hokie
Member
Hi everyone!
Lately I've been steering my kitless pen making away from fountain pens and toward more user friendly click and twist style pens for uncapped ballpoints and rollerballs.
Twist style pens have been easy enough to develop because the transmissions are widely available and the threads are fairly standard. I want to take my pens to the next level and incorporate a click mechanism instead for the ultimate in convenience. It seems Schmidt makes the Cadillac of click mechanisms with their SKM-88 and 192 models. While their SKM-88 is easier to use, it doesn't fit the aesthetic I want in my pens. I know folks have been successful in turning away a lot of the bulky parts of it, but that's not something I'm too interested in doing. I'm also not sure about the ability to make a custom button either.
The SKM-192 appears to be the perfect option for the most flexibility, but unfortunately once Richard Greenwald closed up shop, it seems no one else has ever sold the tap to go along with the unique thread size of M4.2 x 0.35. I did run across this thread where someone suggested getting a #8-72 tap as a close fit, but as my luck would have it, not a single manufacturer makes those anymore either! I want my pens as repairable as possible (even by their owners), so gluing and pressing the mechanism into custom sleeves or couplings isn't super appealing to me.
All that being said, I requested a quote from Tapco for the proper tap size and got the following:
Can anyone smarter than me confirm these specifications in bold would be suitable? I once bought a bock nib housing tap from a group buy that *should* have been D20 and instead was D3, making the tapped threads too tight and therefore useless. I had no clue that was even a thing! Maybe I could send them a sample SKM-192 to confirm the specifications.
I know there may not be a ton of us out there, but if there are a few who are interested in resurrecting this tap from the grave, we could save a bunch. I'm in for at least two of them regardless of how many others are interested. I'm also willing to manage the whole process. I've reached out to @Monty, the Group Buy Coordinator to make sure I'm doing everything Kosher and this is the first step I've chosen to go before diving in.
Sorry for the wall of text! Looking forward to hearing from anyone interested. Thanks!
Lately I've been steering my kitless pen making away from fountain pens and toward more user friendly click and twist style pens for uncapped ballpoints and rollerballs.
Twist style pens have been easy enough to develop because the transmissions are widely available and the threads are fairly standard. I want to take my pens to the next level and incorporate a click mechanism instead for the ultimate in convenience. It seems Schmidt makes the Cadillac of click mechanisms with their SKM-88 and 192 models. While their SKM-88 is easier to use, it doesn't fit the aesthetic I want in my pens. I know folks have been successful in turning away a lot of the bulky parts of it, but that's not something I'm too interested in doing. I'm also not sure about the ability to make a custom button either.
The SKM-192 appears to be the perfect option for the most flexibility, but unfortunately once Richard Greenwald closed up shop, it seems no one else has ever sold the tap to go along with the unique thread size of M4.2 x 0.35. I did run across this thread where someone suggested getting a #8-72 tap as a close fit, but as my luck would have it, not a single manufacturer makes those anymore either! I want my pens as repairable as possible (even by their owners), so gluing and pressing the mechanism into custom sleeves or couplings isn't super appealing to me.
All that being said, I requested a quote from Tapco for the proper tap size and got the following:
M4.2 x 0.35 6H HSS D3 4FL PLUG for brass
1 pc price = $202.40 each NET
2 pc price = $140.48 each NET
3 pc price = $101.76 each NET
6 pc price = $65.12 each NET
9 pc price = $48.32 each NET
12 pc price = $39.52 each NET
Manufacture time = 4-5 working days
1 pc price = $202.40 each NET
2 pc price = $140.48 each NET
3 pc price = $101.76 each NET
6 pc price = $65.12 each NET
9 pc price = $48.32 each NET
12 pc price = $39.52 each NET
Manufacture time = 4-5 working days
Can anyone smarter than me confirm these specifications in bold would be suitable? I once bought a bock nib housing tap from a group buy that *should* have been D20 and instead was D3, making the tapped threads too tight and therefore useless. I had no clue that was even a thing! Maybe I could send them a sample SKM-192 to confirm the specifications.
I know there may not be a ton of us out there, but if there are a few who are interested in resurrecting this tap from the grave, we could save a bunch. I'm in for at least two of them regardless of how many others are interested. I'm also willing to manage the whole process. I've reached out to @Monty, the Group Buy Coordinator to make sure I'm doing everything Kosher and this is the first step I've chosen to go before diving in.
Sorry for the wall of text! Looking forward to hearing from anyone interested. Thanks!
