# Limiting refill travel on a rollerball



## TerryDowning (Dec 16, 2011)

For those of us who write with a heavy hand....

Is there a way to limit the travel (or increase the spring tension) on a roller ball?

I find that when I'm writing quickly, the refill travels up too far into the body of the pen.

I am cursed with heavy handed writing (probably from years of working with carbons and NCR forms) and I find the finer writing instruments, while beautiful can be troublesome to write with.

Any advice on tweaking is appreciated. Alternately Opinions on using ballpoint refills in capped pens. As I find that many people actually prefer ballpoints to roller balls, (Heavy handed  writers like me I assume) but really like the look of the roller ball and fountain pens.


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## IPD_Mr (Dec 16, 2011)

Terry - With regard to the FPs and pressing hard, you really need to re-learn your writing habits.  As for the rollerballs you can accomplish what you are wanting two different ways.  You can shorten the body length of the pen body.  This will limit how far the refill can be pushed back up into the pen body and you can also use a stiffer spring.  Again, I do encourage you to modify your writing habits.  You will find that a heavy hand on a FP can be destructively to the paper and the nib and if you every use a stylus to write with on an electronic tablet, you can ruin the screen writing with that kind of pressure.

.


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## TerryDowning (Dec 16, 2011)

I'm not even going down the FP road personally. My cursive writing is illegible and my my printing isn't much better. I make the pens, but don't actually use them much.

Note taking at work and I pretty much only have to read my writing long enough to transcribe into digital form.

I have made roller balls for other people and they find the travel of the refill an issue. Again my guess is years of working with carbons and NCR forms in a corporate environment where pressure on the refill is required.

I have never ever seen a FP successfully navigate carbons and NCR forms.

Fancy cursive writing is a dying art form.


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## ed4copies (Dec 16, 2011)

Put a small piece of wood dowel in the finial, right diameter to fit----will push on the top of the spring, adding tension.

Or, go to the hardware and buy a stronger spring and cut it to length.


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## bitshird (Dec 16, 2011)

+ 1 for the dowell or new spring, also for changing your writing style, I used to have to write through 4 copy NCR and had a pretty hefty hand, But now most of my writing is with a Fountain pen, (and I don't splay nibs any more) besides when you do, you learn to semi repair them. or replace them with Bock or Heritance which are both good quality steel nibs, My treat next year is going to be a 14k Italic.


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## TerryDowning (Dec 16, 2011)

Thanks for the pointers on limiting the rollerball travel.

Perhaps if I manage to train myself to lighten my hand, I may be convinced to try a Fountain Pen. I'll have to invest some serious time in re-teaching myself to write legibly though.


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## Dalecamino (Dec 18, 2011)

You can make your own pen too! :biggrin:


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## joefyffe (Dec 18, 2011)

Yep! Dying art, maybe, BUT you should see hers. B U tiful! Of course, I'm prejudiced!!!  And JEALOUS!!  :crying:



TerryDowning said:


> I'm not even going down the FP road personally. My cursive writing is illegible and my my printing isn't much better. I make the pens, but don't actually use them much.
> 
> Note taking at work and I pretty much only have to read my writing long enough to transcribe into digital form.
> 
> ...


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## joefyffe (Dec 18, 2011)

And, Chuck, I bet you'd recommend kitless, too, wouldn't you!!  Another one of those is what I want to do after We get through Christmas.  I'm still working on my "heft" on the nib but find those Bocks and Heritances to write so much better than a ballpoint.



dalecamino said:


> You can make your own pen too! :biggrin:


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## Dalecamino (Dec 18, 2011)

joefyffe said:


> And, Chuck, I bet you'd recommend kitless, too, wouldn't you!!  Another one of those is what I want to do after We get through Christmas.  I'm still working on my "heft" on the nib but find those Bocks and Heritances to write so much better than a ballpoint.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's precisely what I meant Joe. You can drill the blank to the exact depth. Then there are NO issues with the springs. Design it to suit your flavor with your material of choice. And, BTW, YOU HAVE been lagging behind :biggrin::tongue::biggrin: So, after Christmas, I'm going to be checking on you.:biggrin:


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## TerryDowning (Dec 19, 2011)

The ultimate objective of course is to go kitless. That's why I'm asking questions and opinions. So I can get the design down in my head first.


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