The rise of smaller penmakers

[dwwst12]

I've noticed in the last few years the explosion of smaller penmakers.

 

I've bought pens from Woodshed Pen Co. and Schon DSGN, and I'm very pleased with both. I enjoy supporting the smaller makers and their artistic endeavors.

 

That said... I've found two problems as I explore more:

 

1) It seems I will end up with the same nibs every time, because everyone just buys bulk Jowo nibs and sticks them in there! They write just fine, but I also enjoy experiencing what Pilot, Faber-Castell, PenBBS, etc do with their own nibs.

 

2) A lot of the designs are pretty similar -- and in fact it seems that many of the makers are buying or borrowing resins from a small handful of creators (like Carolina Pen Co?) to make theirs.

 

Just wanted to start a conversation in case anyone has recommendations for places to look for the most unique pens, or thoughts on the way things are trending!

 

Best,

Dan

 

 

 

 

[SpecTP]

Your comments infer that you're looking for something unique. Perhaps check out Japanese urushi pens. Those category of pens tend to have a lot of artistic uniqueness. As to nibs, there are very few pen makers with the capability to make their own nibs. Many of them use Jowo/Bock because those are the most commonly available commercial nibs. There is a pen maker here on FPN (e.g., Dovidu) who does make his own nib.

[Ste_S]

  On 8/23/2021 at 6:17 PM, dwwst12 said:

They write just fine, but I also enjoy experiencing what Pilot, Faber-Castell, PenBBS, etc do with their own nibs.

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Faber-Castell are Bock or Jowo aren't they?

[dwwst12]

I'm not sure about Faber-Castell, but they are certainly altered in some way. The Loom, as many people have said, has a very unique feel to it -- though I suppose that could be from the construction of the pen, or feed, or some other engineering explanation.

 

And I mean, my Diplomat Aero certainly has a Jowo-made nib -- but they perform some sweet magic on it there. Likewise Edison tunes them to make them more interesting. I was mostly talking about the unbranded stock nibs -- but yes, I understand your point about the scarcity of actual nibmakers.

[A Smug Dill]

  On 8/23/2021 at 6:17 PM, dwwst12 said:

It seems I will end up with the same nibs every time, because everyone just buys bulk Jowo nibs and sticks them in there!

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Santini Italia makes its gold nibs in-house, and will customise the grind for direct retail customers upon request. I'm not sure how many other staff they employ these days, but Laura Chandler stated in her August 2017 article, “All that work is done by a staff of only eight people working at full efficiency.” Is that small enough an enterprise in the pen-making business?

[ParramattaPaul]

I may be mistaken, but I believe a number of the smaller Indian penmakers make their own nibs.  That might be something for you to explore, dwwst12.

[dms525]

I am also happy to see the number of artisanal pen makers. Not all lack individuality by any means. I'm thinking of Iron Feather, Kanilea and Ryan Krusac, but there are many others.

 

I do not agree that these makers using Bock or JoWo nibs is a bad thing. The medium to large pen companies buy from them and have custom specifications. Some, like Leonardo, not only have customized nibs but make their own feeds, which make a big difference (for the better, in Leonardo's case). Even with the stock nibs, the pen maker's skill (or lack thereof) in tuning nibs is another source of significant variability. Some pen makers use stock nibs but have them custom ground to specialized styles by accomplished nib technicians. So the nibs all coming from the same factory may be dramatically different by time you get it on a pen.

 

I won't comment on the nibs manufactured by larger pen manufacturers except to say some are wonderful and some are not.

 

David

[sirgilbert357]

  On 8/23/2021 at 6:17 PM, dwwst12 said:

I've noticed in the last few years the explosion of smaller penmakers.

 

I've bought pens from Woodshed Pen Co. and Schon DSGN, and I'm very pleased with both. I enjoy supporting the smaller makers and their artistic endeavors.

 

That said... I've found two problems as I explore more:

 

1) It seems I will end up with the same nibs every time, because everyone just buys bulk Jowo nibs and sticks them in there! They write just fine, but I also enjoy experiencing what Pilot, Faber-Castell, PenBBS, etc do with their own nibs.

 

2) A lot of the designs are pretty similar -- and in fact it seems that many of the makers are buying or borrowing resins from a small handful of creators (like Carolina Pen Co?) to make theirs.

 

Just wanted to start a conversation in case anyone has recommendations for places to look for the most unique pens, or thoughts on the way things are trending!

 

Best,

Dan

 

 

 

 

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Well, you could just buy those pens whose manufacturers make their own nibs. The market saturation of Jowo and Bock is unavoidable. It's a tried and true, plug and play solution for any new startup pen maker.

 

But if you see a resin you just have to have, then buy it and enjoy it. If the nib is too boring, customize it! The same thing that makes Jowo and Bock boring is also what gives them potential. They are a blank canvas. You can have them customized to your heart's content and if it gets screwed up or you change your mind, replacements are cheap and plentiful.

 

I've bought two Jinhao 100 Centennials and bought stock unbranded broad Jowo nibs for them. I'm grinding them to stubs. My first one is just OK, but I learned a lot and I'll do better my second go round. If I screw up a nib to the point it can't be salvaged, replacements are only 20 bucks. Jinhao pens that can accept a Jowo nib are plentiful and cheap. One of my BEST writing pens is a Jinhao X750 that put a Jowo nib into.

 

Turn lemons into lemonade...

[VersoFolio]

  On 8/23/2021 at 6:17 PM, dwwst12 said:

Just wanted to start a conversation in case anyone has recommendations for places to look for the most unique pens, or thoughts on the way things are trending!

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Hi Dan. We are tending to behave as a 'mob'! A pack, a flock! These days.

Fish, swirling in glittering votices as Corporate, Orcas feed from below.

I was talking with an old 'Bric a brac' store owner recently who laments the disappearance of 'in the wild' buyers. It is harder with the 'Plague" about though!

I am awaiting a fountain pen from a brand new, local pen brand. (using red Bock nibs)

vf

  

 

 

[peroride]

  On 8/23/2021 at 6:17 PM, dwwst12 said:

Just wanted to start a conversation in case anyone has recommendations for places to look for the most unique pens, or thoughts on the way things are trending!

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This is a bit dated but may prime the pump for inspiration, from jk_pens

 

You may also want to check out other venues like Instagram and Reddit for posts on unique pens.

 

As others noted, I would not discount Bock or Jowo nibs as they are indeed blank canvases for grinds and housings for other nib manufacturers (search for Flexible Nib Factory) to produce near infinite line variation:

• custom pen + custom grind
• custom pen + custom FNF housing/feed + stock grind

I'm on Shawn Newton's waiting list for a unique custom pen not only to support independent makers but move closer toward matching personal preference without compromise.

[dms525]

To address the issue of monotonous design by small shop pen makers, here is a more or less random sampling from my collection of pens by such makers:

 

 

I can't find the monotony.

 

David

[JakobS]

Whenever the issue of nibs being made in house vs by Jowo or Bock comes up, the one thing that I think is forgotten, is how expensive nib making equipment is. A laser welder, slit cutter, and nib stamping/forming machines can cost 10's of thousands of dollars, especially if you need to do it in quantity beyond a handful. So, for many of these makers, who first often have to think of getting a expensive CNC machine or two to increase their output for the demand they have for any of their pens, adding another $30,000 for nib making equipment, is quite the investment, especially if they are just a few years in, which for many of them, at least in the U.S., are. I can think of three or four that have a decade plus of pen-making behind them....at least for the non-kit pen-makers out there....

 

It really is amazing what can be made out of a Jowo nib, I can't think of one cut or modification that hasn't been done to it. Now do they have limitations, sure, for some there is never enough flex. I think that's the major quality a lot of people are seeking when they are want more "in-house" nibs.  Dip pen nibs, both vintage or new are a plenty, affordable, and the best way to meet that fix. And, a few of these pen-makers are making pens to meet the need to be able to put them in fountain pen like bodies to boot.....

[sirgilbert357]

  On 8/24/2021 at 5:02 PM, dms525 said:

To address the issue of monotonous design by small shop pen makers, here is a more or less random sampling from my collection of pens by such makers:

 

 

I can't find the monotony.

 

David

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What's the one on the very far right end?

 

Actually, from the fourth one from the left on over, I like them ALL. Can you please tell us the maker and model?

 

And I think the "monotony" mentioned had to do with the nibs, not the pens themselves.

[Aether]

Why is anything made on CNC considered handmade?  It be an automation process running a program.  

[sansenri]

I don't think we actually mentioned handmade.

It is artisanal however, most of these pens are custom made to order and often are unique.

(Some are hand made, especially from some of the Indian makers)

[hairlame]

Purchasing from smaller pen makers has given me options that I wouldn't have had otherwise from the more established manufacturers.  I was interested in different filling systems, and these options are available from some of the custom makers like Edison Pen Co. At first, I did think that having different nib holders for the same Jowo or Bock nib was a bit repetitive. But then I got into nib customizations, and appreciated that you can get custom nibs from some small makers (Franklin Christoph, for example). Plus the low cost of stock Jowo and Bock nibs means that customized nibs are relatively affordable to get from artisans like the Nib Grinder and Custom Nib Studio.

[dwwst12]

I've enjoyed reading the responses.

 

As usual on the Internet, perhaps my thoughts were misconstrued a bit, or more likely incomplete on my part!

 

I completely get that stock nibs can be customized -- what I didn't say is that despite buying my first fountain pen 30 years ago, I've never actually waded into customization! I'm not really into italic, stub, etc., but wouldn't mind having a few smoothed, tuned, and cut down from mediums to somewhere between M and F. It's always seemed a bit daunting (who to use? How to describe what I want? Is it worth the $?) Though as someone pointed out, the stock replacements are indeed cheap if I have to reverse course.

 

I think what I was trying to say first and foremost is that I really appreciate in-house tuning as opposed to the literal "plug-and-play," as somebody put it.

 

And I'll refine my statement about any monotony of design. There is certainly *some* repetition from people using the same or very similar molds and patterns -- but when I think about it, certainly no more so than in the rest of the industry!
 

 

[sansenri]

Some of the nib grinding offered by these custom makers on Jowo/bock nobs, is medium stub or italic.

This is a surprising alternative, that needs to be tried. I'm not into stubs too much myself, most of the time they are a bit too wide, as I mostly write in cursive, but with medium or even fine stubs 0.9 to 0.6 mm that is no longer an issue.

 

Then, as you say, in house tuning makes a difference. Just one example, an ordinary M Jowo nib from Edison Pens, writes quite differently than a stock M Jowo.

[dms525]

  On 8/24/2021 at 9:05 PM, sirgilbert357 said:

 

What's the one on the very far right end?

 

Actually, from the fourth one from the left on over, I like them ALL. Can you please tell us the maker and model?

 

And I think the "monotony" mentioned had to do with the nibs, not the pens themselves.

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The pen on the far right is a Shawn Newton Eastman, but it is HIGHLY customized with a cap band done by Shawn using a lost wax technique. The material is Conway-Stewart Pistachio. The photo doesn't do it justice.

 

The fourth from the left is a Jonathan Brooks Charleston (?) in his own Primary Manipulation 1 material. It has a custom-cast cap medallion that you cannot see in this photo. Jonathan made a cap that is different from his standard Charleston to accommodate my medallion.

 

One of the great things about working with small shops like Shawn, Jonathan, Ryan Krusac and others is that they not only will work with you to make your pen truly unique, they generally love the personal interaction and the creative process.

 

David

[sirgilbert357]

  On 8/25/2021 at 2:22 AM, dms525 said:

 

The pen on the far right is a Shawn Newton Eastman, but it is HIGHLY customized with a cap band done by Shawn using a lost wax technique. The material is Conway-Stewart Pistachio. The photo doesn't do it justice.

 

The fourth from the left is a Jonathan Brooks Charleston (?) in his own Primary Manipulation 1 material. It has a custom-cast cap medallion that you cannot see in this photo. Jonathan made a cap that is different from his standard Charleston to accommodate my medallion.

 

One of the great things about working with small shops like Shawn, Jonathan, Ryan Krusac and others is that they not only will work with you to make your pen truly unique, they generally love the personal interaction and the creative process.

 

David

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I worded my question badly...sorry. What I meant to ask was: from the 4th pen to the end, who makes them all? So the first one is a Jonathan Brooks Charleston and the last one is a Shawn Newton; what are the additional ones between them. It looks like that wooden one is a Ryan Krusac?