Will The Purists Come After Me With Torches And Pitchforks.....

[northlodge]

I've just read the thread top to bottom, and whilst I agree with the "it is your pen" mentality, and I like the copper estie, I kept thinking of an earier thread which slated the creation of reproduction jewels. I am pleased that others recall this earlier thread.

 

personally I would welcome a source for replacement jewels, and would not hesitate to use them.

[jdllizard]

Franken Jewels!! I stopped by several hobby/craft stores and was able to find some jewel type things I thought would work well. I found two different sizes in black for the large and the small jewel, as well as some fancy colored ones for when I'm feeling flamboyant. I put an emerald green one on the black cap that will be going on the black J body I bought for parts and I really like the contrast.

 

Here are my first attempts and I'm pretty happy with the results. (My small collection of Dollar pens for a background.)

 

 

The pics don't do them justice, they are crappy cell phone pics.

[jaqcp]

I put a 14k Platignum nib on a Pelikan 120 and I love it! I got a few harsh down-turned brows about, "ruining the value,"' but it's value to me has risen dramatically.

[Fox Point]

LOVE the copper jewels. Rather apropos, really, ha! And it could be taken as a nod to earlier metal jewels, too. I do prefer the metal options to the gem options, though, both for the visual balance of the pen (higher jewels) and because I prefer metal to transparent gems.

 

Fox Point

[FarmBoy]

The jewels I made were marked...but they were also non-standard.

 

Nope, not going to get pummeled buy the purists for dolling up a J.

 

Believe the reproduction jewels were vacuum cast not injection molded. Not sure he was run off, I recall the economics didn't work out to well.

 

Finding jewels isn't really that hard, just need to be willing to sacrifice a most likely good pen to get them. (In other words, you don't really want to see the pile of barrels...)

[pajaro]

Franken Jewels!! I stopped by several hobby/craft stores and was able to find some jewel type things I thought would work well. I found two different sizes in black for the large and the small jewel, as well as some fancy colored ones for when I'm feeling flamboyant. I put an emerald green one on the black cap that will be going on the black J body I bought for parts and I really like the contrast.

 

Here are my first attempts and I'm pretty happy with the results. (My small collection of Dollar pens for a background.)

 

Jewls1.jpgJewels2.jpg

 

The pics don't do them justice, they are crappy cell phone pics.

 

I like these. They are pretty ways to make plain pens sparkle. Nice work.

[pajaro]

I've just read the thread top to bottom, and whilst I agree with the "it is your pen" mentality, and I like the copper estie, I kept thinking of an earier thread which slated the creation of reproduction jewels. I am pleased that others recall this earlier thread.

 

personally I would welcome a source for replacement jewels, and would not hesitate to use them.

 

Ditto. I would like to replace the black jewels with body color jewels. Not necessarily swirlies, just plain green for a green J, etc.

[pajaro]

Turn the microscope around and you see a constellation of possibilities. This my opinon, not suggstng others should go along with me but:

 

If you went ot the cost and trouble to rehab black Esterbrook to NOS condition, and you did such a meticulous, inspired job of it that no one couid tell even under intense scrutiny what you would you then have? A black Esterbrook worth $20 to $40 and the knowledge that you did a good job. It would look like the other 92.000 black eEsties in the world.

 

If on the other hand you take dust bin parts, and using your same skills rehab and marry them with something unique which is obviously very much customized, what would you then have? A unique, one of a kind snowflake which would please you and some other people and upset some people AND the pleasure of knowing that you have the skills to do a very nice job. There will always be folks who don't appreciate customizations, to them I say fine, be content with the 91,999 black esties which are availablee. for the rest of us, I am anxious to see what you come up with.

 

And funny enough, when I saw this post I immediately thought of those copper buttons which I had seen previously on a copper Estie, customization makes it memorable. For what it is worth I had a custom binde put ona Pelikan 800 which I really like, it received mixed reviews in the Pel forum. Buit absent that, it would have been just another blue Pelikan, nice but definitely not memorable.

 

I have done a few things like this. I like the beat of the different drum.

 

Anybody can have a colection of the same old same old.

[jdllizard]

LOVE the copper jewels. Rather apropos, really, ha! And it could be taken as a nod to earlier metal jewels, too. I do prefer the metal options to the gem options, though, both for the visual balance of the pen (higher jewels) and because I prefer metal to transparent gems.

Fox Point

I'd rather have nicer metal jewels made from copper, stainless steel, brass etc.etc. as well, but unfortunately I don't have the tooling for that kind of work. I had to use what was available to me.

[FarmBoy]

 

Ditto. I would like to replace the black jewels with body color jewels. Not necessarily swirlies, just plain green for a green J, etc.

After 25 years of looking...I have two colors of jewels.

[estie1948]

After 25 years of looking...I have two colors of jewels.

 

Beautiful jewel - perfect match for the pen - making the pen a hundred times as attractive as it would be with a black jewel! I have never held an Esterbrook with anything but a black jewel. Well done, FarmBoy!

 

-David.

[Lou Erickson]

Hmm. TechShop has an injection molder...

[islandink]

I say: Pimp That Pen.

 

Find something fabulous and it won't be an imitation but an artistic statement.

The Shelby of Esties as it were

[OcalaFlGuy]

 

The Shelby of Esties as it were

 

Ok, I can see Shelby...

 

I think I'll go for the Art Arfons of Esties.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl-well, since I already own The Green Monster [EDIT] TBT; (Turn Back Thursday) Somewhat humorous.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/85169-1st-restoration-the-saga-continues/?hl=monster

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/86119-the-infamous-green-monster/?hl=monster

Edited October 23, 2014 by OcalaFlGuy

[FarmBoy]

Beautiful jewel - perfect match for the pen - making the pen a hundred times as attractive as it would be with a black jewel! I have never held an Esterbrook with anything but a black jewel. Well done, FarmBoy!

 

-David.

The other color I have is Black but I have a line on a red one in an SJ.

[amberleadavis]

Thank you.

 

Pen by me.

 

Oxygen free, high conductivity Copper jewels by the Farmboy-meister.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

That's stunning.

[amberleadavis]

After 25 years of looking...I have two colors of jewels.

Those are beautiful.

[OcalaFlGuy]

The other color I have is Black but I have a line on a red one in an SJ.

 

The minty Green Tranny that came with my Visuthingy has a clear Ruby jewel in it from the Factory.

 

I've read this is just an over time color shift, that they originally weren't Ruby colored, I can't honestly argue the point one way or the other.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[pajaro]

I sometimes fantasize about having a jeweler set something valuable into one of my pens. Like a red diamond . . .nice to dream.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Australian Fire Opal.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl