rjenkins
Member
I've made 40 or 50 pens, having great fun. I've been carrying around and putting to normal use both slimline and cigar pens. I've discovered the CA + shellac finish I had been using simply will not hold up to everyday use. Have recently started trying spray polyurethane and it is tough as nails; but looks too "plasticky" to me. Am going to give the Target water-based lacquer a shot next ala William Young. (Thanks for your R&D William).
The biggest problem I'm having is with the (lack of)quality of the refills. The Cross style in the slimlines is the worst, with the Parker style in the cigar pens being a little better. It's a bummer to spend a lot of time making a nice pen that doesn't perform as good as it looks. How nice would it be to make a pen that writes as well as a 39¢ BIC?
Any advice/experience would be greatly appreciated.
Rodney Jenkins
The biggest problem I'm having is with the (lack of)quality of the refills. The Cross style in the slimlines is the worst, with the Parker style in the cigar pens being a little better. It's a bummer to spend a lot of time making a nice pen that doesn't perform as good as it looks. How nice would it be to make a pen that writes as well as a 39¢ BIC?
Any advice/experience would be greatly appreciated.
Rodney Jenkins