HRB Fountain Pen

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Do you like this pen?


  • Total voters
    28
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Jim Smith

Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2008
Messages
1,961
Location
Lakeland, FL
Like Mac, I want to wait to see the entire pen before I actually cast my vote. That being said, I think that while a bit of sap wood can provide a nice contrast in HRB, too much sap wood diminishes the beauty of the dark burl and makes for a somewhat bland looking pen. IMHO.

For the pen you have in the photo, I think a blank with a lot less sap wood would have made a much prettier pen especially with the gold accents of the kit. The gold looks beautiful with the dark HRB burl but doesn't provide enough contract with the light colored sapwood. Again, these are just one man's opinions.

Jim Smith
 

dow

Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2009
Messages
585
Location
Boerne, TX, USA
Well, I like what I see so far, but I'm partial to sapwood/heartwood pens. Of course, like Mack said, I'd have to see the whole pen before making a final decision. Where's the cap? In the mean time, I'm withholding my vote.
 

SDB777

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Messages
6,620
Location
Cabot, Arkansas USA
While fit and finish are perfect.....the Gold kit doesn't match the timber.

Then again, what we turners view as 'ehhh', the buyer goes apechit over. So it really doesn't matter sometimes....





Scott (buyers are the key to a good looking pen) B
 

sefali

Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
361
Location
Philly
Sorry, but the blank and kit just don't seem to match. Now that you've posted the cap, it doesn't appear to line up with the body. It would look much better if the heart/sap line continued through the cap. All that said, the fit and finish look great.
 

bitshird

Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2007
Messages
10,236
Location
Adamsville, TN, USA.
When did we start using polls for SOYP?

When we think we have a good pen, but aren't quite sure?? it almost is too, it's a shame the cap and body don't look like they came from the same blank!! or maybe the threads just aren't lined up to show that it is from the same blank. I think it would look way better on a Rhodium or Platinum kit but that's just my uneducated opinion, HRB looks great on a lot of kits, but this piece of wood, just doesn't knock my socks off like it should.
 

Crashmph

Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2008
Messages
1,515
Location
South Riding, VA
I am not partial to the gold platings all that much, but I have sold a ton of them.

What matters is if the pen is finished nicely then the customer will pick what they like. If they like gold, great!

If the wood was a perfect match to for the cap and post then it would look better to me, but then again when I have pointed out that a pen was from one continuous piece of wood, customers are confused. Maybe that is just my clientele. LOL
 

dow

Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2009
Messages
585
Location
Boerne, TX, USA
Well, I like what I see so far, but I'm partial to sapwood/heartwood pens. Of course, like Mack said, I'd have to see the whole pen before making a final decision. Where's the cap? In the mean time, I'm withholding my vote.

Now that I've seen the whole thing, here's what I think:

  • Pluses:
    • Fit and finish are very good.
    • I like the wood.
    • Gold is just fine for me. People are going to buy what they want anyway, and there's no accounting for what the customer will want.
  • Minuses (and it's a major minus):
    • As said before, the cap should be oriented so that, when capped, the grain runs from body through the cap. Is there any sapwood at all in the cap? if so, then rotate the cap so that the sapwood matches up between the two parts. You'll have a much better looking pen.
It really can't be stressed enough that the grain or pattern in your pen needs to match from one end to the other if you're making it from one piece of wood or one piece of anything with a pattern (bakelite, PR, Worthless Wood, etc.). Think of how it would look if the wood had grown through the center band. That's the effect you're looking for.

I hope this helps, and that you take in the spirit that it was meant.
 

Mark

Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2009
Messages
2,536
Location
Pottstown PA
Yes.. I love the grain you have showing. The more the better... I think the grain keeps it interesting. A solid color body is cool too in a FP, but the grain makes it even better IMHO.
 

ZanderPommo

Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2009
Messages
1,489
Location
Tenino, Washington
i wouldnt exactly say i dont like this, but i checked no, will explain because i think a rhodium kit would have looked better, but most of all the wood seems to be lacking in shine. did you do a CA finish? it looks more like a natural finish and i think such an incredibly beautiful piece of wood (HRB is prolly my favorite) deserved a shiny CA finish
if it were shiny and rhodium i myself would probably want to buy it off you lol
 
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