I've shown a few of these hexagonal pens before but one of the tricky elements I hadn't shared was adding a pocket clip. I typically use the hidden ring approach and cut a small notch in the cap to allow the clip bar to pass through. That's pretty straightforward on cylindrical shaped pens as you can do it anywhere along the circumference of the cap. However when trying to cut that notch so that it's centrally positioned on one of the facets of the hexagonal cap, well, it's not quite so easy.
In the end I used an edge finder on my vertical mill in order to locate the position of each edge and then I cut the notch at the half way point. I did think of this approach at the start but spent quite a lot of time thinking how I'd do it without the mill, and even went to the lengths of making a small jig I thought I could use to align my cutting tool, but it wasn't particularly satisfactory.
The only thing I don't like about this approach is that I have to cut the notch before I shake and finish the cap (usually I'd do it last). This because I shape, sand and buff the pens by hand and in doing so I may damage the cap if I catch the notch or I may over do the sanding/polishing one side of the cap slightly, meaning the edge finder approach would provide inaccurate results when trying to find the centre. So even though it works well I'm still considering some other ideas.
Anyway here it is. It's pink and I very nearly kept it as I really like the way it looks but in the end I sold it. One of the pictures makes the clip look slightly off centre but it is a trick of the light. Honestly…
I've used my standard 13mm threads for the cap and it's fitted with a c/c fed Bock nib. The main body of the pen is cellulose acetate and the accent colours are acrylic with sterling silver trims.
Cheers
Ash
In the end I used an edge finder on my vertical mill in order to locate the position of each edge and then I cut the notch at the half way point. I did think of this approach at the start but spent quite a lot of time thinking how I'd do it without the mill, and even went to the lengths of making a small jig I thought I could use to align my cutting tool, but it wasn't particularly satisfactory.
The only thing I don't like about this approach is that I have to cut the notch before I shake and finish the cap (usually I'd do it last). This because I shape, sand and buff the pens by hand and in doing so I may damage the cap if I catch the notch or I may over do the sanding/polishing one side of the cap slightly, meaning the edge finder approach would provide inaccurate results when trying to find the centre. So even though it works well I'm still considering some other ideas.
Anyway here it is. It's pink and I very nearly kept it as I really like the way it looks but in the end I sold it. One of the pictures makes the clip look slightly off centre but it is a trick of the light. Honestly…
I've used my standard 13mm threads for the cap and it's fitted with a c/c fed Bock nib. The main body of the pen is cellulose acetate and the accent colours are acrylic with sterling silver trims.
Cheers
Ash
