Bolt action pen kit anyone?

[HoosierBuddy]

My middle kid gave me a 3 pack of bolt action pen kits for Christmas. Well…it’s June and I hadn’t touched them. I had Saturday free so I fired up my metal lathe and cut some brass to replace what would normally be the wood blanks. Using a drill and reamer I got the id to spec where I could toss the kits' tubes and press fit the nib and bolt action base directly to the cross drilled blank. Well…the first nib was destroyed pressing the pen together as the interference was a bit too tight. The second and third kit were different as I heated the brass blank in boiling water before the pressing operation to expand it. That gave me 2 good pens, one of which I milled a box for to give back to my kid for his birthday. I know regifting is frowned on, but how many bolt action pens does one man need?

Oh…someone will ask. Dremel with a 1/8 drill bit mounted in the cross slide. QED.

 

[Milton Shaw]

Make sure he doesn't take them too school. I have heard of bullet pins being grounds for swat team visit. Rifle mechanism would give them fits I am sure.

 

[PCustoms]

Pretty sweet!

I've got one around here somewhere, was meant to be a gift for dad but it got misplaced before I could give it to him.

 

[PelicanPines]

Absolutely Beautiful !!!

You win this months "Nifty Award"... there are few who can claim it. Be proud.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

Make sure he doesn't take them too school. I have heard of bullet pins being grounds for swat team visit. Rifle mechanism would give them fits I am sure.

I hope TSA doesn't look at it that way. The middle kid isn't a kid anymore. He'll be 26 this year. He is a production design engineer for a major pharmaceutical company and spends more time on airplanes than anyone I know that doesn't work for an airline.

 

[mike93lx]

Those will be fine on a plane. My laptop bag has a screwdriver I fly with all the time.

Very cool thing to give back and I don't think that's regifting at all.

Just be careful ...he's going to starting giving you all kinds of stuff to assemble and make that he wants now