Show Us Your Oblique Penholders!

[smk]

Nice one. I have been meaning to experiment with the wire inlay myself. It looks beautiful. Did you wet the wood around the inlay to fill up any voids?

 

Salman

[hzsimms]

Hi Salman, good to hear from you! Thanks! Actually, I dyed it with a water based dye after I carved the inlay pattern. I put the wire in with CA glue and a burnishing tool but, as it was first attempt at such a thing, it took a few tries to get it right. Kept sanding the sterling off in spots because I hadn't carved the channel for the wire deep enough. Here's part of another one I'm working on (I say working on...it's finished I'm just too lazy to install the flange):

 

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p743/hzsimms/iPhone-2015.07.07-18.40.28.764_zpsgh92m9ag.jpg

 

This one is sterling and brass. The rose inlay is a sort of witches brew of stuff...colored sand, epoxy, pigment powder, etc. Just about anything that I thought would show up. Here's the whole pen:

 

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p743/hzsimms/iPhone-2015.07.07-18.40.51.283_zpsnqkohuag.jpg

 

I sort of got carried away with the whole carving and inlay thing and made this one (again, laziness = no flange yet) just to see how ultra fine glitter did as an inlay medium:

 

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p743/hzsimms/iPhone-2015.07.07-18.41.03.778_zpsekg6zypu.jpg

 

It seems to work nicely but it gets all over everything. I think my wife thought I'd been hanging out in a "gentleman's" club I had so much glitter on me. My whole "honestly honey, I was using it as an inly in a pen I'm building" story did nothing but elicit a Mr. Spock style raised eyebrow.

 

Take care,

Howard

[smk]

Lovely work Howard - your experiments are coming off great.

 

Good idea about using the glitter for inlay material - it still doesn't explain how (or where) you got it though ;-)

 

Salman

[Cryptos]

I've been trying to obtain an oblique from UniqueObliques for months now. Despite checking the site regularly I have yet to see anything for sale. The site (on Etsy) says they sell out almost immediately they get listed, so I have to conclude that there is a loyal few who have the inside track on when and what is going to be listed and are buying everything.

 

It has been so frustrating that I have now given up.

 

What a damnably frustrating waste of time and effort. I'll have to look for another maker, which is a shame as Brian of UniqueObliques has one of the best reputations around.

 

 

ps. If anyone would like to introduce to me whichever 'in' group gets first shot at these holders please let me know. I won't be holding my breath.

 

pps. I would appreciate some links to other makers if there are any. Beggars cannot be choosers, so I'll take what I can get rather than what I would like.

Edited July 11, 2015 by Empty_of_Clouds

[flummoxed]

Ok, I spent a good two hours on this thread now and I must say that you guys know how to make a poor man who lives far away feel very miserable. I have to keep myself calm and composed as I know that it will be a few years atleast before I can even handle some of these lovely creations showcased here.

[MusinkMan]

posted in error. ooops

Edited July 11, 2015 by MusinkMan

[MusinkMan]

I've been trying to obtain an oblique from UniqueObliques for months now. Despite checking the site regularly I have yet to see anything for sale. The site (on Etsy) says they sell out almost immediately they get listed, so I have to conclude that there is a loyal few who have the inside track on when and what is going to be listed and are buying everything.

 

It has been so frustrating that I have now given up.

 

What a damnably frustrating waste of time and effort. I'll have to look for another maker, which is a shame as Brian of UniqueObliques has one of the best reputations around.

 

 

ps. If anyone would like to introduce to me whichever 'in' group gets first shot at these holders please let me know. I won't be holding my breath.

 

pps. I would appreciate some links to other makers if there are any. Beggars cannot be choosers, so I'll take what I can get rather than what I would like.

 

Hi there! Man, I'm sorry that you have had such a horrid experience trying to get one of my pen holders! I'm flying out to the Iampeth Convention tomorrow (I will be a vendor there), so I'll be out of pocket for a few days. But after that, I'll be back and building pen holders.

 

I usually list my pen holders in my Etsy shop twice per week...on Wednesday evenings and again on Saturday evenings (between 7:00 and 10:00 pm usually...Central Standard Time). I try to list 7 or 8 pen holders at a time. (next week I won't be listing any due to being out of town, but that is an anomaly for me).

 

If you have Instagram (a social network), I always show photos of the pens I will list that evening. I show them about an hour or two before I activate the listings. That is how so many people see what I'm about to list, and they are "at the ready" when I activate the listings in my Etsy shop. So they normally sell out very quickly after I list them.

 

I hope this helps you out. Please feel free to message me in the Etsy program with any questions! I can give you some tips that may help you snag one. :-)

 

Again, I apologize that you have become so frustrated.

 

--Brian--

[Cryptos]

Thank you, Brian,

 

It does make me wonder though. Taking a conservative view that you are listing 10 holders per week, that's several hundred per year. I find it hard to believe that there are that many new customers out there, hence my conclusion that they are being snapped up by the same few people each time. Of course I may well be wrong. There may be a huge group of dip pen users in our communities that I never knew existed.

 

I have also looked into Etsy and it seems that the listings can be delayed in various countries. That usually occurs when the country is not English speaking. This should not pertain to where I am now, but I am beginning to wonder if I am running afoul of some sort of internet lag.

 

I don't have Instagram as I don't have a 'smart' phone. It seems that you cannot join the service except through a phone app. So, some tips would certainly be appreciated.

[MusinkMan]

Thank you, Brian,

 

It does make me wonder though. Taking a conservative view that you are listing 10 holders per week, that's several hundred per year. I find it hard to believe that there are that many new customers out there, hence my conclusion that they are being snapped up by the same few people each time. Of course I may well be wrong. There may be a huge group of dip pen users in our communities that I never knew existed.

 

I have also looked into Etsy and it seems that the listings can be delayed in various countries. That usually occurs when the country is not English speaking. This should not pertain to where I am now, but I am beginning to wonder if I am running afoul of some sort of internet lag.

 

I don't have Instagram as I don't have a 'smart' phone. It seems that you cannot join the service except through a phone app. So, some tips would certainly be appreciated.

 

Makes you wonder what? That I have repeat customers? Yes, I do; I have plenty of repeat customers. I don't deny that nor do I apologize for it. Probably the majority of my customers are repeat buyers; but I also have many first-time customers every week.

 

I list my holders on a first come/first serve basis. I know the demand is high for my pen holders, and many of my customers are quite diligent to purchase them as quickly as possible after I list them. I don't know what else to tell you. They are quick, they are diligent, and they "beat you to the punch".

 

When you say things like, "It does make me wonder though", and "I find it hard to believe...", you seem to imply that I have some kind of underhanded scheme going, which is definitely not the case. Such insinuation is borderline offensive to me, as you can surely understand. I just do what I do, and sell my pens on a first come/first serve basis. My work is of very high quality, and I am blessed and humbled that my pen holders are in such high demand. If you purchase a smart phone or iPad and get Instagram, you will get the same heads-up as everyone else.

[Cryptos]

Oops, my apologies Brian, for the unclear writing.

 

Believe me, I am not implying anything underhand at all. I simply thought (i.e wondered) that use of dip pens was a niche hobby with a relatively small following. Looks like I have misread the market then.

 

It's great that you have many repeat customers (it is what I would expect for artisan work), and I have no doubt that your work is of the highest quality - which is why I am was after one of your holders. At the moment I have an Hourglass adjustable, and an incoming oblique from Bill Lilly, but I would have liked to find something that was unique for me. A signature piece if you like. As I cannot justify the cost of a mobile device I guess I will have to accept that I cannot compete for any of your beautiful holders.

 

Again, my apologies if this was not apparent from my earlier post.

 

I wrote to you about the possibility of replicating one of your previously made holders. I would have paid up front and been willing to wait for as long as it took. I understand that you are taking no custom orders right now, but I felt this was the only way I was going to be able to realistically acquire one.

 

Look, never mind. Ignore me. I daresay I do not deserve anything so fine in any case.

 

Have fun with the Iampeth convention. Hopefully there will be some entertaining pictures!

 

EDIT: it seems like my only skill is in burning bridges.

Edited July 12, 2015 by Empty_of_Clouds

[dhnz]

Check out Christopher Yoke at http://www.yokepencompany.com. there's a note on his site saying he's taken down his inventory while he's at Iampeth, but he usually has some listed for sale and he can replicate any of the old pens (he has a large vintage collection to use for measurements etc).

 

People do seem to have got into oblique penholders in a big way over the last few years, as witnessed by the high prices being commanded for old holders on Ebay. I've toyed with the idea of buying one in the past but I find nowadays that I'm not such a big fan of the fancy long tail holders and tend to stick with the hourglass oblique most of the time. The hourglass oblique may not be unique to you, but in it I think that you've already got one of the best penholders out there.

[Cryptos]

Good point.

 

I have just received an oblique that has left me somewhat underwhelmed. Expecting an all wood turned version, was very surprised to receive a half acrylic/ half wood item. It's functional without any real degree of aesthetic. Perhaps I was expecting too much - my expectation was based on pictures posted by others. This holder is ugly.

 

I have the hourglass oblique. It's the only decent one I have (out of 3 owned), and I do like it a lot. It would have been nice to get even a single example of something artisan made. That possibility is looking increasingly unlikely. Unless someone here has a spare UniqueOblique they may be willing to part with?

[dhnz]

The hourglass obliques are artisan made, which is why they're usually out of stock. I seem to recall the guy who makes them also makes violin bows (or maybe violins). And I'm sure that, once Christopher Yoke is back from Iampeth, he'll put some holders up on his site and you'll be able to just select one. Apart from now, there have always been some available whenever I've looked.

[Cryptos]

And I'm sure that, once Christopher Yoke is back from Iampeth, he'll put some holders up on his site and you'll be able to just select one. Apart from now, there have always been some available whenever I've looked.

 

I know. I really had my heart so set on a UniqueOblique that anything else is going to seem like second best, even though I am reasonably sure that Yoke Pens are very high quality too.

[hzsimms]

Since nary a soul in my house has any appreciation for this whatsoever (my son: "Nice pen dad, did you make it?"), I figured I'd post it here. I just acquired an original Magnusson penholder! It's been through the ringer a bit (I suppose anything this old, including me, probably has) but is in pretty decent shape generally.

 

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p743/hzsimms/41450e8f-e8a2-4fb0-83b5-2192487dfc3d_zpssw3wdl5t.jpg

 

As you can see, the ivory finial on the tail has chipped. Apparently, its last use involved silver ink. There's a great deal of it on the foot of the pen and on the end where the imprint is.

 

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p743/hzsimms/a0f6f02b-b2a0-4f48-9516-da6ec91752c5_zpspljrswi2.jpg

 

The most striking thing about the pen, to me anyway, are the dimensions. It's a little over 12 inches long and the tail is very thin. That part I pretty much knew. The other dimensions, though, are WAY smaller than I had imagined. In effect, I've been making my "Magnusson style" holders much bigger than the holders really were. I suppose whether or not that's a good thing is arguable as no one pen holder is the perfect size for everyone. Then again, this thing is downright delicate! As this is the only one I've ever seen in "real life", I have no idea whether or not he made different diameters. Maybe someone with more history on them can fill in that blank. Now that I have one and can measure it, I'm going to make a couple to the original specs just to see how they feel when you use them over an extended period of time. Yes, I've written with it, but I'm certainly not going to make a habit of it. I have teenagers in the house and the thought of me accidentally leaving it out while practicing and some kid coming along and using it to shoot rubber bands at his buddies makes me tremble. It's hard to get a good picture of the finish (I'm using an iPhone 6 which is supposed to have a whiz bang camera in it but my photos tend to prove otherwise) but it's a deep, rich brown. Somebody feel free to help me out with what kind of wood he used.

 

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p743/hzsimms/44617cb4-604e-433f-9a13-430387f50238_zpsst9z7o3i.jpg

 

I think I can get the silver ink off the end of it without much trouble, but I think that's all I'm going to do to it. The ivory finial can just be chipped...wouldn't have a clue how to fix that anyway. Or, I could just leave it alone entirely.

 

Enjoy,

Howard

[Cryptos]

Now you're just tormenting us!

 

 

That's a very handsome holder. I've heard they are quite rare. I'd be more than happy with something considerably less exalted myself. That is, commensurate with the paucity of my skills.

 

Congratulations

[hzsimms]

Thanks! When I get around to making the reproductions, I'll post them here. Can't wait to give it a try!

 

Howard

[dhnz]

I just acquired an original Magnusson penholder!

 

Nice penholder, Howard. Aesthetically, though, I prefer them when the body is relatively wider in proportion to the diameter of the tail. As you say, this one is very thin overall.

[dhnz]

 

I know. I really had my heart so set on a UniqueOblique that anything else is going to seem like second best, even though I am reasonably sure that Yoke Pens are very high quality too.

 

 

There is nothing second-best about Mr Yoke's pens. If I were in the market for a new pen, I'd be buying from him.

 

[Cryptos]

It's just the perception one gets when your sights are set upon a very specific goal and for very specific reasons. Readjusting perceptions can take time.