Brass “Hive” Modal Limited Release
- Description
Description
Limited Release
Ever experimenting and prototyping, Josh has been hard at work on some new grip profiles for the Bolt and Modal pens. We set aside a significant portion of the latest Bolt body production run for these treatments with secondary machining taking place on one of our mills. Josh programmed three or four different patterns and utilized a variety of techniques for this process. The second of these experiments is here in the form of what we’re calling the “Hive” finish. This is a brand new design for us, and one of the most time-consuming. 33 honeycomb (hexagonal) patterns have been milled into the grip section in alternating rows of five or six honeycombs. We sold a limited supply of this grip at the Colorado Pen Show on Brass and Copper Bolts and Modals, and it was a big hit. Now these are ready to hit the site.
The Brass “Hive” Modal Limited Release features our latest experimental grip profile, the “Hive” in our premium polished Brass (C-360) material. Josh took the raw, machined brass Modal lowers and used one of our CNC mills to machine the alternating honeycomb pattern. Once complete, we’ve put the pens through our unique finishing process that includes hand sanding, tumble polishing, a mild chemical protectant, and hand finishing to ensure every one of these has that brilliant, bright luster. There are a limited number of these pens, and we’ve chosen the matching brass clip and button with an Ultem slider. The pen comes outfitted with a Pilot G2 refill with black ink and ships in our standard recyclable packaging.
Limited Availability
Specifications:
Length – 130.17mm / 5.125″
Body Width – 11.11 mm / 0.437”
Width w/Clip – 14.73mm / 0.577″
The Modal is made from C360 brass on our CNC lathes and Swiss machining centers, in Mesa, Arizona. Pilot refills are manufactured in Japan.
The long wait is over, our latest pen is here. The Modal is our latest everyday carry, retractable pen that features several new design and functionality elements. This pen has been the most requested design in the history of our company. From the day our Bolt Kickstarter launched, we were asked if we would ever add a traditional side-actuated bolt-style pen. Our response was always, “Only if we can find a reason to make one in our style because the market is saturated with that type of pen.” It’s been over ten years since the Bolt was released, and we finally found our reasons. Initially, we wanted to create a pen that was roughly the length of the EDK but accepted the Pilot G2 or other 110mm refills. A five-inch length pen is about the shortest pen that is comfortable to the average pen user. Our second reason was that most bolt-style pens on the market use a side button that sticks out pretty far from the body of the pen. The button is uncomfortable and often gets caught on clothing or jabs into your hip if you’re pocket-carrying the pen. Also, for some reason, most of the current bolt-style pens feature a backward J-slot, requiring the user’s thumb to move in a weird motion bringing the button down and back towards the heel of the palm. We designed a button that is oval shaped, with a slightly convex face that is raised just enough off of the body of the pen to be functional but doesn’t interfere with clothing and won’t jab you in the hip. Our J-slot is more of a modified checkmark, and requires the user to simply push their thumb down in a swift motion before the action “catches”. The button is easily retracted with a swift upward motion of the thumb, but the catch on the slot is positive enough that the refill won’t retract during use. Finally, we developed a deep pocket carry clip somewhat resembling the INK clip but fastens via an internal thread that isn’t visible. The internal slider mechanism is machined from Delrin which provides a perfect, smooth action. The body, clip, slider, and button are designed and manufactured in our facility in Mesa, Arizona. The standard Modal ships with the Pilot G2 refill, and will accept most 110mm/Euro style refills.
