Behind the Scenes - 1/17/25
Dear Friends,
For those who are new to our emails, I try to do an email once a week where I go into the details of what is happening behind the scenes of our small business. If you want to catch up on prior messages, check out the blog here or just jump right into the story below.
January is a strange month. The rush and excitement of the Christmas season and year end is over, and we now settle into a new old routine. Sure lots of things are different like our Limited Editions each week, but many things are the same as always.
I was able to get some time this week to work on a pet project that has been almost a year in the making, and is finally making real progress towards launch. I've been working on my pen. There have been over 115 prototypes made at this point, and I think we are in the home stretch.
The main work is surrounding the click mechanism. Making an all metal pen with a traditional click is a genuine challenge. One idea that has been discussed is the addition of a hard ceramic coating on the internals of the design. The coating would work to ensure that there is no wear on the parts over time, and is formulated to create a slick surface without any oil or grease. I haven't been able to prove that to be true yet, but I should have those results soon.
With the mechanism in its final testing, I need to move onto the clip. Every other part of the pen is done except the clip, and there is a reason it was saved for last. It will require stamping to create the strongest and longest lasting design, and that is a difficult thing to develop. I want to make it out of a special stainless spring steel alloy. The combination of the stamped and formed shape with the alloy will ideally yield a beautiful integrated clip, that is firmly mounted in place, and won't wear out over time.
The final details of the pen and its launch are still being worked out. This has been a much more complex project than I anticipated (which could be said of virtually every project in my life), but has also been very rewarding. I hope to have this project finished and launched before summer, but its hard to know for sure.
The idea has had time now to really flourish and bloom. Our design will work with Parker Jotter style inserts as well as G2 pilot style inserts, and hopefully many more. It will be a heavy, handsome pen. The material selection and hand finishing will ensure that it is going to be a daily carry for decades to come, and will be backed with our 120 year warranty.
The worst part is my notes for this look awesome, but I can't show them since an eagle eyed competitor could use them to work out our proprietary mechanism. I've been using an Onyx folder with classic green engineering computational paper in it as my notebook. I love the size and format, and the ability to change out pages.
This is what the beginning of the year should focus on in my opinion. Getting new products as far along to market as possible. New ideas are the lifeblood of any organization, and there's no time like the present to begin. I encourage all of you to take the leap and begin a new project, hobby, or idea this January. If you need a notebook for just such an occasion, we have some great options.
Stay tuned for more letters on Fridays in the coming weeks and be sure to go subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you like and watch the videos it helps us get promoted more by the algorithm to people who may never have heard of us.
Ever your servant,
Colin Murdy CEO/Owner
Murdy Creative Co.
Cell: 414-434-9001
MurdyCreative.Co
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