Well done Jeff. That is really great and the clip is fantastic!!!
When you laminated the clip, did you have it in some sort of jig to get the shape?
I do Steve. I cut a 3/4" piece of plywood, lets just say it's 3"x4" long for sake of measuring, since it's not that important. I set a cigar clip on edge in the center of the scrap and trace it, then extend the end lines out. I cut the line with my scroll saw. I paste wax the jig inside and out so glue won't stick to it, therefore the same jig can be re-used forever. The wood is run through the drum sander until it is very thin. I put some water in a tray and soak the thin strips for about 30 minutes. Pull the strips out and wipe off the excess water then apply gorilla glue to the strips. Gorilla glue likes wet wood best, and wet wood bends better. Place the strips in the jig and clamp it closed and let dry over night. You must let it completely dry. If you take it out too early and the wood is still a bit damp, then the wood will warp out of shape <damhikt> You can't use a burl or curly wood for this style of a clip because it will break. You want hard wood with straight grain and no figure. I contour the inside of the clip where it attaches so that it matches the barrel. I drill two holes the same diameter as the nails through the clip and the pen. I clip the nails so they are the same length as the thickness of the clip and the wall of the pen. rough up the nails with sandpaper. apply epoxy in holes and a tiny bit on surface between holes. I use a pistol grip clamp, I remove the rubber on the side that will touch the nails..I press the nails and clip into the pen then let sit for a couple hours, done. The clip is solid, it has nice flex to it and is barely thicker than a kit cigar clip. It is 1/4" wide. I was going to scroll some music notes into the clip too, but it was too much. Sometimes you have to hold back...just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
My pen is finished in acrylic urethane. I wet sand, polish and wax the pen, but not the cap. I wet sand the cap, I attach the clip and then I hand polish and wax the cap. If you were to wax the cap before installing the clip, then the glue would not stick.
