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Berea Hardwoods Company, Inc. Pen Kits
| We proudly offer a selection of the quality
Berea Hardwoods Company, Inc. pen kits (located in
Middleburg, Ohio) to our inventory of turning supplies. Over 85
different pen kits/plating combinations are now in
stock along with the necessary bushings, drill(s) and extra tubes. We also have
the full line of their acrylic acetate
blanks in stock. |
| All
of the pen kits we
sell are manufactured in Taiwan. We do not sell any
kits that are made in (mainland) China. |
Berea Hardwoods Pen Kits Are Different
by Mr. Jim Heusinger, President, Berea Hardwoods, Inc.
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The Berea Hardwoods pen kits are
not the same as the "discount' kits, generic kits or kits for people on
a budget. All of these terms are very often used as a nice way of
saying poorly made and/or inferior kits. Berea Hardwoods makes
every attempt to offer kits that are well engineered, designed and
plated.
"It would be very easy for us to cheapen the kits and sell them at a
lower price. There are many ways to do this such as using a cheap
tumbler 24k "epoxy" coated plating or to use less durable twist
mechanisms or to put less ink in our refills or use cheap center rings,
clips, etc.
Superior Plating
When we use 24k plating we use an upgraded 24k gold "rack" plating where
each part in individually plated on a 'plating tree'. We offer a
wide range of superior platings such as titanium gold, black titanium,
rose gold, real platinum, heavy sterling silver and chrome. We
also offer .925 solid sterling silver.
Superior Engineering
Our twist mechanisms are premium heavy duty ones. We employ good
engineering to our kits to make them durable and able to function
properly for many years. We design and make parts that look crisp
and attractive.
A good example is our Flat Top American Ballpoint
pen. On this kit we drop the twist mechanism down from the top of
the pen. This method provides for superior durability and
function. The center band on this kit is in three pieces and the
black band is acrylic. This provides for a
crisper look as well as increased durability.
Designed For The Kit Maker
Many or our kits have been engineered and designed by us specifically
for kit makers and are not taken from generic pens meant for volume
inexpensive pens in Asia.
The crafting of quality pens
from our quality kits is straightforward and relatively
simple. Pen crafting can be an enjoyable, rewarding and fun
experience. All of our kits have been thoroughly tested and
many have been sold for over 14 years. Pen crafting is,
however, a learned skill. The process requires
practice
and the willingness to
learn. My advise to you is this: If you don't have: 1. The
mechanical ability; 2. The ability to read and follow
instructions; 3. The patience to learn and 4. The proper equipment or the
willingness to obtain the proper equipment... then I would suggest that you might try
another endeavor. In
the vast majority of cases where difficulties are
encountered in making a kit, an error has been made by the
pen-crafter. It is not usually an error with the kit.
Examples include:
1. GLUE LEFT INSIDE THE BRASS TUBES
All glue residue must be completely removed from inside the brass tubes.
Glue residue can cause twist mechanisms to jam, be stiff or interfere
with the fit of the components. Kits requiring exposed brass tubing in
which the center band is to be pressed fit onto the tube requires that
all glue be removed from the exposed brass tube.
2. SHORTENING THE BRASS TUBES
98% of pen kits are 'tube length sensitive'. The brass tubes
cannot be shortened. Frequently, when squaring off the ends of the wood,
brass and wood are removed therefore shorting the tube. This often
happens when a barrel trimmer is used. Shortening the tubes can cause
the pen not to work or cause the ink refill to extend out too far. Leave
about 1/16" of wood extending past the end of the brass tube (prior to
trimming) and trim this extra wood up to the brass tube and stop
trimming.
3. COMPRESSING OR EXPANDING
THE BRASS TUBES
When pressing parts together, great care must be taken to make sure that
the matching parts are aligned, straight and not cocked. If the parts
are cocked, then the matching parts can be compressed or expanded which
can result in a major failure of the kit; the twist mechanism can jam
and the other parts will not fit together properly.
We highly recommend that you purchase an arbor press to press parts
together. An arbor press can be purchased for around $30.00 or less from
Harbor Freight or ENCO. We discourage the use of wood
clamps and horizontal vice assembly tools. No matter what method you
use, make sure the parts are straight and not cocked and press slowly
and carefully. Chamfer the opening of the pen tube to remove the
sharp edge that can cause outward pressure and difficulty in assembly.
4. OVER TIGHTENING THE NUT ON YOUR PEN MANDREL
There is a tendency to over tighten the brass nut when you start turning
a pen blank. This is okay. Once the pen is round, then the nut should be
loosened and gently snuggled up. If this is not done, the pen
blank can crack as you turn the wood down, as it becomes thinner. This
usually happens when the pen is almost completely turned down.
5. INCORRECT DRILLING TECHNIQUES
Pen blanks (wood, plastic, Dymondwood™, et cetera) can crack while
drilling if not drilled correctly. You must run your drill press
between 900 RPM - 1500 RPM. A speed under 900 RPM can cause the
material to crack due to the pressure of not ejecting the chips fast
enough. A speed over 1500 RPM can overheat the material and cause
cracking. |
An explanation on plating
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Gold Plating: Gold plating is ultimately not durable when exposed to abrasion.
There just is no "free lunch". Gold plating can be made
more durable depending on the method used to plate, additives to
the gold and techniques employed during plating. However,
no matter what is done to the alloy, ALL gold plating will wear
off over time when abraded. This is simply a fact of
physics. Platings other than gold can be very durable.
The following is an explanation of the various platings used by
Berea Hardwoods:
Upgrade Gold:
All gold plating used on the Berea kits is 24k "upgrade gold".
Upgrade means that the parts are plated using the rack method and
that small amounts of cobalt or palladium are added to the plating
chemicals. This enhances the durability of the gold plating.
This plating does not last forever but it wears a lot better than
standard 24k plated parts.
Titanium Gold:
Titanium plating produces an extremely durable and the most durable
finish. The process uses what is called PVD (particle vapor
deposition). Titanium oxide matched to the color of the
gold is molecularly bonded to the part and the 24k gold is bonded
(sputtered) on the parts to achieve a color match to the other
gold parts. The parts are again re-plated after this step.
The final result is that the parts will virtually never show wear.
Berea Hardwoods pioneered this process for writing instruments and
are not aware of another company using the exact process that they
use.
18k Swiss Rose Gold: This
is a very rare and unusual plating. Copper and gold are
combined in such a way that they both plate with their atoms
equally mixed together. The parts to be plated are specially
treated before plating and the plating is deposited in a very
thick layer. Not only does this produce a beautiful
sumptuous look but is it very durable. It has been indicated
that there are only two companies in the world able to do this
plating and that under regular careful use the plating should hold
up for several years. The copper in the alloy can cause
Swiss rose gold can tarnish but it's beautiful luster can be
brought back by lightly buffing the surface. A coat of
Renaissance Wax will also help protect the plating.
Chrome: This
is an extremely durable plating. Under normal use this
plating should hold up for many years.
Platinum:
This is also a very durable hard plating. Berea Hardwoods uses real
platinum rather than rhodium and it should be expected to hold up
under normal careful use for many years.
Black Titanium: This
is a titanium oxide molecularly bonded (PVD) process. This plating
is unbelievably hard and durable and much tougher than titanium
nitride. It will last for many,
many years under normal use.
Sterling Silver: These parts
receive a restaurant grade 20 micron plating compared to most
platings that measure between four or five micron.
| The bottom line: |
| There is no plating that will
last forever. There are too many variables
that affect a plating's wearability.
Arizona Silhouette Inc. does not guarantee nor
imply that any one plating that we offer will last
forever. If you, the kit maker, offer a
lifetime guarantee on the kits you produce/sell then
you do so at your own risk and expense. |
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| Arizona Silhouette Inc. also carries an outstanding
selection of pen blanks, velvet pen sleeves, wooden pen boxes, plastic
pen boxes, Micro-Mesh abrasives and other pen finishing supplies and
related items (see the navigation bar on the left for the links to these
items). Please feel free to contact us by phone or email (Click Here to
Contact Me) if you have any questions. |
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Please note:
All fountain pens
come standard with a medium width nib, ink cartridge and an
ink pump.
The El Toro fountain pen does not come with an ink pump. |
Please
read the
Shipping Terms & Information page regarding shipping charges
before ordering.
| The images of the
various pen kits are the sole property of Arizona Silhouette and/or Berea Hardwoods, Co., Inc.
These images are not to be sold, transferred, copied or used by any
other party and are only available with permission from Arizona
Silhouette Inc. and/or Berea Hardwoods
Co., Inc. |
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Pen Kit Images
Pages 1
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4 |
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To order a pen click on the
blue link
Drill bit pricing is for the Premium
Norseman drill bits |
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| Mandrel Sizes: |
There are two different sizes of
mandrels (shafts): the A mandrel and the B
mandrel. The A mandrel is the same as a 7mm
mandrel and can be used to turn kits from any of the kit
suppliers. The B mandrel, however, is larger in
diameter and is used to turn some of the larger kits
manufactured only by Berea Hardwoods.
Knowing what mandrel is required when ordering kits from
us is easy to determine: If the bushing number has a
letter A in it (20A) then the A mandrel is
required - if the bushing number has a letter B
in it (16B) then the B mandrel is required. |
| Please note: |
As you may be aware, the metals
market is going crazy especially in the Pacific Rim
countries (Taiwan, Japan, China, and the Philippians, to
name a few).
This escalation in activity has caused the price of
brass to increase dramatically. In addition, fuel costs
have increased expenditures getting these tubes to us
since they are air freighted to the States. And, no, we
have no intention of putting them on a container/boat
(that's a whole new set of headaches).
Brass tube availability has been spotty since the first
of the year and delivery times have been longer than
usual. We want to afford our customers who purchase
kits from us to have priority on the extra tubes
that are available. For that reason, effective 10:00AM June 16,
2008, we will no longer sell brass tubes bulk 'on their
own' without the corresponding pen kits.
This policy will be subject to modification as availability
and the price of brass change in Taiwan. |
Baron Rollerball
and Fountain Pens
Baron Fountain and Rollerball Instructions PDF
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| Snakewood made & photographed by Richard
Kleinhenz |
Desert ironwood made by Reed Kempton |
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The rollerball pen features a six faceted lower
barrel that reflects light like little mirrors. The
fountain pens have a round barrel as pictured above. The threaded portions of the pen work extremely smooth and
are positive. We simplified construction by making the
bushings for the lower barrel the same size and the bushings for
the upper barrel are the same size (bushings for other pens of
this style will not work). The couplers and trim rings are
interchangeable.
The sterling silver pens have 20 micron plating and have been
treated to inhibit tarnish. The sterling kits have a
softer silver finish when compared to the platinum kits.
The fountain pens will accommodate the Schmidt premium ink pumps
and the nibs are gold and platinum two-tone. An ink
cartridge and an ink pump are included with each fountain pen kit. The
premium Schmidt ink pumps are available and must be ordered
separately ($4.00). We also have replacement nibs (see
below). |
To order a pen kit click on the
blue link
Replacement Nibs for the Baron Fountain Pens
$4.75 each
| Please note: Due to the amount of
damaged and abused nibs that have been sent back to us for
refund or replacement, nibs for all the different fountain
pens we sell are no longer returnable for refund or
exchange. |
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Schmidt Premium Ink Pumps for
the Baron Fountain Pens
$4.00 each
BHW-709
Bracelet Helper
Bracelet Helper Instructions PDF
To order a bracelet helper kit click on the
blue link
Pen Kit
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Kit
Number |
1 Kit |
2-10
Kits |
11-20
Kits |
21-30
Kits |
31-40
Kits |
41-50
Kits |
51+
Kits |
Bushings |
Drill
Sizes |
Extra
Tubes |
Mandrel
Size |
Bracelet Helper
Upgrade Gold
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BHW-271 |
6.95 |
4.65 |
4.35 |
4.35 |
4.35 |
4.35 |
3.75 |
8A
6.00 |
5/16"
4.49 |
BHWT-517
$0.79 each |
A |
Button Click Ballpoint Pen
Parker style refill
Button Click Pen
Instructions PDF
To order a pen kit click on the
blue link
Cambridge Rollerball and Fountain Pens
Sterling Silver & Gold Titanium
Plating
Cambridge
Instructions PDF
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Cambridge Rollerball Pen Kit
BHW-525
Sterling Silver with Gold Titanium accents |
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Cambridge Fountain Pen Kit
BHW-526
Sterling Silver with Gold Titanium accents
(Includes an | |
