First Successful Kitless Fountain Pen

[Gregory Hardy]

(First "successful," because I have a box full of caps, barrels, sections, and other "less-than-successful" parts.) This one has an olive & black ebonite body and cap. Trim and section are plain black ebonite. I finished it with a Bock #5 and Beaufort reservoir and a silver pen clip from my box of miscellany.

Thanks to a bunch of you - too many to name - who responded to questions, gave advice, and were encouraging. Now...back to the shop. Number Two starts today!



View in Gallery


View in Gallery

 

[thewishman]

Looks good. Isn't it a relief to get the first good one done?

 

[Gregory Hardy]

Looks good. Isn't it a relief to get the first good one done?

Well - it's good to have "not done" enough stupid mistakes to have something that writes! Yeah - it's good to have that obstacle behind me. Onward and upward. Thanks.

 

[moke]

Very well done. congrats!

 

[Burb]

Well done sir!! I'm hoping to have all the supplies/equipment I need to start these later this year.

 

[Gregory Hardy]

Well done sir!! I'm hoping to have all the supplies/equipment I need to start these later this year.

Thanks! Be sure to stay in touch. I really "cheaped out," looking for ways to save money tooling up. I'll share details - message me when you get closer to the maiden project.

 

[Bryguy]

That's a pretty pen. Well done!

 

[TheGF3]

Congrats, looks great!

 

[Phil Dart]

Well done Gregory - delighted to see you got there. You'll soon be knocking out four of those a day.

 

[Gregory Hardy]

No, brother. I won't be knocking out nearly that many a day, but I can currently imagine one in a day...instead of three weeks for one.

Phil Dart - I can't thank you enough for the email responses, the patience, the extra feed cartridges for testing, and the kind words. I am going to be a loyal customer of Beaufort for a long, long time. The guy who runs the place is a decent man.

Bucket List: I was offered a job in Scotland thirty-five years ago to be a teacher in a small school. I erred on the side of staying home near family here on the other side. Good decision. No regrets. But when I come to the Isles for the first time, I will go find the man who had time.

Thanks to all for the kind words about a pen. More important - thanks to all for the kind words of encouragement to someone who is trying to learn something new.

Keep the faith. Make pens. Write love letters with them. Let history sort out the good guys from the bad.

 

[Topsy]

Very well said!
+1 for Beaufort from me too, I too got a few extra feeds and they came in very handy!


I really like your pen, shape and colour remind me a lot of classics!

 

[Gregory Hardy]

Very well said!
+1 for Beaufort from me too, I too got a few extra feeds and they came in very handy!


I really like your pen, shape and colour remind me a lot of classics!

Thank you for saying those particular words. I don't want to invent something new. I want to get really good at doing something the "hay-day of pens" manufacturers were doing a century ago with some tasteful embellishments that I can mange with local fellow craftsmen and materials. Thanks so much for that remark. You changed the course of my day.