Pentel pencil - prototype #2

[Doug B]

This is my second attempt at making a decent pencil utilizing a Pentel mechanism.

Let me know your opinion on this one. Really, it is a work in progress in my search for a good pencil kit.




And here it is with a Pentel like it was created from.

[maverick31]

Id say it looks pretty good. I like the clip much better on your prototype than I do the original clip.

[sachbvn]

That looks really nice! It's probably fatter than I'd like in a pen/pencil - but I prefer thinner than the "norm" I guess.

Question - why is it that so many pen turners HATE making pencils? I've made a couple and haven't had much problem with them.... I've never really used one other than to try it out.... do they just suck in quality or what?


Zac

[Joe Lyddon]

That looks like the best pencil I've ever seen... a fine-point pencil...

Really COOL! ;D

[Ruffnek]

Looks great, Doug. I'd call that a success.

[Ruffnek]

Dec 11, 2009 6:42:51 GMT -6 sachbvn said:

Question - why is it that so many pen turners HATE making pencils?
Zac

I think the reason you don't see many pencils made is because they do not sell very well. Even the pen/pencil kits in a double display box will not sell very often. People just don't use a pencil nearly as often as a pen.

[sachbvn]

No chit Cody? To me - it would totally draw me in for an extra.....however much a "set" costs because I would think it's cool that it matches....plus I am a "complete-ist" probably.... I like things in sets..... I've actually had a couple people ask if I have pencils too (friends, and people I've shown my pens too) I tell them yes, I have pencil sets - but don't have them made up unless htey are with a "set"..... Hmmm... well - thanks for the heads up!

Zac

[Doug B]

Zac I am probably unique in this area because I have several very good clients that really prefer pencils. I have struggled with this because they always ask me for pencils and the ones I have tried are not the best quality. And every time I have asked about better quality pencils, I get the answer of "use Pentels".

But, the process for making Pentels that I have seen, always left something to be desired for me. They just don't have the proper finish look as far as I was concerned, and it is a fairly complex operation including step drills etc.

It just did not seem like a viable option for me, but it kept coming back again and again. Finally, someone wanted a .9MM lead pencil and I told them I would see what I could find. I felt sure that I could find a kit using .9MM lead, but I could not. That left me with only 2 options, call the customer back and tell them that I can't do a .9MM lead pencil, or figure out how to use a Pentel mechanism which come in .5MM, .7MM, and .9MM. So, I took a hard long look at some Pentel pencils and and found a solution that I was OK with. Not thrilled with, but OK with. I provided the pencil requested, but was still not completely happy with the results.

All of the Pentel re-works that I have seen other guys do leave the clip end as raw wood, and if they include a clip at all, they use the Pentel clip and turn a recess in the wood to hold that clip. I did not like that solution at all, and it just did not look professional. I used a Slimline Pro kit with 8MM tubes and the Pentel guts and nib. Worked great, but the resulting pencil was just a bit too bulky for my liking. So, I kept looking for a better solution.

So, that brings me to the latest prototype that uses a single, very long barrel, and thus eliminated the center band from the Slimine Pro kit and allows the pen to be slimmed down considerably. I am just not sure if I really like the single, long barrel. My wife loves it, and I have to admit that the long piece of continuous wood works real well for spalted and/or highly figured wood. I'm just not sure if I want to try to incorporate a home-made center band, or still try to figure out something with the Slimline Pro centerband (which I really dislike by the way), or something else not thought of?

Just trying to figure this one out because I have several customers that would really like me to find a good pencil solution for them.

[Doug B]

And here is another very similar to the other except that the wood is really exceptional! This is some Maple from Gecko that did not look nearly as good as it turn out. Wow. This has some fantastic quilting in it that just cannot be captured by a picture. I had no idea this pen blank was going to turn out so nicely.

Thanks again Gecko!

[sachbvn]

Doug,

First I have to say - by using a separate clip (not the Pentel clip) it sets the pen in a whole different league than if you were to use the original..... I can't imagine what it looks like with a recess turned into the end so the clip would fit.... I do not like that idea either.

I like the all wood design, but now that you mention some type of center band....or "custom" center band..... it's got me thinking. Hmmmm.... I can't think of a "stock" center band that would look right....almost too think. Hey! What about a very slim (does not protrude from the diameter of the pen like some decorative center bands) - very thin center band.... chrome, brushed chrome, etc.... Something that looks more like.... a little ring in the center.... like more of an accent than anything? It could be off centered on the pen.... maybe more towards the clip - kinda creating a 60/40 split on the pen?

Just throwing ideas out there. You are right - that maple is BEAUTIFUL!!


Zac

[Joe Lyddon]

I, personally, would tend to use a Pencil a lot more than I would a Pen...

I do more with a pencil than I do with a pen...

I would be more apt to buy a pencil than I would a pen...

This Pentel pencil really looks GREAT to me...

... but, that's just me... ;D

[Doug B]

Thanks guys.

Zac those are some great ideas and I am going to try a few of them out. I was thinking along the same lines that I need a non-traditional "center band" - both in placement and design. I'll play around with a couple different things.

Joe, my wife is the same way...she loves pencils and only uses a pen for writing checks. And I have some clients that use pencils exclusively in their work. So...it's not just you

[glenmore]

Really nice pencils Doug. I tend to shy away from these to not that I don't like them they don't like me. All the ones that I did when I first started come out like ------ you fill in the blank. Plus as long that I've been doing pens no one ever asked for a pencil or a set plus with me I'd have a hard time matching them every pen I've made never matches.

[Doug B]

Thanks Glenmore! I know what you mean...pencils are a pain all the way around.