New pen kits

[Walter Hall]

I have been testing some new German pen Kits for Phil Irons. He is planning to market them in the UK. They are a little different from the normal pen kits and the method of making then differs from the usual mandrel and bushings method. I think they would be of interest to anyone who has made a few basic pen kits and wants to try something a bit more challenging. Because the design does not incorporate metal nib units or centre bands there is much more scope for makers to create different shapes, limited only by their imagination and the need to create a usable writing instrument. Here is an example made in purpleheart and blackwood.

Apart from a special threaded tool (see photograph) which is used, mounted in a chuck, to turn the tip (and which could be replaced by an improvised tool), all of the turning is done between centres by mounting the barrels on shop turned spigots.

Here for those who are interested is a photograph of the components:-

Phil has these kits in stock and they will soon be available on his website. He will also have them at the Harrogate show. Incidentally they are called DNS-twister kits and will sell for £12 per kit. The starter pack which includes the special tool, drills, end mill, adhesive, a display box for one pen and three kits will be £99 (prices include VAT). The photo below shows the starter pack less one kit.

Here is a pen and pencil set made up in Spalted Black Maire and Anjan.

 

[hog&bodge]

I look on with pen ENVY :lol: :lol:
How do you go about making the pen case..I have an Idea
but seeing yours well its a lot better than I would produce.

 

[Walter Hall]

I look on with pen ENVY :lol: :lol:
How do you go about making the pen case..I have an Idea
but seeing yours well its a lot better than I would produce.

Well, I could make them, you can buy the hinges (I forget where from) and it would be easy enough to rout out the channels for the pens and shape the boxes, but the time it would take and the cost of the wood makes it more economical to buy them in from Stiles and Bates, which is where this one came from.

 

[Paul.J]

H&B
Here is a case i made with a brief explaination.I just used some old small butt hinges and a clasp.

 

[Walter Hall]

H&B
Here is a case i made with a brief explaination.I just used some old small butt hinges and a clasp.

Nice box Paul. But how long did it take to make it? Was it longer than six minutes? I charge my time at £20 an hour which is not all that much when you compare it to what, say, a plumber will charge you. Excluding materials I would need to make about five per hour to make them commercially viable as an alternative to buying them in.

Great if you are making a few for friends and family but it isn't going to pay my gallery rent. Horses for courses I suppose.

 

[Paul.J]

I haven't got to worry about galleries so i just enjoyed making them/it,as it was just a one off for a friend,plus i think it adds to the overall gift with it been personally made.
But if i was in your shoes then no doubt i would buy them in

 

[Walter Hall]

I haven't got to worry about galleries so i just enjoyed making them/it,as it was just a one off for a friend,plus i think it adds to the overall gift with it been personally made.
But if i was in your shoes then no doubt i would buy them in

Yes, if I was making something as a a one off gift for a friend I might well make my own box too.

 

[oddsocks]

Nice pens but is the starter kit really £99??? Given that it has the three kits that will retail individually for £12 the extra £63 for what looks to be a couple of simple drills, end mill, basic box and a plain rod with simple threaded end seems excessive.

Is the starter kit is necessary to turn these pens ?

 

[hog&bodge]

Thanks guys I can see t is all food for thought...
Time over cost...??
Will give the thread another read in morning.
Still the presentation box makes the pen sets complete..
Well that's my opinion.
The ones you have shown look very substantial in the box Brittleheart

 

[johnny.t.]

£99 quid for all that :roll:

Can't see a queue forming for them.....

JT

 

[Walter Hall]

Nice pens but is the starter kit really £99??? Given that it has the three kits that will retail individually for £12 the extra £63 for what looks to be a couple of simple drills, end mill, basic box and a plain rod with simple threaded end seems excessive.

Is the starter kit is necessary to turn these pens ?

OK I agree they starter kits are expensive but the drill bits are not "simple drills", The 7.5mmx 150mm drill is similar to the new Colt pen drills and the other is a three stepped drill specifically designed to drill out the tip blank to the dimensions required.

Yes you could try making them without the starter pack, which includes a detailed instruction manual not shown in my photograph. The "plain rod with a simple threaded end" does however make turning the tip easier and without the stepped drill bit, getting the internal dimensions of the tip blank accurate would be more difficult. You could of course buy these individually as they are available separately. Or as the rod is so simple you could make your own.

Anyway, I am not here to defend the manufacturer's pricing, I am just drawing your attention to the availability of something a bit different from the cheap far eastern imports that are available for next to nothing on e-bay and have quality to match their price.

I think they offer more flexibilty for design innovation than kits with dimensions constrained by metal tips and centre bands which result in the distorted forms that we see so often at craft fairs where makers have tried to innovate but been limited by the lack of flexibility of the kit they were basing their pen on.

£99 quid for all that :roll:

Can't see a queue forming for them.....

JT

I don't think there will be a queue for the starter packs at that price Johnny, but I think we will be seeing more of these once people with the creative ability to do so see their scope for design variation.