Question on moving up from slimlines

[Ron in Illinois]

I have made several slimline pens and a few gasby pens. What kits do you use or recommend to move up to learn click pens and fountain pens.
Remember I am still learning.
Thanks
Ron

 

[firewhatfire]

The long click is what I recommend for any click pen. Jr gent 2 for a larger pen set. Can be a rollerball or fountain pen.

 

[Gilrock]

I like the Jr Statesman and Jr Gent II kits. You can get them in fountain pen or rollerball versions. What I like is that both kits take the same size tubes so you can create the cap and body sections and then decide whether to put them on the more expensive Jr Statesman kit or if you are unhappy with some aspect of them just stick them on the Jr Gent II kit.

 

[alphageek]

I just got my first long click pens because they seem to look REALLY good so far and I like the longer blank available on this (like a zen).

Agree on the Jr Gent 2 series for fountain starter. If you get a REALLY good blank, you can step it up to a Jr Statesman if desired without changing anything.

 

[thewishman]

If you can turn slimlines, you can turn anything. A couple of styles require a tenon, but other than that, there is nothing more difficult in turning barrels on any other kit.

 

[mbroberg]

Ron,

You'll be receiving a lot of opinions on this. Here's mine. The vast majority of click pens and fountain pens are not more difficult to turn than slimlines. In fact, a slimline, when turned straight without contours or bulges is one of the most difficult pens to turn because the barrels are so thin. If you can turn a slimline you can turn just about any other kit. There are some kits, I believe the European is one of them, that requires you to turn a tenon. You may want to stay away from those if your not comfortable with that. Otherwise, try a long clicker or any of the Jr. series kits.

Edit in: Gee, when I started typing this no one else had responded yet. :tongue:

 

[juteck]

Barons and Sedonas are also nice to move into for capped pens, and cigars for a different type of twist pen. For click pens, I'll vote for the long click as well.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

 

[jcm71]

If you can turn slimlines, you can turn anything. A couple of styles require a tenon, but other than that, there is nothing more difficult in turning barrels on any other kit.

+1 on what Chris says, especially if turning a straight pen with no contours. Pick something you like and turn it. Fountain pens are just as easy as rollerballs. To improve your skills, turn a kit that requires a tenon, as suggested above. Then when you get confidence try closed end pens, and then if you get really good; kitless pens. Also, experiment with turning with different woods and materials. Don;t forget the finish. Friction polish is a heck of a lot easier that finishing with CA. Have fun.

 

[greggas]

For click pens I'd recommend the Vertex from PSI ( and other resellers) or the long clicker from craft supply

I think the click mechanism on the Vertex is excellent the hexagonal masculine look is very popular with many of my clients. Also a simp,e one piece kit.

The clicker also has a nice mechanism but can be a bit more challenging while drilling the tube , due to it's length, depending on you drilling method and diameter of blanks.

Good luck

 

[Ulises Victoria]

I can't add anything to what has been said, except... don't be afraid of new things and learn to cut a tenon. It is really not that difficult and there will be a new technique you have learned. I am constantly experimenting and trying new things. Some work some don't but remember that "Every failure is a step towards success".

 

[paintspill]

i'm not going to add a kit name as everyone is doing a good job at that already. what i will say is which ever pen you decide on i would recommend getting the starter kit of that pen. it will have everything you need and you won't be trying to figure out bushing and drill bit sizes, they all come with the kit. most importantly, pick a kit that your really like. as said above, they are all equally difficult/easy to turn.

 

[ALexG]

I would step up to the Classic or European which require a tenon and is not difficult, you will challenge yourself at the beginning, just follow the instructions and test the center band with the tenon and the upper barrel for a nice fit, that's it, the rest is the usual stuff. I don't know what you've done so far, but beyond the kit you may challenge yourself by different materials and finishes you know, Wood, Acrylic, tru-stone and do some segmenting and why not your own casting.

 

[Ulises Victoria]

Ron: Maybe you are missing all the different ways to turn Slimlines. :wink:

Turning Modified Slimline Pens: Beyond the Basics by Don Ward - Schifferbooks.com

 

[avbill]

I would suggest the Jr Gentlemen Series. B/C these kkit will allow you to use
jr statesmen- Jr Retro - Venus - all with the same bushing and drills.

Two other kits can use the same drill 12.5 & 10.5 the triton & atrax.

 

[OOPS]

It is hard to recommend kits without knowing exactly what your skill level is. Others have made their suggestions, so here's mine. Have you considered the Atlas, or Polaris (and maybe other names as well.) It is a single barrel, but unlike a straight cut from bushing to bushing, this pen requires a slight taper to the nib. It also comes in a click form (available from Penn State and their resellers.) I have not tried the click version yet, but have made plenty of the twist versions. This kit is also easy to modify as 3/8" tubes are available, so you can make a "stretch" version of this pen to hold your favorite gel refill. It comes in a number of platings too. Its worth considering.

 

[ghostrider]

Ron,

You'll be receiving a lot of opinions on this. Here's mine. The vast majority of click pens and fountain pens are not more difficult to turn than slimlines. In fact, a slimline, when turned straight without contours or bulges is one of the most difficult pens to turn because the barrels are so thin. If you can turn a slimline you can turn just about any other kit. There are some kits, I believe the European is one of them, that requires you to turn a tenon. You may want to stay away from those if your not comfortable with that. Otherwise, try a long clicker or any of the Jr. series kits.

Edit in: Gee, when I started typing this no one else had responded yet. :tongue:

Some excellent points here.

I would add to this:
Tenons: Not all are equal. Tenons that require cutting down to the brass tubes are not so bad at all, and if you chose you can cut the blank to size and glue it in place so you don't have to cut the tenon as it is already in place. A good example is the Streamline American Classic, and New Series from Berea.


While I do like the Jr. series, they are a bit more in $$. Right now you can get a Streamline series from Berea for $5 for the Rollerbal (non round top) platinum, and $8.70 for the fountain (Round Top) version. PSI also sells them (Classic Elite/Classic Elite 2), and Woodturningz has their own version, and it just came out in chrome. I have only turned the Berea version in Gold Ti so far, and will say that I like it enough to order more. It's based on the 1920's Parker Doufold, and has quad threading that only requires 1/4 twist to post and un-post. $5 is about the cheapest foray into rollerballs you can get. For the fountain pens there is the Atrax, New Series/ etc... Of all these, the Jr series seems to be more popular around these parts if your not going kitless. One of our members even started his penmaking kitless, and didn't even use a kit untill doing many kitless pens. Of the ones I've listed, the Berea kits are a bit more moderatly prices for a first try, yet are still not "throw-a-way practice" types. My last Streamline American sold for $60 (Gold Ti), and it was my favorite peice before selling it.

Click:
The Long Clickers are cool. That long barrel, combined with a 3/8" barrel that is nearly as thick as a Cigar once turned is enough to garner attention, but the assembled pen makes it even better with the classy looking hardware.

Another Click that is nice is the Vertex from PSI. While it doesn't come in "premium" platings, and is shorter than the Long Clicker, it is a well constructed piece, and the silent click is kinda neat.

 

[Gilrock]

Yeah I wouldn't be afraid of making a Euro with a tenon. I actually brought one home from the store the day I bought my first penmaking supplies because my son liked the kit and the guy told me it was too hard for a beginner so I had to take the challenge. It's actually pretty easy if you have an 1/8" parting tool to make the tenon. The bushing kit has a ring that slides and you just keep whittling down the tenon until that ring will snugly slide across the tenon.

Also you might have fun trying some segmenting with wood...just buy two different types of wood blanks with complementary colors and cut and glue them together at 45 degree angles a couple times and then make a single barrel pen. Use one of the kits like Sierra, Berea, Wall Street II, or any of the other 37 names for that size pen. This was my first try at segmenting wood...I believe the entire pen was about $12 of materials.


Edit:
I was looking for the tutorial link that I used when I made that pen...I found it here:
http://penmakersguild.com/articles/segmentturorial.pdf
After looking at the tutorial I had to laugh because I remember what happened...I totally failed at following that tutorial. If you take a look at the pen I posted above and this one below you can see how similar the wood colors are to that tutorial. I ended up scraping the idea to use the two sections in one pen and made two different pens because they weren't coming out as planned....mainly cause I had trouble cutting the slices the right size.

The pen that was made from the other half: