- Joined
- Jan 31, 2013
- Posts
- 9,505
- First Name
- Terry
The new Mistral pen from Phil has been developed for the higher end of the market and upon opening the packet containing the parts the first thing that caught my eye was the colour of the gold plating. The colour is the best that I have seen on a pen kit although I hasten to add that I haven't seen every kit on the market.
Examining the parts one can see that they have been engineered to a very high standard and all credit to Phil for the design work that has gone into making this kit. One thing that Phil mentioned in his thread on the kit is that there is no bling but on the cap centre band which contains 3 ring sections the middle section is of brushed gold which highlights the centre band beautifully. He mentioned in the instructions that he may introduce this brushed gold section on the pen and cap finials but I think this may be overdoing it a bit. It is possible to get the brushed section the wrong way round which I have done through not reading the instructions fully. The brushed ring section is curved and has a chamfer on one side. The chamfer needs to be fitted toward the fixed ring section.
From the engineering side the inner tolerances of the brass tubes are close so ensure that the tubes are spotlessly clean before pressing home the component parts otherwise a few hairline cracks in the wooden or acrylic blanks will occur. The external tolerances of the tubes are an excellent match for the drill sizes given.
A clever little idea that has been incorporated into the design of the pen finial. It unscrews which allows the rollerball spring to be inserted and when the finial has been screwed back on the spring becomes captive.
Overall I think that this a first class pen and is ideally suited for either sex due to its size. Although a bit more expensive than many kits I am sure that it will become a good seller for that special occasion.
Examining the parts one can see that they have been engineered to a very high standard and all credit to Phil for the design work that has gone into making this kit. One thing that Phil mentioned in his thread on the kit is that there is no bling but on the cap centre band which contains 3 ring sections the middle section is of brushed gold which highlights the centre band beautifully. He mentioned in the instructions that he may introduce this brushed gold section on the pen and cap finials but I think this may be overdoing it a bit. It is possible to get the brushed section the wrong way round which I have done through not reading the instructions fully. The brushed ring section is curved and has a chamfer on one side. The chamfer needs to be fitted toward the fixed ring section.
From the engineering side the inner tolerances of the brass tubes are close so ensure that the tubes are spotlessly clean before pressing home the component parts otherwise a few hairline cracks in the wooden or acrylic blanks will occur. The external tolerances of the tubes are an excellent match for the drill sizes given.
A clever little idea that has been incorporated into the design of the pen finial. It unscrews which allows the rollerball spring to be inserted and when the finial has been screwed back on the spring becomes captive.
Overall I think that this a first class pen and is ideally suited for either sex due to its size. Although a bit more expensive than many kits I am sure that it will become a good seller for that special occasion.
