Ken Cavers Custom Pens: September 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

Friday, 30 September 2016

Twin 'Compact' Style FPs in Abalone Explosion Alumilite

Here is the result of a rather special order, placed by a couple of pen fans who both happen to be expecting. I celebration of the new addition to their respective families, they ordered matching fountain pens.

The material chosen was 'Abalone Explosion' - an alumilite which I purchased from Bear Tooth Woods, and which is a truly lovely mix of purples and blues.

The style chosen was my 'Compact' style - a minimalist version of my Shirt Pocket Fountain Pen. This style is (as the name suggests), rather compact at 130mm capped, while still able to accommodate a full size converter. It posts to a very comfortable 145mm or so, but is still quite comfortable to use unposted, at about 125mm.

One of the pens is equipped, by request, with a fine steel JoWo nib, while the other is packing a 1.1mm stub nib.

I really have enjoyed working with this style of pen - shows off the material nicely, without the distraction of a clip, and is a somewhat more user-friendly size and shape than a standard Cigar.

Thanks for looking!

Ken

Wednesday, 14 September 2016

Grey Cebloplast 'C600' - and a group shot!

And, here is the third of a set of three fountain pens made using cool vintage cebloplast tubes. The first one was finished in April, and this one is fresh off the bench last night. Took a while (been a crazy summer)!

I decided to keep the naming theme that I used for the others, and called this one a 'C600'.

This pen is equipped with a JoWo medium steel nib, and has a cartridge/converter filling system.

Finally, the group shot of all four cebloplast pens (three for the order, one just for fun):

Thanks for looking!

Ken

Blue-Grey Cebloplast 'C400'

More cebloplast!

When I received an order for three cebloplast pens, and was sent the material (vintage cebloplast tubes), I liked it so much that I bought a whole pile more! Here is one of the colours that I ordered a number of months back, and have been wanting to try. It is not part of a pen order, and I rather like it - so now I have to decide whether I can bear to sell it!

This cebloplast is a cool mix of grey and blue, which is framed by the black cap and black barrel trip. For a more comfortable feel, I have avoided 'step' in the barrel diameter (which I usually incorporate in order to allow a firm stop when screwing the cap on). Instead, I have stepped the inside diameter of the cap, which allows the same firm stop.

The pen is fitted with a Bock medium steel nib, and is a has a cartridge/converter fill system.

Thanks for looking!

Ken

Red Cebloplast 'C600' Fountain Pen

Wow - it has been quite a while since my last post! My summer has been absolutely packed - lots of travel, a load of extra work, some home renovations, and best of all, the birth of my first granddaughter! It's all good, as they say - but unfortunately, have had very little time left over to work in the shop. We'll see what the months ahead bring....

In the meantime, here is the second installment of a set of fountain pens that I was asked to make using some very cool vintage cebloplast tubes. The first one, which appeared a few post ago, came out (unintentionally) with a look and size reminiscent of my good old trusty Pelikan M400, so I decided to call it the 'C400' in homage to one of my favourite pen brands. Following the same line, I am calling this one, which I finished a few weeks ago, the 'C600' :-)

This particular vintage material is rather interesting, as it was clearly made by wrapping a strip of cebloplast around a core (if you look carefully, you can see the seam - though it can't be felt). It has the usual wonderful depth that cebloplast seems to have.

The cap is made of black acrylic, and the barrel end is trimmed in black to frame the ceblo. I decided to give the cap finial a bit of an interesting shape for fun.

The pen is fitted with a broad two-tone steel JoWo nib, which has been smoothed for a great writing experience. It has a cartridge/converter filling system.

Thanks for looking!