Any South African making kit less pens?

[Eddie Scott]

Hallo

I live in South Africa and am eager to start making kit less pens . To get started i need some assistance from someone closer to home . My biggest concern is that it seems that no single supplier of nibs, nib- holders, tap and die sets , taps etc is available . Unfortunately the postage fees to South Africa and the dollar to rand ratio makes ordering from different suppliers very , very expensive. If i could buy a complete set of the above from someone and pay a once of postage fee , i would be able to afford.Metric tap and die sets should be available in SA. I have read the Library on beginning to start kit-less pens , but get more confused by the day. I would like to start with 5mm bock nibs and nibholders and feeds , can someone indicate the correct tap/ die sizes i will need to make a first kitless pen with one of the above nibs . I have a metal lathe and knife-making experience.
Any help will be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[mredburn]

I use 6.5 x .5 for the nib. You can use 6.4 x.5 but the threads tend to drag because of imperfections in the injection process. Slightly out of round or small fins from the mold seam. Dies are available if you dont want to make your own.

 

[mredburn]

As far as kitless pens you have made one decision, the nib. Now draw your pen body and think about the dimensions at the finial area and where the cap meets the body. Will you have a shoulder (typical) where the cap is larger in diameter than the body? will they be a smooth match? You will need to figure out the refill system you want to use. Cartridge/convertor, pump, other? If you do the cartridge or convertor you may want to make a front section that will need threads. The size you pick will start to define the pen at that point . It has to be thick enough to hold the threads and thin enough to fit in the cap. The next step is to determine the cap threads. They have to be large enough that the front section will fit through the finished threaded hole. That will help define your cap dimensions.

 

[mredburn]

A typical set up might consist of the 6.5 x.5 nib threads. 9 mm or 10 mm threads for the front section. I prefer .75 pitch but any pitch can work. larger pitches mean smaller holes and you need to get a converter or cartridge through them. The smallest I use is 8.4 x.75mm. You might want to use 12mm or 13mm for the cap threads although if you have a beefy pen you could go larger. The material you make the pen parts from will impact your choices as well. Metal of course can take thinner walls between inner and outer threads while resins or other materials need to be thicker. That being said I have threaded wood with 10x.75 mm threads on the inside and 12 x .75mm on the outside for the front connector. I used a tap on the inside cut the outside down and single point threaded the outside, I used a threaded plug to support the inside while cutting them. You might do a search on "simple wooden pen" to find some examples.

 

[Mike02]

Regarding taps and dies in South Africa, I would have a look at Toolquip and Allied. They have an online catalogue. They will be more expensive than a set from the hardware store, but the quality is good.