Nine of these pens feature the feather pen blank artistry of Marla (aka Crickett) - I highly recommend these blanks for classy design, as well as smooth turning and brilliant polishing. . The other two pens have Alumilite blanks made by Eugene Soto (aka ElMostro) - very highly recommended also.
The pen kits have recently been reviewed excellently by edstreet http://www.penturners.org/forum/f96/zoe-r-b-crafts-140293/
The kits sell under different names depending on the vendor. . They use Parker-style refills in 8 mm tubes and so are a nice alternative to slimlines and are slightly bigger. . Double twist style transmission. . Just two platings shown - chrome and gold - but other platings may be available if you search.
The transmission screws solidly onto the center band. . Just a barely perceptible "wiggle" between the two barrels due to the design of the transmission - far better than the slimlines I have made. . The center band is solidly anchored to the lower barrel by a press fit into the brass tube (again, far better than slimlines).
I like the styling with the two crystals, one on the finial and one on the clip. . Just the right size for a lady and not too small for a man.
The upper barrel is straight-sided, having two equal size bushings. . The lower barrel has a slight taper at the nib end, so requires two bushings of slightly different size (0.392" and 0.412"). . Actually, I believe the nib should be redesigned and enlarged to 0.412" at the top end so that the lower barrel could also be straight-sided. . The straight barrel sidewalls are 0.052" thick, enough to allow a little turning artistry if you are careful. . You could, of course, make them a little thicker than that without excessive bulging.
So here they are, folks ! . Have a good look and feel free to post any comments that come to your minds.
Three cheers to Marla (Crickett) for her snazzy feather blanks !!!
The pen kits have recently been reviewed excellently by edstreet http://www.penturners.org/forum/f96/zoe-r-b-crafts-140293/
The kits sell under different names depending on the vendor. . They use Parker-style refills in 8 mm tubes and so are a nice alternative to slimlines and are slightly bigger. . Double twist style transmission. . Just two platings shown - chrome and gold - but other platings may be available if you search.
The transmission screws solidly onto the center band. . Just a barely perceptible "wiggle" between the two barrels due to the design of the transmission - far better than the slimlines I have made. . The center band is solidly anchored to the lower barrel by a press fit into the brass tube (again, far better than slimlines).
I like the styling with the two crystals, one on the finial and one on the clip. . Just the right size for a lady and not too small for a man.
The upper barrel is straight-sided, having two equal size bushings. . The lower barrel has a slight taper at the nib end, so requires two bushings of slightly different size (0.392" and 0.412"). . Actually, I believe the nib should be redesigned and enlarged to 0.412" at the top end so that the lower barrel could also be straight-sided. . The straight barrel sidewalls are 0.052" thick, enough to allow a little turning artistry if you are careful. . You could, of course, make them a little thicker than that without excessive bulging.
So here they are, folks ! . Have a good look and feel free to post any comments that come to your minds.
Three cheers to Marla (Crickett) for her snazzy feather blanks !!!
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