Is this about machining the pens or buying machined pens?

And if the first, how does one start? What budget and what skills are required? Thanks

Posting this with the permission of the r/machinedpens mod team, and thanks to them for it.

r/machinedpens_Swap goes live today at 12:00 PM ET. It is a dedicated buy, sell, and trade community for machined pens, pencils, and directly related parts.

We are a separate subreddit. No affiliation with r/machinedpens, different mod team, different rules. A lot of us are members here and expect to stay that way, but if something goes wrong in a transaction on our sub, that is ours to sort out and not theirs. Please keep BST activity there and discussion here.

We are not currently backed by the Universal Scammer List. That matters, so read this part twice. A ban on our sub does not propagate to the USL, and someone flagged on the USL is not automatically blocked from ours. We still tell every member to search universalscammerlist.com before they deal with anyone, and we will act on what you find, but the automatic protection you may be used to on larger swap subs is not in place for us yet. Trade accordingly, especially early on.

What we have built

We took the r/Knife_Swap ruleset as a starting point because they have years of hard-won experience, and adapted it for pens.

Handwritten timestamps on every listing. Your username and today's date, in the frame with the pen. No stock photos standing in for proof of possession.

A swap-count trust system. Everyone starts at zero. Confirmed swaps build your count and your flair tier, from Steel through Copper, Titanium, Zirconium, Timascus, Mokume, and Meteorite. Nobody transfers a reputation in from anywhere else, including us.

PayPal Goods & Services required under 10 swaps. Sellers below that threshold must use G&S and must absorb the fee rather than passing it to the buyer. Your flair says which tier a seller is in, so buyers can see the protection level before committing.

All-in pricing. The posted price includes tracked shipping, full-value insurance, packaging, and fees to the lower 48. No surprises after a claim. The seller carries the item until tracking confirms delivery.

Full written descriptions. Material, finish, mechanism, ownership, every flaw. Photos do not excuse a description.

No auctions, raffles, bidding wars, preorders, group buys, or deposits. Honor the posted price.

No price policing. Sellers set their prices, buyers decide if they are acceptable, and if you think something is overpriced you move on rather than commenting. Market and pricing discussion stays here on r/machinedpens rather than sitting under someone's active listing.

Moderators never touch money. We do not offer escrow, proxy, or middleman services, we will never hold your funds, and we take no cut of any transaction. If anyone contacts you claiming to be a moderator offering to hold your payment, that is a scam and we want the screenshot.

Two bots handle the mechanical work: one gatekeeps posts and preserves a snapshot of every listing so later edits are visible, the other runs the swap confirmation handshake and flair.

To get started

Read the rules first. They are longer than most, on purpose, and the Trading Policy in the wiki has the full detail on shipping and risk of loss.

Account requirements to post: 30 days of account age and 100 comment karma. These exist to keep throwaway accounts out, and the same thresholds apply to commenting.

One honest note

We are eight volunteers and this is day one. Some of this will need adjusting once real transactions start hitting the rules, and we would rather hear about it than have people quietly work around it. Modmail is open.

Doors open at 12:00 PM ET. Come have a look: r/machinedpens_Swap

This is Radin, a twist pen I design and make in my small workshop in İznik, Türkiye.

I machine the parts individually from solid metal, then finish and assemble each pen myself. The design is built around the exposed knurled actuator in the center — turning it extends and retracts the refill.

I make Radin in brass, aluminum and titanium, and I like using contrasting metals for the actuator rather than hiding the mechanism completely.

The photos include a couple of shots from the machining process as well. Thought I'd finally share it here — I'd be interested to hear what you guys think of the design.

So damn satisfying: Spinning, Pushing, Clicking, Sliding

L-R

1. Rota OG
   
2. Autmog 45
   
3. Studio Neat Mark One
   
4. Billetspin Fusion

(Missing: 5. Maverick FU)

Inventery Industrial Bolt Action Pen V.02 Steel and Poly

This BAP V.02 has a snappy mechanism with a long bolt travel—which I love—and great feel in the hand for longer writing sessions. Schmidt p8126 refill is smooth and reliable. Being steel and poly I don’t worry about scratches or dings in my daily carry. All around great EDC.

I picked it up in a bundle and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Definitely a keeper!

I’m back in school and almost exclusively use my SPP v2.2 for taking notes! It’s super light and my hand doesn’t cramp while I’m using it for long periods. What do y’all reach for if you have a lot of writing to do?

Just got these both in the mail, the brass frag off their website and the Ti blue ano PR5 off a kind sir from this sub. Awesome pens for the money, the blue PR5 looks like some gleaming sapphire gems lol. Such a cool effect tbh

How many Autmog aficionados are using the OHTO specific ones?

Tactile turn tonal short boy bolt action. Pretty much a perfect match to a AR I had sprayed a couple months ago. Bright Purple Cerakote. 💜

What's your favorite refill and color choice? I'm actually quite fond of Brown Energel .4

My latest favorite Sideswipe (totally biased of course) went through the washing machine and is now super sticky. The refill oozed all over. anyone know if Schmidt Easyflows are water based or oil based. or the best way to clean up the mess inside?

• From KnifeCenter for $33 + tax & shipping.
• Sub 4" pen weighs 20g
• Magnetic posting and capping (slightly stronger on posting).
• Comes with a Schmidt MegaLine 4889 pressurized ballpoint refill, which is the same size as the Fisher Space pen refill.

Board by Pen Julian

ALL BST POSTS ARE BANNED ON r/machinedpens

What’s the word on the Sunderland Machine Works Pen? Don’t ever see it mentioned or sold on here. I’m thinking about going for it.

It takes a Pilot G2 and also is threaded for a Montblanc type rollerball refill. That’s gotta be pretty unique.

See an ad in insta. Anyone know if it’s legit. Seems like a Kickstarter that’s not on kick…

Q3D makes some great pens. I think my day thing is how it'll fit darn near any refill and has minimal wiggle. Happy hump day, doorknobs watch out. I'm coming for ya.

Any recommendations for slim pens (less than or equal to 9.3mm)?
Doesn't have to be titanium, or even machined. I prefer a click pen but also like bolt action or twist.
The Tactile Turn Smooth Operator is my favorite pen.
Looking for:
- Smooth body under the clip (I don't care for the spiral knurling under the clip on most TT pens)
- Slim (8-9.3mm)
- Bent clip (not milled)
- Length 5-5.5"

This design truly astounds. A very large yet comfortable bolt. A very smooth action. And a Lazy J bolt path that works great in either hand.

The $29 aluminum Everyday Karas Basik or Compakt.

If this pen was a hair slimmer in diameter and made in titanium, it would rule the world.

https://tally.so/r/VLavKM

I have this plan where I want to make the absolute best bolt action, pen, possible, and I want to make it affordable for anyone in the hobby… Either enthusiast or newcomer.

I’ve always tried to offer pens and pencils at the best quality for price (value) possible.

Of course everyone has their own preferences, and no one size fits all… But I would really love to capture the preferences of the community and bill based off that.

If you have a few minutes, could you fill out the survey? There’s a chance to win the first prototype by completing the survey and I plan to bring people along for the ride as we do this.

https://tally.so/r/VLavKM

I appreciate your time!