Introduction

Alright, finally... the time has come to release my first retractable mod prototype. Presenting the Hybrid G3 Retractable <HG3R>. This idea came to me one evening and I finished finalizing the mod that night. Basically the only tricky part is creating the retractable mechanism yourself. I tried to find suitable mechanisms from pens out in the market, but none seemed to fit. So in the end, I decided to improvise and come up with something. This mod is more for RSVP MX users because the weight is almost identical and is only a tiny bit lighter than the MX.

Retractable mods face many problems. This mod eliminates most of them. The only one I can't seem to get rid off is the little bit of sound produced when the mod is spun. I convinced myself that making a silent retractable mod is almost impossible since G2s which are properly manufactured also produce sounds when being spun.

Let me share with you the problems of making retractable mods based on my many failed attempts.

1) The link between the retractable mechanism and the pen has to be strong so it won't pop out under the pressure of the spring. For the HG3R, the strength needed to make the back mechanism pop out would be enough to first cause the grip to slip out. (Problem solved)

2) It has to withstand drops. (Problem solved)

3) The whole mod has to be stable. The HG3R has no loose parts. (Problem solved)

4) The ink tube has to be easily changed. Just take out the tip and replace the refill. (Problem solved)

5) Sound. Unfortunately there's still some sound when the HG3R is spun. (Problem unsolved)

Ok, this is getting too lengthy so now let’s begin with the tutorial. Don't forget to point out any improvements that can be made too. Enjoy. =)


Mod Facts

Name: Hybrid G3 Retractable
Length: 18cm
Weight: Tiny bit lighter than the RSVP MX
COG: Almost center
Type: Retractable
Difficulty to mod: Hard


Pen Parts Needed

1) G3 (whole pen)
2) HGG grip
3) G2 refill
4) Small portion of Bic round stick barrel
5) Back part of Pilot Better retractable pen(http://www.pilotpen.com.sg/products/ballpo...etractable.html)


Pen Part Details



1: G3 tip

2: HGG grip

3: G3 barrel

File/cut away the plastic studs after removing the grip. File the groove near the screw threads too (optional). Thicken the back portion with some tape.

4: G3 barrel back cap

Make a hole such that you can fit a G2 refill through it. You can use a nail to puncture many holes along the edges of the face of the back cap to make things easier. The G2 refill should have a tight fit when pushed through the back cap.



After getting ready the G3 back cap and G2 refill mechanism, wrap tape around the refill as shown just in case to ensure that the G2 refill mechanism does not pop out.

5: Pilot's The Better Retractable spring

Stretch it a little then bend it. This is done to minimize the sound. If you find that there's still alot of sound when you spin, bend it even more.

6: Pilot's The Better Retractable ink tube

7: Wooden stick

8: G2 refill mechanism part (Hardest part)



Cut the refill into half, you're only going to need one of the halves. Cut an "L" shape on opposite sides of the refill with a pen knife as shown. The width of the "L" shape path should be about 0.2cm. After that, you place some double sided tape on the parts around the "L" shape and you wrap some tape sticky side up snugly around the "L" cuttings. To cover up the sticky portion, wrap tape the correct way over it.

Video on how to tape it properly

9: Pilot's The Better Retractable clicker part portion

Cut off the surrounding plastic with wire cutters to get the inner part of the clicker. Wrap some tape on the silver part of the clicker so that it's a tight fit when placed in the Bic Round stick barrel portion. Thicken the bottom part of the clicker portion but ensure that it can move around smoothly in the G2 refill. This is done to reduce the sound.

10: Part of the Bic Round Stick's barrel

It is about 1.6cm. Place some double sided tape at one end as seen in the picture. Once you place it in the G3 cap (the side with the double sided tape in first), try not to take it out again because you might make sticky stains on the insides of the cap.

11: G3 cap

Get rid of the clip and cut the remaining plastic.


Assembly



HG3R Assembly Video

Spin away!


Final Product





Enjoy =)
DarkArcher

*drools in admiration*

I'm gonna make this pen as soon as I gather up the pens...
...then again - that might be some time.

and hell, I don't care how hard it is to make.

:)

I agree, need this pen, SOOOO COOOOOOOOL :D

You must be the best modder in the world B)

ooyea i just went down my bookstore and got my G3

im gonna make this mod right now!

but i got a few questions...
can i not use a HGG grip on the front part of the pen?
coz i couldnt get HGGs would it affect the COP?
or maybe i use some lacknock grips as a replacement?

and the bic stic part is there any other replacements?
i got some staedlers and they kinda look like bic stics?

and how long is the wooden stick and the G2 refil portion?

sorry for so many questions but i am just clarifying

That's ok.

Yes, you can use other grips, it should not affect much. As for the Bic replacements, as long as the silver clicker head can be fit into the barrel, you can use it.

As for the length of the wooden stick, I prefer that you try and error yourself because it may differ.

The G2 refill portion should be about half. It's really up to you, it won't affect much at all.

wow thats a really fast reply

alright im gonna mod it now..

but i still dont understand much about the g2 barrel sticky tape part..

do i tape double sided tape OVER the L shape holes or AROUND?

Yiep just drolled himself to death...

Gosh..this is overwhelming. How long do you work on your mods?! This gotta have taken ages to finish! I mean, everything seems to fit so perfect. And to bad I cant get anything except HGG and G2. Anyone wanna trade the rest of the pens (yeh, I wanna make it myself)? ^_^

the big problem is that i can't find the Pilot's The Better Retractable in my city :GLOOMY:

This mod is so cool, where do you get the ideas to make so cool pens. You are like the second Nate :lol: .

I gotta get my hands on some G3 and that Pilot better spring retractable thing. Do you think there is any other pen that would work instead of the Pilot Better spring?

Actually I can make this mod in an hour. It's not really that hard to make. The only tough parts are making the G2 refill mechanism, punching the large hole in the G3 back cap and getting the inner part of the Better Retractable clicker.

For the double sided tape, you place tiny strips of it on the parts surrounding the "L" shape hole. This is done so that you can wrap the tape stick side up snugly around the hole. After doing so, you wrap more tape the normal way over the stick parts. This is done to strenghten that mechanism. It's a very important step.

I suck at modding ...

But i need g3 and the retractable pilot pen >< ... I've thought about to trade this pen with someone, but who trade it?

BTW Is it someone who can buy retractable pen AND g3 in the store????

Ok, I added a video on how to tape the G2 mechanism part properly. Hope it helps.

FINALLY!!!
adter 3 and a half hour of modding its finally done!!

mine is a little different as i stated i dont have certain parts..

i didnt have a drill so i used some rubber band and i snip it and stuffed it in the back cap
which is rather sturdy but im gonna change it to another substitute soon

and i dont have HGG grips so i used the default G3 grip which is kinda alright

and the part of the pen which i spent the most time is
THE BIC PART!!!

yea i used a pilot G4 techmatic body as a subsitute
and that body was so freakin tough and fragile that i gotta use a hacksaw to get it into half...
BUT the problem is the click cant fit in!!
so i tried to be smart and snipped the side of the barrel and SNAP
a whole chunk came off but luckily it came off at an angle and my click finally went in

yep those were tough times but i got my hybrid G3 now and im very happy with it

Lol no offense, but what you made doesn't sound like a HG3R to me. I know you might be a little anxious to make one, but don't worry, there's no hurry. Try to get what you need before modding to make things simpler.

alrighty thanks Dark, now for a g3...

oh well i'll try and make the mechanism first aha then yeah

sweet tutorial

wow dark archer ur modding skil.x are 10 X better than mine

i salute u XD

very nice mod i would make it

but I GOT NO G3

which makes me sad cause i have all other parts

anyone wanan send me one ???

:P :P

bah I should've ordered a few g3s a few weeks ago
guess this one is gonna have to wait :(

If you can't get g3s where you live you can order it from jetpens.com

dang, all i need is a g3 (i found two better's yesterday coincidentally). i wanna go to office max!!! this mod looks very clean. i love it!

Sahweeeeeeeeeeeeetttt. Are betters available in the US has anyone seen on in the US and can they be found in Walmart if they are in the US

silkhare i dont think they sell g3s in america. i am going to get some g3s. if you want trade with me. thought its almost impossible for american to trade with american.

hes talkin abot PILOT BETTA RETRACT.
any way ... i think they are avail. at walmart

is there a g3 sub cuz i cant get those...

hey to dampen the sound have you tried something like kleenex¿
just a thought..i haven't made one of these..probably have 0 of the pens haha..but props to ya man..lemme know if the kleenex thing would work

Jesus, this mod looks absolutely amazing. Brilliantly done, excellent tutorial as well.
DA, your pen modding skills are simple astounding.

Thanks, but I've realised that I failed in one important aspect yet again which is simplicity. Ah well... no pain no gain.

... omg. Once again you have created something amazing AND completely original. I don't know how you come up with all these awesome mods. Congratulations, you truly are the master of pen modding.

Unfortunately, I have never even heard of those Pilot retractables so I don't know if they will be easy to get or not. But I WILL make this mod lol. You did an excellent job. Keep it up.

love that new one in your sig

Wow screw trying to make my own mods as long as ur around DA ill just make your the HGG^2 was spectacular and this is an amazing feat of engineering and it has to be complex to work. I think this is one of the first retractable mods that will be spectacular for spinning and wont break easily at all

Thanks for those comments. If you do have any problems at all don't hesitate to ask. =)

I just got this pen from DarkArcher yesterday. And all I can say is.... that it is just too good to be true. This pen, with it's cop, makes continuous tricks quite easy to do as compared to the rsvp mx. It's slightly lighter than the mx. But this mod is definately one of my favourite pens as of now, besides the 3000*F and the F3000. This can also be used for writing as it dose'nt pop out when you write with alot of force. Overall, 9.5/10 for this mod... I would strongly reccomand this mod to anyone, if they are able to get the pens listed.

sorry about that
i know how to mod it now

I just got 2 G3s, but they don't have the metal tips that the ones in the guide have. Here's a picture :



Do you think that it will still work?

~Driphter

i've never seen those before.... but if you are able to ge tthe metal tipped ones, it would be better because it will be more resistant to falls. Are you able to take of the tips? if you are.... than I think you can use it to make this mod.

Would a Monami 153/Colour back part work for the spring mechanism of this pen? And would the spring and ink work too?

Wow...I haven't tried this one yet, but from what you wrote and the user comments, looks like a great mod.

I got a concern that nobody mentioned...Can this pen write for a long time?

From what I saw, it looks like the wooden stick completely fills the back of the ink tube, which would prevent any air from getting in there. As some of you know, ballpoint pens depend on outside pressure and gravity in order to keep the ink flowing when writing.

I'm just afraid you have made a great spinning pen, but forgot to make it usable ;)

Please try to use your pen and write with it for a couple classes. If it never stops writing, then you should be fine, but if it does, you might need to make a slight modification to your mod (like a poking a whole on the side of the ink tube with a needle).

How do I know that sealing the ink tube will stop the pen from writing? Because i have done the same thing with the RSVP MX :P

anyways, keep up the good job

Kam

Wow, thanks for the comments Kam. A real surprise considering your busy schedule, very encouraging.

Hmm... you've pointed out something which I've never considered. I will definately do some experimenting. As for now, the wooden stick hasn't caused any problems yet. I guess you've provided a simple solution too should any problems surface. Nevertheless, I'll see to this.

XxAzNkOrEaNbOixX:

Unfortunately not. A similar part can be found in the SuperGrip clicker. However, the back part of this portion from the SuperGrip clicker will not fit into the Bic round stic barrel.

Driphter:

Hmm... I've never seen such a G3 before. From what I can see, that G3 has a 0.38 tip which is really fine. The ones sold here are 1.0. Maybe that is why they don't use metal tips because the hole in the metal tip is too large.

Anyway, you can use that G3 but the COG would definately be different and pushed to the back.

It has GEL written on the clip, maybe it's the gel version of the G3 if the other is normal.

Nope, all G3s are of the Gel type.

Actually, instead of using a toothpick(more likely because I don't have any toothpicks :lol: ) I get the length needed, then I get an empty ink tube, then tape it to the end. That way, it is still the correct length, and the air flow still works too! Only problem that arises with this is that if you make the length of the added part a lil too long and you try to click, the tape bends and it looks all weird and it gets hard to click it.

I'm never making this mod again. :lol: I didn't have the best tools, but I got it done. I still have a few kinks to work out, but it's good enough. The G3 back cap and the L shape were the hardest parts. It spins really nice though.

My Jellpin Retractable I made on UCPSB v1 doesn't make any sound while spinning, and it has a toothpick in the back of the inktube and I've been writing with it for months. The only problem is the mod's kind of fragile if you don't have really strong glue.