Enthusiastic for now...

[grimgravy]

For someone so socially awkward, I tend to be quite verbose on internet fora. I had a long, drawn-out intro typed up but even I didn't want to reread it. So, here's the shortened version.

Between growing up in my grandad's woodshop and helping my dad work on all sorts of home maintenance (engines, plumbing, etc.), I've acquired a fondness for DIY and unnecessary foul language. My primary hobbies are restoring straight razors, smoking pipes & pipe tobacco, very occasional fly fishing, and generally collecting hobbies.

To that end, I've joined this forum to talk myself out of purchasing a $3,000 metal lathe in order to make a fountain pen. I have no experience with wood or metal turning but still have pie-in-the-sky dreams of making all the things in my brain on a DMG Mori 5-axis mill that I can never afford and is ridiculous for the task anyway.

I'm here to research a reasonable, relatively affordable route to buying all the things I need to make a few nice, bespoke fountain pens. If the worst that happens is I accrete a few strange tools to my current pile of failed or forgotten attempts, I'm fine with that.

Hello. My name is Kelly, and I'm currently trying to balance my mantra of buy-once-cry-once with both my wallet and the knowledge that I collect hobbies exponentially faster than I apply myself to them.

 

[Leonardo]

Welcome Kelly! You don't need a metal lathe to start making pens. I started turning in May 2025 and found a used Jet 1015vs wood lathe in good condition on Facebook Marketplace for $300 and it has served very well. It might require some patience, but good deals pop up fairly often and are a good way to dip a toe in without spending thousands on something before you know if you will like the process. You will however need to budget for turning tools, taps and dies, mandrels, and so on. It's not exactly a cheap hobby, but you can start with just the basics and expand your tool set as you go.

I did end up loving it, and also wanted a metal lathe, so I set a goal to save up for one and put all my revenue towards that (and other tools along the way) and was able to buy it a couple months ago. I wont say it was easy, but I think it's a realistic way to go about it without bankrupting yourself in the process. You may find yourself able to get a Mill this way too. There are also sometimes good deals on used metal lathes, but they are very heavy so it may not be as viable as buying a new metal lathe if you don't have a way to lift it and transport it. I had mine delivered with liftgate service and the driver was kind enough to wheel it into my workshop. I did have to buy a shop crane to get it onto the workbench (420 lbs), but it's not a bad idea to have a way to move your heavy tools down the road either. There's also the peace of mind with warranty and support on a new machine. For a few hundred, not too big of a deal, but when you are spending thousands, something to consider. I got a Precision Matthews 1030V, but a friend of mine opted for a lighter weight Sherline bench top metal lathe and it looks like a very capable machine at about half the cost. He's certainly making good use of it. The tooling and accessories for a metal lathe are also much more than you need to get started on a wood lathe, so that's also something to keep in mind. I also feel that starting on a wood lathe will give you a good foundational skillset to build upon, and I still use mine to do the shaping after machining pens on the metal lathe.

This forum has a wealth of information and a lot of really helpful members. Good luck and feel free to ask any questions and the community will be happy to help!

 

[grimgravy]

I'll most likely start with a wood lathe due to cost, as you mentioned. After seeing youtube videos of some older Japanese gentlemen making pens (I believe Hakase was the brand) on basically half a wood lathe, it became apparent I needed to take a breath and reassess my priorities.

Thanks for the reply!

Welcome Kelly! You don't need a metal lathe to start making pens.