WELCOME!

Welcome to my Custom Fountain Pen website/blog. I put this site together a while ago so that I could let some of my fellow pen enthusiasts and penmakers, as well as my customers, see what I have been up to lately in the workshop. I don't publish all of my pens here, but good percentage of them.

A Little About My Pens: I love doing fine work on the lathe, which is what got me into this work. That is, I enjoy the focus on the details of a project - the material and colour selection, the form, the fit and finish of the pen. I also test all of the my nibs before shipping. I fill the converter, run ink through the nib and feed, and write with it. I spend a significant amount of time smoothing and adjusting the nib of every pen that I sell. My goal, with each pen that I make, is to create a writing piece whose fit and finish will impress you when you first pull it out of the packing, and that will serve you well as a great writer when you fill it up with your favourite ink.

Have a look at my posts to see some of the work I am doing lately, or see my pricing guide in the link below to the right, or check the link to my current inventory of already-made pens (usually small, as most of my work is by commissions/orders).

Or, if you are interested, you can see some of the work I have done previously in my Custom Pen Gallery on Photobucket!

If you have a Twitter account, I am @drgoretex

If any of my posts generate particular interest, I will pin them as links on the right (eg 'Basic Nib Adjusting 101').

* ORDERS: Please contact me at kencavers@gmail.com to place an order.

* PRICES: Please see the link on the right side of the screen 'Pricing Guide' for an idea as to the cost of a pen.

* REVIEWS:
Have a look at the bottom of this page for some reviews done by previous buyers!

* HOW LONG WILL MY ORDER TAKE?:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: I am happily overwhelmed with pen orders. This gives me great joy in that my work is so well received, but saddens me that I cannot fill orders anywhere near as quickly as I would like. I am still trying to work through back orders, but if you have ordered from me and heard nothing for some time, feel free to email me and ask how things are going.
I still only make these pens in my spare time, when work and family time permit, and even then the productivity slows down during the coldest winter months thanks to my unheated workshop.
Given that I make these pens primarily as a hobby, I also reserve the right to pursue some other interesting pen projects in between filling orders.
I apologize for long delays in order fulfillment, which may in some case be over a year and a half. In the meantime, you are welcome to contact me to inquire about new pen orders, or to check up on a previously submitted order.

-Ken Cavers








Monday 30 June 2014

Ruby Fire Cigar


Every once in a while, I try turning a new blank just to see how it looks turned.  And, every once in a while, I am just stunned by the beauty of the material discover as I turn and polish it.  This is definitely one of those cases.  Here is a pen that I created from one of a collection of alumilite blanks that I purchased from the person who made them - Jonathan Brooks, a fellow pen maker (and a very accomplished one at that).


I decided to make a Cigar style pen out of this blank, as the Cigar style is one of the ones that best shows off a beautiful material.  The bland initially just looked red with a hint or iridescence, but as I tool the diameter down, I could see some beautiful shapes in the resin's colouring begin to emerge.  As I took the pen through the 11-step polishing process, the shapes resolved into breathtaking ruby coloured flames.  Yes, this resin is a keeper!



The pen itself is currently fitted with a polished steel silver coloured JoWo Fine nib.  But while I prefer the silver coloured nib on this pen, I suspect that the gold - coloured nib would look good too.  The pen is c/c fill.


Thanks for looking!

Ken

Sunday 29 June 2014

'Curvy' Style Fountain Pen in Yellow and Black Swirl Acrylic

Just finished this one a couple of days ago, and even though I just recently posted about another yellow pen, I thought I would add this one to show off some curves :-)


This cheerful colour has turned out to be quite popular - one of my own favourites, in fact.  So bright and sunny, and also nicely opaque (which I personally prefer).



This pen was ordered in my 'Curvy' style.  A good size pen, at 150mm long capped, and 140mm uncapped, it has a barrel that is 15mm thick at its widest.  Combined with the curves in the barrel, it tends to be a very comfortable pen to hold for long writes.

This one is fitted with JoWo's #6 steel 1.1mm stub nib, which is a lot of fun to write with, adding a bit of flare to the handwriting.  The fill system is cartridge/converter.


Thanks for looking!

Ken

Tuesday 24 June 2014

'Orange Swirl' Classic Fountain Pen


Here is another one of my 'Classic' style fountain pens (well, modified a bit to be a little slimmer - as per the request of the one who ordered it).

The material that I have used here has been given a few different names by the various pen makers who have used it, but I think that I will simply call it 'Orange Swirl'.  Whatever one calls it, it is a truly lovely, sunny material, and is sure put a smile on the face of the owner.



This particular pen is equipped with a steel JoWo 1.1mm stub nib, nicely smoothed for some beautiful writing.

Thanks for looking.

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Black and Yellow SPFP


Here's one that I just finished for a colleague.  He didn't want to specify what style of pen, just that it be yellow.  I figured the most useful pen for him would be the same as the most useful pen for me - the 'Shirt Pocket Fountain Pen' - easily shirt-pocket sized (with a clip), and conveniently and securely postable.  It happened I had some of this nice yellow and black acrylic, so off I go.




Oh ya - nib is steel JoWo, and fill system is cart/converter.

Thanks for looking!

Ken

Sunday 8 June 2014

Purpleheart and Jade!

Seems like every time I want to post, I feel like writing, "a long time back, I got ago order for…".  Sadly, almost all the pens I am making now are orders placed over a year ago.  Ah well…

I any case, I got this order way back for a Bamboo style pen - but interestingly, one made of purpleheart wood.  Further, the request was added to finish the ends with green inlays, rather than just plain recessed ends like most of my Bamboo style pens.  I have to admit that I wasn't sure how this was going to look.  Still, that's what custom ordering is all about - doing the unusual.  And in this case, I think the fellow who ordered had it figured out - the green end-jewels worked perfectly with the purpleheart wood.



One of the coolest things about working with purpleheart is that when you first cut it or turn it, it is pretty much just a plain light brown wood, with maybe the most subtle of purplish hues to it.  But as it sits, it reacts with the air to turn to a rich, dark purple.  I read that it eventually turns to a dark brown with exposure to UV light, but I suspect that takes a while (I have a purple heart bowl that I made several years ago that is still purple).


The threading in this pen is made using black acrylic inserts which I turned and fitted into the cap and barrel pieces, and then drilled out/turned and threaded.   The cap and barrel are turned from one continuous piece of purpleheart, and when I finished the pen, I carefully refinished the edge of the cap until the grain lined up when closed.  The finish is a hard, glossy coat of cyanoacrylate.


The end-jewels are made from Arizona Jade Tru-Stone, a material made from ground stone in a resin matrix.

Finally, the pen is fitted with a nice, wet broad nib to suit it well for its intended purpose as a signature pen.

Thanks for looking!

Ken