Karas Kustoms - Special Retrakt Making and Shop Tour

This post has been one that has been in progress for a couple of months now, but one that I'm really excited to share.   

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As I've noted before on the blog, living in the same town as the fellas from Karas Kustoms grants me the pleasure of stopping in the shop to chat, have lunch, and simply shoot the breeze with the guys.  A cool group of friendly and talented dudes.  Don't let the machine shop vibe convince you otherwise...

 With the announcement on Kickstarter that the guys are finished with the Retrakt and shipping them out, the timing of the post is pretty good I'd say.  A little reflection on the process and a glimpse into some of the behind the scenes that made it possible.  The post will likely be primarily pictures, so enjoy! 

THE SHOP

Tucked on an off street in an industrial section of Mesa, AZ is a little shop (soon to be a bigger shop in an upcoming move) where all the magic happens.  Inside there are lots of big machines doing all sorts of awesome things.  There is even an old truck that is slowly but surely coming back to life.  Pens are just a part of what they do and there are always other jobs they are working on for clients of theirs.  From custom automobile grill ornaments for an old Rambler to gun parts, they're always doing something "Kustom". 

 

THE MACHINING

The pens start out as long rods of metal 1/2" in diameter that get fed through a huge machine.  This machine has a large spindle with a variety of bits and tools that are programmed to cut, shave, shape, (and knurl) the pens and their parts.  It is super fascinating to see this in action!  Dan Bishop describes this as "the pens being born". 

Now, the metal doesn't just go in and out pops a pen.  There are numerous stages the pen goes through and even different machines that do a variety of different jobs to end up with the finished product.  Even though the pens are made by machines, each one is given the attention of one (or many) of the guys at the shop.

One of the cool parts about the process is a special jig that they developed to machine the space and screw holes for where the clip goes.  They load the top sections into a tray of sorts that then gets put into a CNC machine.  Awesome... 

A shot of the "clickers": 

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Once the pens go through the machining and finishing, they need to be assembled and prepped for shipping.  I got some shots of assembly of a few of their models.  I wasn't able to make it for a shoot during the final finishing process of the Retrakt, but the pictures from the Kickstarter campaign as well as my review (as well as the reviews of my fellow bloggers) of the finished product speak for themselves. 

Around the shop there are even some early unfinished examples of "DUDEK" goods in use...

It was such a pleasure to stop by the shop during the process of the Retrakt being made, and I hope the pictures did justice to the work that goes into getting them finished.  Thanks Bill!  

Here are a few more gems from the visits: 

rOtring 600 Silver Fountain Pen - M Nib

There are a few pens that I would consider to be on my "Holy Grail" list, and at the moment many of them are rOtrings.  Many of the older models on the list fetch a pretty penny, so they'll have to come in stages. 

The rOtring 600 fountain pen with the knurled ends and grip is one of these pens and from the minute I laid eyes on these I knew someday I would need to just go for it and get one. 

I found what I would consider to be a reasonably good deal (not a steal) on a NOS silver barreled 600 that came with an M nib.  I won't tell you the price, but it was enough to definitely make me weary when making the purchase.  I had never used one before as they are really no longer in pen shops and I didn't directly know anyone that owned one that I could try out.

Boy, oh boy am I glad I did.  Seriously waiting for the pen was killing me, but when it arrived it was literally like my birthday as well as any other holiday where presents are involved combined...and like I had won the lottery on a small scale.  Needless to say I was a bit excited about it.

As I've mentioned before, one can assume that the build quality on these beauties is going to be superb and it is.  The design of these pens I seriously cannot get enough of.  I love the hexagonal barrel, how it transitions to round parts, how the barrel and cap interlock and line up, the knurling of the grip section.  I'm not going to go as far as to say it is perfection, but there isn't a thing about this pen that I don't like, and that isn't just the price talking either.  It is simply such a unique and special design and part of pen history; it is iconic in it's own right and nobody can diminish it's place in the pen world.  Like a gull wing Mercedes 300SL, 1954 Corvette, or an E-Type Jaguar in the world of the automobile.

The nib is a good writer and started up quick.  The M nib lays down a nice line and I look forward to getting myself some different ink; something really nice and blue to go into this beauty.  I've been eying the Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki for awhile and have seen the numerous reviews of it and need to pull the trigger on a bottle.  The nib isn't as smooth as others, but I didn't find it bothersome to use.  

Like other rOtring 600s and Newtons, the cap posts onto the barrel in a way that is pretty neat.  They engineered some teeth for it to lock into so the facets line up.  It takes some getting used to in finding the sweet spot of being able to close the pen quickly, but it is a cool feature. 

I seriously can't say enough how much I've completely fallen for the 600 series.  The ballpoints, rollerballs, pencils, fountain pens; you name it, I like it.  The design of it is so striking, and the weight and feel of the pen is awesome.  Even though I've now acquired a few 600 models, I find myself getting into "collector mode" on these and over time would like to expand my set. 

As said before, this is a pen that I'd never written with before I ordered mine, so I was anxious and nervous for it to come, but I love it.  Now, these pens may or may not be for everyone as they are pricey.  If you wanted to buy one on a whim and without finding a good deal plan on spending $200+ (some priced upwards of $300+ which is well out of my league) on one of these, but that could get you one NOS.  They sure are tempting...  

The Pen Project - New Black Model - GIVEAWAY!

Tis' almost the season I suppose, but it sure seems like The Clicky Post is a happening place for giveaways as of this past month.  The thing is, there are still more to come! 

This particular giveaway is sponsored by Ian Schon of The Pen Project.  Ian launched a successful Kickstarter campaign for these little beauties back in August of 2012 and has been featured on numerous sites including Cool Material (see Pens of Kickstarter article), Huckberry, Gear Hungry, and others.  For a small pen it sure has gotten some big props from many sources.   

I reviewed the original silver aluminum pen just a short time ago, but Ian has been cooking up a new look and is offering a limited run in a black anodized finish.  He has provided one of these babies to giveaway to a reader of The Clicky Post; lucky people... 

I sung praises to this pen in my review, and the black is particularly cool.  If you recall, it is a small pocket pen designed around the popular (and durable) Fisher Space Pen refill and is a compact, but effective workhorse.  A great EDC pen for sure.

Ian is always up to cool stuff so I wanted to make sure all of his information was nice and accessible in the post: 

Schon DSGN Website - http://www.schondsgn.com/

Ian's Portfolio Site -  http://ianschon.com/

Instagram and Twitter - @The_schon

Make sure to check out his sites/social media to keep tabs on what he's up to. 

25% Discount Offer at schondsgn.com: 

 And what else?  Ramping up for the holidays, Ian has also offered to provide a 25% discount on his products through November 10th!  25% is huge and these pens would make for a perfect stocking stuffer or holiday gift.  

Visit his store to place an order and at checkout, use the promo code:  clickypost25

 

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

The "Fine Print" (sort of):

 This giveaway is open to US and International readers (woohoo!) and will run through next Saturday, November 9th, until 11:59pm PST (Arizona). 

To enter, complete the form below with your name and email address.  

I will arrange the names in order as received and use a random number generator to pick the winner.  

Upon picking the winner, I will announce it on the blog, email them, and they will have one week to reply with their address information.  After a week goes by if there is no response, I'll pick a new winner.