How a Retractable Ballpoint Pen Works

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  • Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
  • A ballpoint pen seems simple: press a button you can write, press again and put it in your pocket. Yet inside a clever mechanisms turns that simple push into all sorts of other motions. This video uses detailed animation to look inside the iconic Parker Jotter ink pen and see how it works. You can become an advanced viewer of engineerguy videos by signing up at www.engineerguy....

КОМЕНТАРІ • 925

  • @modwlego
    @modwlego 8 років тому +2059

    I could listen to this guy narrate my own murder and I'd still be interested.

    • @ShayBowskill
      @ShayBowskill 8 років тому +21

      Hahaha I totally agree!

    • @Crlarl
      @Crlarl 8 років тому +107

      If I was earing someone tell me how I was going to be murdered, I'd also pay close attention.

    • @munjee2
      @munjee2 6 років тому

      You should check out his audiobook

    • @catchamp1880
      @catchamp1880 6 років тому +43

      "Now, the murderer will attempt to dismber the corspe. You can see that he has expertly hidden it under the floor boards. Later, when the police investigate, he will crack."

    • @efeozylmaz1790
      @efeozylmaz1790 5 років тому

      666 likes btw

  • @LukeBeacon
    @LukeBeacon 9 років тому +244

    I clicked this video so quickly when I saw it in my subscribe feed!

    • @MrGeekGamer
      @MrGeekGamer 9 років тому +33

      +Luke Beacon I clicked it four times...

    • @23Scadu
      @23Scadu 9 років тому +27

      +MrGeekGamer I only pressed the mouse button twice, but it emitted four distinct clicking sounds.

    • @red13emerald
      @red13emerald 9 років тому +3

      +StraightOuttaJarhois I thought you were joking for a second, but that's actually true. Never thought about it.

    • @smks8er
      @smks8er 7 років тому +1

      StraightOuttaJarhois next video: how a mouse button works!

  • @dopemopey
    @dopemopey 3 роки тому +2

    It is incredible how quickly this has become my favorite channel.

  • @DivineStride
    @DivineStride 3 роки тому

    Gosh I've been taking apart pens and putting them back together for ages and really happy to have the physical process of how the cam turns explained to me. The other day I took one apart that used another spring to complete a circuit when pressed making the pen glow.

  • @bilbowagons7932
    @bilbowagons7932 5 років тому +273

    This video is meant for the %10 who don’t disassemble their own in class

    • @rexthegamergembox
      @rexthegamergembox 3 роки тому +2

      more like 1%

    • @bentonrp
      @bentonrp 3 роки тому +4

      But it is incredible that Parker Company wasn't confident in ball points, despite the patented device, and didn't put their logo on the first ones. I wonder if those are worth something now...

  • @pratapraj710
    @pratapraj710 5 років тому +1

    This is such a simple product - but to just think of the hours people spent on designing and prototyping back in the 60's it's an amazing feat of Engg. As always a great pleasure listening to you describe every single last detail of this pen. Kudos :)

  • @ethanmanning938
    @ethanmanning938 5 років тому

    Taking a pen apart and putting it back together is the first right of passage that an engineering takes

  • @ryanolsen982
    @ryanolsen982 9 років тому +1

    I have been wondering the details of this for 20 years, I never put 2 and 2 together with the spring and the angle. Thank you for sovling a small mystery in my life.

  • @PersonaRandomNumbers
    @PersonaRandomNumbers 9 років тому

    Great video! I remember just clicking my cheap retractable pen over and over again and watching the mechanisms at the top slowly rotate. Nice to see the mechanics explained so clearly.

  • @ferrariowner123
    @ferrariowner123 9 років тому +3

    Its such simple items that we use pretty much everyday that have some of the most incredible engineering! Thank you so much bill for these truly wonderful videos. I look forward to the next video!!!

  • @yemo34
    @yemo34 8 років тому +1

    I have a pristine black parker jotter. I will never write with it. The most satisfying click ever. Its a treasure.

  • @123chargeit
    @123chargeit 8 років тому

    I used to get bored in class and would take them apart and put them back together. Probably done it hundreds of times. Pretty ingenious.

  • @lazygamerz
    @lazygamerz 9 років тому +33

    I have actually sat with a magnifying glass to figure this out, but it happened so quick I never really figured it out. I could tell the cam body went around and around, but couldn't work out the locking mechanism step by step action.

    • @Tyngdlyftning1
      @Tyngdlyftning1 9 років тому +11

      +lazygamerz i did the same during a slow class and i semi-figured it out. Altough i could never describe it as elouqently as Bill does.

  • @passthebutterrobot2600
    @passthebutterrobot2600 6 років тому

    It seems like a surprisingly complex (although elegant) mechanism for quite a simple action.

  • @mfeickert07
    @mfeickert07 9 років тому +4

    Have you guys considered starting a Patreon campaign, like Crash Course, or Smarter Every Day?

  • @LynneSkysong
    @LynneSkysong 9 років тому +1

    I'm having LEAN workshop flashbacks from this. We have to improve process flow in a retractable ballpoint pen factory. It used a similar but slightly different mechanism. I must have put together and taken apart 100 pens that day. I never thought about what exactly caused the clicks. That was a very nice visual you put together there.

  • @petrarclanchann7973
    @petrarclanchann7973 8 років тому

    bill... i have been talking about the 3rd style click pen for years. I never saved one and now I can't find it anywhere. That design warrants an animation. It is one of my favorite designs. using the ink tube as a buckling spring is ingenious!

  • @paulhahn4498
    @paulhahn4498 9 років тому +4

    I always love your videos, the visuals used were great!

  • @jacobphillips3882
    @jacobphillips3882 4 роки тому

    I have one of the newer Parker jotter pens, and I absolutely love it. This video made me love it even more by learning the engineering that went into this beautiful pen.

  • @ELMS
    @ELMS 5 років тому

    I’ve been using Parker Jotters for years, so was thrilled to see this video. Well done!

  • @GoodDayFarm
    @GoodDayFarm 7 років тому +3

    Great video! Thanks!

  • @eliaspuolakka290
    @eliaspuolakka290 3 роки тому +1

    You can apply the pen mechanism to any product/tech and your engineering prof. will give your high marks.

  • @InterestingTed
    @InterestingTed 9 років тому

    I could never completely wrap my head around this concept. Amazingly well done video. Thanks!

  • @gold4963
    @gold4963 3 роки тому

    I've taken a pen apart before, but this video and the animations explain some neat details I've never thought about. Love it.

  • @jeffreywillis9313
    @jeffreywillis9313 6 років тому

    This guy is a genius. If only because he can explain things so simply.

  • @lindareu6137
    @lindareu6137 6 місяців тому

    Tanks! A video about the mechanism of the click-less, silent Caran d'Ache Ballpoint Pens would be very interesting too.

  • @KaiiLikeHawaii
    @KaiiLikeHawaii 9 років тому

    Wow, this was great, and I was worried I'd get lost after seeing that patent page. Engineering is amazing.

  • @faffaflunkie
    @faffaflunkie 8 років тому

    This is so complicated for ten for a dollar pens. What a glorious feat of engineering!

  • @ongmoto
    @ongmoto 9 років тому

    Great video and animation as always. I looked up how click pens worked before but nowhere can I fine a more straightforward and clear explanation.

  • @boris4231
    @boris4231 9 років тому

    Nice animations, it would be very difficult to explain without them.

  • @罗伊-t5h
    @罗伊-t5h 4 роки тому

    as a mechanical design engineer, some very common daily engineering applications (like the ball pen) accumulate some many efforts of engineers generations by generations. The mechanism of ball pen is still very insightful for mechanical design.

  • @victorsvidss
    @victorsvidss 8 років тому +4

    That moment when you ask ur friend to borrow a pen and you give it back in pieces ur friend be like: *;-;*

  • @Nooblenin
    @Nooblenin 6 років тому

    These renderings are beautiful to work through each of the motions, thank you for this.

  • @jaxnean2663
    @jaxnean2663 8 років тому

    an everyday object that we take it for granted and take it as a simple thing hides an ingenious mechanism inside of it!

  • @SteveInSunnyCA
    @SteveInSunnyCA 3 роки тому

    Thank you for this clear, well-illustrated demo! Now, could you please create a video about the compact, alternate-action electrical switch in the tail cap of a flashlight?

  • @walterdennisclark
    @walterdennisclark 9 років тому +2

    Where can we suggest subjects?
    I think the ToastMaster is the cleverest invention of the 1930s. It self lowers, self raises and uses infrared to know when the toast is done.

    • @twifkak
      @twifkak 9 років тому +1

      I would love an exposition on those water bottles that let liquid out when you suck, but not when you squeeze.

    • @sc0tte1-416
      @sc0tte1-416 9 років тому

      +Walter Clark Wait, they had that stuff in the 30s but now in the 2000s im burning my toast? Is evolution going backwards?

    • @walterdennisclark
      @walterdennisclark 9 років тому

      +sc0tte1
      I know. That's why the thing is so incredible. No motors. Just rods of special metal that expands with heat. And a thermostat that looks at the toast.
      I found his email and suggested it, but like all famous youTubers, he never looks at suggestions.

    • @Polite_Cat
      @Polite_Cat 9 років тому

      +Walter Clark WHaa? Since when did toasters have some sort of system that "looked" at the toast to see if it was done? I thought it was all just done via timers, as that seems to be the simplest way of doing it as all bread is mostly similar. Or are you referring to a specific toaster? I've never heard of the "toastmaster".. if so, why do modern toasters burn toast?

    • @walterdennisclark
      @walterdennisclark 9 років тому +1

      +kekejojo1212 Glad you asked. Yes today they are timed, but the original Toastmaster patent had four mirrors that allowed a thermostat to ONLY see the surface of the toast; not the heating elements. When the toast radiated some amount of heat, it triggered the thermostat and the heater was turned off. That meant the mechanism that kept the toast down cooled down and the toast slowly rose. It took about 7 seconds to rise up instead of popping up which is probably what most people want.

  • @lukekline9513
    @lukekline9513 5 років тому

    I remember as a kid taking apart my pen and trying to figure out how it worked; oddly fascinating video!

  • @LaszloVondracsek
    @LaszloVondracsek 6 років тому

    Super presentation...in a "very" engineering style! LIKE!

  • @bobsagget823
    @bobsagget823 7 років тому

    That's such a clever mechanism

  • @nisonlikethecar
    @nisonlikethecar 9 років тому

    Great video! I've actually taken it upon myself to understand how a click pen functions a few years back by disassembling and some thinking. Truly magnificent design if you ponder about it long enough!

  • @DonAmnesia
    @DonAmnesia 6 років тому

    You're the only to make pens an interesting video. Amazing!

  • @dea-animator1906
    @dea-animator1906 2 роки тому

    finally i can go back to my project thx this video was hard to find

  • @chemicalsweet13
    @chemicalsweet13 9 років тому

    Another awesome video! Great work, keep it up! Start naming the physics principals at work in each product and you'll have a winner every time.

  • @the.writetyper
    @the.writetyper 5 років тому

    This vid helped me repair my Parker Jotter pen. Thank you!

  • @IlicSorrentino
    @IlicSorrentino 7 років тому

    A little piece of art and ingenuity...

  • @HeatherSpoonheim
    @HeatherSpoonheim 9 років тому

    What a great video - love it! I'm not an engineer or anything like that - but I just love knowing how things work.

  • @Kooshad1
    @Kooshad1 3 роки тому

    Bill, you really can sell a pen! good explanation, thanks.

  • @rajshankarsingh809
    @rajshankarsingh809 3 роки тому

    At the end they were so humble ♥️👍

  • @guinn8
    @guinn8 9 років тому

    As always, excellent video

  • @marcelocrestani2233
    @marcelocrestani2233 9 років тому

    Excellent video! I wonder if mechanical pencils works with similar mechanisms..

  • @LazyScoutJace
    @LazyScoutJace 8 років тому

    So satisfying to watch!

  • @masonrandle4662
    @masonrandle4662 8 років тому

    this is such a high quality video

  • @DGFig
    @DGFig 9 років тому +1

    Excellent video! Really clear explanation. Thank you!

  • @razielhamalakh9813
    @razielhamalakh9813 8 років тому

    This is amazing. Such beauty in an everyday pen.

  • @craiglotter
    @craiglotter 9 років тому

    Fantastic explanation into how something works as always!

  • @Desi-qw9fc
    @Desi-qw9fc 9 років тому

    What a delightful video! I would love to see more of the same, examining other everyday objects.

  • @erickshoesmith9202
    @erickshoesmith9202 6 років тому

    I’m intrigued by the triangle thingy pen at the beginning

  • @CARLOS13408
    @CARLOS13408 9 років тому

    boy you sure know your pens...that was awesome thank you!

  • @miyesven9405
    @miyesven9405 9 років тому

    Thanks so much for making this lovely video! Very informative and I have never even thought about how pens work!

  • @HiteshChavda
    @HiteshChavda 9 років тому +2

    please keep it up bill

  • @mohamedradwan388
    @mohamedradwan388 9 років тому

    In love with this channel !

  • @arvoredehabilidades
    @arvoredehabilidades 5 років тому

    Brilliant channel. Super smooth and informative

  • @Karthik-yy6up
    @Karthik-yy6up 8 років тому

    Pure genius!

  • @ericfernandez9227
    @ericfernandez9227 9 років тому

    YOUR BACK!!!!!!

  • @Telogor
    @Telogor 8 років тому

    Now I want to see how the third type of mechanism you described works.

  • @Mykl0000
    @Mykl0000 5 років тому +2

    When your teacher tells you to stop clicking your pen out you need to click it again to retract it

  • @Spoif
    @Spoif 9 років тому

    +engineerguy - Fantastic explanation. Thanks for sharing.

  • @HDXFH
    @HDXFH 9 років тому

    those are good pens!

  • @atubebuff
    @atubebuff 9 років тому +1

    Wonderful explanation. One comment: miss the background music you used to have.

  • @mfundomkhize2337
    @mfundomkhize2337 4 роки тому

    Engineering is like useful art.

  • @Spacemonkeymojo
    @Spacemonkeymojo 9 років тому

    Great video. I love retractable pens! Maybe now I'll know how to fix a pen (or refer to this video) if it ever happens lol.

  • @DamageHigh
    @DamageHigh 9 років тому +2

    This channel deserves more subs! Keep rocking, you're awesome.

  • @gamalhafiz
    @gamalhafiz 3 роки тому

    Same design used in the push button electric switch

  • @marvel438
    @marvel438 8 років тому

    You're amazing. Thank you for all your works.

  • @cassiapalladium2921
    @cassiapalladium2921 8 років тому

    Pretty neat. I'm still a die hard fountain pen guy, though.

  • @decycle2912
    @decycle2912 5 років тому +1

    I did the exact same thing in a boring English class in middle school. It felt nice to figure how it works XD

  • @fq1671
    @fq1671 Рік тому

    Вместо стержня поставить шток с мебельным колесом и получится отличный миханизм для установки под диваны или камоды, для легкой дальнейшей транспортировке по квартире, приподнял угол с колесом, шток выдвинулся и зафиксировался, потом еще раз поднял, колесо спряталось, и шкаф стал на свои ноги.

  • @OilDrillingChannel
    @OilDrillingChannel 3 роки тому

    Wounderful

  • @RadioHamGuy
    @RadioHamGuy 9 років тому

    That was great.

  • @kjamison5951
    @kjamison5951 7 років тому

    I have always owned a Parker pen. Black ink. I like the balance and the clean look. And the price point is nice. I think the arrow is a nice touch in the design of the pocket clip. I've tried many different brands of pen but I have always found the Parker to be the most reliable. I usually lose the pen and buy a new one... ;-)

    • @efkolton
      @efkolton 6 років тому

      I use both Parker and Papermate pens and find them equally reliable. I've had my present Papermate for 20 + years.

  • @dtm765
    @dtm765 Рік тому

    How do the Ballograf pen mechanism and the Fisher space pen mechanism work?

  • @edhiepitz
    @edhiepitz 9 років тому

    great video

  • @Rickinsf
    @Rickinsf 8 років тому

    Brilliant.

  • @Jameshazlett
    @Jameshazlett 9 років тому

    thanks always love these

  • @ramonmercedes4337
    @ramonmercedes4337 5 років тому

    Watched 15 times, it's a beautiful!

  • @bkes8196
    @bkes8196 4 роки тому

    Ingenious!

  • @rich22221
    @rich22221 9 років тому

    What about that, thin graphite that you put in pen instead of pencils, how do they work?

  • @nobbyteixeira4392
    @nobbyteixeira4392 9 років тому

    Love your videos.

  • @photopawn37
    @photopawn37 9 років тому

    I really love this channel!

  • @wvolfkoenig
    @wvolfkoenig 9 років тому

    I was curious about why the top that you push was loose in the writing position, but sprung back in the retracted position. One day at school when I had nothing to do for 15 minutes, I stared at a clear-bodied Pilot G-2 pen and clicked it over, and over, and over until I figured out how it worked.

  • @rise9666
    @rise9666 5 років тому

    I never knew I needed to know this, but I hella did

  • @RhumRunner41
    @RhumRunner41 5 років тому

    In a recent business trip to the east coast of Africa (Tanzania & Nigeria) I found out that a "click" pen is held to high esteem. As my partner & our potential business partner were finalizing our deal, I pulled out my "click" pen and the room went silent. Our hosts explained to us that because the "click" pens were more expensive, as such, local merchants using these were seen as more successful. All because of a "click".

  • @telosfd
    @telosfd 9 років тому

    Congratulations!

  • @idlewild
    @idlewild 9 років тому

    This is intense.

  • @MrDaniyalAh
    @MrDaniyalAh 6 років тому

    My grandfather gifted me a pen which I thought was just a normal parker, I saw this video and I realized it is the same pen that he has and says in one of the first click pens. Mind blown

  • @DrMeDiCiNe18
    @DrMeDiCiNe18 9 років тому

    i feel complete after watchin ur vids ! Great work ! Team #Engineerguy

  • @imajeenyus42
    @imajeenyus42 9 років тому

    Your videos are always the highlight of my subscribe feed ;-) Can I ask, what are you using for the animations? They are flawless!

  • @KoMaHu3aM
    @KoMaHu3aM 3 роки тому

    keeping those algorithms happy...

  • @pisagor5699
    @pisagor5699 4 роки тому

    Twenty-five years ago, I had passed the thesis exam for rotary head pistons, explaining the working principle of this in 2 mins.

  • @Glychd
    @Glychd 7 років тому

    Is that the Jade colored parker jotter?