Atrax pens

[Maurice]

Although suffering from man flu I ventured into the shed to make an Atrax rollerball and an Atrax ballpoint pen. If anybody considers doing the rollerball and probably the fountain pen as well, beware that the bushes for the lower part of the pen are of miniscule different sizes between the nib assembly and the centre-band. The difference is not apparent until like me you assemble the pen and then have to disassemble it again to get it right. It does mention it in the instructions from Turners Retreat but I mistakenly thought it was between the cap end and the lower barrel. In the end it is not a bad looking pen.
The ballpoint pen threw up no problems but unless you are looking for a pen that looks like a Saturn rocket I would give it a miss. The picture in the Turners Retreat catalogue doesn’t show how bland it really is.
Well the shed is now closed for Christmas and time to sample the goodies.
Can I wish you all a very merry Christmas and I hope all your wishes come true, ( I have asked for a nubile au pair but I will probably get a Nora Batty lookalike!!!!)

 

[Jim]

Thanks for the heads up Maurice, i did actually look at the ballpoint Atrax pen the last visit i made to TR, but i soon put it back in the tray ...

And a very Merry Christmas to you and your family, and i do hope you get a Nora Batty look alike, it could be well debated in the after Xmas thread ... Pictures of course ...

 

[Buckeye]

Maurice, I have found that even if you have two apparently identical kits, you have to measure them before you finish them as they are very rarely the size of the bushes, I think the bushes are there to get you close to the finished size.

Peter

 

[bluntchisel]

Merry Xmas, Maurice!!!

Bob,

 

[silver]

Hi Maurice , never seen the atrax pen but its nice having an insight to them.

Merry Christmas and happy new year to you as well..

 

[rowdyyates115]

Thanks for the heads-up...

 

[Neil]

I've made and sold quite a few of the Atrax Fountian and Roller Ball pens and I think that they are good. The cap thread is excellent, really smooth and it is a quality kit. Shame I cant say the same about the ball point. The Ball point wasn't designed it sort of evolved around the design of the RB/FP and is an unbalanced mess in my opinion. Agree 100% with you there Maurice.

There is little detail in the pen and that is what appealed to me, it needs a real quality blank to make it work, I used one of George Watkins mini cone resin blanks and it flew off the stall dressed in that. Got ten to make before new year!!