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InvisibleMan
January 1st, 2014, 01:51 AM
Happy 2014 all!!

I finished up my last pen of 2013 just before the ball dropped three hours after it actually dropped :D This one is the first pen from my new metal lathe that was delivered just before Christmas. I finally got the lathe set up and all the tooling I needed to make a pen, and here it is. I made it from resin that I've had for a while, but never used until very recently for some reason. I think I'll be using more of it very soon :) I poured it in blue, green and red. The blue has recently become bits and pieces of other finished and unfinished projects, the red is still sitting there, and the green is now mine! I may need to make a new section. I got a little carried away sanding, and it got a bit thin for me, but not too bad. Gallatin 8:

8241

I'm getting "invalid URL" errors for some reason when I try to attach from the pen's page on my site. That's never happened before. They're here if you'd like to see more:)
(http://www.pensbylyleross.com/gallatin-8---green-and-black.html)

kaisnowbird
January 1st, 2014, 06:11 AM
Nice! Love the shape, and that clip.

Toulouse
January 1st, 2014, 08:36 AM
Very nice. Love the color and it goes so well with the shape.

drgoretex
January 2nd, 2014, 12:11 PM
A real beauty, no question. Love the material!

Ken

InvisibleMan
January 3rd, 2014, 10:44 AM
Thanks everybody:) I've been using this for a couple of days now, and really enjoying it, except for the section. I'll probably end up making a new one at some point. It is plenty comfortable, just looks a bit skinny to me.

Artslut
January 4th, 2014, 01:54 PM
Very nice pen. I have no experience with this but know numerous wood turners who make pens. In one i was given, they used a fairly cheap nib section that came in a kit. I cant see your nib very well, but it looks very different. Is one limited to a nib kit or is it easy to find the best quality nibs and feeders? It would be great to be able to make a pen that rivalled my pelikan or similar.

blopplop
January 4th, 2014, 02:35 PM
Fantastic color!!!!!!

InvisibleMan
January 4th, 2014, 03:37 PM
Very nice pen. I have no experience with this but know numerous wood turners who make pens. In one i was given, they used a fairly cheap nib section that came in a kit. I cant see your nib very well, but it looks very different. Is one limited to a nib kit or is it easy to find the best quality nibs and feeders? It would be great to be able to make a pen that rivalled my pelikan or similar.

I use JoWo nibs on my pens. Your kit pen's nib is likely a Chinese nib, but can likely be upgraded to either a German Bock or JoWo, both excellent nibs, though I'm not certain the feed can be upgraded if it needs it. I don't have any experience with kit fountain pens, I just know the Bock and JoWo fit most kit feed/housing units.

I can also make pens that fit Pelikan nibs for that matter. In fact, I will be making one to fit my M400 nib very soon. I love the pen and nib, but the pen is a little small for my taste.

Artslut
January 4th, 2014, 04:43 PM
Thanks for the info. In fact, i think they are german, but typically scratchy, steel, and poor quality. Thanks for the info. I have thought it would be nice to make a pen one of these days, but haven't had the first notion about nib parts/ assemblies. I appreciate the info. And well done again on a lovely looking pen.

drgoretex
January 5th, 2014, 12:53 PM
Many of the cheap 'Kit' nibs have a stamp on them (that confuses the issue of manufacture location) that says 'Iridium Point Germany', despite the fact that they are not actually made in Germany, but in China or Korea (I think some of those may source the iridium tipping in Germany, or something like that). These nibs are pretty hit and miss. Some are great, but some are real duds.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that some German nibs (eg JoWo, one of the excellent German nib companies) has nibs that are stamped, 'Iridium Point Germany', and are indeed manufactured in Germany. Unlike the knock-offs, these nibs are quite reliable.

As Lyle mentioned, most of the kit nibs can be upgraded to good nibs. Depending on the kit type, sometimes the whole nib section, feed and nib can be upgraded to handmade nib section, with German nib/feed.

Cheers,

Ken

Artslut
January 5th, 2014, 02:40 PM
Many of the cheap 'Kit' nibs have a stamp on them (that confuses the issue of manufacture location) that says 'Iridium Point Germany', despite the fact that they are not actually made in Germany, but in China or Korea (I think some of those may source the iridium tipping in Germany, or something like that). These nibs are pretty hit and miss. Some are great, but some are real duds.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that some German nibs (eg JoWo, one of the excellent German nib companies) has nibs that are stamped, 'Iridium Point Germany', and are indeed manufactured in Germany. Unlike the knock-offs, these nibs are quite reliable.

As Lyle mentioned, most of the kit nibs can be upgraded to good nibs. Depending on the kit type, sometimes the whole nib section, feed and nib can be upgraded to handmade nib section, with German nib/feed.

Cheers,

Ken

Very interesting. Anyway, it sounds like you've dialed it in pretty accurately. Now i will have to try and figure out how replace my pen's dodgy nib etc with something better. Is there a website you would recommend i check out? Thanks a bunch.

InvisibleMan
January 5th, 2014, 11:10 PM
Go here for Bock: http://classicnib.com/www.classicnib.com.html, though they're down at the moment. Heh, looks like they have a goofy url for now while they're switching servers or something...

http://www.Indy-Pen-Dance.com may have some as well.

For JoWo, http://www.meisternibs.com You can also get the same nibs with a logo from different places. I think Goulet Pens has logo JoWo nibs now, for one. Someday, I hope to have some too:)

Both Bock and JoWo are excellent, and may solve your problem. Do you know what kit pen you have? Depending on the kit and size of the nib, you'll need either a #5 (small) or a #6 (large).

I should point out, though, that most of the nibs I put on pens still need to be adjusted and smoothed before they write perfectly. If you are familiar with the process, great, if not, find somebody who is, or search youtube for an instructional video. You just may be able to fix the nib you already have, too.

Lyle

Artslut
January 6th, 2014, 09:49 PM
Wow, what a lot of great info. Thanks. I am not sure of the kit, though i am certain it came from Lee Valley. The nib section is fairly long, black with a golden band and the nib is quite small. I am sure it would require the small nib. Thanks, i will see if i can remove the old nib and feeder, then who knows...

Ignacio
November 1st, 2014, 12:49 AM
Hello, awesome pen! I have a tough question, I want to make my own pens which tools do you recommend? It's out of the blue but I haven't really found anything solid yet to help me get started.

bash13r
November 1st, 2014, 07:54 AM
Hey there....that is one awesome looking pen!