An Often Unknown Influence - Mr. Thomas Hall

If you've listened to The Pen Addict podcast or read Brad's many posts over the last few years (including one last week...) then you've likely heard the name Thomas Hall shared from time to time.

Who is this "Thomas Hall"?  Is he man?  Myth?  Legend...?  In our little world, he is pretty much all of the above.  He is often referred to as the enabler to the enablers due to his incredible way of making people like Brad and myself purchase expensive things.  We then talk about these things; a lot.  This, in turn, trickles the enablement avalanche down to our readers and friends.  

I was kindly introduced to Thomas through Brad in a round about way (although I'm not entirely sure of our first interaction), but from the get-go, I was impressed by the knowledge this man possesses about pens.  Like encyclopedia Britannica type knowledge levels.  Thomas would likely argue that this is not the case, but all I know is that every topic, every pen, every ink question I throw his way is answered and usually with a link to a site to purchase amazing things!

You all may have heard some rumors that I may have a problem buying vintage stainless steel Pilot pens; this is true, and largely thanks to Thomas' insight and willingness to share his time when questions arose.  I now have MYUs, Murex', M90s, Elites, Customs.... (sigh)  When Thomas tells you about something...  

I'm going to say that he has this way of opening your eyes to new things you didn't even know existed; deep secrets locked away in pen history that wouldn't likely cross your path unless you went looking.  Sounds like we're meditating on top of a mountain, right?  Not far off... He is kind of like our community pen shaman.

For a very long time, I had known about custom acrylic/celluloid pens by people such as Shawn Newton or Brian Gray of Edison Pens, but it wasn't until Thomas helped nudge me over the edge did I buckle down and start purchasing some.  He also very kindly sent me three of his personal Edison pens to use in order to see what felt right; a very kind and trusting gesture from someone who only knows me as "the guy who writes The Clicky Post".  I'm now pleased to call him my friend.

This is a very uncommon post it seems, but one that I have been meaning to write for some time.  

Thomas also started writing a blog this past year called Penucopia.  His writing schedule may seem spread out in comparison to other blogs, but when he writes I always make sure to consume his posts immediately.  He takes a great deal of time providing fantastic insights and his site is one that should be on everyone's blog reader.  Also, he is on Instagram and Twitter if you'd like to keep an eye on what he is up to.

To Thomas: thanks for being such a great contributor and asset to this community.

  

The Studio Temporary X Dudek Collaboration - Mahogany & Maple

After a couple of months of teasers, I'm pleased to finally announce the launch of a collaboration between Scott Fuller of The Studio Temporary and Dudek Modern Goods.

Scott is a designer out of Georgia that has found his way into our little community through a couple of ways.  If his name/company doesn't sound familiar, then perhaps some of this work will.  He is the artist behind the logos for both Fountain Pen Day as well as the Field Nuts Facebook group (for Field Notes fandom) and he has been a guest on The Pen Addict Podcast to discuss his work.

One of my favorite pieces from Scott is a "USA" logo he created last year.  It instantly grabbed my attention and I was excited when he and I started talking about a possible collaboration as I knew I wanted to incorporate it into our project.  With both of our little companies being here in the USA, it seemed appropriate.

What we've created is a limited edition run of The Block and The Daily pen holders made from solid mahogany that is inlayed with Scott's "USA" artwork in maple.  We're excited at how these turned out and are stoked to finally share them.

Why mahogany?  My normal material of choice is walnut for all of my other pieces, but for the collaboration I felt that changing the wood up completely would help it to stand out as a true limited run.  

Mahogany is an interesting wood and is much grainier than the walnut.  It has a much more contrasting appearance as the wood itself is a golden orange while the deeper grains are dark.  The wood also has what I would consider a wavy, almost iridescent effect when you move the piece back and forth in the light.  A shimmer of sorts, which makes the color change with each angle you see it from.  Its a lovely, lighter wood that turned out great.

In addition to the inlayed maple "USA", each piece is laser etched on the bottom with The Studio Temporary and Dudek Limited Edition mark and each piece is numbered in the series.  The Block is limited to 15 pieces and The Daily is limited to 12, so expect them to sell out quickly.

USA Patch

To carry around and promote some red, white and blue pride, as an add-on to each piece you can elect to purchase one of Scott's "USA" patches to stitch on to your jacket or bag for only $5.  

Made in the USA.

SPECS: 
01. 2.5 inches around! 
02. Sew-on. None of that iron-on mess... 
03. USA!!!

THE BLOCK - $70 (+shipping)

Solid mahogany with maple USA inlay.  Holds 21 of your writing instruments 1/2" in diameter or smaller.  Protected with several coats of satin poly.

SOLD OUT

THE DAILY - $55 (+shipping)

Solid mahogany with maple USA inlay, that has a slot for up to three of your pocket notebooks and pens or pencils 1/2" in diameter or smaller.  Protected with several coats of satin poly. 

SOLD OUT 

A special thanks to Phillip McKee of McKee Markings, a local small business that provided the fantastic laser services and Timber Hardwoods, my local small business lumber source, both out of Mesa, AZ.

Also, a special thanks to all of the support around The Studio Temporary and Dudek Modern Goods.  Without it, our creative ventures wouldn't be possible.

- Mike and Scott

How to Hack the Zebra F-701

The Zebra F-701 pen is a bit of a surprise for its price range of about $7.  Stainless steel barrel, knurled grip... it just looks cool for an off the shelf pen.

What many people have found out is that you are able to swap in a Fisher Space Pen refill to the F-701 pretty easily, but there is another mod to swap out some of the hardware of the Zebra F-402.

UPDATE!!


Since this post was published, Zebra has since released both the Zebra FxMD which is an all-metal version of the F-701 as well as a revised F-701 with the 402 components which makes the mechanism "hack” unnecessary. But, continue reading to learn more about using the Fisher Space refill.

Why do this?  Well, the only downer to the F-701 (besides the Zebra ballpoint refill) is that the click mechanism is made of plastic.  An all metal-ish pen and they choose to put in plastic instead.  What is odd is that the F-402, a less expensive pen, has a brass mechanism.  This is where the hack comes in...

Shopping List/Items Needed:

First things first, we need to remove the plastic click mechanism from the F-701.  I've found this easiest to do with a pair of needle nose pliers as I discard the part.  I know, I know, I am throwing away perfectly good pens to do this hack...

Second, and a bit more tricky, use a lighter to remove the brass piece from the F-402.  I had a blow torch laying around my shop while shooting this, but a lighter is better.  There is a pressure fit plastic sleeve that threads the brass mechanism into the barrel; our goal with the lighter is to heat up slowly the end of the pen to melt the plastic.  If you have a pair of non marring pliers, use them instead.  The reason we don't want to go clamping down on the clicker is because we don't want to scratch it. (makes the pen a bit unsightly)  

It actually sort of oozes out the end of the pen with the brass mechanism inside the goop, so have something handy to pull it out when this happens.  DO NOT BURN YOURSELF PLEASE...

***REVISIONS***

There are some alternative methods of removing the threaded brass knock mechanism that have been pointed out like putting the pen in the freezer for 10-15 minutes which shrinks the plastic and makes unscrewing easier, or slightly loosening the tip of the pen a thread or two (so there is a small gap) and then pushing the tip down on a hard surface which ejects the knock. Both options are worth a try and you may not need to use heat/flame! 

You may have to remove the melted plastic from the brass mechanism, but once cooled it is easy to break off.  Make sure not to mar the brass threads as this will cause you problems later.

You can now take the shiny brass mechanism and original F-701 clip and install it into the barrel.  I find that it is a pretty snug fit, so you may need something grippy like a rubber glove to tighten it down.  You should now have an all "metal" F-701.

To install the Space Pen refill, there is a small plastic cone inside the tip of the pen that needs to be removed.  Some people prefer to shave it down or modify it, but I've found removing it to work fine.  To do so, I actually just take the Fisher refill and push it into the tip in the opposite direction.  It will at least loosen the plastic piece which can then be tapped out of the metal tip piece.

Replace the Zebra refill with the Fisher and you are good to go!

This hack, if done with all new parts, will run you about $20 but is a fun project that is pretty inexpensive.

I imagine the reason people do this hack is the low price, stainless steel look, and it is kind of fun.  With the discontinuation of the rOtring 600, there aren't a lot of good knurled options on the market.  Even the rOtring Rapid Pro is kind of "meh", particularly with the $40+ price tag.  If you are simply wanting to buy a cool knurled pen on a budget to take the Fisher, you might look into the Retro 51 Hex-o-Matic.  Super rOtring-esque and attainable for less than $30.