# Sierra...Pen Kit Review, NEW !



## PenWorks (Sep 25, 2005)

Oh, so if you haven't been to BB's site lately and clicked on what's new, then you are missing a great NEW pen kit ! []
http://www.arizonasilhouette.com/New_Products.htm

The new kit is the Sierra, a single tube, parker refill, with a one way twist. here are the parts







The tube messures .406 x 2.208 and uses a 27/64 bit, that bit rings a bell & I bet most of us have one allready.(Well ,except Frank  ) Gennerally you will be able to get 2 pens out of one blank. Plus unlike some other single barrel kits, you don't need a long bit.So I laid a couple of blanks out.






Drilled em up.......






Made a nice colorfull pile of shavings..............

The bushings messured .473 and so does the trim on the pen, so either end can be the top or the bottom. I like this, because after turning some resins, some look better turned upside down, as you get more light reflections.

Now here is the best part, ASSEMBLY of this kit could not be any easier unless, someone put it together for you. All you do is insert the final/clip into the top of your finished blank, put your refill in and screw on the twist mechanism, slide the assembled top over the twist mech and whalaaaaa ! a finished pen.






Another great feature about this kit, is if your finished blank is to long or to short, I think this kit gives you some leway, vs some others you would have to scrap. Also, I like the one way twist, with a positive close. I was never a big fan of the two way twist.

So here is the finished product, I am waiting for my wood finishes to dry, so here are some resins, a customized Brea Orange fleck, some Cave Creek Casting blanks, and a Masur Birch.






Oh, those Manzanita blocks I found at Rockler yesterday on the clearence table, 5.00 ea, they are going to make great pen stands 

So in review, this is a great kit, easy to make, looks good, well made parts and available in almost any finish you want. I like it and will be buying some more.

Disclaimer, this in not a paid political announcement. Just a review of a pen kit. Thanks for reading [8D]


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## Bev Polmanteer (Sep 25, 2005)

Nice work and a good review, Anthony. I don't care much for the style of the pen though.  Too much black plastic for me. Just not my personal taste![]


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## Old Griz (Sep 25, 2005)

Great review, and you did your normal excellant job on the pens, but I have to agree with Bev on the amount of plastic... I would be willing to go a bit more crazy with a 4 piece bushing set and have to turn the nib end, barrel and finial end out of the same blank... of course that would probably double the cost of the kit and therefore put it out of contention for a medium priced pen.  As it is I would consider it a nicer fancier kind of Atlas pen... how does the diameter compare to the Atlas
Just another case where "art" screws up modern applied economics [][]


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## Rifleman1776 (Sep 25, 2005)

Anthony said, "....uses a 27/64 bit, that bit rings a bell & I bet most of us have one allready.(Well ,except Frank  ) " Well, I had to look. Actually, I have two. One is in a set of brad points, the other is a high speed among a whole bunch I inherited. [] Thanks for the review. Like others, I have mixed feelings about it. But one advantage could be the ability to use blanks left over from disasters with other pens. Provided you can get the old tubes out and redrill without a second disaster. [:0]


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## DCBluesman (Sep 25, 2005)

Thanks for the review, Anthony.  I'm swimming against the tide on this one.  I think it's a wonderful design that incorporates a lot of very special elements.  

I think the dual metal bands and the surrounding black delrin frame the barrel very well...I can't wait to see some of the woods in such a setting.  The diameter appears to finally give us a decent size gripping area on a ballpoint pen.  The fact that it's a Parker-style refill will let folks choose to use the popular gel refills.  The cap is unlike anything we penturners have had.  It is stylish and very much in keeping with the major manufacturers newest styles.  

I can see this as a nice $40-50 pen allowing us to maintain a higher price-point for Barons and El Presidentes.


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## JimGo (Sep 25, 2005)

I'm with Lou on this one.  I really like the kit, and like it much better than the Polaris/Atlas style pens.  There's a lot of plastic, but the black really accentuates the wood/resin/whatever you choose to use as the body.  I'd like to see another version with the finial and plastic parts a little bigger, like the Delta's you posted.  I guess I'll be ordering some soon!


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## scubaman (Sep 25, 2005)

Interesting kit!  Is the black indeed plastic, or metal?  I am glad to see a single twist mechanism also!  So does the finial extension grab bosses on the twist mechanism?  It's hard to describe the 'balance' of the pen - I know you tried it, how does it feel to you, Anthony?


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## PenWorks (Sep 25, 2005)

I like the feel of the pen. It is a touch longer than the Atlas and slim enough for a women to consider as well. I do not think the black is plastic, doing my knock test, I think it is plated & painted black over brass or metal, so you don't have that plastic feel. But don't trust my knock test, as I knock on my head I think it is a block of wood up there sometimes. [] You can buy your own kits and do a scratch test to be sure. There is no boss or grab when you slide the barrel over the final assembly, all the grab is at the twist mech on top. I didn't think this was going to work to good when I read the instructions, but I think it is a great fit! The mechanism operates very smoothly this way.


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## scubaman (Sep 25, 2005)

Have to agree it looks better than the Atlas to me!

I see some ridges at the top of the twist mechanism.  I thought maybe the diameter there was a little larger than the gripping barrel.  Anyway, it may be similar to the way a cigar pen mechanism is grabbed.  This type of arrangment should appeal to the masses because it is extremely tolerant.  (Don't mean this to be disrespectful - but this is important to the seller of course - the less finicky, the broader the acceptance!)  As you pointed out - there should be a lot of tolerance in the tube length - the limit is when the mechanism tops out in the finial and a gap starts opening up at the CB


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## rtjw (Sep 25, 2005)

I agree with scuba. It looks better than the atlas or polaris. Thanks for the review.


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## Mudder (Sep 25, 2005)

Thanks for the review, Anthony.

Funny thing, I was looking at these:

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5435

at my local woodcraft last week and thinking that they would make a nice pen. Lemme see.... get 2 sets of bushings and I can turn 2 pens at a time..

Me thinks I'll buy a few on my next order from BB.


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## wayneis (Sep 25, 2005)

Lou you may not have heard yet but Parker quit making gel ink refils recently.  If you look in the bulk buy for Parker refills you will see this.  Bummer, I liked the gel myself.

Wayne


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## Deere41h (Sep 25, 2005)

Anthony......Thanks again for another very thorough review of a new kit.  You have done your usual great job.  Whether we like the kit, or not, is not the point.  Although from your review I too will be ordering some of these from BB with my next order.  I think it will be a fun kit to make with some very bright colors to contrast with the black.  Looks like a great pen for some home made PR.

Thanks again for sharing your experiences with us!!


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## wdcav1952 (Sep 25, 2005)

Anthony,

Thanks for the review.  I was on the fence until I read that the tip is metal, not plastic.  I just got confirmation of my order from BB.  My debit card has melted edges. [8D]


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## its_virgil (Sep 25, 2005)

I too like the kit. I like the length of the wall street and the polaris/patriot but do not like the polaris/patriot shape. I don't know what it is about the patriot but it just doesn't do anything for me. This kit got my attention as soon as I saw a picture of it. 

And, Anthony, good job on the review as usual. Thanks for taking the time to put it together.

do a good turn daily!
Don


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## scubaman (Sep 25, 2005)

Interesting to see it as a Wallstreet-II at Woodcraft!  Although their's requires a 3 1/8" blank ;-)  Must be an awful lot of trimming ;-)  That's what happens when you copy and paste from the Wallstreet-I to the Wallstreet-II product description ;-)


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## PenWorks (Sep 25, 2005)

> _Originally posted by DCBluesman_
> <br />
> I can see this as a nice $40-50 pen allowing us to maintain a higher price-point for Barons and El Presidentes.



I agree Lou, This was not meant to be or going to be a high dollar pen. For the money $4-10 for a kit, you get a quality product you can put out to your clientel at a fair price and expect it to work.


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## alamocdc (Sep 25, 2005)

Okay, Anthony, after reading your review and looking at the ones you posted here, I'm becoming more enamoured with this kit. I may just have to give it a try. Great review! Thanks! []


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## PenWorks (Sep 26, 2005)

Billy, you've been around long enough to know the old saying.
"Try it, you'll like it" []


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## Scott (Sep 26, 2005)

Hi Anthony!

Nice review!  I think I like the looks of this pen!  I may just have to send Bill some more money!  Thanks!

Scott.


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## reed43 (Sep 26, 2005)

I made three last night and have sold two today. I will go by BBs on my home tonight and pick up some more.


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## MDWine (Sep 27, 2005)

It also looks like a good beginner pen, would you agree?  Once piece of wood, good mechanism, nice refill, nice lookin' pen!

Thanks for the write-up!

HEY BILL!!! []


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## jrc (Sep 27, 2005)

I just ordered a few to try out.  Berea one hundred price for chrome is $3.60


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## jrc (Oct 5, 2005)

Got them and made two today.  What a great pen kit with no surprises.  Very easy to make and feels good in your hand.


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