Kitless Aluminum Rollerball or Fountain Pen

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More4dan

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My second kitless pen this week. On this one I recessed the clip ring for a cleaner look. It did help kill another hour or so. The pen is made from 6061 Aluminum with an Acrylic Acetate front section. The section was designed to work with a Schmidt PRS rollerball nib, a Schmidt #5 FP nib, and a #5 JOWO nib. It's nice and light at 29 grams with the cap and 16 grams without.

The body is 11mm and the cap is 12.5mm. I used an 11mm triple start thread for the cap and a 9mm thread for the section. This is about as small as I can get a #5 FP using a Schmidt ink converter. I stepped drilled the cap and body to give just enough clearance for the nib and converter and allow room for the tapers. Hope you like it, comments and suggestions are always welcome.

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55280ABA-3AF6-4F04-98EF-C2D1A709A8DD.jpeg

Danny
 
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More4dan

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Another very slick pen Danny, you are on a roll.

Are the cap threads aluminium on aluminium ? If so , how do they feel ?
They are aluminum on aluminum and feel decent. For the triple threads I like a little drag, it keeps them from coming loose on their own. I usually put a little Brasso on my metal threads and work them in and out a few times. They come out buttery smooth.

Danny
 

More4dan

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Looks really sharp.

The seam for the clip is barely visible, very nice.
Thanks.
I assembled the cap and finial before turning the taper and kept them together through final finishing. Getting the finial unscrewed took some work with a rubber pad used for unscrewing jar lids. I had to sand the ring of the clip in a few places to get the finial to set all the way back down on the cap in the original location.

Danny
 

NT_2112

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That's funny. I made an aluminum pill case and had the exact same issue getting the lid to unscrew.

The lathe part was extremely easy since it was a simple cylinder.

When the maker space reopens, I want to try using a template on the metal lathe. Probably aluminum, brass prices are a lot higher than I expected them to be.
 

Ironwood

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Ok, thanks for that. The reason I asked, I made an aluminium pen years ago, from memory I used 1/2" unf single start threads for the cap. They didn't feel smooth, and the cap always came loose. The aluminium stock I used was an unknown grade, probably wasn't the proper grade for machining as it didn't cut as smoothly as the rods I now use for my bullet pen parts.
 

darrin1200

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That is beautiful Danny. The splash of colour with the aluminum looks great.
How do you set the stop for your cap? I cut a lip inside the cap for the section to butt up against, I was wondering if you do something similar?
 

More4dan

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That is beautiful Danny. The splash of colour with the aluminum looks great.
How do you set the stop for your cap? I cut a lip inside the cap for the section to butt up against, I was wondering if you do something similar?

I use to set a stop too but I didn't like the ridge right where I hold the pen. The OD of the threads are flush with the body. I control the number of turns with the length of the threads. The cap screws to the end of the threads. I can either trim the length of the body or the cap to adjust them. I prefer to adjust the body length. I also count the turns of the die when threading. I will the reverse the die and turn again to get rid of the taper at the end of the thread.

This works best with the triple start thread when tightened it stops against three threads equally around the cap. With a single thread it can tilt the cap when tightened requiring a shoulder to keep it square.

Danny


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Lovely pen Danny, have to start working on that pattern tracing modification you have made. Like the curves you achieve on the metal lathe.

I have been using the carbide insert cutter lately as per one of your posts and it works a charm. Never have to use sanding paper of a grit below 400.
 

darrin1200

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I use to set a stop too but I didn't like the ridge right where I hold the pen. The OD of the threads are flush with the body. I control the number of turns with the length of the threads. The cap screws to the end of the threads. I can either trim the length of the body or the cap to adjust them. I prefer to adjust the body length. I also count the turns of the die when threading. I will the reverse the die and turn again to get rid of the taper at the end of the thread.

This works best with the triple start thread when tightened it stops against three threads equally around the cap. With a single thread it can tilt the cap when tightened requiring a shoulder to keep it square.

Danny


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app
I don't use a lip near the barrel threads. My cap threads are just about flush on the barrel. I create a lip deep inside the cap, for the nib end of the section to but up agains. I also find that this gives a slight seal and a smaller open space around the nib when closed. I have heard that this can help with pressure variations when flying.

I found that when I let the cap cap threads act as their own stop, I had to many crack. This is mostly from the cap being over tightened, but it didn't take much and was usually done by accident. Did you also find this, and did you find a way around it?
The only way around this that I found, was to make the walls of my caps thicker. However, this usually didn't work with my designs.
 
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