I Want To Make My Own Pens!

[jniforat]

hey everyone:

 

well, i've read the invaluable reference, pinned posts and have decided i want to start making my own pens. i'm really into ebonite and acrylics (and celluloid ), and have not been able to find that "perfect" pen that has everything i want in terms of function and design.

 

i could of course, contact one of the few esteemed pen makers on this board, but it seems the pen will cost $400+. this got me thinking: can i make my own?

 

i'm not looking to mass produce pens, and i'm not looking to make a profit from pen making. i want this to be a hobby; something i do on my free time. ya know, make like three pens a year kind of thing.

 

so, where do i start, which really means, what do i really need to start making my own pens?

 

i like the dimensions of the mont blanc 146 and 149, and would not want to ever make a pen much bigger than this. i mention the max size i'm interested in so that will help give an idea of what size tools i'll need.

 

 

i checked the link to wood and metal lathes, and all the other equipment, but i'm wondering what would i need to only make three to four pens a year (max!) over a few months? what tools/machinery? i don't think i need anything too fancy as this will just be a side-hobby.

 

 

thanks in advance for your patience and suggestions.

[jniforat]

i should add that i've been super inspired by brian gray and rick propas, and that this is not an easy task.

Edited July 18, 2010 by jniforat

[OldGriz]

hey everyone:

 

well, i've read the invaluable reference, pinned posts and have decided i want to start making my own pens. i'm really into ebonite and acrylics (and celluloid ), and have not been able to find that "perfect" pen that has everything i want in terms of function and design.

 

i could of course, contact one of the few esteemed pen makers on this board, but it seems the pen will cost $400+. this got me thinking: can i make my own?

 

i'm not looking to mass produce pens, and i'm not looking to make a profit from pen making. i want this to be a hobby; something i do on my free time. ya know, make like three pens a year kind of thing.

 

so, where do i start, which really means, what do i really need to start making my own pens?

 

i like the dimensions of the mont blanc 146 and 149, and would not want to ever make a pen much bigger than this. i mention the max size i'm interested in so that will help give an idea of what size tools i'll need.

 

 

i checked the link to wood and metal lathes, and all the other equipment, but i'm wondering what would i need to only make three to four pens a year (max!) over a few months? what tools/machinery? i don't think i need anything too fancy as this will just be a side-hobby.

 

 

thanks in advance for your patience and suggestions.

 

Sure you can make your own pens.... but by the time you purchase a decent wood lathe, the turning tools, a grinder to sharpen them properly and then purchase a couple of inexpensive kits to practice on, not to mention the cost of good wood or acrylic blanks and finishing supplies.... that $400 pen starts to look real inexpensive.....

A Jet Mini Wood Lathe (one of the best beginner pen lathes) will cost about $350.00 alone...

 

I said "i'm not looking to mass produce pens, and i'm not looking to make a profit from pen making. i want this to be a hobby; something i do on my free time. ya know, make like three pens a year kind of thing." and realized in the end I was just lying to myself..... I started giving away pens to all my friends as I learned and got better at making them... then I started selling them at our local Farmer's Market Craft area in November and December for gifts... then added May and June to cover Mother's, Father's Days and Graduations..... I eventually flooded the local market... by that time I was also trafficking in vintage pens at shows and always had a tray or two of custom pens with me..... the sold well basically because I was extremely anal about my manufacture of them....

 

I am not trying to turn you off to making pens.... I want to give you a realistic look at what you may be getting into....

I no longer make custom pens..... but I still have more beautiful pen blanks than I could use in my life time and a boat load of kits...

I am keeping them because my 11yr old daughter has shown an interest in turning wood....

[jniforat]

thank you! yes, it seems like i would be getting in over my head.

 

i could use the machinery at my university for an extremely nominal per hour fee. would that make things easier?

[jniforat]

it might be cheapest that way. the thing that makes this intriguing is that i can by an ebonite blank one month, the nib another month, etc., since i won't have enough at any one time being a student. i for sure don't want to buy a machine :/

 

the saving method doesn't work as a student....last time i tried i had to use those funds for books (no financial help from the 'rents)

 

i think it's $5/hr to use machine at my school

Edited July 18, 2010 by jniforat

[jniforat]

i just found out that as a student i have access to all of the following for free! (this is just some of the stuff i have access to. there's a lot more):

 

SawStop® Table Saw [sawStop® saws are equipped with a safety system to stop the blade within 5 milliseconds of detecting contact with skin.]

Powermatic 22" Helical CutterHead Planer

Powermatic 18" Variable Speed Drill Press

Agazanni 24" Bandsaw

Grizzly 14" Bandsaw

10" Hitachi Sliding Compound Miter Saw

Bench Dog Router Lift

12" Combination Disk and Belt Sander

6" Combination Belt and Disk Sander

Grizzly Oscilating Spindle Sander

Dewault 20" Variable Speed Scroll Saw

8" Model Making Band Saw

Rockwell 8" Joiner

Lathe

Portable: Table Saw + Air Compressor

AC/DC Arc and Tig Welder

12" Diamond Tipped Metal Chop + Miter Saw

 

also, a friend of mine that is into fountain pens knows how to use this material. i may buy some blanks (some of the cheaper ones that are $3.99 that i found) and practice before i buy some nicer material and a nib.

Edited July 19, 2010 by jniforat

[richardandtracy]

You have access to a lot of machinery you won't need much, and some that will be useful. The scroll saw may be useful if you make your own clips, if not, then the lathe will be principally of interest. The drill press may be useful in drilling the central hole for kit pens, though a lathe can usually be used for this if the drill press doesn't have a great enough stroke. The band saws and planes are probably best left alone.

 

It may be worth looking at my first pen making effort here: http://www.fountainp...l=&fromsearch=1 because I belaboured what I needed to do quite a bit.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

Edited July 21, 2010 by richardandtracy

[ldb2000]

I will warn you that penmaking is a vortex that you can very easily fall into , so how much you will spend will be a question that is hard to answer , it all depends on how deeply you fall in . Pens like those that Brian Gray make are not something that you will be able to do just because you have the tools . People that make those kind of custom pens spend many years learning the craft . To start you will be making kit pens that you just have to turn the barrels on a lathe , finish and assemble the kit on them . As you progress you will begin to understand the difficulty involved in making a pen like Brian's .

All that said , penturning is a relaxing , frustrating , enjoyable , infuriating hobby and the joy of writing with a creation you made yourself is unequaled . I would suggest that you check out the IAP www.penturners.org and see what you are getting yourself into .

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions .

Edited July 21, 2010 by ldb2000

[jniforat]

I will warn you that penmaking is a vortex that you can very easily fall into , so how much you will spend will be a question that is hard to answer , it all depends on how deeply you fall in . Pens like those that Brian Gray make are not something that you will be able to do just because you have the tools . People that make those kind of custom pens spend many years learning the craft . To start you will be making kit pens that you just have to turn the barrels on a lathe , finish and assemble the kit on them . As you progress you will begin to understand the difficulty involved in making a pen like Brian's .

All that said , penturning is a relaxing , frustrating , enjoyable , infuriating hobby and the joy of writing with a creation you made yourself is unequaled . I would suggest that you check out the IAP www.penturners.org and see what you are getting yourself into .

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions .

 

thanks a ton! yes, I'll have to start out slow and work my way up. it's a craft that will take a long time to master!

[jniforat]

You have access to a lot of machinery you won't need much, and some that will be useful. The scroll saw may be useful if you make your own clips, if not, then the lathe will be principally of interest. The drill press may be useful in drilling the central hole for kit pens, though a lathe can usually be used for this if the drill press doesn't have a great enough stroke. The band saws and planes are probably best left alone.

 

It may be worth looking at my first pen making effort here: http://www.fountainp...l=&fromsearch=1 because I belaboured what I needed to do quite a bit.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

that's a very useful link, thanks a bunch, richard! i'm trying to get into a shop/sculpture class at my school because I need to learn these techniques :/

[ThaIwan]

Good topic. Think many people will be curious about this. Many questions, should I do it myself, invest in equipment and materials or not. I'm sure it takes a lot to come to something seriously marketable that makes a difference from the very average.

[Silvermink]

I've been peering at this thread with interest because it's something I've been thinking of getting into as well.

[jniforat]

i think if the equipment is readily available, then there's no harm in trying. apparentthly, i have to take a elective class before i can use the equipment on my own at my school, which is no problem. i think there are places in town one can rent time. it seems fun--i'm going to try

[jmkeuning]

Just don't make those pens where you take a round thing and shove a crappy chrome section into it. Those don't count.

[jniforat]

Just don't make those pens where you take a round thing and shove a crappy chrome section into it. Those don't count.

 

what's that? i'm sorry, i don't know what that means :embarrassed_smile:

[koa]

My lathe is a bunch of wood scraps glued and screwed together (more or less), a old battery powered drill chuck (with it's bronze bushing) with a wooden pulley attached and powered by an old floor fan motor. My turning tools vary, usually some sharp piece of metal stuck in the end of a cut-off hammer handle. The dead center (dead because it is not live!) is held in place by a wood clamp. Cost? Well, nothing, really.

 

Of course, not all of my creations are quite round or straight, but I have never stuck a chrome section into anything. Usually brass. The point is, you do not have to spend all that money on equipment, even if you are looking for an excuse. Some people turn pens on a drill press. I have always wondered what it would be like to turn pens on a spring-pole treadle lathe.

[cerberusdog]

Koa, would love to see a picture of it. I appreciate ingenuity!

Regards,

Rick

[koa]

Sorry, Rick, we will have to wait until I have it set up again. (It is kinda portable too, clamps to the work bench). There is a pinned topic in this forum of pictures of workshops, but mine is always too much of a disaster for me to post a picture!

[GouletPens]

A much better resource for getting into making pens is the (IAP) International Association of Penturners, which is like the FPN equivalent for penmakers.

 

I won't say too much as I could go on and on about making pens (I have some 1,700 posts or so at IAP), but the one thing I can say unequivocally is that you absolutely WILL NOT save money by making your own pens. Do it because you enjoy it, because it's a hobby, but you would be fooling yourself if you thought it would be to save money. Especially with fountain pens, because just finding a decent nib to stick in your pen will cost you a bunch as nib makers like to sell their nibs in large volume. I've made 800+ pens as that's how I built my business, and I've since stopped doing them for personal reasons.

 

They can be fun and very rewarding, but trust me, it will not save you money, even with free tools.

[cerberusdog]

Sorry, Rick, we will have to wait until I have it set up again. (It is kinda portable too, clamps to the work bench). There is a pinned topic in this forum of pictures of workshops, but mine is always too much of a disaster for me to post a picture!

 

 

I have this topic set for "watch" so that I won't miss when you post it.

Thanks

Rick