Advice on fountain pens

[jimr]

I am now starting on number 86 of the 100 baron pen order. I can see the end of the tunnel. But thats a different story.
I and some other local artists have been invited to conduct an exhibit and sale at a performance of the Ft. smith Symphony. This will provide a lot more affluent crowd than our normal fair type event. I am considering doing a few of the more expensive pens than I normally do and am unsure about fountain pens versus rollerball. I have never done any fountain pens- Are they any more difficult to turn or assemble and are they reliable writers. Kits like the jr. statesman, lotus, etc is what I had in mind. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. I got to get going soon on whatever I decide on.
thanks
Jim R

 

[CrazyBear]

Personally speaking with no experience of sales I would think that at this type of event I would lean towards the FP route. But then again I could be wrong.

 

[Jim in Oakville]

Jim,


The only difference in most kits pens from a fountain pen to a roller ball pen is the hardware, they are turned the same.

If you offer only roller ball pens then that is all you have to sell. I always have a few pens configured as FP's and a few extra nibs that I can quickly assemble into a roller ball pen to let them see how it looks. Also get a bottle of ink, and a pad of nice writing paper and let the serious customers dip and try the pens, I am very careful about inked pens at my tables.

You never know who is in the crowd, so having some variety will allow you to test to see what your oppertunities are, having only one pen design limits your customers choices. Since this sounds like it's a one time event I woul not invest a lot in a wide diversity of pen designs, but offer the customer a chance to see what you can do and that you are open to creating pens at a higher price point, bring cards with your contact info and make a flyer telling the customers about you and your work. Advertising is always your best friend when trying to sell your work and having your work at hand and being able to support it quickly in front of people adds credability...and have fun, meeting people who "know" pens can teach you what matters to them and help you focus your direction.

Hope that helps.[]

 

[DCBluesman]

Jim - turning and assembly are almost identical. If you want to seel fountain pens, you need to learn a little of the language. Check out my article on the home page on nib replacement. Also, you may want to invest in a starter kit like the one here. http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=29434 Feel free to email me with any questions or concerns.

 

[jeffj13]

I can't speak for the the Statesman or Lotus, but on some kits, like the El Grande, you can switch from roller ball to fountain pen, for the price of a nib.

If you can do it with the Statesman, I would suggest making one fountain pen and make the rest rollerballs, but also order about 5 fountain pen nibs. That way, if a client wants a fountain pen, you can swap out the point and are all set.

jeff

 

[Texatdurango]

Jim, I started doing something recently that I think might interest you. For starters, I use the Jr. Gent and Jr. Statesmen pens from Craft Supply. Both pens are identical except for the fancy engraved appointments on the Statesmen pens. They both use the same bushings, blanks and all parts are interchangable, and that's important to me, here's why!

Rather than having to build several dedicated rollerballs and several dedicated fountain pens then hope the customer likes the woods you used on each, I just build a bunch of nice pens in various burls, acrylics, etc then mix and match to my hearts content.

Let's say a customer likes a particular burl color on a rollerball but wants a fountain pen. No problem, just unscrew the rollerball tip, remove the spring from the finale and screw in a fountain nib... their favorite burl is now a fountain pen!

It also works with platings with the Jr. Statesmen. Using the photo below, you can see how easily the nibs change out between the gold trimmed pen and the black titanium trimmed pen.

I now carry around a little box of extra fountain nibs, rollerball refills, nibs and springs so I can customize on the spot!

By making the Jr gents and Jr Statesmen, you use just one set of bushings, the same drills and create two nice pens, one nice mid price and the other an elegant premium price pen.

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