Ken Cavers Custom Pens: April 2014

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

Sunday, 27 April 2014

Blue Mosaic (and black trim) Shirt Pocket Fountain Pen

I've been waiting for a chance to use this awesome blue material! Finally, had the chance a few days ago to put it to use.

Here is one of my 'Shirt Pocket Fountain Pens' (shirt pocket sized, deeply and securely posting), done up in the cool blue mosaic, with black finial and barrel trim. It features a roller clip, and a smooth medium steel JoWo nib (smoothed and adjusted for a nice wet flow). The filling system is cartridge/converter.

The dimensions are 140mm capped, 128mm uncapped, and 145mm posted.

You can find this pen on my 'Available for Purchase' page as well.

Thanks for looking!

Ken

Friday, 25 April 2014

Tiger Cigar time

I love the warmth of this material. It is crazy cheerful!

Here is a Cigar style fountain pen that I finished last week, and have been waiting for a chance to get it on my blog. Just shipped it this afternoon, but fortunately, had already taken pictures. The pictures actually reflect the fact that it was taken just after I had done the nib smoothing and conditioning, as you can still see some wetness in the grip section from rinsing the ink out :-))

I think the Cigar style in acrylic is one of my favourites to make - I love acrylic, and I love the clipless Cigar. Next one is for ME.

Thanks for looking!

Ken

Thursday, 3 April 2014

Forest Lava Cigar!

Just finished this tonight. Have had this Forest Lava resin sitting in stock for some time, and no takers. Which was just killing me, because I thought this stuff looked spectacular! So, I thought I'd have a go at it, and the best way to show it off would be to make a Cigar style pen, so here it is.

I have used several of these 'Lava' blanks now, and I have to say that I really like them - they have amazing depth and colour!

I made this Cigar a touch longer than usual, at 155mm capped, and 14mm uncapped. The diameter is a comfortable 15.5mm. This one is fitted with a broad polished steel JoWo nib, though two-tone or gold would look very good with this material as well.

Hope you like it!

Ken

Tuesday, 1 April 2014

Clipless 'Shirt Pocket Fountain Pen' in Raspberry Swirl

Here's one I didn't think I'd be likely to make - a 'Shirt Pocket Fountain Pen', but without a clip. I would have thought that a clip would be necessary for the whole 'shirt pocket' thing, but as it turns out, there are many who prefer to leave the pen loose in the pocket unclipped. Well, this works out nicely for the aesthetics of the pen, as the clip, for all its utility does break up the lines of the pen.

I made this one out of this bright and cheerful raspberry swirl acrylic, which is certainly no subtle colour - it rather demands notice. Like all my SPFPs, the cap is designed to post securely on the barrel for convenience and comfort while writing.

This pen has a special nib awaiting it upon its arrival, but here is posing with a medium steel JoWo nib.

Well. Enough play, and time to go off to work.

Thanks for looking!