Thanks to everyone for their comments and thank you Neil for your considered appraisal.
I did indeed consider the need for a balanced design and as a result the finished pen is slightly longer than a standard Omega to compensate for the loss of the "postable" end. Whether this has worked or not is very much in the eye of the beholder. I did also consider the possibility of beading to mirror the orignal design but concluded that if I wanted beads I might as well have left the original metal end in place so that idea was placed to one side. In the end decided to base the barrel shape on that of a twenty year old Parker "Sonnet", but having done so I must admit that of the competition entries my favourite was peteB's, not only because of the quality of the blank used but also because I was drawn to the squared off and dimpled shape to the end of the barrel. A closed end barrel opens up so many options for improving on (or destroying) the original design. What will the next challenge be? Concealed clips anyone?
