# Gatsby vs Gatsby Grande



## builtbybill (Feb 25, 2015)

Still cannot decide which pens to go with...just started looking at the Gatsby models a little bit more.

Does anyone out there have a photo of a regular Gatsby next to a Gatsby Grande so I can get an idea of the size difference.  I understand the Grande is supposed to be bigger, but it uses a smaller tube.

Thanks,

Bill


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## endacoz (Feb 25, 2015)

I too would like to see a picture comparison.  I recently bought 4 regular Gatsby pens.


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## Cwalker935 (Feb 25, 2015)

I do not have a side by side photo.  The primary difference for me is that the Gatsby Grande uses a smaller diameter tube and leaves a greater wall thickness on the finished pen.  This comes in handy when casting embedded objects.


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## kingkeyman (Feb 25, 2015)

The grande hardware is about .023 larger in diameter. Don't have any finished pens, but here is the hardware.


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## jttheclockman (Feb 25, 2015)

The Gatsby and Gatsby Grande are clones basucally of the Sierra and Sierra Vista line. I do not make the Gatsby kits but do make the Sierras. What is nice about the Sierras is that the tube size is the same but the kits are different in that the Vista has more thicker parts so that casting larger pieces is very possible. There is more room on a sirrea Vista blank than a Sierra and the same for the Gatsby Grande as opposed to the Gatsby. 

Here is a side by side photo and remind you these are Sierras but you will get the picture.

The 2 on the left (brass braiding and stainless steel braiding) are both Sierra vistas. The next one which is the copper braiding is a Sierra and the final one which is an Elegant Beauty (fancier form of the Sierra and the twist mechanism is in the cap as opposed to the barrel on the Sierras) is a chrome weave. 

Hope this helps.


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## endacoz (Feb 25, 2015)

Thanks!


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## builtbybill (Feb 25, 2015)

Thanks for all of the help.  For those that do have both sizes which ones do you like better?  Is the grande size too big for women?

Thanks,

Bill


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## Turned Around (Feb 25, 2015)

Hard to choose, they all look good. It seems like it would have to be on a base by case basis per customer feel. I can easily use a smaller pen, but my "go to" pen is a large bodied one. Any reason you WOULDN'T make a good amount of all of them?


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## Edward Cypher (Feb 25, 2015)

*Not to steal the thread but....*

Where do you get copper braid and chrome weave??  If you do not mind.  Thanks in advance.




jttheclockman said:


> The Gatsby and Gatsby Grande are clones basucally of the Sierra and Sierra Vista line. I do not make the Gatsby kits but do make the Sierras. What is nice about the Sierras is that the tube size is the same but the kits are different in that the Vista has more thicker parts so that casting larger pieces is very possible. There is more room on a sirrea Vista blank than a Sierra and the same for the Gatsby Grande as opposed to the Gatsby.
> 
> Here is a side by side photo and remind you these are Sierras but you will get the picture.
> 
> ...


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## builtbybill (Feb 25, 2015)

Turned Around said:


> Hard to choose, they all look good. It seems like it would have to be on a base by case basis per customer feel. I can easily use a smaller pen, but my "go to" pen is a large bodied one. Any reason you WOULDN'T make a good amount of all of them?



The reason I am asking, and why I would not make a good amount of all of them, is because I do not sell pens.  I make them because it is a hobby and I usually just give them away to friends and family.  I am just trying to find about 3 or 4 pen styles that I can purchase a few of, mainly for familiarity and so I do not need 5 million sets of bushings.

I am looking at the following styles, one from each group and preferably only one line (i.e. all PSI or all Le Roi):

1.  Gatsby/Gatsby Grand/Le Roi V2 (finial twist Sierra style)
2.  Le Roi Elegant Royale/PSI Executive (finial twist long barrel)
3.  Le Roi Caballero/Tycoon/Majestic Junior (decent mid-level rollerball)
4.  Le Roi Creekline/PSI Comfort (thicker 7mm style, preferably one that can be made with a matching pencil)

I was leaning towards Smitty, better prices especially when he has sales, but PSI does offer significantly more variations if I was to stick with the "4 bushing system".  Plus the fact that there is uncertainty with Smitty's store future.


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## jttheclockman (Feb 25, 2015)

Edward Cypher said:


> Where do you get copper braid and chrome weave?? If you do not mind. Thanks in advance.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## builtbybill (Feb 25, 2015)

jttheclockman said:


> I too do not want to hijack the OPs thread. To get to one of his questions as to which sells better, this is a subjective question. For me as i said i sell the Sierra line and have had good success with it. The thinner pen is probably more of a women's pen but i have sold both to both sexes. Alot has to do with the blank that is put on the kit. I always said that is the key ingredient to selling pens. The elegant Beauty is a also a great pen and one I do well with. The Sierra Vista makes a great pen base for those castings that have pieces that are thicker. You can get away with more with that kit. I wish companies would make other kits with smaller tubes and more meat to do casting with. That is a pet peeve of mine. Why do kits need such large tubes???  Empty air space is all that I see. I get the fact of the weight thing but man some of those tubes are huge.
> 
> I see you think you have a source but i strongly say search around you maybe surprised.




Don't worry about hijacking, everything you guys say is very informative and useful.  One error, however, about my original question - I did not ask which one sells better I actually just want to know which pen is "preferred" to use and to make.  I give my stuff away, either totally free or I might just charge the cost of the components.  Someday it would be nice to be able to sell, but for now I only do it for the hobby.  I just want to know which one is really the better/more comfortable pen size.  I like the fact that the Grande uses the 3/8" tube, much more convenient for turning, but if it is not comfortable for women then I would not choose that size since the majority of my pens go to women, there are not many men in my family plus all of my wife's friends.

Thanks,

Bill


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## jttheclockman (Feb 25, 2015)

Well Bill I can tell you I carry around 2 pens mostly. One is a computer blank on a sierra Vista kit and that has been with me for many many years and still is going strong. I have replaced the refill 3 times on it so far. The other is a Sierra copper braiding such as i shown. The problem with that pen is I can not hold onto it. i have sold about 4 or 5 of them out of my pocket of them. I have sold them to men though. So being a smaller kit did not make a difference. It was the blank that sold them. 

As far as giving pens away, I do on occasion but do not make it a practice. I paid for the kits and took the time to make them. My skill set is good enough to command cash. I am done practicing. I gave more away when I first started. Good luck.


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## Smitty37 (Feb 25, 2015)

builtbybill said:


> Turned Around said:
> 
> 
> > Hard to choose, they all look good. It seems like it would have to be on a base by case basis per customer feel. I can easily use a smaller pen, but my "go to" pen is a large bodied one. Any reason you WOULDN'T make a good amount of all of them?
> ...


 Here are a couple of facts....the Le Roi V2 is the same as Gatsby with a smaller tube finished size is the same.  The Gatsby Grande is a take off of the Le Roi V2 but is a little bigger finished. 

The Le Roi Elegant Royale is close to the PSI Polaris and Executive with our own Cap and Clip arrangement.  Our Tube is a tiny bit smaller.

The Le Roi Caballero is a bit different then the Tycoon it hat it has 2 different tube sizes 12mm & 10mm or 15/32 & 25/64 vs
both tubes 25/64.  The Caballero comes with a better refill. Finished pen size is close but the top barrel of the caballero is a tad bigger.

The Creekline is closer to what PSI calls Trimline but the cap clip has been changed to Euro.

I would not lose any sleep over my coming retirement....it won't happen for at least 18 months and it is about 90% certain that the store will stay open after I leave....I'm sure you all will like the party who will be taking it over.  My brands will continue to be available.


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## oneleggimp (Feb 25, 2015)

I made  three Gatsby Grandes for Christmas Presents (for men).  They might be a little big for women.  Just my opinion.


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## builtbybill (Feb 25, 2015)

jttheclockman said:


> As far as giving pens away, I do on occasion but do not make it a practice. I paid for the kits and took the time to make them. My skill set is good enough to command cash. I am done practicing. I gave more away when I first started. Good luck.



Thanks for your input.  As far as giving them away - it is not that I buy the kit, make the pen and then just walking around giving them away.  I give them as gifts and as a token of appreciation for people that do favors for us (i.e. my wife and I cannot get out of work to pick up a kid from school and a friend offers to go out of their way to get our child I will give them one).  I have the capability to make and sell but when I do that the fun kind of goes away, I do it as a way of relaxing and forgetting about the world for a while, I also really like it when I see the looks on peoples faces when I give them one.

Someday when I am retired, for the second time, I will probably try to sell more, at least enough to support buying more kits to make.  For now I just want to learn more techniques (i.e. casting, stabilizing and segmenting) and enjoy the time at the lathe.

Bill


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## ToddM (Mar 18, 2015)

jttheclockman said:


> Well Bill I can tell you I carry around 2 pens mostly. One is a computer blank on a sierra Vista kit and that has been with me for many many years and still is going strong. I have replaced the refill 3 times on it so far. The other is a Sierra copper braiding such as i shown. The problem with that pen is I can not hold onto it. i have sold about 4 or 5 of them out of my pocket of them. I have sold them to men though. So being a smaller kit did not make a difference. It was the blank that sold them.
> 
> As far as giving pens away, I do on occasion but do not make it a practice. I paid for the kits and took the time to make them. My skill set is good enough to command cash. I am done practicing. I gave more away when I first started. Good luck.



If you don't mind me asking, where do you get the copper sierra kits? I could use quite a few of those.


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## magpens (Mar 18, 2015)

Try Bear Tooth Woods .... they have the best selection of Sierra pen kits that I know of.   And their customer service is First Rate !!!!


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## jttheclockman (Mar 18, 2015)

ToddM said:


> jttheclockman said:
> 
> 
> > Well Bill I can tell you I carry around 2 pens mostly. One is a computer blank on a sierra Vista kit and that has been with me for many many years and still is going strong. I have replaced the refill 3 times on it so far. The other is a Sierra copper braiding such as i shown. The problem with that pen is I can not hold onto it. i have sold about 4 or 5 of them out of my pocket of them. I have sold them to men though. So being a smaller kit did not make a difference. It was the blank that sold them.
> ...





Mal is correct. Bear Tooth Woods

Bear Tooth Woods - Sierra Two-Toned Copper Pen Kit


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## kingkeyman (Mar 18, 2015)

+1 on beartooth woods.I don't know the guy, but I love the selection and service.


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## Smitty37 (Mar 18, 2015)

Smitty37 said:


> builtbybill said:
> 
> 
> > Turned Around said:
> ...


I am currently working with the people who will be taking over Smitty's Pen Works in the future.  They are able to assure me that all of the Le Roi, Le Roi Elegant and SPW kits will be available along with any new introductions we make before the transition.  The Transition is not planned for late in 2016.


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## oneleggimp (Mar 18, 2015)

I made three Gatsby Gande's for Christmas Presents and liked the size and feel of them and also liked the thicker wood wall on the grande.  All three went to men.


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## KCW (Mar 18, 2015)

I get the Chrome weave from one of 2 sources 
Chrome XC Braided Sleeving

This is the most complete site for all braiding materials especially sleeve form. In the chrome I use the Chrome XC because it has more depth to it. It does look cool. 

Braided Sleeving Products From Techflex at WireCare.com

I use to get my copper from ebay from a distrubtor in China for the cheapest prices. If you are not doing many, any source will do. I am sure there are others too. 

What size do you use?  I know this is not what this thread is about, but those really are amazing.


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## jttheclockman (Mar 18, 2015)

KCW said:


> I get the Chrome weave from one of 2 sources
> Chrome XC Braided Sleeving
> 
> This is the most complete site for all braiding materials especially sleeve form. In the chrome I use the Chrome XC because it has more depth to it. It does look cool.
> ...


 

1/2" Dan or whatever is equivalent in metric or close to it. This opens and close enough to fit just about all the size tubes we use. The gents are stainless steel but to give you a perspective in size.


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## Smitty37 (Mar 21, 2015)

jttheclockman said:


> Edward Cypher said:
> 
> 
> > Where do you get copper braid and chrome weave?? If you do not mind. Thanks in advance.
> ...


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## jttheclockman (Mar 21, 2015)

Smitty37 said:


> jttheclockman said:
> 
> 
> > Edward Cypher said:
> ...


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