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Ballpoint Kit / Classic Click or Twist
Classic style Ballpoint

Size: 5 1/2" long x .50" dia.
Refill Style: Parker©
Finish (either version): 24k Gold, Chrome, Gunmetal, and Brushed Satin.

The CLASSIC is know by two different names. It was originally called the 'American Classic', but then later the name was shortened to simply as the CLASSIC. It is also available in two different mechanism styles: Twist and Click. The original pen was only available as a CLICK pen (known as the 'American Classic Click'). But then later, they came out with a TWIST version, and that's when they shortened the name. If you're familiar with the termiology, then the difference is obvious. If not, it's the difference in the way you retract the tip. With the CLICK, you PUSH DOWN on the the Finial (top) to extract the tip. With the TWIST, you simply twist or rotate the top section counterclockwise to retract the tip. The Click version was harder to make because you had to make sure the diameter at the top of the lower barrel was small enough to fit inside the base of the upper barrel so it didn't bind or drag across the acrylic (and scratch it) when the pen was clicked. When clicked, the upper section came down over the lower section. So the diameter of the barrel was important. But in my opinion, it also made for a bit of an odd looking shape with that narrow upper end. But with the Twist, the barrel was slightly larger so it didn't look quite as odd, but personally I still didn't like it. So I did a little tweaking of my own to make a pen that I thought was much better looking. See my CUSTOM TWIST versions at the bottom of the page.


Classic Click

Classic ballpoint in 24k-Gold with Carmine acrylic Classic ballpoint in 24k-Gold with Verde acrylic Classic ballpoint in 24k-Gold with Maple Syrup acrylic
24k Gold & Carmine Acrylic 24k Gold & Verde Acrylic 24k Gold & Maple Syrup Acrylic

 

Classic Twist
(Hardware finishes available for both styles)

Classic ballpoint in 24k-Gold with Molten Metal acrylic Classic ballpoint in Chrome with Dk/Lt Green acrylic Classic ballpoint in Gunmetal with Redwood Burl Classic ballpoint in Brushed Satin with Amboya Burl
24k Gold
Material:
Molten Metal Acrylic

Chrome
Material: Dk/Lt Green
Aqua Bright™ Acrylic

Gunmetal
Material:
Stablized Redwood Burl
Brushed Satin
Material:
Amboya Burl wood




My CUSTOM Classic Twist

One of the things I like to do is to take a standard kit pen and see if I can customize it. Some of the various kits might use similar size clips, so you can switch out the clip. Or with some (as withthis Classic) you can actually adjust the size or shape of the parts. I always though the Classic was sort a bland looking pen, and as I mentioned in the opening paragraph, I didn't care for the abrupt change in the diameter of the lower barrel just below the centerband. Because of the way the mechanism works on the Click version (you have to push down on the upper barrel forcing it down over the lower barrel) the lower barrels diameter must thinner than the upper barrel and be a very precise diameter so it fits inside the upper barrel. But with the Twist version, as the name implies, you retract the tip by twisting or rotating the upper barrel. So at least theoretically I thought the diameter of the lower barrel could be made larger allowing a smoother transistion below the centerband. So I decided to play around with it to see if it was possible to give the pen what I thought would be a more pleasing shape, and below are the results. I liked the new shape so much, I started recommending it over the standard version.

About the new design... The main change I thought the pen needed was to enlarge the diameter at the top end of the lower barrel, so it was close to the same diameter as the band. The bottom edge of the band is rounded over, so I found that I slightly less diameter worked best on the barrel. I also added a bit of a 'swell' near the center of both barrels so they didn't look so 'stiff' (like a tin soldier). Lastly, I tried a few differently styled clips--I thought a straighter style clip might be more fitting to the overall straight style.

 

This was my first custom Classic Twist. The clip used is a style called Sierra. As intended I made the upper end of the barrel larger. I also added a short tenon at the top so the barrel fits up inside the centerband. It gives it a nice smooth finished look. I think the thicker barrel make a big difference in how the pen looks--IMHO, it's a definate improvement! I think the straighter style clip fits the pen nicely too.

JEB's Custom Classic in Chrome with Cinder Meganite acrylic_horizontal view
Material/Color: Cinder Meganite Acrylic.
Hardware: Chrome / Finial Black Enamel.
Size: 5 1/2" long x .50" dia.
Refill Style: Parker.

(Click photo's below to view larger size)

JEB's Custom Classic in Chrome with Cinder Meganite acrylic_overall view JEB's Custom Classic in Chrome with Cinder Meganite acrylic_center-band clos-eup
   
JEB's Custom Classic in Chrome with Cinder Meganite acrylic_cllip close-up-1 JEB's Custom Classic in Chrome with Cinder Meganite acrylic_cllip close-up-2



 

With this Custom Classic Twist, I kept the same larger diameters, but used a different style clip (called Euro). Like the Seirra above, I think the straight clip is more fitting of the straight pen style.
JEB's Custom Classic in 24k-Gold with Sunrise Italian acrylic_horizontal view
Material/Color: Key West Sunrise Italian Acrylic.
Hardware: 24k Gold / Finial Black Enamel.
Size: 5 1/2" long x .50" dia.
Refill Style: Parker.

(Click photo's below to view larger size)

JEB's Custom Classic in 24k-Gold with Sunrise Italian acrylic_overall view JEB's Custom Classic in 24k-Gold with Sunrise Italian acrylic_clip closeup




 

This Custom Classic Twist has my same custom shape, but this time I used the original tear-drop style clip.
JEB's Custom Classic in Chrome with Purple/White acrylic_horizontal view
Material/Color: Purple/White Acrylic.
Hardware: Chrome / Finial Black Enamel.
Size: 5 1/2" long x .50" dia.
Refill Style: Parker.

(Click photo's below to view larger size)

JEB's Custom Classic in Chrome with Purple/White acrylic_overall view JEB's Custom Classic in Chrome with Purple/White acrylic_clip close-up




 

This Custom Classic Twist has both my same custom shape, and the original tear-drop style clip. The pen was a graduation gift so was made in the school colors (blue & gold). I added the gold stripe in the lower barrel to give more cohesion to the two solid colors.
JEB's Custom Classic in Chrome with 2-tone Yellow and Blue acrylic_horizontal view
Material/Color:
Gold: Mandarin Yellow Acrylic.
Blue: Sapphire Blue Acrylic.
Hardware: 24k Gold / Finial Black Enamel.
Size: 5 1/2" long x .50" dia.
Refill Style: Parker.

(Click photo's below to view larger size)

JEB's Custom Classic in Chrome with 2-tone Yellow and Blue acrylic_overall view JEB's Custom Classic in Chrome with 2-tone Yellow and Blue acrylic_clip closeup
   
The gold upper barrel is engraved on either side. One side has the students name, the other has the Class year. JEB's Custom Classic in Chrome with 2-tone Yellow and Blue acrylic_side view with engraving




 

Another Classic Twist in my custom shape
with the original tear-drop style clip.

JEB's Custom Classic in Gunmetal with Pink Ice acrylic_horizontal view

Material/Color: Pink Ice Acrylic.
Hardware: Gunmetal / Finial Black Enamel.
Size: 5 1/2" long x .50" dia.
Refill Style: Parker.

About the material...
If you look closely at the colors in the material, you'll see it contains some metalic gold threads. These are REAL fabric 'threads'. It's quite unique, but challenging to work with because if your tools are not kept sharp, they can pull the threads out of the acrylic. So I had to use a very sharp skew to carefully shave away the material.

(Click photo's below to view larger size)

JEB's Custom Classic in Gunmetal with Pink Ice acrylic_overall view <empty>JEB's Custom Classic in Gunmetal with Pink Ice acrylic_clip close-up JEB's Custom Classic in Gunmetal with Pink Ice acrylic_nib close-up