am I correct... how does the size compare to say a Gentleman or El Grande...
 

scubaman

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Originally posted by Old Griz
<br />Rich, if I am not mistaken the Ambassador is an extremely big pen, am I correct... how does the size compare to say a Gentleman or El Grande...
The Ambassador is bigger than the Gentleman. Same drills, tubes nearly exactly the same. The center coupling is the best I've come across - better than Gentleman. But the clip is a pain... I like the kit in black.
 

Old Griz

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Originally posted by scubaman
<br />
Originally posted by Old Griz
<br />Rich, if I am not mistaken the Ambassador is an extremely big pen, am I correct... how does the size compare to say a Gentleman or El Grande...
The Ambassador is bigger than the Gentleman. Same drills, tubes nearly exactly the same. The center coupling is the best I've come across - better than Gentleman. But the clip is a pain... I like the kit in black.

Rich could you explain the problem with the clip on the Ambassador or have you written a tutorial on it somewhere... thanks
 

scubaman

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Originally posted by Old Griz
[brRich could you explain the problem with the clip on the Ambassador or have you written a tutorial on it somewhere... thanks
No, no tutorial. You are familiar with the clip channel you have to file with some kits I imagine. That goes straight in. The Ambassador's clip is angled, the angle faces out. It's just hard to make it look seamless. Not impossible to do, just awkward, and tough to get perfect. By 'perfect' I mean no gap around it.

It's a good basis for a large clipless pen :)
 

wayneis

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Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that every finish was bad, I was imperssed with some of there products. Now for what I didn't care for, actually it was the sterling silver and the black that I was not happy with. The silver looked scratched. The black was not nearly as bad but it wasn't the quality that I am used to getting from CSUSA or Berea which is where I get the bulk of my kits. As far as the black finish goes I may have just got a bad kit, we all know how that can happen. Rich is right about the clip on the Ambassador, other than that I really liked the kit. It is a little larger than the gent but I like the feel. It is a bear to get it to blend in. I guess what really ticked me off was that I made two and my finish came out really nice and because of how I goofed up the slot for the clip I'm stuck with two otherwise beautiful pens that I can't sell. I was so disapointed that the Regency kit is still setting in the draw.

If you want a short cut you can use the bushings from the Gentleman kit but you do need to use calipers because it is not exact, only a guide. The instructions that come with the kits are basicly only a line drawing, there is no step by step instructions, so if you are not an experenced pen maker this may not be the kit for you.

I have the big catalog of there's and I am going to try some other things that I have not seen anywhere else. This seems to be a rather large company and pen kits are only a small part of there business.

Wayne
 

wood-of-1kind

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Wayne and others,

Woodchuckers is NOT a large company at all. Mr. John basically operates out of a small room with an attached trailer. Yes, a trailer. Woodcraft is the large company that he represents but he has a small and limited inventory. That aside, shopping there can be a pleasant experience. By the way, Woodchuckers has a excellent selection of exotic wood blanks that he sells at fractional prices when compared to the regulars (CS, Woodturningz and even BB). You also have the advantage of purchasing with your higher valued 'greenbacks'.[:)]
 
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