Green Bamboo!

Of all the styles of fountain pen that I have come up with, the 'Bamboo' style has been the most frequently requested.  Not entirely sure why, but I suppose the combination of a large size pen with an interesting shape strikes a chord with some people.   What characterizes this style is the bamboo-rod-like shape complete with nodes and inlet ends.

In any case, I got a request for a Bamboo style pen in a green swirl acrylic which the fellow who ordered it picked out.

Overall, I rather like it - while it is not as 'bambooey' as the polyresin pen I have made so many of (this website's background pic), it has a nicer feel to it.  Acrylic is slightly softer and I think more comfortable than the polyresin.

One of these days, I will have to build one of these for me...

Front Page!

Wow - this morning I logged onto IAP (International Association of Penturners) to find my latest pen featured on the 'front page' this month!  What a great surprise - but also very humbling when I consider the enormous number of incredibly talented pen makers who frequent that and other websites.

Here's the pen that hit the feature:

This particular pen is made of 'ebonite', or hard rubber - a material first used in pen making over a hundred years ago, and still highly prized and much sought-after in fountain pens today.  It is  prized for its resiliency, and for the fact that it is lightweight and takes on a brilliant shine, but also for its warm 'feel' when using.  This particular type of ebonite, called 'cumberland', has lovely patterns of lighter and darker material running through it, giving the finished pen a unique look.  The downside of ebonite is its high sulfur content, making it downright stinky to turn.  Fortunately, the smell fades quickly and is unnoticeable after a few weeks.

A brand, spankin' new website

OK, well...a Blogger page, anyway.  But hey, it'll do.  And, it's free.

I had been trying to think of a good way to leave a bit of info for folks who are looking to get a custom pen made up, and have a lot of questions.  Don't get me wrong - you are still welcome to ask questions, but perhaps I will be able to use this medium to give a of basic info about this hobby.

First of all, I got started into this pen making hobby several years back not because pen making had been weighing on my mind for years, but because I loved fishing.  I know that makes no sense, but again, bear with me.

Out of a love for fishing, particularly flyfishing, I fell into the hobby of building my own custom flyfishing rods.  One of the components of a fly rod is the space where the fly reel sits, called the 'reel seat'.

 This particular part is often made of some beautiful, exotic or burly wood, and often sets a rod apart.

Well, my loving wife realized that I need a lathe to make these reel seats, so she went and bought me a General Maxi Lathe for Christmas several years back.

After using the lathe to make dozens of reel seats and grips (the above rod sports an amboyna burl reel seat and an amboyna/laminated birch bark grip) along with a large number of wooden bowls and such, someone mentioned the idea of making pens on the lathe, as there are an enormous number of 'pen kits' out there for just such a hobby.  I gave it a try - a little tentatively at first, then with growing enthusiasm over the results, quickly fell into it (like the fishing) hook, line and sinker.

After several ballpoint and rollerball pens, I thought I'd have a go at a few fountain pens, and found that I quite liked the result.

The problem was that I found the nibs to be of rather variable quality in the kits, so I decided to venture into the world of fully customized fountain pens (often called 'kitless' pens in the pen making world), using high end steel or occasionally gold nibs, and building a pen to use it.  These have varied from pens made of exotic woods...

...to pens of varied colours of acrylic...

...or ebonite...

...or polyresin...

Whatever the material I use, I love to make a little piece of art that can be carried around and used.

Well, enough for now,  time to get back to the family...