# First Kittless



## Timebandit (May 23, 2011)

Hi guys. This is my first kittless pen made with the triple start tap and die. It is back/blue Lucite with black PR for the end caps and i used and El Grande front section. I dont have what i need to make my own front sections yet, but that is coming soon I am happy with the way this turned out. One of the end caps flew off during turning so i had  to re-glue it. Turned out ok. Please forgive the bad photos. My photo skills are not up to par yet.

All comments are welcome.

Thanks for looking

Justin


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## el_d (May 23, 2011)

Awesome job Justin.


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## PaulDoug (May 23, 2011)

That is really nice work.  Looks great.


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## OKLAHOMAN (May 23, 2011)

Justin, that is a job very well done.


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## MarkD (May 23, 2011)

Outstanding first kitless!  Awesome job!


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## PenMan1 (May 23, 2011)

Very nice, Justin.


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## Pete275 (May 23, 2011)

Justin, You should be proud that's an awsome pen!

Wayne


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## seamus7227 (May 23, 2011)

Holy cow, man! that is awesome for a first time kitless job! Way to go Justin!!!


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## Andrew_K99 (May 23, 2011)

I haven't seen many kitless pens that I like but this one is VERY nice and I'd be happy to own it!

AK


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## Ruby pen turning (May 23, 2011)

Very Very nice I want to do that but I am ascared of the thin part of the nib with the male and female threads right over each other.


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## dgscott (May 23, 2011)

Nice job! A really nice pen made from beautiful material. Keep it up!
Doug


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## boxerman (May 23, 2011)

Wow nice kitless pen.


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## Drstrangefart (May 23, 2011)

If you had to pick one pen to show for the rest of your days, that would be a fine choice.


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## IPD_Mr (May 23, 2011)

Very nicely done Justin, that is pretty darn good for a first go.  I really like the shape.


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## robutacion (May 23, 2011)

Timebandit said:


> Hi guys. This is my first kittless pen made with the triple start tap and die. It is back/blue Lucite with black PR for the end caps and i used and El Grande front section. I dont have what i need to make my own front sections yet, but that is coming soon I am happy with the way this turned out. One of the end caps flew off during turning so i had  to re-glue it. Turned out ok. Please forgive the bad photos. My photo skills are not up to par yet.
> 
> All comments are welcome.
> 
> ...



I'm yet to try a kitless pen and or to tap threads on PR but, and this questions goes to anyone that have an answer(s).
Will polishing gently the threads cut in the acrylics with the same polishing compound used to finish the pen surface, either with a soft cloth or a buffing wheel, damage/ware/destroy the threads...???

The reason to this question is that, this pen and many others I've seen here since the kitless pens have become popular/challenging, have their threads looking a little rough compared with the pen other surfaces and that, in my view, spoils the whole thing when the pen is shown open...!:frown:

It has to be a easy way to give the threads a "finish/polish" look, without damaging them so, what do you guys and gals, think...???

PS: Justin, 
I am, in no way, devaluing your first attempt at a kitless pen, in fact, I think, you've done a great job on this pen, is just a little detail that I would like to see improved on these kitless pens make/cut with/in acrylics...!:wink:

Cheers
George


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## Timebandit (May 23, 2011)

Im not sure about actually polishing the threads themselves. I did however polish up the tenon with my micro mesh prior to cutting the threads in the hope that the would be polished on the surface, but they were not. I dont have a buffing wheel right now so i cant do an experiment to see it this will work or not. I to would like to see them nice and polished but i also think that they are just going to end up unpolished form the constant on and off of the cap.



robutacion said:


> Timebandit said:
> 
> 
> > Hi guys. This is my first kittless pen made with the triple start tap and die. It is back/blue Lucite with black PR for the end caps and i used and El Grande front section. I dont have what i need to make my own front sections yet, but that is coming soon I am happy with the way this turned out. One of the end caps flew off during turning so i had  to re-glue it. Turned out ok. Please forgive the bad photos. My photo skills are not up to par yet.
> ...


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## el_d (May 23, 2011)

IIRC the cooking spray PAM woorks well for clean threads.


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## CaptG (May 23, 2011)

That is one great looking pen Justin.  Can not wait to see the next one.


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## workinforwood (May 24, 2011)

Nice work!


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## Boss302 (May 24, 2011)

That's really a beautiful pen and one you should be very proud of.


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## Timebandit (May 24, 2011)

el_d said:


> IIRC the cooking spray PAM woorks well for clean threads.




Used it:biggrin:. Still didnt have them nice and shiny. But like i said, i think with repeated use, they wont stay shiny anyway.


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## wizard (May 24, 2011)

Justin, You made an absolutely Beautiful and Amazing Kitless Pen. Great job! Can't wait to see what comes next!
May I ask what size drill bits you used for the cap and body and what size tap you used for the nib section.
I'm trying to follow in your footsteps and could use a little help.  
Thank you in advance,
Regards, Doc


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## cnirenberg (May 24, 2011)

Justin,
Looks fantastic.  You sure picked a good material for the kitless.  Lucite really takes the threads well.  Great job on the pen.


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## cnirenberg (May 24, 2011)

Doc,
Looks like a M10x1 for the El Grande nib.  Cap and body are the triple start from the last group buy.





wizard said:


> May I ask what size drill bits you used for the cap and body and what size tap you used for the nib section.
> I'm trying to follow in your footsteps and could use a little help.
> Thank you in advance,
> Regards, Doc


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## Rounder (May 24, 2011)

:biggrin:YEAH!!!:biggrin: He's finally showing some of the good stuff. And this is just his first!!!:RockOn: Yes this is a gloat and I am saying I am very proud of the work this young man is doing!Beautiful stuff son and I am VERY proud of you!:biggrin::biggrin::bananen_smilies026:


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## wizard (May 24, 2011)

cnirenberg said:


> Doc,
> Looks like a M10x1 for the El Grande nib.  Cap and body are the triple start from the last group buy.
> 
> 
> ...



Cris, Thanks for the info on the El Grande nib. I just got a M10 X 1 tap from Victory machinery. I was wondering what size drill bits to use on the cap , body and nib section prior to using the taps from the group buy.
Thanks,
Doc


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## MorganGrafixx (May 24, 2011)

That blank is SICK!!! I love it!


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## Timebandit (May 24, 2011)

Andrew_K99 said:


> I haven't seen many kitless pens that I like but this one is VERY nice and I'd be happy to own it!
> 
> AK



Thank you  Andrew. That is an extremely nice thing to say.:redface:



Ruby pen turning said:


> Very Very nice I want to do that but I am ascared of the thin part of the nib with the male and female threads right over each other.



I was as well, and it took me a little experimenting to get the right size sown for the tenon and drill hole. You are left with a few MM diameter there.


dgscott said:


> Nice job! A really nice pen made from beautiful material. Keep it up!
> Doug



Thats Doug. Pens like yours and DrGortex are the kind of pens that inspire me. I always love seeing your work.


wizard said:


> Justin, You made an absolutely Beautiful and Amazing Kitless Pen. Great job! Can't wait to see what comes next!
> May I ask what size drill bits you used for the cap and body and what size tap you used for the nib section.
> I'm trying to follow in your footsteps and could use a little help.
> Thank you in advance,
> Regards, Doc



Hi Doc, For the cap i am using the triple start threads from the group buy. For the drill size on the cap i used a 7/16. For the nib section i used the 10 x 1 for the El Grande front section. It worked for now, but i might try and 8 x .75 later and get a little more meat on those threads. All you really need for the ink cartridge is a 7mm hole.  If you want a converter to fit you will need at least an 8mm hole, so there are a few thing to think about.I am also going to be making my own front sections soon so this will also change the diameter of my nib and front section, so my design might be changing a little bit as i go. But so far i think this is a good start. Thanks for your encouragement Doc, and everyone else for that matter. I am really pleased that everyone likes it.:biggrin:

Justin


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## bluwolf (May 24, 2011)

Excellent job Justin! I don't know what the deal is with that blank, lighting or what, I can't figure it out. But that is very cool.


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## witz1976 (May 24, 2011)

Great job, I like the colors with the accented black at the caps.  Congrats on your first!


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## IPD_Mr (May 24, 2011)

bluwolf said:


> Excellent job Justin! I don't know what the deal is with that blank, lighting or what, I can't figure it out. But that is very cool.


 
Mike the blank is part blue and part black or dark navy.  If you took a one inch blank that was the darker material and then ran a half inch strip of the lighter blue through the middle of one side to the opposite side, that is what the blank looks like.  You get a lot more of the blue on smaller diameter pens and you can get it to pop even more by reverse painting the tube a bright blue.


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## Timebandit (May 24, 2011)

IPD_Mr said:


> bluwolf said:
> 
> 
> > Excellent job Justin! I don't know what the deal is with that blank, lighting or what, I can't figure it out. But that is very cool.
> ...




Mike's right Mike. Its like you made a segmented blank with the blue in the middle. It changes as you rotate the pen. And its got the little whisps in there. Very cool effect. I didnt paint this one. You cant see through it anywhere. The cap is 5/8 so if you went smaller you might see through, but i dont think you could get it to normal pen tube thickness, so i dont think it would be very transparent.


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## BRobbins629 (May 24, 2011)

Thats a great start Justin.  One of the amazing things about these pens is that the materials for ones like this are less than $10.  The taps and dies pay for themselves pretty quickly.  You're well on your way.


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## Jim15 (May 24, 2011)

Great job , awesome pen.


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## firewhatfire (May 25, 2011)

can someone post a link to a video or tutorial o how to do this?   

Pen looks great to me.

Phil


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## mrburls (May 25, 2011)

Very nice looking pen Justin. You did a great job for your first kitless pen. Only get better from here on out. 

Keith "mrburls"


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## Stick Rounder (May 25, 2011)

el_d said:


> Awesome job Justin.



I love the bar code.  I used RedLaser on my iPhone off the computer screen.  That is cool.


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## Stevej72 (May 28, 2011)

That is a great looking pen, Justin!


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## ldb2000 (May 29, 2011)

Awesome pen Justin , sorry I missed it first time around . You should study up on different filling systems , that pen as a button filler would rival those made by any major pen manufacturer . A suggestion on the thread to body transition , if you turn a short tenon at the transition and a recess in the cap it will make the transition allot less noticeable and more comfortable to hold or chamfer the step and chamfer the inside of the cap you won't loose the fit and will make the transition look allot smoother . Either way would work and would make an awesome pen into a spectacular pen . Can't wait to see where you go from here .

Edit:
Lupe is correct , if you are not using a lube while cutting the threads they will come out a little rough (depending on the material) . Pam cooking spray is what most of us have found works best for cutting clean , almost polished threads . You can buff them on a soft wheel but you will change the geometry of the thread which may cause problems over time .


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## skiprat (May 29, 2011)

Wow, if it wasn't for the recent replies then I would have missed this one too. Look really good and I like that blank too. Well done!!


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## Timebandit (May 29, 2011)

ldb2000 said:


> Awesome pen Justin , sorry I missed it first time around . You should study up on different filling systems , that pen as a button filler would rival those made by any major pen manufacturer . A suggestion on the thread to body transition , if you turn a short tenon at the transition and a recess in the cap it will make the transition allot less noticeable and more comfortable to hold or chamfer the step and chamfer the inside of the cap you won't loose the fit and will make the transition look allot smoother . Either way would work and would make an awesome pen into a spectacular pen . Can't wait to see where you go from here .
> 
> Edit:
> Lupe is correct , if you are not using a lube while cutting the threads they will come out a little rough (depending on the material) . Pam cooking spray is what most of us have found works best for cutting clean , almost polished threads . You can buff them on a soft wheel but you will change the geometry of the thread which may cause problems over time .



Wow! What a compliment! :redface:Thank you very much butch. I appreciate any and all advice you and many others give around her. I am going to work a little more on the chamfer, but im not sure about the small tenon. Just doesnt seem like it would look right for a pen like this.

Oh and Shhhhh......dont tell anyone,.......but i already have something in the works using an alternative filling method.

Justin



skiprat said:


> Wow, if it wasn't for the recent replies then I would have missed this one too. Look really good and I like that blank too. Well done!!



Thanks skip!:biggrin: This means a lot coming from you. I admire your work very much.  And i am already trying to push the limits of what i am doing so far.

Thanks
Justin


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## Kaspar (May 29, 2011)

Very nice work and a beautiful material.  That's a keeper.


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## Dalecamino (May 30, 2011)

Looks like you pretty well nailed it on the first pen Justin. Very nice work.


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