The flaming process also creates a stunning (and extremely durable) alpha-case skin which makes this pen more scratch resistant than typical titanium pens while displaying amazing colors. We then apply a hydrophobic polymer nano-resin (not a wax) to the surface to seal and protect the finish.
For proper balance (everyone knows that a real writing pen should have the balance tipped forward), the tip is also made out of Grade 5 titanium. Swanky, right? To stay put in your pocket, we updated the nearly bullet-proof torch stamped titanium clip and replaced it with a
machined titanium clip! We use a machined Delrin spacer for fitting multiple cartridges (Fisher / Foray / Parker / Schmidt / Franklin-Christoph) and a machined cam advancing mechanism (no cheap stamped parts here) with a ball bearing cam design for silky smooth operation (so smooth, it doesn't "click"... it's actually cooler this way).
Why titanium? In short, titanium is about 45 percent lighter than steel, 60 percent heavier than aluminum and more than three times stronger than either of them. This version of the pen uses 6AL4V Grade 5 (aerospace grade) titanium which is light in weight and yet stronger than steel. It's both corrosion resistant and exceedingly durable.
What makes it special? Unlike other pens which use tubing, our pens are machined from solid titanium bar stock with considerable wall thickness. This makes for a much more precise finish, better threading and more durable pen. It's more costly and time consuming to do it this way but the end result truly is precision machined excellence.
What makes this 416SS mechanism so special?Mostly the material choice and time consuming manufacturing process refinements. Virtually all high-end pen mechanisms are made from brass and plated (easier and cheaper to manufacture but not as durable as ours), we decided to go nuts and machine it out of 416 stainless steel (a much harder and more durable material). This meant we had to have it Swiss-CNC'ed which, while more costly, means we can hold much tighter tolerances (less than .0005" all day long on the Citizen L-20). The G-Code programming done by our friend's shop re-traces the race toolpaths to debur all edges, taking more time but it also means that the chrome steel bearing glides smoothly and the mechanism cycles like butter. It's much more expensive and time consuming to make it this way but it really is pretty awesome. Plus, the 416SS and chrome steel will wear better and last much longer than plated brass. It's complete overkill for a pen mechanism but hey... if you're going to make one, might as well go all out, right?
Isn't all of that a lot of work?
Yeah, it really is but we make the best pens we can possibly make, something special that you'll be proud to own and carry with you for years to come. That's why we back them with a lifetime guarantee, because we make them to last a lifetime.
What refills do the pens take?
Any Parker compatible refill, including:
- Parker GEL or QuinkFlow
- Franklin-Christoph Ultra-Glide
- Schmidt Easyflow 9000
- Schmidt Pressurized
- Schmidt Private Reserve P900
- Fisher (Space Pen)
- Foray Rollerball
- Montevered Soft Roll
- Penatia
- Visconti