Fold Over Pen Clips

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hokie

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As a kitless pen turner, I really like the concept of the fold over style of pen clip (or pegged in some cases) to create a more seamless look to my pen caps. So I was really excited to see one is actually sold commercially and through Exoticblanks.com!

Unfortunately, I'm not crazy about the styling of the one for sale at the moment and was curious if it's a concept we can maybe expect to see more variety of in the future or if this is a one-off kinda thing?

I'd be absolutely thrilled if the unplated steel clip on offer at the moment was available without the ring since I like the simple, organic look it has, but I know I may be shooting for the moon on that.

Are there other sources for the fold over/ringless variety other than DIY?

Thanks in advance!
 
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bmachin

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Elliot Landes at Penmakers.com has or at least used to have that style clip.

You Really don't need to use a tabbed clip though. There are many clips available that have rings with quite small outside diameters that are easily buried in a recess in the cap.

The clip that you linked to would work, but your cap would need to be about 14mm in diameter at the point where you install the clip.

Check Exotic Blanks, richardlgreenwald.com, beaufortink.co.uk. There are others as well, but these can get you started.

Bill
 
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hokie

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Falls Church, Virginia
Elliot Landes at Penmakers.com has or at least used to have that style clip.

You Really don't need to use a tabbed clip though. There are many clips available that have rings with quite small outside diameters that are easily buried in a recess in the cap.

Check Exotic Blanks, richardlgreenwald.com, beaufortink.co.uk. There are others as well, but these can get you started.

Bill

Thank you for the suggestions! I've visited those sites repeatedly hoping I might have missed something and came up empty handed. I agree that the clips with the small diameter rings are a good idea, except that I am trying my best to avoid having to split the cap into a body and finial arrangement that secures the clip in. I'd rather do something like this:

yIymIFC.png


I've done it my using the hidden clip method for some kit pens that is outlined in a couple tutorials on this site, but cutting the ring, reshaping the ring, and inserting the ring through a small slit without causing damage is somewhat challenging. A simple insert and secure method would make my life a lot easier.
 
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Terredax

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What material are you wanting?

Would something like this work?
The shape could be anything, and it can be pre-bent, or you could put the bends in yourself. It's 1.5" long, and the dimensions could be any size.







q6Hz6wS.png
 

hokie

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With the fold-over clip, do you just glue it in the hole ?

Good question. In some examples I've seen (including the one one exotic blanks), there is a small hole in the portion that inserts into the cap...which presumably allows you to either secure it with a small screw inside the cap or allow for glue to create a better bond. When I did the hidden clips, I would glue and then slide a plug into the cap to prevent the clip from breaking free of the glue should the clip get lifted from the outside.
I imagine alternatively that a slit could be cut like in the image above and just a really strong epoxy or something to keep it in if access to the hollow part inside the cap isn't available to secure the clip.
 

hokie

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Joined
May 29, 2017
Messages
285
Location
Falls Church, Virginia
What material are you wanting?

Would something like this work?
The shape could be anything, and it can be pre-bent, or you could put the bends in yourself. It's 1.5" long, and the dimensions could be any size.

I've actually experimented with creating my own clips to the specs I'm looking for. The only problem is the labor that goes into it is daunting. Here is a first go at me adding a clip in the manner I've been describing to one of my own pens...

J4K0uGx.jpg


That pic was taken for demonstration purposes and the clip hadn't been secured or anything. It was made with 304 stainless steel sheet and I have no idea about how it would hold up or function in terms of it's bendability/springiness before literally getting bent out of shape. I imagine using anything softer than steel would be a problem unless it was really thick. I am experimenting with nickel silver and am hopeful it is easier to work with some decent strength behind it.

So the hope was that I could procure clips made for the purpose of being pen clips with pen clip properties, already designed to suit my aesthetic needs. I see they got halfway there by offering the fold-over option, but went a little goofy with the creativity aspect by making it wavy (in my opinion at least).
 
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