Cloak & Dagger Exotica

Absolutely it has merit. If James does not want to Manufacture them, that's another story altogether. I think it would be great. I think this goes hand in hand with the Post before yours and that is, hidden in plain sight. Yours would have the added benefit of actually being a pen, and being a pen, it would be hard for Law Enforcement to confiscate it as well.
 
Don:

De nada.

Actually the main list is in francs, not euros--I forget what the conversion rate is, though. I e-mailed them to see if they accepted overseas orders. I got a response today which consisted of "ÿþ<".

Ya know, I took 3 years of high school French & a year of German & can't figure out what the bloody hell was meant here.

BTW, the Ti pencil idea's extremely cool!
 
I recieved an email from them today. They do accept overseas sales the shipping chjarge is 120 francs which is like 16-17 bucks. Placed my order online this evening will let everyone know when and how everything arrives.
Keith
 
Two bad I can't rate this thread - this is five-star material, for sure!
I particularly like the idea of the titanium pencil - wonder if those paints used in the modelling hobby would do a good job of disguising it.

Leo
 
OK, this is the beginning of a Project. I have three versions in mind for the Pencil;

#1 Titanium.
#2 Steel.
#3 G-10 Round Stock.

Someone has contacted me with regard to this, and although only Ti was discussed, you never know what else might happen.

How many of you would be willing to purchase the Titanium Pencil?

What do you think would be a good price?

Keep in mind that Ti is not cheap, nor is it cheap to machine, etc.
 
Well funds permitting (and without actually seeing one of course), I'm pretty sure I'd go for one. If they were affordable enough then I'd probably get one for my girlfriend and one for my mum too.

I've no idea what a good price would be for something like that. I've no idea of the costs of Ti, or indeed of machining it. So anywhere around $3 would be great. :p

Seriously I've no idea, but somewhere between $45-$60 would be nice IMHO.

On a slightly different note, would/could aluminium work for this pencil too? That then would have the potetnial to be cheap and light and pretty strong.
 
I also thought of aluminum, after looking at my Dejammer (a variation of the Kubotan devised by Mas Ayoob). Since the Pencil is meant to be a stabbing-only implement with no edge, it should work fine, being lighter than steel and less expensive/more available than titanium.

Leo
 
Leo,

WOW! The Ayoob DeJammer is something I always wanted to order but never got around to doing it.

I am not sure about the strength of Aluminum Vs. Cost. The better the Grade of Aluminum, the more expensive. You would need an aircraft grade of Al. Now, what would be the cost comparison to that of steel?

Now Ti is a no-brainer, very strong, very light, but the most expensive of the three...hmm...
 
Well count me in on the Ti version. IMHO the G-10, especially in something that thin would seem brittle. Don't really know the properties that well though. I vote the Ti, particularly for air travel ;) As far as cost, well...I think the median would be in the fifty $ range and under. If it's cost efficient enough the end user may want several to put in their day planner, car visor, pencil cup, etc. Don, this has the makings of a truly evil child. What name do you propose for your off-spring?
 
Oh, I think the G10 in pencil diameter would be stout enough, but I would never know until I tested one. The metal ones are no-brainers, they're going to work and work well.

I was thinking about calling it, "The C.I.," irony won't be lost on you, given your User Name. :D

For those not familiar, "C.I." is LEO Lingo for, "Confidential Informant." But in this instance, it can also mean, "Covert Icepick."
 
I can see it now; "Agent *******, did you just say you defended yourself from your CI with your CI?" "Now just explain that Mr. Funnyman!!" Tell you what Don, you get it named that and every narc I know will buy one just for the HA! factor.
 
Material would be 6Al-4V Titanium rod. I am envisioning a pencil that is 7" long from "sharpened" tip to the top of the ferrule. Inserting an eraser would increase the overall length by 1/4". Profile of the pencil would be good old fashioned hexagonal. Ferrule style would depend upon "brand" of pencil. Nature of manufacturing being what it is, and for handling purposes the ferrule would be slightly thicker than standard. The O.D. of the ferrule would remain the same, the I.D.would be smaller. This would facilitate a press fit of an eraser without the prick marks seen on some pencil eraser ferrules. Distressing the surface of the pencil shaft would be done prior to anodizing and painting. (From sanding lightly to remove burrs and soften edges, to dinging the hex edges and adding the occasional "chew" mark of two.) Rough sanding and distressing to point would give the "exposed wood" section some texture. Heat would be utilized to achieve a straw color. The "pencil lead" would be achieved by heavy masking of the whole pencil, except for 5/32"-3/16" of the tip. Sand blasting (aluminum oxide) of the tip would produce a graphite coloration for visual purposes.
A faux logo would be used. Perhaps Don's suggestion of C.I. with the #2 near the eraser end. The logo could be engraved after the paint job which would expose the silver color underneath, maintaining the illusion of "pencil-ness" of yellow paint with a silver painted embossed logo.
The illusion of the pencil will be lost immediately when lifted, and when rolling on a table it will "ring" instead producing that whispering-click sound heard when a wooden pencil is rolled.

A Titanium stylus for a pocket organizer could be more easily executed. Made out of 5/16" or 1/4" rod stock with a reduced middle to the shaft, covered with heat shrink insulation for coloration and the appearance of a plastic shaft. The tip would be bead or sand blasted for a matte gray coloring. or it could be colorfully anodized. An after market pen clip could be utilized and it could easily be stashed in an organizer for practical or last ditch tactical applications.

G-10 is much lighter weight, and would require sanding and finishing to prevent splinters when handling. The natural coloration might eliminate the need to paint the wooden portion of the point. (If the pencil illusion is wanted.) Red, blue, black, and O.D. green colors are available if one wanted to make a quick stylus for a pocket organizer.

Keep in mind that a Dymondwood turned pen/stylus would be quite handsome. A variety of colors could be had. The laminated and resin impregnated nature of the product make it quite strong.

I will be making a Ti pencil in the next 3-4 weeks. Hopefully, by then I will know how to post pictures. The cost for me will not be in the material chosen but in the hands-on aspect of some of the detailing.

Have a good day.

:)
 
Well,

Hey, they'll be "Customs," and there are no more than six people in here yacking about it, we can call it what we want. If it becomes a reality, "C.I." it is. :D

I'm waiting to hear back from the Gentleman that E-mailed me, and, and...I'm still thinking about the Bic Pen Shell idea as well as I really like that too...where you could take a Bic Pen's innards out and insert them into a Titanium Body...that would work well...just not as sharp. I would like to see both made actually.
 
Well, how is that for timing?

As I explained to Mr. Yelle, since James has no intention or interest of doing this, there is no "Competition" involved.

So Mr. Yelle, how much do you envision this Project costing on a per-piece basis?
 
Mr. Yelle,
The practicality of the tool has already been established. It's new and nobody else has done one. Uncharted, virgin ground. I think it would quickly garner a cult following. I have several students in other investigative/drug units who would snap them up quickly. Any officer working undercover would buy one since that work tends to attract the type of guy who's always looking for an extra devious edge. Would it be to heavy to carry behind your ear?:D
 
You know, I was thinking of a "one-off" sort of thing for fun.
As such you would be looking at a price tag just in excess of $120 and believe it or not that's keeping it low because of the "hobby" factor.

However, I would feel real good about LEO's having an undercover last ditch backup tool. The market may very well be there, as you gents have mentioned. That being said, with larger production needs, a hexagonal extrusion may be feasible and CNC processes would be utilized, bringing the costs down.

As for the comfort factor behind the ear: I tried a section of 12" long 1/4" rod stock behind my ear and the weight is noticable. As is the heat sink/temperature of the rod. Also I am presently wearing a crew cut and there is not enough friction to comfortably maintain the rod's position. Your results may vary, i.e.: hair, ear profile, and sweat.
Shorten that OAL and a 7" pencil may be fine.

The BIC guts in a Ti shaft: I dont like to think about drilling that 1/8" hole down the entire length of a Ti shaft. (Maybe 1" to 1.5".)
Then one has to shorten a refill, or find a short aftermarket refill to fit the bill.

Making a Ti pen (with a pressurized ink cartridge and robust profile similar to the ones used in a bank) would be worth entertaining because price could be kept in check. Sort of a pen/dejammer/kubaton multi-tool, with a Space pen innard.

Hmmmm.
 
Let's shoot for two versions then;

#1 The C.I. Gen. One. Drop the really intricate details, Titanium rod, hex, anodized as close to yellow as possible and put an aftermarket eraser like you can buy at Office Depot, etc., on the end of it. Those erasers are a bit larger and are meant as replacements or "better" erasers. That would keep costs to a miminum.

#2 C.I. Gen Two. Some Ti-Pen that takes a commercial cartridge, possibly a Fisher Space Pen refill. The Fisher Bullet Pen is shorter.
 
Originally posted by SlopFoot
Making a Ti pen (with a pressurized ink cartridge and robust profile similar to the ones used in a bank) would be worth entertaining because price could be kept in check. Sort of a pen/dejammer/kubaton multi-tool, with a Space pen innard.

Hmmmm.
Click to expand...

Oh Yeah!! I'd have to have one or two of these.
Regards,
Clyde
 
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