I've been thinking about why...

[DurocShark]

Kits are made the way they are, while thinking about kitless designs.

Most kits have metal at each end of each barrel. Part of the reason is to make the building of the kit easy. You only have to turn the barrels between the bushings and voila you have a pen.

But I was checking out some pens at Pelican, and found many of those have metal at the ends too. Hmmm... So I picked up a scrap of my resin and tossed it onto my concrete floor. On the edges I got some small chips. I would think that damage would be magnified on a thin cap or other barrel.

Could the metal at the ends be there to help protect the pen from damage when treated poorly? Would a more durable kitless pen result from using metal in more places than appears to be common?

I'm just letting my mind wander here and would appreciate the thoughts of more experienced penmakers.

 

[hebertjo]

I build radio control planes and one of the saying common in those circles is " Build it to fly, not to crash." I would think the same can be said for pens. If we built them so that they could withstand dropping on a concrete floors then some styles would never be built. That said they need to be strong enough to last a lifetime of normal use.

My 2 cents,

 

[cnirenberg]

Don,
I'm in no way an experienced pen-maker, but I have broke a bunch of pens. I had finished up a clip-less pen and my daughter had set it down after looking at it. Of course it rolled off of the counter top and bounced into a few (10) pieces after touching down on the tile. I have dropped a clicker a few times and the resin body has not cracked or chipped yet. Go figure.
I would think it is a function of how it is dropped, on what it is dropped on and what part of the pen it lands on, as well as the weight of the pen. I'm no fan of the kit style pens, but putting a brass/aluminum tip on them would introduce a balance issue to deal with prior to dropping it (assuming one were to copy a Gent style pen). Good question, I'm bookmarking this one.

 

[cnirenberg]

Just thought of this, I have a Waterman FP, it is failry inexpensive, but the only metal it has is the nib and clip. The finial on the cap is black plastic and so is the body. I try not to drop this one though.

 

[BRobbins629]

IMO, pens should be designed for aesthetics and ergonomics of writing, not their ability to withstand drops. Certainly the look, weight and placement of metal or lack of it can contribute to these attributes. There are many beautiful and balanced pens with and with out metal.

 

[DCBluesman]

Kit pens are a long way from being in the minority in having metal findings at each end.

Conway Stewart

David Oscarson

Dunhill

Grayson Tighe

I think the metal "trim" (for those who object to the term findings) is more a matter of taste in design. For me, eliminating metal does not equate to making a pen more attractive.

In terms of durability, with a reasonable amount of care, a pen should last a long time. Accidents, carelessness and abuse will reduce the useful life considerably.

 

[DennisM]

Umm WOW! Not to hijack a thread, but OMG, what makes those pens worth 450-800 bucks? I have seen IMO much better looking pens here, and I would assume they also write nearly if not better as well.

But hey, if you can get it get... *wish i could!

Kit pens are a long way from being in the minority in having metal findings at each end.

Conway Stewart

David Oscarson

Dunhill

Grayson Tighe

I think the metal "trim" (for those who object to the term findings) is more a matter of taste in design. For me, eliminating metal does not equate to making a pen more attractive.

In terms of durability, with a reasonable amount of care, a pen should last a long time. Accidents, carelessness and abuse will reduce the useful life considerably.

 

[cnirenberg]

In terms of durability, with a reasonable amount of care, a pen should last a long time. Accidents, carelessness and abuse will reduce the useful life considerably.

Now those are my kids you are referring to.....

 

[DurocShark]

Well, one of my Zen customers is VERY happy it has the metal ends. He hangs it by the clip (on the magnetic cap) from his shirt. If he bumps it too hard the pen goes flying, leaving the cap on his shirt. It's held up admirably with just scratches.

 

[Dan_F]

Some of those factory pens may also have just a thin metal shell over plastic for caps and finials (just a guess on my part). My biggest complaint about kit pens is that they are too heavy, even the Churchill and El Grande. I used to like heavy pens, but have gradually changed my opinion of them, after using some vintage, and full sized kitless pens. I find heavy pens tiring to write more than a brief note with.

Dan

 

[RAdams]

"I'm terribly sorry to hear that. It dropped how far? What were you doing leaning over the oil change pit? Yeah I bet it IS broke. Did you find all of the pieces? OOOH, I wouldn't have stuck my hand in that either. It's ok. I may not be able to fix that pen, but i made it, so i can reproduce it for $....."

That's the conversation i am dreading. I am new to closed end with only three so far, so i am still dumbfounded by it, but i do indeed build my pens like a drift race car. It's all about the looks and the handling!