One of those ideas that is floating around the Internet right now involves making a covert defense pen. The idea is that, while any pen can be used as a poking or pressure point device, and metal bodied pens can be used as makeshift stabbing implements, a little modification to a readily available and very cheap “disposable” pen can make it a very effective emergency weapon. If prepared correctly, the pen is also extremely low profile and remains legal in most if not all areas (although I’m not a lawyer, so don’t take that as legal advice).
To make a batch of covert defense pens, I went to the local dollar store and specifically hunted for a bag of lookalike “Bic” style pens. Most of us over 35 remember these from childhood. They’re the lowest common denominator of pens. What’s important is that they have a clear acrylic barrel, which is much more rigid than a colored plastic pen body. At the same dollar store where I found my acrylic-body lookalike pens, I was also able to buy a chintzy hacksaw. These aren’t much good for “real” work, but they’re perfect for making precise cuts in the plastic body of the pen.
If you don’t have one of these hacksaws, you can use just about anything else if you’re patient. A wire saw like they sell in survival kits will work, although it’s hard to keep the angle consistent. A cutting wheel on a rotary tool like a Dremel will also work. What matters is that you’re going to need to cut a diagonal line across the acrylic barrel of the pen. That diagonal line should be as consist as possible, for reasons that are probably already obvious.
Take the acrylic pen and remove the ink and the plug at the opposite end of the barrel. These should come out easily. I had to use a pair of needle nose pliers to get a god grip on the ballpoint ink assembly, but it slipped right out. Make sure you save these components, because you’re going to want them later. Just be careful not to disconnect the tube of ink from the conical ballpoint assembly (the part you use to write with) at the tip of the pen, or the ink will ooze out and make a mess.
Every kid has taken a pen apart like this. As a middle-school and junior-high student I had no idea I’d one day be writing an article on turning these into weapons, but then, life rarely works out how we expect it will. I remember we we used to write messages in tiny lettering on slips of paper that would fit into the acrylic pen barrel, too. Teachers were on the lookout for students trying to use this method for taking notes to cheat on tests, if I recall correctly. It was a simpler time back then.
But I digress. Using your cutting implement, start cutting at an angle as if you want to shear off the tip of the barrel. You do NOT want to cut all the way through — just most of the way through. The cut should be close enough to the end of the barrel that the pen cap will conceal the cut once you’re done. Here’s a good example of where to position your cut:
Before you cut all the way through, STOP. What you’ll end up with is a pen barrel that is otherwise normal, but which has a cut at an angle running almost all the way through. This weakens the tip of the barrel, and that’s the whole point.
Now, you can get your ink assembly and the plastic end plug and put the pen back together. Then you can put the cap back on and your pen will still look like a normal pen. You can even write with it as long as nobody is examining the cut in the barrel too closely.
The whole idea is that once you have “prepped” your pen body, all you have is a disposable Bic-style pen. But in an emergency, you could rip the ink assembly out of the pen barrel and then place your thumb against the tip. Apply pressure with your thumb…
And if you’ve cut far enough through the pen barrel, the tip will be weak enough for you to snap the end off with just that thumb pressure. What you’ve got now is a sharp, jagged “spigot” — a hollow tube not unlike something you’d use to tap a tree for syrup. You can see the application of a weapon like this, I assume? No, it’s not the strongest weapon in the world, and no, there’s not fantastic traction in an acrylic cylinder like this… but it’s very rigid and very sharp when you shear it off like this. If you are attacked, it can be used to counterattack soft targets like the eyes, throat, and other areas of the face to GREAT effect.
There’s no need to get fancy. Just grip the pen barrel as tightly as you can and strike with a downward, reciprocating motion. Clear obstacles like the opponent’s limbs out of the way with your off hand and make like a sewing machine with your improvised piercing instrument. If you’re using this tool, it means you are in fear for your life and you could die if you don’t fight back. There’s no time to be squeamish in a situation like that.
I would recommend prepping a batch of pens all at once. You can then keep them on hand for when you travel, when you’re worried private security won’t let you have more obvious defense tools, etc. As always, only use this where it would be legal to carry and defend yourself with it. My goal isn’t to get you into trouble; it’s to give you options that you can prepare just about anywhere. Whenever you can find a suitable acrylic-body pen, you can prepare this type of covert defensive surprise.