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View Full Version : Ebony and Paua Shell FP in Rustic Styling



drgoretex
May 5th, 2016, 07:34 AM
A few times now I have been attracted to a certain Japanese pen company's website (you can probably guess which one - I just wasn't sure about the etiquette: whether or not to mention the company name. And just to be clear, I am not planning to produce a bunch of these to sell - this one was for my own use), admiring the nice work they do on their pens, particularly their beautiful work in ebony and in rosewood. So I recently had a look at their prices ($1500 - 2500), and very quickly decided that buying one of their pens would never be in my future. So I decided that I would just make one myself.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd231/kcavers/Custom%20Pens/Custom%20Fountain%20Pens/Designer%20Fountain%20Pens/IMG_1755_zpsw3nsypdn.jpg

Of course while this pen is inspired (especially in shape) by the ones I noted above, I have also taken it in my own direction, wanting to make a pen (for me) that really spoke to me.

I have a nice collection of pieces of various exotic woods, and after sifting through them decided on ebony. Incredibly messy to work with (sticky black dust everywhere), but the end results are usually very much worth it.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd231/kcavers/Custom%20Pens/Custom%20Fountain%20Pens/Designer%20Fountain%20Pens/IMG_1761_zpsjml5uw0r.jpg

One of the problems that I have had with wood pens before is their tendency for the nib to dry out over a few days. This has been the case whether I leave the cap unsealed inside, sealed with CA, sealed with polymerizing oil, with epoxy, etc. One solution I came up with was to add a small plastic inner cap that covers the nib. This worked fairly well, but was still not entirely satisfactory. This time, what I did was to create an acrylic liner that filed the entire cap, continuous with the thread (I could have done this in ebonite too, but that seemed like a bit of a waste of expensive ebonite). This has worked beautifully, and there are absolutely no dry-out issues in this pen. Finally, the cap is flared at the top to allow a nice big paua shell inlay.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd231/kcavers/Custom%20Pens/Custom%20Fountain%20Pens/Designer%20Fountain%20Pens/IMG_1773_zps9ryrneyv.jpg

Another new technique I wanted to try on this pen was to add a cap band, something that I have not really gotten in the habit of doing. But in this case, I wanted a bit of gold colour to contrast against the ebonite, and to complement the 18K nib. An interesting process that involved a bit of figuring, some serious frustration, a few unsavoury words, but ultimately a happy success.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd231/kcavers/Custom%20Pens/Custom%20Fountain%20Pens/Designer%20Fountain%20Pens/IMG_1785_zpspt0zrdwd.jpg

Another break form my usual styling was to change the active thread location on the end of the barrel to allow for a larger 'thread-free' grip zone, making the pen more comfortable to hold. The barrel itself is shaped to allow a nice perch for posting the cap, which fits on the barrel quite securely and with great balance. To finish off the look of the pen, I added another paua shell inlay to the end of the barrel.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd231/kcavers/Custom%20Pens/Custom%20Fountain%20Pens/Designer%20Fountain%20Pens/IMG_1780_zpsj98hsldf.jpg

The pen is fitted with a medium JoWo 18K nib, which writes beautifully.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd231/kcavers/Custom%20Pens/Custom%20Fountain%20Pens/Designer%20Fountain%20Pens/IMG_1789_zpsmysbxyhu.jpg

Now, to find an accuse to do some writing....

Thanks for looking!

Cheers,

Ken

robertjwarren
May 5th, 2016, 07:44 AM
Great looking pen !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

deluxe
May 5th, 2016, 03:38 PM
Beautiful simplicity, and stunningly executed!!

s_t_e_v_e
May 5th, 2016, 03:58 PM
That's a cool looking pen! Thanks for sharing!
The barrel shape reminds me of the Parker 25.

penwash
May 5th, 2016, 04:58 PM
Your creativity and persistence inspire me.

heymatthew
May 8th, 2016, 08:13 AM
This one's a stunner!! Been following it via Instagram. So nice.

MY63
May 15th, 2016, 08:06 AM
Nice work Ken I love that pen not too sure about that box though :)

bwperdue
May 15th, 2016, 11:30 AM
That pen is beautiful!

ethernautrix
May 17th, 2016, 08:42 AM
Wow, what fantastic work! What's better than a beautiful pen? A beautiful pen you made yourself. Man, I'll never have that. But I'm happy to see it!

Warmtone
June 5th, 2016, 01:27 AM
Hi Ken,
Nice piece of craftsmanship and no doubt a most satisfying achievement.'
As a wood turner myself I can appreciate the many hours that have gone into this fine piece.
Do you use a smaller pen lathe?
How does the ink filler work? I assume a cc inside?
Thanks for sharing!

drgoretex
June 22nd, 2016, 10:50 PM
Hi Ken,
Nice piece of craftsmanship and no doubt a most satisfying achievement.'
As a wood turner myself I can appreciate the many hours that have gone into this fine piece.
Do you use a smaller pen lathe?
How does the ink filler work? I assume a cc inside?
Thanks for sharing!

Sorry for the slow response! Yes indeed, it is cart/converter. The cap is fully lined with acrylic, but the barrel is not.

I use a General brand 'Maxi Lathe', which a benchtop model. Big enough to turn bowls and such, but great for pens. It is tempting to get into using a metal lathe, but I really like the 'more handmade, less automation' thing.

Thanks for the kind words!

Ken

penwash
June 23rd, 2016, 06:58 AM
Hi Ken,
Nice piece of craftsmanship and no doubt a most satisfying achievement.'
As a wood turner myself I can appreciate the many hours that have gone into this fine piece.
Do you use a smaller pen lathe?
How does the ink filler work? I assume a cc inside?
Thanks for sharing!

Sorry for the slow response! Yes indeed, it is cart/converter. The cap is fully lined with acrylic, but the barrel is not.

I use a General brand 'Maxi Lathe', which a benchtop model. Big enough to turn bowls and such, but great for pens. It is tempting to get into using a metal lathe, but I really like the 'more handmade, less automation' thing.

Thanks for the kind words!

Ken

I'm even more amazed with your skill now.
How about the threads, do you use tap and die, or do you also hand-carve them?

drgoretex
June 23rd, 2016, 02:00 PM
Hi Ken,
Nice piece of craftsmanship and no doubt a most satisfying achievement.'
As a wood turner myself I can appreciate the many hours that have gone into this fine piece.
Do you use a smaller pen lathe?
How does the ink filler work? I assume a cc inside?
Thanks for sharing!

Sorry for the slow response! Yes indeed, it is cart/converter. The cap is fully lined with acrylic, but the barrel is not.

I use a General brand 'Maxi Lathe', which a benchtop model. Big enough to turn bowls and such, but great for pens. It is tempting to get into using a metal lathe, but I really like the 'more handmade, less automation' thing.

Thanks for the kind words!

Ken

I'm even more amazed with your skill now.
How about the threads, do you use tap and die, or do you also hand-carve them?

All tap and die.

Ken