The Beginning of the Kitless Rollerball Journey

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Ken Wines

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I purchased and put together a Sherline CNC ready metal lathe early in this year. It was a fun project and a learning experience. This first photo is a picture of my first kitless rollerball that was made using the new lathe. All of the threading (both internal and external threads) were cut on the lathe without the use of taps or dies. The Nib is connected to the body using basically a 48 TPI single start thread. The cap to body is also 48 TPI but with 6 starts. The cap will complete twist and seat in less than 2 revolutions. I spent probably at least a week studying threads to determine how to best cut them on the lathe. It's probably not the best pen I've made, but it's the first step in a new adventure. I stayed with a pretty basic profile but have all kinds of idea for future embellishments.
 

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Ken Wines

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Hi Ken, Glad to hear from you. It looks like you are having fun, and thats great. Nice start on the Kitless Journey.


Thanks, Mark. It's been a trying month for me. My 88 year old Mother was in the hospital for almost three weeks and eventually went to be with my departed Father. My desire to do much work in the shop just wasn't there, but I decided to embark on this new adventure to somewhat cope with life's events. I'm trying to get prepared for the SEPG event in Augusta at the end of the month.
 

mbroberg

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Looks good Ken, great start! And I'm sure your "future embelishments" will be as unique as your segmented blanks!
 

magpens

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Firstly ... Sincere condolences on your recent loss, Ken.

Secondly ... Congratulations on this pen ... It certainly shows much promise of exciting things to come.
 

Ken Wines

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Nice Ken! Congratulations! You've just crossed over to the dark side. I'm certain you will do well.
Thanks, Chuck. This type of work can be quite challenging when it comes to hollowing out the cavities of the body for the ink container. I'm a slow starter and tend to over engineer most things. It's a very rewarding experience when you get the sizing correct and the pieces all go together well. My head is spinning with the possibilities.
 

Ken Wines

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Ken,

If that is the first, I look forward to seeing what you will come up with next!

Jason

Thanks, Jason. I took the Kitless Fountain Pen class in Belphre last September and with the help and guidance of Mr. Steele made one. I knew at that time rollerballs are more to my liking than fountain pens and that would be my first pursuit once on my own.
 

Dalecamino

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Nice Ken! Congratulations! You've just crossed over to the dark side. I'm certain you will do well.
Thanks, Chuck. This type of work can be quite challenging when it comes to hollowing out the cavities of the body for the ink container. I'm a slow starter and tend to over engineer most things. It's a very rewarding experience when you get the sizing correct and the pieces all go together well. My head is spinning with the possibilities.

Since you've taken a class, and are cutting your own threads, I won't offer any recommendations. You are on your way, and I can't wait for more of your ideas to be shown.
 

Ken Wines

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Firstly ... Sincere condolences on your recent loss, Ken.

Secondly ... Congratulations on this pen ... It certainly shows much promise of exciting things to come.

Thanks for kind and comforting words, Mal. Mom was avid craftsperson in the realm of quilting. I used to watch her as she would spend hours meticulously hand stitching pieces together to make pieces and then stitching those pieces together to make a quilt. I think a lot of my appreciation for patterns comes from her. She made and gave away hundreds of quilts in her lifetime. I may have to try and find one of her unique patterns and incorporate into a wooden segmented pen blank as a memorial to her.
 

Ken Wines

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Sorry to hear about your Mothers Parsing, I love how you said that she "went to be with your departed Father" a beautiful, phrase.
Terrific Kitless Pen Ken,
Excellent Fine Threading and Machining.
Congratulations,
Brian.

Thanks, Brian. Mom was definitely an inspiration to me and my siblings. She loved to be busy and wanted to do most things for herself. When she was 84 she wanted a new lawnmower for her birthday. She had a "can do" attitude that just wouldn't quit. There's a big void now in my heart. Sundays are little difficult because that was the day we would go out for brunch. Life must and will go on and with time the impact of the loss will wane.
 

Pierre---

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Sorry for your Mum Ken, I know that; and about the pen, welcome in this fascinating word!
Btw, 48tpi (M .5 if I am correct), isn't a bit small and fragile?
 
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