# Baron II and Flat top Sierra Kits



## tbroye (Jul 25, 2010)

Was looking around Ebay this morning waiting for the races to start and came across a person from Sydney Australia selling Baron II and Flat top Sierra Pen Kits. The Baron had 10 facets on the nib instead of 6 and the Sierra had the flat top of the Elegant Beauty with out the fancy clip. Any knowledge on this kits as to who makes them or their quality. The price is pretty good. Just looking for something a little different. The seller Id is A1penkits.  Baron II item number 120592927122  Flat top Sierra Item number 110558622107  The guy is also selling the Elegant Beauty as a Executive Sierra


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## edman2 (Jul 25, 2010)

I have ordered from him and received my kits quickly.


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## sefali (Jul 25, 2010)

I've ordered from him a few times, and only ever had a problem with the polaris. I told him about it, and he was going to ship whatever parts I needed right out. I just had hime hold off 'til my next order. All of his Sierra styles have been fine for me.


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## tbroye (Jul 25, 2010)

Yuseff and Freddi

Thanks for your reply,  I will do a little more research before deciding.  The prices are good.  Wonder who make them.  Daycom?


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## arioux (Jul 25, 2010)

His description says made in Taiwan.. Dayacom and i think Berea factories are there.  His price are really good.  Hope we could have more feedback on the kit he his carrying.  He refer his upgrade gold as rack gold plating, wich is Berea description of their upgrade plating too.  His price for TI gold are very good too.


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## arioux (Jul 25, 2010)

From his "about the seller page on Ebay"

A1PenKits are the direct importers of pen kits and wood turning items from Taiwan and Main Land China. We buy in bulk above minimum order quantities from various factories to get you the best deals. We pass these saving onto you so you can deliver a better quality pen at affordable price.

From Chinese made slimline pen kits to the upmarket, high quality Taiwanese made pen kits plated in Rhodium, Platinum and Gold Titanium, we are constantly expanding the range of pen kits and woodturning accessories that we have available for sale. 

Generic brand pen kits - same top quality without the high ticket price.

We work directly with the manufactures of these kits, we are not PSI resellers. We don't have, nor do we pretend to be the manufactures of these kits. We source the pen kits from the factories who are world leaders in making these pen kits. 

We order kits well above the minimum quantities needed for a production run. This means that we are working directly with the manufactures of the kits and the plating factories. No royalties are paid to any US companies which equates to lower prices in generic bags. 

We understand different turners have different needs. For expert pen makers we have the high range kits with hard wearing, long lasting plating. For the beginner pen makers and makers who give their pens away as gifts we understand how important it is to strike a balance between quality and price. We aim to be the most price competitive in the market place. 

Looks like he his distributing some kits from eveyone   I think i'll try him.  Will let you know how it was if no one do it before me.


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## tbroye (Jul 25, 2010)

Think I will give it a try on the Baron II's


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## VampMN (Jul 25, 2010)

Does anyone know if the Baron II's use the same bushing as the originals?


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## arioux (Jul 25, 2010)

I just ask him the question about bushing, tube and drill bit on Ebay.  Will let you know his answer as soon as i get it.


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## VampMN (Jul 25, 2010)

That would be great. Thanks!


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## pentex (Jul 25, 2010)

I have bought from him several times and he is really quick on shipping and only had one problem and he took care of it. I will buy from him again.


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## arioux (Jul 25, 2010)

The Baron II uses the same tubes, drill bits and bushing as the original Baron.


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## tbroye (Jul 25, 2010)

I ordered some Baron II and Flat Top Sierras this afternoon between races.

Thanks for the info guys.


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## Smitty37 (Jul 25, 2010)

*Aussie*

A fairly substantial number of his kits come from the same source I use...I just wonder how that rascal manages to ship to the USA cheaper than I can ship to AU.  He might get some things from Dayacom but not many, his prices are to low to be paying their prices for his stock.


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## JC Turner (Jul 25, 2010)

I've purchased several kits from this seller.  He shipped very quickly and on the one occasion that I had a small problem he made it right immediately.  I will be buying from him again.  As far as the quality of the kits goes I have seen no difference between his and the ones I'v purchased from the major distributors here.


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## bracky1 (Jul 26, 2010)

Excellent seller, I've ordered a few kits and boxes from him with no problems whatsoever. He also has a website where he sells other kits not on ebay http://www.timberbits.com/  Check out the pen boxes for good quality and prices.


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## tbroye (Jul 26, 2010)

The kits shipped yesterday afternoon. I also ordered from a source in Michigan.  It will interesting to see which package get here first.


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## timberbits (Jul 28, 2010)

Hi Guys

Thanks for the kind words about my price and service.

I though I might just add a bit to the conversation to clarify a few things up.



arioux said:


> His description says made in Taiwan.. Dayacom and i think Berea factories are there.  His price are really good.  Hope we could have more feedback on the kit he his carrying.  He refer his upgrade gold as rack gold plating, wich is Berea description of their upgrade plating too.  His price for TI gold are very good too.



The Baron II are made in Taiwan. They are made by neither Dayacom nor Berea. There are a few factories in Taiwan who make pens and pen kits. I work with a few of them. All the pen factories seem to be smaller factories compared to Main land China factories. They seem outsource various process in the pen making process. 

Plating is a particular step which is frequently outsourced. This is because electro plating is a specialised process with strict environmental standards and individual pen factories can't keep it in-house due to cost and several other factors.




I often get asked what’s the difference between upgrade gold (also  known as tree gold or rack gold) plating and normal gold plating.


 My last trip to Taiwan, I went sight seeing to all the different   factories to see how the pen kits that I sell are made. The plating   factory was one of the factory that I really wanted to see, so I could   see for myself. I had the impression that I was big vats of boiling gold   or chrome and it was more like a foundry with hot kilns in action.   Attached are 2 photos of what I saw.


 Rack gold plating is a more expensive plating because each individual  item being plated is soldered onto a rack or rod (see photo above). As  opposed to the tumbled plating method (where all the pieces are tumbled  in a metal basket or cage) the rack gold plating method is a technique  that ensures an even coat of the plating over the item. This ensures  that no section of the item has a thinner layer of gold that is  otherwise specified.
 Rack gold is the standard method of plating gold in Taiwan. Factories  in Taiwan is reluctant to use the tumble method of plating gold as it  is seen as an inferior method of plating.  The tumble method is however  common practice in Mainland China where as the rack gold plating is much  less practiced.


 The rod is then lowered into a solution and an electric current then  is  passed through the rod to attract plating (see photo below). The rod  is then washed  and plated with an epoxy coating. It is then is washed  again and passed through an industrial drier to harden the plate (see  photo above).




VampMN said:


> Does anyone know if the Baron II's use the same bushing as the originals?



Yes The Baron II's use the same bushings and tubes as the original. Also I will have the matching fountain pen in stock in about 2 weeks time.



Smitty37 said:


> A fairly substantial number of his kits come  from the same source I use...I just wonder how that rascal manages to  ship to the USA cheaper than I can ship to AU.  He might get some things  from Dayacom but not many, his prices are to low to be paying their  prices for his stock.



I am an agent for Dayacom in Australia. Their kits are exceptional in quality and their brand is also well know (especially on this forum) - therefore their kits are more expensive than generic kits. As a result their prices are also more expensive because it costs me more money to buy. We probably buy the slimlines from the same place in China which is why our kits are similarly priced.

I am also the sole agent for Australiana kits (I know its not important to you guys in the US) but they are great sellers here in Australia.

Regarding the shipping prices - This is the story I am told by Australia Post and the courier companies. Australia no-longer does much manufacturing. We mainly export bulk commodities (iron ore and coal). Our air cargo movements are 75% inbound and 25% outbound. That means for every 3 jumbos that comes into Australia fully loaded with goodies, 2 jumbos go back empty. There is fierce competition to get export parcels out of Australia, especially back to Asia and the US. Probably the reverse is true for the US. There is more stuff going out than in. So postal companies are falling over themselves to get business at any cost.



bracky1 said:


> Excellent seller, I've ordered a few kits and  boxes from him with no problems whatsoever. He also has a website where  he sells other kits not on ebay http://www.timberbits.com/  Check out the pen boxes for good quality and prices.



I trade in both names - Timberbits and A1penkits. The reason for this is because I have had to separate the business. Timberbits is operated from home between my wife and I, we sell in Australian dollars and prices is inclusive of GST (its illegal to publish retail prices without GST). 

A1penkits, even though the goodies are physically held here in Australia, the goods are held in a non-bonded warehouse. This means that no duties and taxes have been paid on them. These warehouses are a government scheme to help the export market in Australia. A1penkits also sell in USD and prices published are exclusive of GST (Australian Sales Tax). 

It's picked and packed by a 3rd party provider who runs the warehouse. I can't go in without filling in a mountain of paperwork, and I definitely can't bring any though of the warehouse. These goods are meant to be exported.



tbroye said:


> The kits shipped yesterday afternoon. I also  ordered from a source in Michigan.  It will interesting to see which  package get here first.



Parcels under 2kg will be sent via regular airmail. This means that USPS will be delivering the parcel. There seems to be a wide level of service with USPS. Places like Texas take up to 2 week or even longer to get delivered. Sacramento should be less than that. Parcels over 2kg will go with TNT, which should only take 2 - 5 days in comparison.

I can't make it go any faster than that. Our policy is to ship same day if the order is placed before 2pm Sydney time.

Thanks again for all your support, please PM me if anyone has any further questions or need more information.

Regards

Timberbits (David)


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## leestoresund (Jul 28, 2010)

What a great surprise.
BTW is he proselytizing? He can easily convert me from PSI.
Have to give him a try.

Lee


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## Seer (Jul 28, 2010)

Thanks David that I am sure was a very good explanantion of everything.  I plan to order some in the future from you as well.
Jerry


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## witz1976 (Jul 28, 2010)

Wow this turned out to be a great post.  Lots of good info thanks for sharing those photos David!


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## tool-man (Jul 28, 2010)

Very informative David.  Thanks for your extensive post. I will be placing an order in the near future.


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## wood-of-1kind (Jul 28, 2010)

"The Baron II are made in Taiwan. They are made by neither Dayacom nor Berea. There are a few factories in Taiwan who make pens and pen kits. I work with a few of them."

David, thank you very much for a great explanation of how these factories do their plating. One further question, you are at liberty not to answer as usual:

Berea, Daycom DO NOT have actual pen factories that they can call their own, but in fact they "outsource" their parts and simply use "packing (specialists)" to put their kits together. Is this a true statement? This is what I am led to believe. Your input is appreciated and once again respect your rights if you choose not to reply.

Regards,
-Peter-


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## timberbits (Jul 28, 2010)

wood-of-1kind said:


> David, thank you very much for a great explanation of how these factories do their plating. One further question, you are at liberty not to answer as usual:
> 
> Berea, Daycom DO NOT have actual pen factories that they can call their own, but in fact they "outsource" their parts and simply use "packing (specialists)" to put their kits together. Is this a true statement? This is what I am led to believe. Your input is appreciated and once again respect your rights if you choose not to reply.
> -Peter-


I'm away on a confrence in Melbourne. Rather than hijack this thread I'll start up another thread when I get home on Friday night to answer this question. 

I have lots more photo that I can share which is sitting on the home PC.

Which forum should I post the thread on?

Timberbits


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## wood-of-1kind (Jul 28, 2010)

David, thank you again for your willingness to share 'info' regarding pen sources in the Far East. Given that this discussion(thread) has started in the PENTURNING forum, may I suggest that you start your thread in the same? Your call and it will be interesting to most of us that are following this discussion. 

Regards,


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