After breaking two Zebra F-301 pens in my pocket, I decided it was time to get a tougher pen for my EDC (everyday carry). I seriously considered the MaxMadCo pen (now discontinued), which is a truly beautiful piece of craftsmanship, but I figured for the price I could make it myself! Plus, anything that I make myself is always more special and personal than something I buy from someone who I don’t even know!

Should you be interested in making one yourself, I have provided a Sketchup model and a PDF drawing below. Just a few notes about the model though:

• The outside diameter shown is 3/8″, which is really a lot bigger than it needs to be. I took mine all the way down to 0.335″, which makes it a much more comfortable weight.
• The locking portion of the slot shown in the model is a full 90°, which is easiest to cut, but in my opinion it doesn’t look nearly as nice as about 60°.
• The clip shown is much to thick. The material I used for the clip was about 0.020″ thick.

Sketchup model: Bolt action pen.zip

PDF drawings: Pen dimensions.pdf

Note: The .zip file above contains a Sketchup (.skp) file, so you will need to un-zip and extract the .skp file before opening it. You will need the latest version of Sketchup in order to view this model.