Spring Blossom in Figured Mesquite

[pianomanpj]

I made this one a few weeks ago, but with the holidays and all, I totally forgot to post it! :biggrin: CA finish and Micromeshed through all the grits.

 

[hewunch]

Very nice. East meets west kinda thing

 

[patmurris]

Really nice pen.

Could you tell us a bit more about this new kit from Timberbits? - any issues? Does it feel cheap? or on the contrary, is it a good deal?

This kit is somewhat similar to the Empress, a new kit in the same price range offered by Axminster in the UK, but according to some feedback here, there seems to be quite some issues with it. Just want to check about the Spring Blossom that came out at about the same time, but on the other side of the planet. :wink:

 

[brownsfn2]

Very nice! Who manufactures this kit? Dayacom?

 

[Chatham PenWorks]

Good looking pen. How do the components feel to you, quality wise? Is the centerband assembly all plastic, like the similar Emperess?

Very nice! Who manufactures this kit? Dayacom?

I don't know who it is, but I highly doubt it's Dayacom, as it is a knockoff of their Emperor.

 

[Drstrangefart]

I kinda wanna see this kit dressed in a white blank with a red cross inlaid on it. Kinda go for a crusades-ish look. You have a great one there, and I'm really starting to like that kit.

 

[Andrew_K99]

Nice looking pen! The kit looks great too ... well until you see the black painted threads.

AK

 

[pianomanpj]

Really nice pen.

Could you tell us a bit more about this new kit from Timberbits? - any issues? Does it feel cheap? or on the contrary, is it a good deal?

This kit is somewhat similar to the Empress, a new kit in the same price range offered by Axminster in the UK, but according to some feedback here, there seems to be quite some issues with it. Just want to check about the Spring Blossom that came out at about the same time, but on the other side of the planet. :wink:

To be honest, I have mixed feelings about this kit. I like the overall look, but there are a few things of which I took note.

Before I go ANY further, please bear in mind that this is NOT a reflection of David at Timberbits, nor his representation of this kit! As far as I'm concerned, David is a standup guy, and has a fantastic business practice. With that said...

1. The center band coupler required a little cleanup as the threaded plastic insert is glued into it and some of the adhesive ran on the portion of the metal fitting that gets pressed into the tube. Please note that there was NO adhesive on any of the finished surfaces.

2. The center band coupler's trim ring and retaining ring (my terms) fit loose on the center band while not assembled, but fit secure when the pen is pressed together. I only made note of this since almost all the other pens I build requires effort to separate the trim and retaining rings from the center band.

3. The weight of the center band seems light in comparison to that of other pens whose center band's base metal is brass. I could be way off on this, but that was my impression.

4. The threaded portion of the center band insert is quite long, and if you over-tighten the pen into the cap you run the risk of the nib fitting (and associated bits) be pulled out of the tube.

I can't stress enough that these are just a few things that I noticed while assembling this pen, and that none of them I would consider "deal breakers". As I said, I like the overall look of the pen.

One thing the bear in mind is that this kit is made on mainland China. (Infer what you will.) David does NOT hide that, and in fact, states that reason as one of the ways as keeping the costs down.

I won't be selling any as of yet since I want to hear other opinions first and see how the one I built for myself holds up. Especially the plating. It certainly looks like a high-end pen, but I need to be sure it will perform as one so as to get the high-end pen price.

I DO want to commend David and give him an "attaboy" for bringing this pen to the market at this price point. I know it takes a LOT of hard work to pull off something such as this. And although I would personally change a few things, I would definitely say that he is on the right track.

I would strongly urge anyone who is interested in this pen to buy some and go for it! The kit is very inexpensive, and for the those who are inclined to modify their pens, this kit lends itself well (Observation #2).

And one final thing: this was all my OPINION, and is worth EXACTLY what you paid for it!!! :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

P.S. Mods - if you feel I turned this thread more into a review, than please feel free to move it appropriately.

 

[patmurris]

Roger, thanks for sharing your notes on this new kit. As far as i can tell, these are minor issues or even non issues. I'll certainly want to try it.

I'm wondering whether there is a way to convert the rollerball into a fountain pen?

 

[pianomanpj]

Roger, thanks for sharing your notes on this new kit. As far as i can tell, these are minor issues or even non issues. I'll certainly want to try it.

I'm wondering whether there is a way to convert the rollerball into a fountain pen?

I think it would be difficult to convert this pen into a fountain pen. The tube for the pen body is much smaller in diameter than the turned pen body. (I have never seen any other pen that leaves so much material on the tube!) Although I haven't measured the pen body tube, I would estimate that this tube has an I.D. of 8 - 9 millimeters. (This is from memory, folks. I'm at the office at the moment!) I'm not sure how well the tube would accommodate a pump converter, cartridge, bulb, etc., even if you DID replace the nib! (Of course, I've been known to be wrong! :redface If someone has this kit, calipers and the inclination, could you post the I.D. of the tube for the pen body? Thanks! :biggrin:

 

[patmurris]

I agree, the pen body has an unusually small tube diameter (11/32" drill bit), but so does the Axminster's Empress (11/32" too) which is available both as a rollerball and a fountain, so that must be just enough for the purpose. I bet that if the kit sells well David will offer other platings and the fountain option.

I've got three kits on the way... :biggrin:

 

[timberbits]

Hi Roger.

Great looking pen.

Thanks for that honest opinion on the Spring Blossom.

Regarding the Fountain pen, when we first originally designed the pen, one of the design requirements was to leave as much meat on the tubes as possible. This makes turning much easier and gives the caster much more room to play with. Unfortunately we couldn't do the same with the lid because reducing the diameter of the lid tube meant that nib section of the pen looked too slim and out of proportion.

Everything went well and I was really happy with the outcome (factory only sent me the rollerball to check the production). I have thousands of the spring blossom half of which is the fountain pen.

After making the rollerball everything was sweet. Making the fountain pen everything was sweet as well. When I make a fountain pen, I don't put the cartridge or the plunger unit in until I want to use the pen or just before I give it away.

Disaster, just before going to a party (fountain pen and rollerball as presents) I discovered that the ink plunger unit would not fit into the nib coupler.

The inside diameter of the nib coupler is too small for all the plunger units and most of the disposable cartridges but about 1mm.

I have held onto the fountain pen and sold the rollerball. I have looked into messing around with reducing the diameter of the coupler but it looks like a no-go. I will get this kit redesigned in the middle of the year with a slightly larger brass tube to over come this issue.

Let me know what you guys think. Sorry in advance about hijacking the thread if it goes that way.

Regards

David

Roger, thanks for sharing your notes on this new kit. As far as i can tell, these are minor issues or even non issues. I'll certainly want to try it.

I'm wondering whether there is a way to convert the rollerball into a fountain pen?

I think it would be difficult to convert this pen into a fountain pen. The tube for the pen body is much smaller in diameter than the turned pen body. (I have never seen any other pen that leaves so much material on the tube!) Although I haven't measured the pen body tube, I would estimate that this tube has an I.D. of 8 - 9 millimeters. (This is from memory, folks. I'm at the office at the moment!) I'm not sure how well the tube would accommodate a pump converter, cartridge, bulb, etc., even if you DID replace the nib! (Of course, I've been known to be wrong! :redface If someone has this kit, calipers and the inclination, could you post the I.D. of the tube for the pen body? Thanks! :biggrin:

 

[patmurris]

David, thanks for your input about the genesis of this kit - it's not every day we can hear about such an experience. Really sorry about the fountain pen misap...

BTW: why have such a small diameter for the pen body tube? 10mm would have been safer with quite some meat left around the tube...

...and another question... how is this kit related to Axminster's Empress? - they came out at about the same time and are very similar? Sorry for the bad manners asking such questions...