Here is a Very Specific Object. For one of the nine people in the world who own a Pilot Down Force pen (I already excluded myself from the total), here’s a direct fit replacement clip for when yours breaks.

Who cares, and why? Well, part of this pen’s deal is that the clip is absolutely required to use it. That’s because the angled rib on the clip is part of the hold-open mechanism. No clip, no write.

And now, no problem.

https://www.printables.com/model/768071-pilot-down-force-replacement-clip

  • FuglyDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
    14·
    9 months ago

    I’m going to just go ahead and say.

    What a terrible design for a pen. your part is quite snazzy, though.

    • themeatbridge@lemmy.worldEnglish
      13·
      9 months ago

      The concept is that if you slide it into your shirt pocket, the clip slides open and the pen closes. Bam, no more ink stains on your pocket.

      It’s clever, but probably not much of a problem since people don’t really carry around pens that way anymore.

      • dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
        18·
        9 months ago

        It’s twofold. That’s half of it. The other half is there’s a piston in the clicker button that pressurizes air against the ink in the cartridge so it’ll do all the usual writes-upside-down-in-space-underwater malarkey. Only without the need for specialized pressurized cartridge.

        Having the hold-open on the clip, separated from the pressurizer, probably immensely simplifies the mechanical design. And probably ironically makes it stronger.

        (And I carry my pen that way all the time.)

  • N3Cr0@lemmy.worldEnglish
    13·
    9 months ago

    You did some decent engineering on a cheap disposable pen. I hope it was worth the effort.

    • hedgehog@ttrpg.networkEnglish
      4·
      9 months ago

      In addition to not being cheap, it’s also not disposable. Pilot manufactures and sells refill cartridges - you can get them in office supply stores, on Amazon, at Walmart, and at dedicated pen retailers. And it took me all of two seconds to discover that with a simple web search.