POT/ pencil on thumb writters

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POT/ pencil on thumb writters

Postby alanclimb » Jan 19th, '07, 22:35



I had several bits and bobs for christmas this year. One of them was these pots.

Product

Thumb writers is what they are. The problem with them is that they don't stay on the thumb well at all, especially if it is hot and you are sweating at all. The leads are very scratchy and seem to be coated with something and to get them to write at all you have to scribble with them a lot to get through this hard layer.

They come in a pack of 4 and are made by the magic engineers. I don't know if they are available in the states.

Overall for £12 I was not very impressed at all. Seems like a lot of money to me.

5/10 I would not recommend them. I will be making my own and hope that the person that bought them for me doesn't notice

A//

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Postby lozey » Jan 20th, '07, 20:58

With some writers you can replace the lead. Try using a small piece from the lead of a 2B pencil

(C, AH)
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Postby IAIN » Jan 22nd, '07, 09:56

well...i kinda liked these, the only improvement i found was if they made the base a little wider...and i've updated the adhesive with some changin' glue...i know what you mean by the pencil leads, but just going mad with one on some paper helped he out...

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Postby seige » Jan 22nd, '07, 10:22

These are possibly my favourite type of writer... easy to load and ditch, and 100% reliable.

However, replacing the lead I found was a must, 2B, as above, is a good one, it writes easily and isn't messy. I think the original leads are glazed with something, i.e. varnish, as yes, they ARE scratchy... but this is something I remember from the good old days of graphic design with pens and pencils... especially on draughting pencils with clutch leads.

Re: staying on the hand...
If you're having major troubles, try Glue Dots. They're like the sticky stuff magazine cover discs used to be held on with. And they even work on clammy hands ;)

Although, once the writer is in place, the pressure of writing keeps it located.

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Postby Nightfall » Jan 22nd, '07, 10:54

Does someone have a link for an e-shop that has them ?
I'm trying to find the "boon" type swamis (since it will be almost impossible to use a nailwriter and I don't intend on stop biting my nails :D :oops: )
Thank you.

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Postby IAIN » Jan 22nd, '07, 11:47

http://www.magicshop.co.uk/pencil-thumb ... -2050.html

alot cheaper than a vernet boon...well, same money, but you get 4 in a pack...

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Postby Nightfall » Jan 22nd, '07, 11:57

Thank you very much ! Looks great.

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Postby alanclimb » Jan 22nd, '07, 20:49

seige wrote:These are possibly my favourite type of writer... easy to load and ditch, and 100% reliable.

However, replacing the lead I found was a must, 2B, as above, is a good one, it writes easily and isn't messy. I think the original leads are glazed with something, i.e. varnish, as yes, they ARE scratchy... but this is something I remember from the good old days of graphic design with pens and pencils... especially on draughting pencils with clutch leads.

Re: staying on the hand...
If you're having major troubles, try Glue Dots. They're like the sticky stuff magazine cover discs used to be held on with. And they even work on clammy hands ;)

Although, once the writer is in place, the pressure of writing keeps it located.


Cheers Seige I'll give it a go :D

A//

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Postby Mandrake » Jan 24th, '07, 16:06

I can endorse seige's tip of glue dots - I raided Mrs.M's card crafting boxes last night and found her stash of sticky dots and they're far better than the waxy stuff supplied on the writers. Hobbycraft shops have them as well as online stores and, of course, QVC :wink: !

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Postby alanclimb » Jan 24th, '07, 22:21

Thanks Siege I'll give the dots a go

A//

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Postby BILL BERMAN » Apr 25th, '07, 17:48

IMHO Lincoln has the best boon and the best pocket pencil.

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Postby Lord Freddie » Apr 29th, '07, 13:10

Not yet used these type of writers, but they intrigue me.
How difficult is it to replace the lead in them? I found the traditional swami/NR a bit fiddly and the lead keeps breaking on the first few attempts.

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Postby Morgan » May 3rd, '07, 19:25

I love my little swami.
One thing I have noticed is the aforementioned scratchyness of the writing and to be frank, I'm kicking myself that I haven't thought of replacing the lead with a softer one before now...


I initially found it hard to keep it in place too, but thanks to a bit of magicians wax and the fact that I managed to stop biting my nails for the first time in 34 years (well, my right thumb-nail at least), it stays pretty firm.

If you can't get magicians wax, just use the sticky dots from the freebies on your favourite comic as previously discussed.

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Postby Morgan » Oct 30th, '07, 14:30

Since writing the above, (I had a C-type), I've dragged myself down to London and whilst there, picked up a Boon from Davenports and I have to agree with Seige on this one, they are much easier to use in my opinion.

I haven't yet found the need to replace the lead but the destructions that came with it explain how to achieve this.

I did once own a Super-sharpie writer but being new to swami's I felt very self conscious using it due to the solid black colour and size.
Perhaps I'm just an old fashioned fuddy-duddy, but the Boon writer works and it works a treat.

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Postby seige » Oct 30th, '07, 15:13

The beauty of a boon is it's robustness compared to a nailwriter. I proved this last week by having one in my 'ickle jeans pocket' stuck to a 2p. I was able to load/unload it in miliseconds one-handed... and KNOW I'd got it in the right position to work...

Something that cannot be said for a c-type nailwriter.

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