HOW IT'S MADE BALLPOINT PENS

In a world where inexpensive disposable ballpoint pens are the norm. There are still discriminating people who prefer using a deluxe writing instrument. A fancy high quality ballpoint pen is as stylish as it is functional.



It's often paired with a matching pencil, in an elegant gift set. Silver - plated, alligator leather chainmail, rose gold with crystals. Pen casing designs are endless.

This model is decorated with lacquer made from the resin of a particular tree grows only in China. They apply it using a special brush - made of human hair.

Coating the recessed areas of a brass pan casing create the effect of black stripes running the length of the pen. Once the resin dries, they washed the pens several times.

And with a cotton wheel and some polishing compound they buff the lacquer to a high - gloss shine.



Here's another model with an etch design - a computer guided machine engraves the fine intricate pattern with a diamond chisel. The casing is brass but they'll plate it in a precious metal such as gold, platinum or rhodium.

Every pen, regardless of design has a brass or sheet steel clip that coordinates with the rest of the pen. They position the clip on a press and it applies just enough pressure to push tiny pegs into holes in the cap.

The factory tests every clip for tension resistance. It has to stretch to a certain extent, then return to its original shape. The pen tip is made of brass plated in silver, gold or rhodium. This machine drills the hole through which the retractable ballpoint will protrude. This machine injects ink inside the pen cartridges which are made of brass.  It then caps the writing end with a tip containing a tiny stainless steel ball. As the pen writes, the ball transfers ink to the paper. The machine then flips the cartridges in the opposite direction and shoots some grease through the other end. This seals the ink inside.

Now, the filled cartridges go for a ride on a centrifuge machine, which push the ink down toward the ballpoint. This machine runs random samples through a quality control test for ink flow ensuring. Each cartridge outputs 8 kilometers of quality writing.

A twist mechanism at the top extends and retracts the cartridge writing tip through the pen tip. The factory tests the mechanism on each and every model, thousands of times.

Now, onto another model, this one's decorated in chainmail. Workers cut the material to pen length. Then fasten it around the brass pen casing.

After several washes in water and solvent free detergent, followed by several rinses, they precision glue the tip and cap to the casing. Then they insert the cartridge along with the spring to provide resistance when the ballpoint presses against the paper.

Finally, they cap the top with either a push-button mechanism as we saw before.

Before packaging, every single pen undergoes one last quality control check, under magnification to be absolutely certain that even if your spelling is poor, your writing will be great.