Ebony And Paua Shell Fp In Rustic Styling

[drgoretex]

Hey folks,

 

Been a while since I put anything up here, since a lot of what I have been doing is similar to material that I have posted here before.

 

But I thought I would put this one up, as it represents a few new techniques for me, and kind of an interesting project.

 

A few times now I have been attracted to a certain Japanese pen company's website (here, I have to admit, I am just not sure of the etiquette: mention the company name, not mention it… regardless, I suspect you will all know which company), admiring the nice work they do on their pens, particularly their beautiful work in ebony and in rosewood. So I recently had a look at their prices ($1500 - 2500), and very quickly decided that buying one of their pens would never be in my future. So I decided that I would just make one myself.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd231/kcavers/Custom%20Pens/Custom%20Fountain%20Pens/Designer%20Fountain%20Pens/IMG_1755_zpsw3nsypdn.jpg

Of course while this pen is inspired (especially in shape) by the ones I noted above, I have also taken it in my own direction, wanting to make a pen (for myself) that really spoke to me.

I have a nice collection of pieces of various exotic woods, and after sifting through them decided on ebony. Incredibly messy to work with (sticky black dust everywhere), but the end results are usually very much worth it.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd231/kcavers/Custom%20Pens/Custom%20Fountain%20Pens/Designer%20Fountain%20Pens/IMG_1761_zpsjml5uw0r.jpg

One of the problems that I have had with wood pens before is their tendency for the nib to dry out over a few days. This has been the case whether I leave the cap unsealed inside, sealed with CA, sealed with polymerizing oil, with epoxy, etc. One solution I came up with was to add a small plastic inner cap that covers the nib. This worked fairly well, but was still not entirely satisfactory. This time, what I did was to create an acrylic liner that filed the entire cap, continuous with the thread (I could have done this in ebonite too, but that seemed like a bit of a waste of expensive ebonite). This has worked beautifully, and there are absolutely no dry-out issues in this pen. Finally, the cap is flared at the top to allow a nice big paua shell inlay.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd231/kcavers/Custom%20Pens/Custom%20Fountain%20Pens/Designer%20Fountain%20Pens/IMG_1773_zps9ryrneyv.jpg

Another new technique I wanted to try on this pen was to add a cap band, something that I have not really gotten in the habit of doing. But in this case, I wanted a bit of gold colour to contrast against the ebonite, and to complement the 18K nib. An interesting process that involved a bit of figuring, some serious frustration, a few unsavoury words, but ultimately a happy success.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd231/kcavers/Custom%20Pens/Custom%20Fountain%20Pens/Designer%20Fountain%20Pens/IMG_1785_zpspt0zrdwd.jpg

Another break from my usual styling was to change the active thread location on the end of the barrel to allow for a larger 'thread-free' grip zone, making the pen more comfortable to hold. The barrel itself is shaped to allow a nice perch for posting the cap, which fits on the barrel quite securely and with great balance. To finish off the look of the pen, I added another paua shell inlay to the end of the barrel.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd231/kcavers/Custom%20Pens/Custom%20Fountain%20Pens/Designer%20Fountain%20Pens/IMG_1780_zpsj98hsldf.jpg

The pen is fitted with a medium JoWo 18K nib, which writes like a dream.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd231/kcavers/Custom%20Pens/Custom%20Fountain%20Pens/Designer%20Fountain%20Pens/IMG_1789_zpsmysbxyhu.jpg

Yep, this pen fanatic is smiling today.

Thanks for looking!

Cheers,

Ken

[dougscott]

Nicely done, Ken. Fit and finish are excellent. Adding an acrylic cap liner for porous materials makes all the difference, doesn't it?

 

Doug

[18111]

Beautiful work as always!

[richardandtracy]

I am completely at a loss over what to say.

 

Your previous work has been stunning. Then this is another gear up from that. The design quality you have put into this is just... [Help! I've run out of superlatives!] ... beyond my ability to comment. It is the best I can imagine. Until your next pen, I expect.

 

Cannot imagine why you don't want to mention Namiki. This could so easily be one of their best pens.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[zaddick]

Fantastic

[drgoretex]

Richard - wow, thanks! I really appreciate that!

 

Ken

[DrDebG]

Excellent design and workmanship! I love the pairing of ebony wood with the shell endcaps. What kind of feed did you use?

 

Very nicely done!

[smk]

Oh my. Now that is a work of art. Wow - what a pen.

 

- Salman

[Cryptos]

Wow! Of all the pictures of wooden pens I've seen that is probably the most beautiful one. And paua shell. It's part of the local culture here in New Zealand. It's interesting to see it get used by people elsewhere in the world.

[mehandiratta]

lovely design... and amazing job in doing perfect execution... ....

[Helen350]

Craftsmanship!!!!!

[flummoxed]

Lovely pen as usual Ken. I think the contrast provided by the shell and the added touch of the band on the cap make it look beautiful.

 

Do the threads on the cap by any chance leave a mark when you post it?

[drgoretex]

Thanks for the compliments!

 

flummoxed - doesn't seem to.

 

Ken

[flummoxed]

Great, I've admired your work for a while now Ken. It is definitely on my list of wood/ebonite to buys in the near future.

[Oruc Gazi Kutluer]

Good work with abalone

[Scriptorium Pens]

Simply majestic!

[rudyhou]

the finishing on the wooden body looks real nice.

[wood-of-1kind]

Superb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love the idea of combining wood with abalone cap.