Full Review Nouveau Sceptre pen kits Review

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its_virgil

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This is my first review of a new pen kit so go easy on me. I've been wondering just how much info to give about these new pens. So, I'll give what I would like to know and see how it goes.

Penn State Industries, http://www.pennstateind.com, has introduced three new pens and they are scheduled for availability on Oct. 21, 2008. Actually three pens may be a misnomer of sorts. There are three pens, a rollerball, a fountain pen, and a ballpoint. But, the designs are the same. The fountain pen and rollerball are identical except for the front section. These two are designed around the Mystic Jr.. The ballpoint is designed around the cigar pen. The pens were designed by David Broadwell, who is an accomplished pen maker, knife maker and artist. Broadwell's expertise and attention to detail is made available to use through his design of these pens for PennState Industries. David's work can be seen at http://www.david.broadwell.com The design for these pens may loosely resemble the pens done by Broadwell which he calls the "Sceptres". But, I can see elements of all of Broadwell's designs in the design of these three pens.

The one theme that jumped out at me about this design is "curves". Curves dominate the design of the pens. From the curvature of the cap starting at the center band and sweeping upward to the larger clip finial to the subtle curves of the clip itself curves are the norm. Curves also dominate the sculptured center band, the front sections and the end caps of the barrels. The nib of the ballpoint also has its share of curves.

The influence of Art Nouveau in Broadwell's work can also be seen in this new kit's design. I personally like the flowing curves of the pen cap and body and also the art nouveau influences of the sculptured metal parts. The pens are certainly different from the straight barrel kits we have available. The curves of this design naturally flow from the design so we will not need to do beads and curves and bulging barrels to get the curves wanted by some in their penmaking.

I made the ballpoint from stabilized curly koa. The rollerball had a black acrylic cap and Hondouras rosewood burl barrel and the fountain pen was made from maidou burl.

Specifications measured by me:
Weight in grams: RB 62.3 grams with converter; FP 55.0 grams; BP 62.7 grams

Finished lengths (cap on): RB 5.633 inches; 5.633 inches; BP 5.517 inches

Finished lengths (cap posted): FP and RB 6.399 inches.( My calipers only measure to 6 inches so I had to take two measurements and add them. This may not be 100% correct.)

Drill bit sizes: RB and FP .492 inches and 10.5mm; BP .492 inches and 10 mm. These sizes were a nice snug fit on all three pens. I was pleased with the bit choices. I'm not always happy with the recommended sizes we are given.

FP nib: The standard IPG nib which we know is neither I nor G. I wish Penn State had upgraded the nib, but not to worry, I have one of Lou's to swap it with. Standard converter included. I'll upgrade that also.

RB ink fill: Schmidt 5888 (the metal one…nice)

BP ink fill: The ink fill was a Parker style with no markings. It wrote at first then stopped. It started again and then continued to write. And, it actually wrote pretty good for a stock ink fill.

Platings: All three pens are available in Rhodium/22K gold or black titanium/ 22K gold

Prices for one kit: fountain pen-$31.95(Rhodium) and $36.95 (black T/N); Rollerball-$29.95 for either plating combination; Ballpoint-$24.95 (Rhodium) and $22.95 (black T/N). These prices came from the latest Penn State catalog.



The pens were easy to make with no unforeseen surprises. The ballpoint was essentially the same as making a cigar with the exception that the tubes were not the same size. The rollerball and fountain pen were essentially the same as making the Majestic Jr, the Jr. Gent or the Baron. No problems at all with the assembly and any of them. The press fit of the nib coupler on the ballpoint was a bit on the loose side but the other pressed in parts were nice and snug.

The bushing sets contained 3 bushings. The rollerball and fountain pen used one set and the ballpoint used the other set. They seemed to run true and I noticed no out of roundness in the two sets I had. I did not measure run out. I did find one strange thing about the bushings. On both sets the bushing for the finial/clip end measured .648 inches but the finial itself measured .677 inches. I'm not sure if this was on purpose or a mistake. I'm pretty sure that the bushings were some of the first made so maybe the mistake is corrected or the instructions will explain what I missed. I turned the end of the cap to the dimensions of the hardware and hope it is correct.

. I did not ink the fountain pen and write with it. These three pens will soon be owned by David Broadwell. I will let him be the first to ink and write with it. I think it will perform as well as other kit fountain pens with IPG nibs. These pens are heavy for their size but I did not tire writing with them. I attribute their weight to the amount of metal in the pens. There has been lots of (forum)discussion lately about plastic parts. These pens should quench that complaint: no plasltic. The threads were smooth and the caps seemed to seat well, stay in place, and did not loosen as I carried and used them today. The threads are triple lead and the best metal threads I've found on a kit pen. Cudos on the threads!

I do like these pens and I will be making more of them…especially the fountain pen and rollerball. They are a refreshing change….not just another pen that looks like several others. Thanks to Penn State for allowing David Broadwell to use his talents and design this pen for us. We have been wanting more higher end pens and these pens certainly satisfy that criteria.

Do a good turn daily!
Don

Pictures from left to right: ball point parts, rollerball/fountain pen parts, pens open, pens closed
Pen materials from left to right: RB cap is black acrylic and the barrell is Hon. rosewood burl; the ballpoint is stabilized curly koa, the fountain pen is maidou burl
 

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OKLAHOMAN

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Don, Very good review but unlike Wayne I will be ordering, been wanting an other pen in my arsenal and this looks like it might fit the bill.....
 

jclark58

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Mesa, AZ, USA.
Thanks for the review Don, Sad to say PSI won't be getting any of my money for these. I'm trying not to be negative and I suppose I'm nitpicking, but there are a number of things about this new kit that bug me. Add up all of the minor nits it ends up being a kit that really only has 1 thing that I do like.

I don't like:
The shape of the nib, it's mildly phalic.
The width of the center band, it's far too wide for my taste.
The diameter of the pen at the cap finial, I'd prefer it to be the same diameter as the center band, not larger.
The shape of the cap finial, the straight sides seem to clash with the flowing lines everywhere else on the pen.
The shape of the posting finial, can't quite put my finger on it, but I don't like it.

The 1 thing I do like:
I love the new clip. (I had to find something positive)

My 2 cents
Jason
 

marcruby

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Don;

Thanks for a very penetrating review. I like Broadwell's work, but these pens seem more 'heavy-set' than his own are. To me they look cap heavy. There's something there, though, and I'll probably get a few to see what can be done with them.

Marc
 

Daniel

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Don, Thanks for the write up. Although these are not to my personal taste, I learned long ago that sticking with my personal taste can loose me lots of sales. I am just not a flowery engraved lots of swirls kind of person. I do see the potential to do a little "Body Work" with this kit and look forward to giving it a try. what I am thinking of may leave the lower barrel a little thin, but will flow with all the other curves well...I hope.
It is nice to see P.S.I. get into the higher end kits in a bigger way. I encourage them to stay on that path and hope this attempt is a winner for them.
 

maxwell_smart007

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I really like the bottom portion, but the cap is way to ostentatious for my taste...And I'm not sure about the wearablility, considering it has 22k gold on it...

However, all taste is subjective, so I imagine there will be others who love it!

Andrew
 

Russianwolf

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I really like the bottom portion, but the cap is way to ostentatious for my taste...And I'm not sure about the wearablility, considering it has 22k gold on it...

However, all taste is subjective, so I imagine there will be others who love it!

Andrew

Hey Andrew, Half of the high end kits from CSUSA also have 22k gold. I've heard no complaints regarding them. I think it's due to the fact that the 22k is used as accent areas only, so not the major sections of the pen.

As far as the sceptre go. I'll try the fountain, and maybe the rollerball, but the ballpoint nib just looks too wierd and the price is too high for a ballpoint.
 

jskeen

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Not sure on these yet, but will probably give them a try. My main question is who is running the group buy and when does it start!

James
 
M

Mudder

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Excellent write up Don,

I think I'll try a few when they become available.
 

workinforwood

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Boy, I don't know what to think either. Love the clip, it is totally smashing, the rest doesn't do much for me. Don did a great job, it's not that. The other guy, Don's neighbor..that was a killer pen! The cap looked so much shorter than it does on this. These look to have the same overly long cap as all the rest. The final is ugly. The wide gold centerband a bit ostentagious. To each their own, we all have our own tastes, so thank god for variety!
 

ashaw

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Don
Excellent job on the review. I know I will be offering a few of these. They are not for everyone but they do have an appeal to people in the art circle. Mainly because of the style (curves). Again excellent job on the review.
 

its_virgil

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Thanks to all who read the review. It was fun writing it. It was even more fun getting the kits prior to the official release. Making them prior to official release was also fun. Thanks for the replies.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Don
Excellent job on the review. I know I will be offering a few of these. They are not for everyone but they do have an appeal to people in the art circle. Mainly because of the style (curves). Again excellent job on the review.
 

its_virgil

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Thanks Doc. I had fun making the pens and writing the review. Now I off to David Broadwell's shop to take them to him. He gets these first three....he did supply the kits.

I must make one correction. I said "no plastic" parts, but there is one. The black insert on the cap/coupler is plastic and the female threads are cut into that piece. That is why they felt so smooth...metal threads on the front section going into the plastic female threads in the cap insert.

Thanks to all who read the review and a special thanks to those who commented. Comments make my efforts worth the effort.

Do a good turn daily!
Don

QUOTE=DocStram;752466]Don ... you did an outstanding job with your review! Just a really great job. And, the follow up posts were also helpful.[/QUOTE]
 

desertyellow

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Don,
Thanks for the review.
I saw the ad for them in the PSI catalog but it is nice to have a fellow wood turner give us the skinny on the pen.
I appreciate your review.
 

johncrane

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Excellent review Don! and l appreciate your time and effort that you put into it,
now the pen the only thing lam not keen on is the clip end cap, it may look better up close and in the hand,the rest of the pen looks very good and l would like to try them out when our dollar goes up a bit, that's like praying for rain.
 

sbell111

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I really like the bottom portion, but the cap is way to ostentatious for my taste...And I'm not sure about the wearablility, considering it has 22k gold on it...

However, all taste is subjective, so I imagine there will be others who love it!

Andrew
I agree. I absolutely love the bottom part, but I can't find anything that I like about the cap.
 

Rifleman1776

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Really an excellent review that I originally missed.
Or, I may have just skipped past because I don't normally make pens from PSI kits. I buy other things from PSI but haven't like their pen stuff.
I couldn't tell from the pictures, is the posting screw on or snap on?
Otherwise, very comprehensive review.
 

markgum

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Thanks for the review. I saw these awhile back, and when I got the new catalog, saw them and wondered if anyone tried them. When the bank account comes out of ICU :eek: (now that Christmas is over)... I will probably order a few of the kits and see how they sell.
 

its_virgil

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The caps are screw on both when closed and when posted. Thanks Frank and thanks to the others who commented.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Really an excellent review that I originally missed.
Or, I may have just skipped past because I don't normally make pens from PSI kits. I buy other things from PSI but haven't like their pen stuff.
I couldn't tell from the pictures, is the posting screw on or snap on?
Otherwise, very comprehensive review.
 

rickmaria

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Don, I looked at your site and I am just amazed of your true artistic ability!!! Absolutly BEAUTIFULL WORK!!!! Your pens and Knifes OMG Beautifull!!! My Husband and I have been turning pens for about four months now. We have sold enough to by us better table saw, band saw, drill press, and a miny lathe. I hope one of these days I am as good as you are!!! Maria
 

its_virgil

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I would say thanks but I don't make knives. I do have a website and I do make, if I say so myself, some nice pens. Could you have looked at the website of David Broadwell, the designer of the Sceptre pens for PSI? He is a neighbor of mine and yes, he does some incredible work. But if you did look at my site and were bragging on my pens, then I do say thank you and I appreciate the comments.:biggrin:
Do a good turn daily!
don

Don, I looked at your site and I am just amazed of your true artistic ability!!! Absolutly BEAUTIFULL WORK!!!! Your pens and Knifes OMG Beautifull!!! My Husband and I have been turning pens for about four months now. We have sold enough to by us better table saw, band saw, drill press, and a miny lathe. I hope one of these days I am as good as you are!!! Maria
 
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The Nouvoue Sceptre is the nicest pen kit I have used, it isjust a solid, good weight,classy pen followed by the Majestic Jr. imo
 

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