Warning:
Modifying pens can be dangerous due to various tools and techniques used. If you're not sure whether you can do it carefully, please ask your parents (or someone responsible) for help. The author takes no responsibility for any damages occurred when trying these tutorials.

Due to the large number of people asking me about the pens I use, I decided to write a tutorial with instructions on how to make them yourself. The RSVP V1 is the first pen modification I made, and although I no longer use this pen, it's still a quick, cheap, and good pen to make. It's great if you're just beginning and don't have the strength on your fingers to handle a heavier pen, or if you simply like a lighter pen. It only requires one pen and not much work.

What you need:
  1. A Pentel RSVP or Pentel Razzle Dazzle. They are made by Pentel America, but you can find them online as well.
  2. A steel file for smoothing the surface of the pen.
  3. Optional: A sheet of thin cardboard paper or something that will protect the body of the pen when filing.
  4. A small drill or something with a sharp point that can make a hole through soft plastic. I use a small tool as shown in the picture.
  5. Optional: A rubber band for finding the balance point of the pen.
  6. White or colored ink. I use Wipe-out, the corrective liquid that you use to correct writing mistakes, but you can use anything that will stay on plastic.
 click picture to enlarge

tools needed
How to do it:

picture 1

1. Take your Pentel RSVP, unscrew the back cap, and take off the ink tube. Also take off the pen cap (picture 1).

2. Break the clip from the pen cap. To do this, bend the clip backwards SLOWLY (picture 2a and 2b), then bend it back (picture 2c). Repeat this process back and forth until the plastic breaks (picture 2d). Tip: On the first bend, try to go as slowly and as far as possible. If you bend it too fast, the clip may break unpredictably.


picture 2a
picture 2b

picture 2c
picture 2d

3. After breaking the clip, the cap will have some pointy edges (picture 3a). Use your file to smooth the surface out (picture 3b). Doing this will protect your hand from getting scratches. In this step, you can use the optional cardboard or paper sheet to protect the body of the cap.


picture 3a
picture 3b

4. Now comes the slightly dangerous part. You need to take the back cap, and make a small hole in the center of it (picture 4a). You must be careful in this step, as I have hurt myself doing this before. I recommend using something pointy like those pin tags to make a small hole first, then use your drill (or whatever instrument you use) to slowly make the hole bigger (picture 4b). The hole needs to be just big enough to fit the tip of the ink tube (picture 4c).


picture 4a
picture 4b

picture 4c
5. Now assemble everything (picture 5). Take the ink tube, reverse it, and put it through the hole in the back cap that you just made. Place the back cap with the ink tube back in the pen and close it tight. Place the pen cap back ALL THE WAY. Some RSVPs have a tighter cap, while others have looser caps.

If you have a tighter cap, try loosing up the back cap. Or you might just need to force the cap in until the back cap hits the round balls inside the pen cap.

If you have a looser cap, try tightening the back cap (don't break it though). Or you can put some transparent tape around the body of the pen, so that the cap won't be moving.


picture 5

6. You could stop here, but there's one last thing you could do: mark the COP (Center of Balance of the Pen). Marking the COP will help you a lot in learning tricks. So, start by balancing in the a small loop with your rubber band (picture 6a). Now, remember where this point is, and measure the distance between the tip of the ink tube to this point (shown by x). Now, take out the ink tube, measure the same distance from the tip of the ink tube to find the location of the COP. Use your white ink or Wipe-out to mark the COP (picture 6b). Let the ink dry for a few minutes then put the ink tube back and reassemble your pen.


picture 6a
picture 6b

If your COP is off, take out the ink tube and remark the COP. Repeat this until your COP is calibrated correctly.


finished!

Congratulations. Assemble your pen back and you're done. You got yourself a better pen for spinning that feels almost the same as the original RSVP, but has no clip to bother you, won't be messing your clothes with ink, and have the COP for reference.