Went to Sam's Club and bought 54 more Zebra Pens.  They are usually 9 pens for $9.99 but they were on sale for $7.98 WOO-HOO! 

 

Doug, AKA Dab, sent me some shells.  I love this forum as everyone is so helpful.   While I waited for them to arrive I worked the pen parts of 30 pens.  Got the shells drilled and polished and put 30 more pens together.  Guess what the family and friends are getting for Christmas this year.  I will be way ahead of the game.

 

I did 16 and then found two more shells and now these I made with Doug's shells will make four dozen.  I have a line on more shells here locally so I'm sure a lot more will be made.  It does get a bit tedious.  

 

WOW!! Beautiful Work!

 

Now if that would be me, I'd put them away til Christmas and then forget where they were 

Dan...

you are one tenacious and talented individual...

KUDOS!!!

Edited February 10, 20197 yr by Stick486

3 minutes ago, lew said:

Now if that would be me, I'd put them away til Christmas and then forget where they were

 

I thought about that and have done that before.  They show up eventually.

You're on fire Dan!

 

Steve

1 hour ago, Steve Krumanaker said:

You're on fire Dan!

 

Steve

don't put him out either...

5 hours ago, HandyDan said:

 

I thought about that and have done that before.  They show up eventually.

I will trade you a hand plane for one of your pens.

Herb

2 minutes ago, Dadio said:

I will trade you a hand plane for one of your pens.

Herb

 

We could do that trade off.  PM me your address.

Those are just so darn cool Dan - great work.

very nice!  way better than going in the scrap metal pile.

 

i have hundreds more, but they are all loaded presently.  likely way more than i'll ever shoot.  so if i do go shooting some day, i'll save the brass and hook you up.  lesson learned, should have used a small flat rate box.  doh.  would have saved a few bucks postage.  sorry.

 

it's like Oprah:  and you get a pen, and you get a pen, everyone gets a pen!

Great looking pens!!!

 

Woot!

 

got a nice note, a few bucks for postage, and.....and.....TWO! (did i mention there were 2?) pens from Dan today.

 

thank you so much, a very nice surprise and gift.  I'll enjoy using those and showing them off to my numerous shooting buddies.

 

i would have been happy just to break even on postage!

 

(happy dance sequence ensues, avert your eyes, it's not pretty).

5 hours ago, DAB said:

Woot!

 

got a nice note, a few bucks for postage, and.....and.....TWO! (did i mention there were 2?) pens from Dan today.

 

thank you so much, a very nice surprise and gift.  I'll enjoy using those and showing them off to my numerous shooting buddies.

  

i would have been happy just to break even on postage!

 

I knew you would enjoy those.  Those are made with the shells you sent too.  Thanks again.

10 hours ago, HandyDan said:

 

I knew you would enjoy those.  Those are made with the shells you sent too.  Thanks again.

i might, might, carefully take one apart to see how you did it, and then try to make a few more for some friends at the shooting range.  and i might try to make one out of a 300 Weatherby Mag case.  it's longer and bigger.

 

thank you.

1 hour ago, DAB said:

i might, might, carefully take one apart to see how you did it, and then try to make a few more for some friends at the shooting range.  and i might try to make one out of a 300 Weatherby Mag case.  it's longer and bigger.

 

thank you.

 

It is not hard to do Doug.  You can unscrew the lower part of the pen but you may not be able to get the clicker part out.  The first group of pens I used a 5/16 drill on the end of the shell after removing the primer and the clicker part had to be pressed into the hole.  This caused some problems so I went to using the Letter "O" size drill which is just a tad bigger and made pen assembly a lot easier.  

 

Take the pen apart and remove the tube with the logo on it.  There is a detent on the tube so a half twist before pulling works best.  I use a small pair of end nippers to grab the tube.  I slide them into the hole the open pliers make and they clamp around the tube just enough to get it off.

 

 

The lower ribbed part has to have 3.5 ribs turned down to fit into the shell where the bullet was.  This makes the length right and the nib protrudes the correct distance when the clicker is pushed.

 

 

The the chrome nib and the clicker have a brass sub base.  For the nib i chucked a dowel in my lathe drill chuck turned it down to fit in the threaded part and then brought a pointed liver center up and added enough pressure for it to turn and sanded the chrome off.  The nib can be sanded too much and end up in two pieces.  I did that a couple times.  For the clicker button I chucked a drill bit that fit best into it backwards in the chuck.  For the live center I have one with a removable tip and fit the eraser end of a pencil to put pressure on the clicker's plastic end.  You may have a tumbler that would knock the chrome off.  I have wondered if that would work.

 

I sanded the pieces including the shells through the grits from 220 to 400 and then polished with 0000 steel wool.  I didn't put a finish on them.  Most people say the prefer the patina brass gets so I tell them they will have to wait for that to happen.

 

Any questions (and that goes for anyone) ask away.  You want detailed pictures of the operations I can do that too.  Doug, you have my number if needed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

uh oh....i'm going to need more brain cells.

 

i'm not sure i have the lathe parts that are needed.

 

ah ha!, now i see what is going on....... ok, you pens are in trouble!!!

1 hour ago, DAB said:

uh oh....i'm going to need more brain cells.

 

i'm not sure i have the lathe parts that are needed.

 

ah ha!, now i see what is going on....... ok, you pens are in trouble!!!

 

I use the wood lathe for everything except the ribbed section.  I have a Unimat Hobby lathe that I do them on but it can be done on the wood lathe.  I set up to do 20 at a time so the hobby lathe saves me some time.  I'm glad to see you deem my pen worthy of making.  Have at it and enjoy.