Show Us Your Oblique Penholders!

[MusinkMan]

Brian,

 

 

This latest jewel-like holder of yours is truly the epitome of quiet elegance, and is complemeted beautifully by the script from Stefanie.

 

 

Ken

Thanks so much for saying that, Ken. I so enjoy making them. Good exotic woods are getting harder to find, and are getting more expensive. I am in search of a new supplier.

[hzsimms]

Something beautiful in the post yesterday:

 

 

Stefanie

 

Gorgeous work by the both of you!

[Estefa]

@ caliken: Thank you so much for saying that, Mr. Ken. I am working on this, especially the capitals … but with the great holders from Brian it is a pleasure to do so!

@ MusinkMan: You're welcome, Brian! I really love this staff.

@ hzsimms: I am glad you like it! Your posts are also always such a joy to look at – I ike very much this Cocobolo and turquoise combination!

Stefanie

[Swaffer]

So here is the Oblique Penholder I made the other day. Nothing fancy but it does the job. The shaft is a piece of dowel and the flange is made of copper.

 

 

[hzsimms]

So here is the Oblique Penholder I made the other day. Nothing fancy but it does the job. The shaft is a piece of dowel and the flange is made of copper.

 

 

Very cool Swaffer, but be warned: once the bug to make those things bites you, you're hooked!

 

Howard

[MusinkMan]

So here is the Oblique Penholder I made the other day. Nothing fancy but it does the job. The shaft is a piece of dowel and the flange is made of copper.

 

 

Well there you go, Swaffer. Nice job there!

[smk]

Full marks for getting the job done Swaffer. Isn't it a great feeling writing with a holder you made yourself?

 

How did you fix the flange in the slot to keep it in place? Is it glued in place?

 

Salman

[MusinkMan]

Here are 4 custom orders that I completed this week. The two longer ones in the middle were ordered with thicker grips to suit his large hands. I've been spending a lot of time in the wood shop! LOL!

 

Edited October 19, 2013 by MusinkMan

[Swaffer]

Thanks everyone. Yes it is a joy to use your own pen and I sure will be making more. Hopefully more beautiful ones but I still love my first attempt.

 

The flange is not glued, it seems to fit nice and snug anyway.

 

Swaffer

[hzsimms]

Here are 4 custom orders that I completed this week. The two longer ones in the middle were ordered with thicker grips to suit his large hands. I've been spending a lot of time in the wood shop! LOL!

 

 

 

Those are awesome Brian, great work!

[hzsimms]

Just finished this one up this weekend. It's ebony with purple heart and bloodwood trim rings. This is the first time I've used ebony for the bulk of a pen. Very nice wood. It has more subtle grain than the photos indicate. It's just over 12 inches long and 1/8 wide for most of the tail. Hope you like it.

 

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p743/hzsimms/image_zpsad9bdcb0.jpg

 

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p743/hzsimms/image_zps2f81dc66.jpg

Edited October 20, 2013 by hzsimms

[Mickey]

To my pen making friends,

 

While 11 1/2 to 12 inch holders are attractive and make considerable visual impact, I have profound doubts whether they are the best tools for serious penmanship. Remember, this is from someone with more than a few holders in the 10 inch plus range. Also remember, the flange and nib add almost another inch to the contraption, making that 12 inch beauty an unlucky 13 inches long.

 

I really think holders in the 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 inch length are probably the most generally useful, something about the length of a brand new, just sharpened pencil. (Remember how great it was to have a brand new No. 2 in your hand, fresh from the box?) I'm nowhere near getting rid of the genuine, 11.5 inch Magnusson holder I keep in my office, but I don't think it's been out of its protective case in 3 months.

 

The two holders that get the most use are a pair of holders from Brian, both a little over 8 inches long. After them comes a +20 year old holder from Bill Lilly, made for the original owner of the Magnusson. (It might interest some of you that the Magnusson looked unused when I purchased it, whereas the Lilly looked to have been around the block more than a few times.) The Lilly holder is about 10.5 inches, but the design is nothing like the Magnusson: the grip area is dished on the inside surface, causing the shaft to point at the right shoulder, rather than outside the shoulder;

 

 

consequently it plays a little shorter than it measures.

Edited October 20, 2013 by Mickey

[Estefa]

Just finished this one up this weekend. It's ebony with purple heart and bloodwood trim rings. This is the first time I've used ebony for the bulk of a pen. Very nice wood. It has more subtle grain than the photos indicate. It's just over 12 inches long and 1/8 wide for most of the tail. Hope you like it.

 

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p743/hzsimms/image_zpsad9bdcb0.jpg

 

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p743/hzsimms/image_zps2f81dc66.jpg

 

This is gorgeous! What a beautiful combination of colours and materials!

 

Stefanie

[hzsimms]

To my pen making friends,

 

While 11 1/2 to 12 inch holders are attractive and make considerable visual impact, I have profound doubts whether they are the best tools for serious penmanship. Remember, this is from someone with more than a few holders in the 10 inch plus range. Also remember, the flange and nib add almost another inch to the contraption, making that 12 inch beauty an unlucky 13 inches long.

 

I really think holders in the 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 inch length are probably the most generally useful, something about the length of a brand new, just sharpened pencil. (Remember how great it was to have a brand new No. 2 in your hand, fresh from the box?) I'm nowhere near getting rid of the genuine, 11.5 inch Magnusson holder I keep in my office, but I don't think it's been out of its protective case in 3 months.

 

The two holders that get the most use are a pair of holders from Brian, both a little over 8 inches long. After them comes a +20 year old holder from Bill Lilly, made for the original owner of the Magnusson. (It might interest some of you that the Magnusson looked unused when I purchased it, whereas the Lilly looked to have been around the block more than a few times.) The Lilly holder is about 10.5 inches, but the design is nothing like the Magnusson: the grip area is dished on the inside surface, causing the shaft to point at the right shoulder, rather than outside the shoulder;

 

 

consequently it plays a little shorter than it measures.

 

Thank you Mickey, your critique of my work is, as always, appreciated. I will certainly keep your admonishments in mind in my future endeavors. However, I am not now, nor do I ever expect to be, a master penman. I enjoy creating the pen as much, if not sometimes more than, the actual utilization thereof. I do not make them, usually, to sell or to earn any sort of profit from and I certainly do not assert that they, big or small, will make one's writing any better or any worse. I make them because I derive a great deal of pleasure from the craft, whether the final piece is short , long or somewhere in between. As I'm sure you're aware, the creation of a long holder such as this presents its own unique challenges and, if successfully completed, provides its own unique rewards. In short, I enjoy making them very much, and, begging your indulgence, I think that I will continue to do so.

[hzsimms]

 

This is gorgeous! What a beautiful combination of colours and materials!

 

Stefanie

 

Thank you Stefanie, I appreciate your kind words. I wish I could take credit for the design, but it's actually my rendition of a much older pen that I have admired for a very long time.

 

Howard

[Mickey]

 

Thank you Mickey, your critique of my work is, as always, appreciated. I will certainly keep your admonishments in mind in my future endeavors. However, I am not now, nor do I ever expect to be, a master penman. I enjoy creating the pen as much, if not sometimes more than, the actual utilization thereof. I do not make them, usually, to sell or to earn any sort of profit from and I certainly do not assert that they, big or small, will make one's writing any better or any worse. I make them because I derive a great deal of pleasure from the craft, whether the final piece is short , long or somewhere in between. As I'm sure you're aware, the creation of a long holder such as this presents its own unique challenges and, if successfully completed, provides its own unique rewards. In short, I enjoy making them very much, and, begging your indulgence, I think that I will continue to do so.

No critique was offered or intended. I understand the satisfaction in completing a difficult piece of work and doing it well. My comment was intended only to inform the conversation and raise the question, what makes a functionally superior holder? I'm sure I don't know, and I'm not sure anyone else does either. Last time I talked to him, Bill Lilly was still experimenting and he's been at this business longer than anyone, both as a maker and a user.

[MusinkMan]

Just finished this one up this weekend. It's ebony with purple heart and bloodwood trim rings. This is the first time I've used ebony for the bulk of a pen. Very nice wood. It has more subtle grain than the photos indicate. It's just over 12 inches long and 1/8 wide for most of the tail. Hope you like it.

 

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p743/hzsimms/image_zpsad9bdcb0.jpg

 

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p743/hzsimms/image_zps2f81dc66.jpg

Howard, that thing looks awesome, man! An absolutely beautiful specimen, and excellent accent rings. Totally awesome job, bro!

[MusinkMan]

Here are a few custom orders I finished up over the weekend.

 

This one was a custom order for my calligraphy teacher. His specs...he likes purple and asked for a purpleheart handle. I thought it looked cool. He's gonna make this baby rock 'n roll, I can tell ya!

 

 

This is a matched set...a straight holder and an oblique holder. A bit of a different look, yes? LOL!

No, it's not white paint, they are made from American holly which is white. I thought they were cool.

 

 

 

This is a custom order...Gabon Ebony wood and mother-of-pearl. This sucker looked awesome! My wife even wanted it, and she doesn't even write with anything except a ballpoint pen! LOL

 

 

[hzsimms]

Here are a few custom orders I finished up over the weekend.

 

This one was a custom order for my calligraphy teacher. His specs...he likes purple and asked for a purpleheart handle. I thought it looked cool. He's gonna make this baby rock 'n roll, I can tell ya!

 

 

This is a matched set...a straight holder and an oblique holder. A bit of a different look, yes? LOL!

No, it's not white paint, they are made from American holly which is white. I thought they were cool.

 

 

 

This is a custom order...Gabon Ebony wood and mother-of-pearl. This sucker looked awesome! My wife even wanted it, and she doesn't even write with anything except a ballpoint pen! LOL

 

 

 

Thanks Brian, I appreciate it. These are incredible! I'm especially intrigued by the holly set. How does that stuff turn? I've never worked with it. Looks great though!

 

Howard

[Estefa]

Here are a few custom orders I finished up over the weekend.

 

This one was a custom order for my calligraphy teacher. His specs...he likes purple and asked for a purpleheart handle. I thought it looked cool. He's gonna make this baby rock 'n roll, I can tell ya!

 

This is a matched set...a straight holder and an oblique holder. A bit of a different look, yes? LOL!

No, it's not white paint, they are made from American holly which is white. I thought they were cool.

 

This is a custom order...Gabon Ebony wood and mother-of-pearl. This sucker looked awesome! My wife even wanted it, and she doesn't even write with anything except a ballpoint pen! LOL

 

 

These are amazing … your wife is right, this ebony-mother-of-pearl combination is so classy!

 

Stefanie