Ken Cavers Custom Pens: June 2016

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

Saturday, 25 June 2016

'Stormy Seas' Large Size Cigar Fountain Pen

Hi folks,

Here is another pen made from one of Jonathon Brooks' cool alumilites. One of the fun things about the alumilite blanks is that you often just can't tell by looking at the blank itself what it is going to look like once it is turned on the lathe. That is actually one of the things I find most fun about these materials - a bit of discovery and surprise as I make each new pen. I can't recall offhand what Jonathon called this one, so I am going with 'Stormy Seas'.

In this case, it turned out lighter than I was expecting, and lighter than the prospective new owner preferred, so as it happens this pen is also posted on my 'For Sale' page.

The pen is a Cigar style pen in my larger sizing (thicker grip diameter and overall diameter). The dimensions are: 150mm capped, 137mm uncapped, diameter max 16mm, grip diameter max 12.7mm (the grip size is comparable to a Pelikan M1000, and just a bit smaller than a Montblanc 149).

It is fitted with a medium polished steel JoWo nib for the photos. The fill system is cartridge/converter as per my usual.

Thanks for looking!

Ken

Thursday, 23 June 2016

'Land and Sea' Shirt Pocket Fountain Pen with Cap Band and Inlays

Hi everyone,

Been meaning to post this one since I gave it to my wife. This was a birthday gift to her, and a replacement for another pen that had sadly vanished.

I can't recall the nem of this Lava alumilite, but 'Land and Sea' came to mind.

This is one of my 'Shirt Pocket Fountain Pens' - the ones that are a decent size for daily carry, and post well for convenience. This one features a brass cap band, as well as inlays on each end made using another similar alumilite. It is fitted with an 18K JoWo fine nib.

Happy wife.

Cheers,

Ken