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Does anyone have an alternative to this?

Phil Dart

Phil Dart

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I'm afraid I've finally got fed up with the RT eurotop kit, but it fills a pricepoint in my range of pens.

reta.jpg

I wonder if anyone can suggest an alternative. It's got to be a two piece twist action with a parker style refill and available in the £5 or less kind of price. I know about the concavia but I wonder if any of the good people here have some ideas?
 
Phil Dart

Phil Dart

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The cigar is a bit too fat for what I'm looking for Paul, and yes, I'm aware of the concavia Walter, I'm just wondering if its a bit too querky, although I might get some to introduce as well as, rather than instead of.

The Elegant pen though is a consideration, and RT are sending me a sample or two. Hopefully its a bit different to assemble than the euro roundtop and the tolerances are a bit better. Do any renowned pen kit experts out there happen to know? (Neil???)
 
Phil Dart

Phil Dart

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wm460 said:
Can you just change the round final to a square one?
Click to expand...
It's not the design I have an issue with - in fact I like the design a lot and its a good seller. It's the fact that when assembling, 80% of the time the interference joints either don't interfere enough or they interfere too much. It is the most time consuming and frustrating kit I've ever come across. I've persevered with these things for literally years, but I have finally reached rock bottom and have decided that I will never buy them again.

If someone with more patience than me wants to buy my remaining kits from me they are more than welcome. I have about 50 of them left and I'll do you a deal.
 
Neil

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Phil Dart said:
The cigar is a bit too fat for what I'm looking for Paul, and yes, I'm aware of the concavia Walter, I'm just wondering if its a bit too querky, although I might get some to introduce as well as, rather than instead of.

The Elegant pen though is a consideration, and RT are sending me a sample or two. Hopefully its a bit different to assemble than the euro roundtop and the tolerances are a bit better. Do any renowned pen kit experts out there happen to know? (Neil???)
Click to expand...

Phil,

The elegant ball point is very easy to assemble, the only thing you have to ensure is that the top tube is perfectly clean before your push home the mechanism. The thing you have to be wary of is that the lower tube could be 1mm longer, so be very careful not to skim anything off the length of the lower tube when you trim the blank.

What's upset you about the euro? I'm in the middle of 120 of them!!!
 
Neil

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Phil,

Posts crossed! Which bits interfere? I'm not inferring I have the answer to your new found loathing of the kit but I used to hate this kit but seem to have managed to produce satisfactory results consistently, it's now one of my favourite kits. Which supplier are up you using?
 
Phil Dart

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Neil - Thanks for your interest

There are three problems I consistently find, in probably 4 out of 5 kits, not necessarily all at the same time. Probably 1 in 5 show no problems. I always make them using bushings, and the upper tube is always cleaned and tested for mechanism pass through.

1 - and this is by far and away the most common - the fits are too loose, to the point that they can be pulled apart by hand, requiring an application of CA during assembly to keep them in place. I appreciate that the fit if the cap centre band is within my control, and I don't include it here. I can't blame the bushings or the trimmer shaft as they get changed from time to time and the problem never goes away.

2 - next most common - the shaft of the finial is too tight as it enters the mechanism, requiring more pressure than a standard assembly vice will offer

3 - not very common, but still occurring too often , the mechanism is too loose to interfere in the right place, resulting in poor operation and the assembled mech/finial literally pushing out of the cap.

I'm using the Euro roundtop from TR Round Top Euro Style Pen Kit although I notice they now show an image with a gold finial whereas up to now they have always been black.
 
B

broadsea

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Phil, I will be up your way in the summer. Would it be okay to pop in past and have a look at your range. I might get some inspiration for my own turning.
 
Phil Dart

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broadsea said:
Phil, I will be up your way in the summer. Would it be okay to pop in past and have a look at your range. I might get some inspiration for my own turning.
Click to expand...
No problem John, although I'm not sure my pens are especially inspirational. They're all formulaic in the main. You'd be very welcome though, as long as you don't set up in competition:devil:
 
Phil Dart

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Well, the elegant kit sample arrived today. A bit disappointed to realise that the cap doesn't have a centre band. Not sure I like that idea. Fine on acrylic I expect, but quite a wide surface area of end grain on view with wood. Would need to be finished on the end grain to quite a high standard.

Another kit I've been pointed towards is the Manhattan. Has anyone got any comments or observations on that?
 
Neil

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Phil Dart said:
Well, the elegant kit sample arrived today. A bit disappointed to realise that the cap doesn't have a centre band. Not sure I like that idea. Fine on acrylic I expect, but quite a wide surface area of end grain on view with wood. Would need to be finished on the end grain to quite a high standard.

Another kit I've been pointed towards is the Manhattan. Has anyone got any comments or observations on that?
Click to expand...

Phil,
On the case of the elegant pen, I don't understand where this end grain is visible. The ones that I have completed don't have this issue.

Euro from TR, bought from TR once, all of the euros that I have just completed have been excellent, the tolerances on the ones I have are spot on!
 
rayf6604

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Phil, I get the impression you buy these in quantity? The price from TR is expensive, have you looked at Timberbits (from $2.20 ea) ? I bet our Dan (Taylor's Mirfield) could get them a lot cheaper than TR too. Just a thought. I know I hate paying over the odds and spend hours shopping around :thumbs:
 
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