Steampunk Level 2 Bolt Limited Release
- Description
Description
Limited Release
Cerakote has quickly become a popular and versatile finish on our pens. The ever-growing catalog of colors, and ability to customize the surface treatment makes it a great way to get unique looking designs and finishes on metal pens that some might call boring canvases for colors and finishes. We’re moving further and further into the “Distressed” finishes which began with bronze distressed with black and expanded to several colors for our Halloween releases, and now we’re returning to “distressed” Burnt Bronze with the original Steampunk look and feel.
The Steampunk Bolt Limited Release is a return to a classic Cerakote finish and the original pen we featured this finish on. This finish is unique in several ways and requires quite a bit of hand work to get the pens looking right. First, our raw pens are hand worn by randomly adding nicks, marks, divots, and chunks of varying size to the body of the pens. Then we send the pens to Cerakote where our applicator puts on a uniform coat of Burnt Bronze (H-148) and bakes the Cerakote on for 30 minutes. The pens are removed, cooled, and then a coat of Graphite Black (H-146) is applied in varying patterns to the bodies. The pens are then put back in the oven and baked until the Graphite Black loses its tacky texture, immediately removed, and the Graphite Black is hand stripped with acetone and a Scotch Brite pad. The pens are then placed back in the oven and finish cured. Our Cerakote applicator initially provided us with two levels of distress on these pens, though we have since decided to not carry the Level 1 going forward. Level 2 is where it’s at! Level 2 features a much heavier application of Graphite Black that our Cerakote applicator partially wears creating a unique streak, splash, and sometimes spotted finish. Each pen is uniquely finished with these different distress markings. Matte Black anodize was sourced for the clip and button with a black Delrin slider that ties the entire pen together. Ships with a Pilot G2 refill with black ink.
Limited Availability
Bolt Specifications:
Overall Length – 140.462 mm / 5.53”
Body Width – 11.11 mm / 0.437”
Width w/Clip – 14.73mm / 0.577″
Aluminum Weight – 29g / 1.0 oz
The Modal is made from 6061-T aluminum 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.
