Pentel Graph Gear 1000 Automatic Drafting Pencil - Design/Turn a custom pencil based on Pentel?

[SteveG]

Has anyone made their own custom drafting pencil using the Pentel Graph Gear 1000? It looks like a great pencil, and may be very complex to make a custom turned pencil. Has anyone tried this, and would you be willing to share your experiences?

 

[SteveG]

I have no responses after 100 views, so would like to expand my request. Does anyone have experience using ANY design or brand of mech pencil as the core for turning your own custom casing? Any inputs would be appreciated, even if your answer may be a suggestion to forget it because of whatever may be the basis for that warning!

 

[derekdd]

No. I've avoided turning pencils due to my experiences with less expensive click pens and how crappy the mechanisms are. However, everyone likes the Schmidt mechanism for clicks. I'm guessing there's an equivalent for mechanical pencils.

When I look at Penn State's offerings, all their nicer MPs ($15+) are 8mm or more. I'm familiar with the above Pentel as I've owned a couple before, and think those are 7mm.

I'd be very curious to hear/see what you come up with if you decide to go this route.

 

[duncsuss]

Do you mean something like this? It's a standard Pentel mechanism (either the blue or yellow body, one is 0.5mm and the other 0.7mm).

A member here makes and sells a step-drill to make the square lip inside the barrel - I remember his real name is John Ground, but don't remember his IAP handle, sorry.

Alternatively, Don Ward has posted a tutorial (I think using a slimline tube), the end result looks a bit different.

 

[SteveJ]

The Pentel 200 series comes in .3, .5, .7, and .9 mm lead. It makes a nice base for a turned mechanical pencil.

 

[SteveG]

Thanks for your responses. I have ordered the mech-pencil that I have posted, and once I have it, will evaluate if suitable for rework into a custom pencil. It looks to be complex due to the design of the retracting mechanism, which uses the clip to retract both the lead and the metal sleeve that surrounds that lead. I will update, once decisions are made. These responses will help in that process.

 

[dogcatcher]

I have looked at this Pentel, even bought one to experiment with. I think a wood "body" is possible but in my opinion the costs and the labor/time would make a sales price most buyers would no want to pay.

I make a lot of the Pentels, turn the blank to 5/8. Then using my collet chuck do the step drilling. My "mandrel" is a 6" piece of 1/4" steel rod. One end drilled and tapped for a 1" long 8-32 hex cap screw. One round of painters tape makes a perfect fit.

Making 12 at a time I can average less than 30 minutes per pen from cutting the blanks to final assembly.

 

[derekdd]

I have looked at this Pentel, even bought one to experiment with. I think a wood "body" is possible but in my opinion the costs and the labor/time would make a sales price most buyers would no want to pay.

I make a lot of the Pentels, turn the blank to 5/8. Then using my collet chuck do the step drilling. My "mandrel" is a 6" piece of 1/4" steel rod. One end drilled and tapped for a 1" long 8-32 hex cap screw. One round of painters tape makes a perfect fit.

Making 12 at a time I can average less than 30 minutes per pen from cutting the blanks to final assembly.

That's impressive!

 

[jrista]

Thanks for your responses. I have ordered the mech-pencil that I have posted, and once I have it, will evaluate if suitable for rework into a custom pencil. It looks to be complex due to the design of the retracting mechanism, which uses the clip to retract both the lead and the metal sleeve that surrounds that lead. I will update, once decisions are made. These responses will help in that process.

I think the big challenge would be getting the lever action clip structures supported. It looks like you would need at least one, if not two elongated openings in the blank. Froom the photo, the metal tube looks pretty thin, a millimeter or so? If you turned a wood blank that thin, and had a mechanism inside, the blank might not hold up well. Either to the process of cutting those slots, or general use?

Maybe there is a way to thicken the blank at that point, so its more durable. I guess I can't say more without seeing what is actually inside this pen. Maybe there is a core tube or something that would support the blank better in the long run.

 

[SteveG]

Great responses...very helpful. I used to make my living making/selling pens, mostly kit items. Retired now. So this would just be a hobby project. I have ordered, but not yet rec'd the pencil. So just working on thoughts from viewing the photo. The upper pencil body is cylindrical, so the answer may be to utilize the upper body as a tube, and turn a thin-wall piece, adding the necessary slots to accommodate the mechanical workings. At the cost of about $10 for the pencil, I can certainly afford to tear one down to investigate, realizing that it may never again be a functioning mech-pencil. Thanks to all.

 

[SteveG]

Hey friends, I am going to provide a partial answer to my own question. I rec'd the above pictured mech-pencil today. I will not have the time to pursue this project right away, and will post a new thread when I do. So here are some initial observations:

The upper barrel is cylindrical, and appears that it could be disassembled, to be used as a tube for mounting a wood blank, with the idea of turning a nice looking upper barrel with a diameter the same or slightly larger than the finger-grip lower barrel. The wood barrel would require milling of two slots to allow the functioning of the clip. What is really nice about the retracting function is that BOTH the lead AND the thin metal support piece retract, leaving the next-step-up in size metal piece un-retracted. Thus no thin anything still sticking out to poke your shirt pocket and/or get damaged. I really like that design. I have not had a mech-pencil for many years, so I do not know if this method of retracting is common to other mech-pencils, for example the ones shown in Duncan's post above. (Those are very nice, BTW.)

The upper tube measures about .334"diameter, the lower .381". So with thinly turned wood added to the upper barrel, it would result in nicely balanced aesthetics for this conversion of the Pentel writing instrument.

I lived for about 40 years and on three different islands in Hawaii, and have acquired and saved some pieces of the MOST beautiful curly Koa anyone has ever seen! That is what might appear on this project, if I can dis-, and re-assemble the writing instrument without destroying it.