# BREAKING ! - A Kitless Single Barrel Cigar Click Pen using the Schmidt SKM-88 Clicker



## magpens (Nov 5, 2020)

I've be playing around with making an "almost kitless" Click Cigar using a Schmidt SKM-88 super-duper click mechanism.
All that remains of the original Berea Cigar pen kit is the nib, the refill, and the spring. . Everything else, including the brass tubing, has been relegated to my "spare parts" box.
The SKM-88 click mechanism is superbly smooth and quiet.
Many of us got introduced to this click mechanism when PSI came out with the Duraclick EDC kit about two years ago now.
I am pretty sure that this click mechanism was available from Schmidt for some time before that but it seems that its existence was not well known in amateur pen-making circles. . But now that we know about it, it has gotten quite a bit of attention by others as well as myself.
I have been planning to make a "kitless" pen like this ever since I got my hands on the SKM-88 but I wasn't sure what style of pen to make with it.
Part of the reason for my dithering around was that this click mechanism has a threaded base so that proper interfacing of it to other parts/materials requires that you have the right thread making tools. . Of course, there may be other suitable ways to do it but a thread mount seems to be the best. 
I bought a M7 x 0.75 tap to accomplish the task and used one so-called 8 mm brass tube for the central part of the pen. . ( The original Cigar uses two 10 mm tubes. )
In order to make use of the Cigar nib I had to modify it so that the "nipple" of this nib would fit into the 8 mm brass tube instead of a 10 mm tube.
This modification was done very carefully on my small metal-working lathe. . That is a somewhat finicky job but the result was a success.

So here are a couple of pictures, the first showing the refill retracted and the second showing the refill extended. .
There is no clip at the present time but I am working on incorporating a clip. . That is not quite straightforward due to the somewhat awkward design of the SKM-88.
(Yes, I know there is a tiny chip at the top end of the barrel in the pictures I show ... slight accident while taking the pictures. )

I haven't shown the pen's internal detail because its just the 8 mm brass tube with the SKM-88 threaded into one end. . This required making a little brass adapter ring to match the size of the SKM-88 (threaded end) to the internal size of the 8 mm brass tube. . Also note that I have recessed part of the SKM-88 into the top end of the pen because otherwise the mechanism appears just a bit too long in relation to the overall appearance of the pen (one design fault of the SKM-88, in my opinion).

Any comments or suggestions that you may have are very welcome.

I have to acknowledge that @DrD provided the kick-in-the-butt motivation for getting this new "almost kitless" pen design completed. . If you are interested, you can check out this thread of Don's :- https://www.penturners.org/threads/replacing-pen-click-mechanisms.167366/#post-2096811
as well as this one by Don :- https://www.penturners.org/threads/...-pen-with-a-1-piece-body.167365/#post-2096806
and this one :- https://www.penturners.org/threads/...-cigar-click-pen-instead.167352/#post-2096717
plus this one :- https://www.penturners.org/threads/hommage-to-mal-single-barrel-cigar-click-pen.167320/
and also this one :- https://www.penturners.org/threads/blame-it-on-mal.167313/

The last two threads by Don, were in turn motivated by my own previous work :-






						A 2-Part Experiment on a Single Barrel Cigar Design - Smaller Brass Tube Sizing, and Novel Barrel Finishing
					

Some double barrel pen kits lend themselves to being reworked as single barrel; the slimline is one, the Cigar is another. I like to build single barrel Cigar pens. . There is an article in the IAP Resources which explains the basics of doing this.  That article is based on retaining the brass...



					www.penturners.org
				




The first report of a "One Piece Cigar Pen" seems to be an article by that title in the Resources (Library) section that you can find by doing an appropriate search.
That report first appeared in 2009, it seems, but there hasn't been much work on the Single Barrel Cigar concept since then.
However, there has been considerable interest in the recent work by myself and by @DrD who has extended the concept to the Click Cigar.

Please feel free to put forward any ideas of your own. . I will attempt to answer any questions you may have about this latest work of mine.


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## RobS (Nov 5, 2020)

Nice, WELL EXECUTED!  Looks clean.


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## TonyL (Nov 5, 2020)

lots of beautiful , uninterrupted wood grain.


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## CjG78 (Nov 6, 2020)

Very clever!!


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## darrin1200 (Nov 6, 2020)

Well done Mal. It gives the pen a real cigar feel.
I can’t wait to see what you do with the nib cone. Your metal lathe should make short work of that.


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## Dehn0045 (Nov 6, 2020)

Very nice Mal! I have considered using the new EDC click mechanisms to to kitless and semi-kitless clickers.  The EDC kits are all a little too pricey for me, and I don't particularly like the looks of any of the current offerings.  The button on the SKM-88 is pretty beefy, so I think it looks a little strange on the sierra style pens, but it fits great on the cigar.  My only comment is that it would be nice to have a little shoulder on the custom brass bushing to finish off the click end, it looks a little naked to me without an accent.  This might also allow for using a standard clip (but probably not a standard cigar clip) but I'm not sure what is possible.  Great work and nice looking pen!  Thanks for the details


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## Kenny Durrant (Nov 6, 2020)

I’m impressed! Looks great. I like the single long body pens because it shows off more of what We do. Nothing against the other kits that’s just my reason for this application. Are you planning to incorporate a clip? I like to use and for others to use my pens so I like them with clips. I’d be interested in some of your techniques. I haven’t looked but can you buy just the click mechanisms? Once again Well Done.


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## magpens (Nov 6, 2020)

Kenny Durrant said:


> Are you planning to incorporate a clip? I like to use and for others to use my pens so I like them with clips. I’d be interested in some of your techniques. I haven’t looked but can you buy just the click mechanisms? Once again Well Done.


@Kenny Durrant 

Thank you ! . Yes, you can buy just the click mechanisms, either from Exotic Blanks or from Richard Greenwald. . I can give you links if you want.
They're about $5 each. . Plating options are limited, the most readily available being the one I show which may be nickel or may be chrome.

I do plan further refinements including the clip and finishing off the top end and will post results as they happen.

I wanted to get this first stage "out there" at this time in order to elicit any comments, criticisms, suggestions that might be forthcoming and helpful to subsequent work. . The SKM-88 is a little awkward to design around, partly because of its tapered shape, and its length.

Another possible Schmidt mechanism, the SKM-192, is also sold by Richard Greenwald, and I am contemplating a design using it. 
The SKM-192 is a totally internal mechanism based on a similar mechanical principle. . It requires a different method of mounting and requires the external pushbutton to be provided by the user.


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## mark james (Nov 6, 2020)

Well done.  Your efforts are appreciated to do these modifications.  Gives us something to look forward to try for a rainy weekend... month!  

Lovely blank also.


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## magpens (Nov 6, 2020)

@mark james



mark james said:


> .... to try for a rainy weekend... month!



A weekend ? .... a month ? .... ?

Maybe a couple of weeks ? .... These mods don't happen quickly. . First ya gotta try to figure out what you're working with ... then some trials ....
.... some surprises along the way .... things you forgot to take into account .... things you can't measure very well ....

.... lotsa scratching around on paper also .... and running out of materials ....   ....  !

I'm sure you know all about it, Mark !!


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## magpens (Nov 6, 2020)

SOME PICTORIAL DETAILS OF THE INTERNAL CONSTRUCTION

Because this is a developmental project, I am adding pictures of the internal parts. . The Berea nib is original and unmodified.
The brass tubing has been downsized from two 10 mm tubes to one long 8 mm brass tube. . This change requires mods to nib coupler.

Picture 1 shows, on the left, an unmodified nib and nib coupler pair screwed together ready to be pressed into the brass tube.
The nib coupler (with black ring) has a "nipple" for pressing into the brass tube. . This "nipple" has to be down-sized to fit 8 mm tubing.
The modified nib coupler, paired with an original nib, is on the right. . Nipple reduced in diam. from 0.360" to 0.290" on metalwork lathe.





Picture 2 shows the Schmidt SKM-88 click mechanism. . Note the threaded base for mounting. . I had to make a coupling sleeve in order to attach the SKM-88 to the 8 mm brass tube. . That sleeve is shown on the right side. . It has an outer diam. of 0.290" and is internally threaded to match the SKM-88 threads which are M7 x 0.75 mm.





Picture 3 shows the original Berea kit brass tubing (two 10 mm diam. pieces not used) and the 8 mm brass tube that I used.





Picture 4 shows the modified nib coupler and the original nib pressed onto the 8 mm brass tubing. . There is a paper clip under the nib coupler just to stop rolling while the picture was taken. . The gap you see to the right of the black ring is because nib and nib coupler are not fully screwed together and tightened up against the brass flange on the right. . Refill insertion requires unscrewing of the nib from coupler.





Picture 5 shows the SKM-88 click mechanism with the coupling sleeve that I made partially threaded on and ready to be pressed into the 8 mm brass tube on the left. . There is a paper clip under the click mech. just to stop it from rolling while the picture is taken.
The pressing must be done with the sleeve and mechanism separated.





Picture 6 shows the whole assembly with the click mechanism not yet attached to the brass tube.





Picture 7 shows the completed assembly with a refill protruding from the nib.


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## magpens (Nov 13, 2020)

OK, here is the "finished" pen ....

( I did not sand/polish the blank because this pen is a developmental prototype.)

The nib and the clip are the only parts used from the Berea Cigar kit (other than the Parker refill and spring).

I should have taken two pictures, another with the refill extended as well as this picture. . But please trust me ... the click mechanism does work !!


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## Dehn0045 (Nov 13, 2020)

Pretty awesome Mal! Looks much more balanced, well done!  I think we'll be seeing cigar clickers with the EDC mechanisms on the market soon


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## stuckinohio (Nov 14, 2020)

Very cool Mal!


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## magpens (Nov 17, 2020)

ANOTHER ITERATION ....

Same skeleton .... new body. . (Sorry for the dark pictures ... taken in a rush to make it to press time !)

This time I used an acrylic blank ... a very dark camo acrylic. . 
The top end, around the pushbutton, is also different ... I used the "centerband" components of the cigar kit ... slightly modified.
The SKM-88 now goes through through the hole in the centerband. 
To make it fit, I had to turn down the diameter of the SKM-88 outer sleeve. . This is very tricky and I won't go into that operation, but glad for success.

I like this result very much and will be making more of these ... stay tuned. . Sorry that barrel is not fully sanded and polished. . Days are too short !

This first picture shows the refill retracted.





This second picture shows the refill extended


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## stuckinohio (Nov 17, 2020)

That looks really slick Mal. Nice!


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## magpens (Nov 17, 2020)

AND ANOTHER ....

Blank made by Jeff Powell aka Master Scroller ... Alumilite ... beautiful chattoyance ...

1) Refill retracted





2) Refill extended


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## Alchemist (Nov 18, 2020)

I really like every design but the last one steals the show for me! The work that goes into these is amazing! When ever I get down because I wrecked a pen or two, I see something like this and think ‘Balls! I got a long ways to go! No more pouting. Get back to it!’

Thanks for firing me up! Today was a bad turning day for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app


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## magpens (Nov 18, 2020)

Alchemist said:


> I really like every design but the last one steals the show for me! The work that goes into these is amazing! When ever I get down because I wrecked a pen or two, I see something like this and think ‘Balls! I got a long ways to go! No more pouting. Get back to it!’
> 
> Thanks for firing me up! Today was a bad turning day for me.
> 
> ...



@Alchemist ..... Thanks very much, David !

Keep your chin up and keep going. . Progress does not come quickly; in retrospect it is amazingly slow.

For every success there are many hours of frustration, one way or another ..... we all go through that.
What you wouldn't know is that I have been thinking about the creation of this pen ... almost non-stop ... for at least the last 4 weeks.
The best ideas just came together very recently.

Don't forget that I joined IAP nearly 10 years ago. . I feel like I am just getting through the "water-treading" phase !!
I look at the work of folks who have been here for 15 years or more and feel discouraged seeing the brilliance of their work.
I could name them but I won't

I know that you joined a few months ago, and you might have been making pens quite a while before that.
You have come a very long way and your rate of progress is EXCELLENT !! . I have loved seeing your work and noting  your progress.

Now, do me a favor, please, and add just a word or two in reply .... so that your name appears as most recent contributor to this thread.


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## Alchemist (Nov 19, 2020)

magpens said:


> @Alchemist ..... Thanks very much, David !
> 
> Keep your chin up and keep going. . Progress does not come quickly; in retrospect it is amazingly slow.
> 
> ...


Thanks Mal!


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## Wayne (Jan 20, 2021)

magpens said:


> @Alchemist ..... Thanks very much, David !
> 
> Keep your chin up and keep going. . Progress does not come quickly; in retrospect it is amazingly slow.
> 
> ...



Mal,

We really need these processes in the library too, please?


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## magpens (Jan 20, 2021)

Wayne said:


> Mal,
> 
> We really need these processes in the library too, please?



@Wayne 

Is this the same request you previously made, Wayne ? . Or is it in addition to, but combined with the previous ? . Please clarify.

My life has taken a twist which is slowing things .... my 100+ year-old Dad is not well.

I will do my best ..... but my complying with your request(s) will be delayed and protracted. . Please reply as soon as you can.


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## David350 (Jan 20, 2021)

Great pens and job Mal.  Is it just me, or do they look a bit "naked" without the clip?  Additionally the clip would keep it from rolling off your desk if it is not level....


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## jalbert (Jan 20, 2021)

magpens said:


> AND ANOTHER ....
> 
> Blank made by Jeff Powell aka Master Scroller ... Alumilite ... beautiful chattoyance ...
> 
> ...


Looks like it’s time to move on to your own nose cone now!


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## Wayne (Jan 20, 2021)

magpens said:


> @Wayne
> 
> Is this the same request you previously made, Wayne ? . Or is it in addition to, but combined with the previous ? . Please clarify.
> 
> ...


This is a repeat request. Hope you and your family stay well.


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