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

'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

'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.

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

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