Pentel Graflet 500 Grip Fix

Recently I purchased a Pentel Graflet 500 series PG503 0.3mm automatic pencil from an on-line retailer. It's a handsome pencil being dark brown in color, almost black, with a chrome colored grip area, pocket clip, brown and chrome end cap and integral black plastic and chrome cap with stainless steel lead sleeve. The pencil is well balanced, but just a tad top heavy, not that you'd notice while writing the pencil is so light. The grip sleeve also serves as a lead grade indicator, an obround hole highlighting the white colored grade letters. All in all the pencil is very nice, except for the chromed grip sleeve.

The grip sleeve, which is removable, is thin chrome plated brass. Because it is so thin it is very lightly knurled and grooved. Because of the lightness of the knurling and slickness of the chrome the pencil is difficult to hold and write with comfortably despite the pencils weight, or lack there of. I found it so unpleasant to write with that I was beginning to regret my purchase. What I wanted was a thin rubber sleeve to go over the chromed grip sleeve, but where was I going to get an obviously custom made part like that? So I put the pencil aside for the moment, being unable to write with it comfortably.

Then one day I had a thought! Heat shrink tubing! I could make my own custom sleeve using heat shrink tubing. I had some old black heat shrink tubing that I had been saving for just such a purpose. In the package was a piece large enough in diameter to fit over the chromed grip sleeve. Using a heat gun I shrank the tubing over the grip sleeve and let it cool before using an X-acto knife to trim of the excess tubing from both ends and to open up the lead grade indicator hole. When the newly revamped grip sleeve was replaced and the cap restored I was pleased to discover that I could now hold the pencil with relative ease. My idea had worked.

As practical as the black heat shrink was it wasn't as aesthetically pleasing as the chrome had been. So I went on the Net to look for a better, but same, idea. I found what I was looking for. Clear heat shrink tubing. I bought some and it arrived today. Cutting a short piece from the length that came I removed the black heat shrink and shrank the clear piece over the grip sleeve. After trimming the ends (I didn't bother to trim out the lead grade indicator window) I replaced the grip sleeve. What a difference! Not only was the clear heat shrink every bit as good a non-slip grip sleeve as the black had been but the pen's original aesthetics were restored.

So if you have a Pentel Graflet 500 PG 503 automatic pencil, or a similar pencil with a similar problem then by all means try my fix. You will need a minimum length of 1-1/2" of 3/8" clear PVC heat shrink tubing (available over the Net from cableorganizer.com and sold by the foot), a heat gun of some type (mine is a Milwaukee Precision Hot Tool, the kind sold in craft stores) and an X-acto knife (or similar knife) with a very sharp blade. With my heat gun I was able to hold onto the grip sleeve at one end while shrinking the tubing at the other without getting burned. Let the heat shrink tubing cool and harden before using the X-acto to trim up the ends. Once finished you'll have a custom made plastic grip. Since my 'fix' it has become one of my favorite automatic pencils.

(Photo courtesy of JetPens.com)