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Sawed-Off Pilot Varsity

Jamesbeat

By Jamesbeat
in Fountain & Dip Pens - First Stop

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Jamesbeat Extremely Rare

Jamesbeat

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Very tempted to try this, but I'd probably mess it up.

You won't know unless you try :D

 

I just tried a new method for those who don't have a tube cutter, and it is almost as easy.

 

Put the uncapped pen on a flat surface, and place the edge of the blade where you want to cut.

 

Get a secure grip on the knife, and push it forwards and backwards with gentle downward pressure, causing the pen to roll back and forth.

Keep your fingers out of the way!

 

That will cut it all around the perimeter a little at a time. You don't need to press down hard, just let the cut get a little deeper each time you roll the pen.

The plastic is quite thin and soft, so it won't take long.

 

Then, just pull out the colored tip of the cap, and carefully trim away the little tube thing underneath.

 

Alternatively, just use a hacksaw for the initial cut, and then sandpaper or a sharp knife to neaten the edges.

 

Judging by the feel of the plastic, I think you could probably use a lighter to melt the edges smooth, but I haven't tried that.

Edited by Jamesbeat
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J85909266 Extremely Rare

J85909266

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I can buy a three pack of Varsities at Staples for 7 bucks, black, blue and purple. I have a Petit1, but I don't like it. Gave it to the wife.

 

Additionally,I can pull the nib and feed out of a Varsity with my thumb and forefinger for refilling.

 

Very nice and innovative mod. I plan to copy it.

 

Thanks.

Fountain pens forever and forever a hundred years fountain pens, all day long forever, forever a hundred times, over and over Fountain Pen Network Adventures dot com!

 

- Joe

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Sammyo Mint

Sammyo

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http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/collections/shorties_oct2014/posted.jpg

Forgive my ignorance, but what is that tiny scheaffer? And how is it to write with and as a pen?

Sam O

"A fountain pen with a bad nib is like a Ferrari with a flat tyre..." - Brian Gray, Edison pens

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KBeezie Donor Pen

KBeezie

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Forgive my ignorance, but what is that tiny scheaffer? And how is it to write with and as a pen?

Sheaffer Tuckaway Valiant Vac-Fill (1945-1947). Writes fine, doesn't hold all that much ink but fills and flushes rather easily (single action vac fill).

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/sheaffer/tuckaway/gold_striated_valiant/uncapped.jpg

 

Also since someone mentioned M200, that's a Pelikan M250 at the very end ('92-96) which is going to be pretty much identical to the M200 size wise. Next to that is the Eversharp Skyline Demi-Sized (4.75" capped).

Edited by KBeezie
KarlBlessing.com - KBeezie's Pen Porn
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benbot517 Extremely Rare

benbot517

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http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/collections/shorties_oct2014/posted.jpg

Your AL sport... such good shape... mine is trashed and beat up. Such amazing pens.

"Oh deer."

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Jamesbeat Extremely Rare

Jamesbeat

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I can buy a three pack of Varsities at Staples for 7 bucks, black, blue and purple. I have a Petit1, but I don't like it. Gave it to the wife.

 

Additionally,I can pull the nib and feed out of a Varsity with my thumb and forefinger for refilling.

 

Very nice and innovative mod. I plan to copy it.

 

Thanks.

Glad you found it useful.

I've been using mine at work.

It is nearly indistinguishable from using an unposted Varsity, in fact it is a little longer than an unmodified and unposted Varsity.

Since I don't generally post my caps, I'm used to my pens being around this length.

If you're a habitual poster, you may miss the extra length.

 

The pen is pretty light weight, but that's more of a characteristic of the Varsity than a change brought about by this modification.

 

The light weight is great for carrying (it disappears in your pocket) but I prefer a heavier pen for writing.

Having said that, whenever I have occasion to do a lot of writing, I'm usually at home or at work and thus have other pens to use.

The sawed-off Varsity is great as a pocket pen for note-taking.

Edited by Jamesbeat
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Jamesbeat Extremely Rare

Jamesbeat

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I don't have a petit1 for comparison, but I found the dimensions online and drew a box the same size on a piece of paper.

Here is a (bad) photo of the sawed-off Varsity for comparison:

 

http://s15.postimg.org/xsmr331wb/image.jpg

image upload no compression

 

It's hard to tell from the photo, but it is 3/4" shorter and about 1/8" thinner in the barrel area.

Edited by Jamesbeat
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KBeezie Donor Pen

KBeezie

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Your AL sport... such good shape... mine is trashed and beat up. Such amazing pens.

Aren't they supposed to be all scratched to hell? Especially the raw aluminum ones? (I don't have that one anymore).

 

I don't have a petit1 for comparison, but I found the dimensions online and drew a box the same size on a piece of paper.

Here is a (bad) photo of the sawed-off Varsity for comparison:

 

image upload no compression

 

It's hard to tell from the photo, but it is 3/4" shorter and about 1/8" thinner in the barrel area.

That's rather significant, any chance you can measure off the capacity (if you haven't already done so)?

Edited by KBeezie
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Jamesbeat Extremely Rare

Jamesbeat

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Aren't they supposed to be all scratched to hell? Especially the raw aluminum ones? (I don't have that one anymore).

 

 

That's rather significant, any chance you can measure off the capacity (if you haven't already done so)?

I measured the diameter and the length of the ink resevoir and got exactly 1.5ml.

This isn't 100% accurate, as I'm sure it's not actually a perfect cylinder, but it's close enough for our purposes.

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