Red, White and Black 'Shirt Pocket Fountain Pen'

OK, so here is another example of turning a disaster into an opportunity (something I am a big believer in - at least in pen making...).   A couple of weeks ago, I was turning the nib section on this pen, but it was for one of my larger longer pens, and I accidentally turned the nib section too short.  Well, that wasn't going to work, so I had to start all over again and make a longer nib section.  But before I did that, I figured I would finish the foreshortened nib section that this one had become, and then put it aside.

Well it then occurred to me that I generally use shorter nib sections in my 'Shirt Pocket Fountain Pens' (SPFP), so this became an opportunity to turn some acrylic that I had long been wanting to have a go at.

So, here it is - the red, black and white swirl acrylic, framed in black, as one of my favourite styles - the SPFP, which is the ultimate in practical for those who carry their pens (as I do) in their shirt pockets.  It is a perfect length to sit in the shirt pocket, and it posts deeply to a comfortable writing length.

This pen is fitted with a medium polished steel JoWo nib, as well as a converter for filling.

Yep, good fun.

Ken

Ivory Celluloid and Black Acrylic

I LOVE turning celluloid!  Too bad it is so hard to obtain...
It is a wonderfully nice material to turn on the lathe, and yet produces reams of incredibly tough shavings.  But the coolest thing of all is the powerful camphor smell while working this stuff.  I had a cold while turning this one, and it was very soothing to work on - like working with a giant cough drop!

Celluloid is cool stuff.  It is the first thermoplastic invented (back in the late 1800's!), and while not made very often any more, it is still much loved by pen makers and fountain pen aficionados for its appealing feel and smell.  Of course the historic value as a vintage pen-making material doesn't hurt either...
The ivory celluloid is particularly lovely, with its prominent striations.  I decided for this pen, rather than make the whole pen out of the same celluloid, to frame this material in black to help bring out its amazing grain.

I decided to make this pen a non-posting pen, as I didn't want to risk marking up the celluloid.

The nib on this pen is a JoWo steel 1.1mm stub, great for calligraphy (of course, since the nib units are threaded, the nib can easily be swapped for another).  The fill system is, no surprise, cartridge/converter.

Thanks for looking.  Comments welcome as always.

Ken

Coned Cigar in Ocean Lava 'Earth' Resin

Just finished this one after work today.  This pen is the second of a two-pen order - the first was the mosaic pen I last posted.

This Cone-ended Cigar style pen is done in this lovely Ocean Lava resin that I pick up from Bear Tooth Woods.  With the green swirls in the midst of the blue, it is incredibly reminiscent of an aerial view of the Earth...

I made this particular pen with a slightly longer grip section and an extended tenon to make the grip easier.  The nib installed is a medium steel JoWo nib, smoothed and tuned to medium flow.

Thanks for looking!  Comments welcome.

Ken