Fishy Fountain

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pnemox

Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2019
Messages
36
Location
Georgia
Ok, so here is my first attempt at a fountain pen and it was a lot of fun. I used the Artisan Jr. Statesman kit in Rhodium and Black. This was my second attempt with black stingray and I think it was much better. Let me know what you think.

Hey, anyone know of a good US supplier of Bock nibs with reasonable prices?

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John Eldeen

Member
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Apr 3, 2019
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419
Location
Sacramento, CA
Wes the pen looks great! đź‘ŤSo I don't see the seam on this one what did you figure out the best way to close it up was? Inquiring minds must know.
 

pnemox

Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2019
Messages
36
Location
Georgia
John, I did two things differently. First I used clear tape to pull the seams tightly. Then little by little I applied CA, cured it and removed the next small section of tape until it was all secured. Thin CA is best.

The second change is that after mounting I hand sanded all of the skin down to the proper depth and then used CA to level it out to a consistent diameter. You only have about 1/16 inch where it looks good and the leather isn't always the same thickness. A normal cut on the lathe will have high and low spots because of this.
 

John Eldeen

Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2019
Messages
419
Location
Sacramento, CA
John, I did two things differently. First I used clear tape to pull the seams tightly. Then little by little I applied CA, cured it and removed the next small section of tape until it was all secured. Thin CA is best.

The second change is that after mounting I hand sanded all of the skin down to the proper depth and then used CA to level it out to a consistent diameter. You only have about 1/16 inch where it looks good and the leather isn't always the same thickness. A normal cut on the lathe will have high and low spots because of this.
I am glad you got it figured out. The result is amazing. Congrats on a job well done.
 

PenHog

Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2019
Messages
255
Location
Mississippi
Nice work!

About Bock nibs, I've had trouble finding a good selection domestically. Jowo seems to be more commonly available.

Karas Kustoms sells some with the housing, and the prices seem reasonable, but the selection is somewhat limited. The Classic Nib appears to have a very limited selection, and it's unclear if the housing comes with the purchase. I haven't found any other domestic sources that will sell at a reasonable price (I think I found someone selling Bock nibs on Etsy at vastly marked-up prices).

If you're willing to go overseas, I've ordered some from Beaufort Ink, they have a great selection and I recommend their products. However, I've had some bad experiences with US Customs seizing my packages and holding them for arbitrary amounts of time, so I'm growing anxious about placing orders UK orders.
 

1shootist

Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2018
Messages
818
Location
Frisco,Tx
Nice work!

About Bock nibs, I've had trouble finding a good selection domestically. Jowo seems to be more commonly available.

Karas Kustoms sells some with the housing, and the prices seem reasonable, but the selection is somewhat limited. The Classic Nib appears to have a very limited selection, and it's unclear if the housing comes with the purchase. I haven't found any other domestic sources that will sell at a reasonable price (I think I found someone selling Bock nibs on Etsy at vastly marked-up prices).

If you're willing to go overseas, I've ordered some from Beaufort Ink, they have a great selection and I recommend their products. However, I've had some bad experiences with US Customs seizing my packages and holding them for arbitrary amounts of time, so I'm growing anxious about placing orders UK orders.
I have been searching EVERYWHERE for Bock nibs in stock ..looks like Karas Kustoms has them..I have never heard of them till now. Thanks for talking about them !!
And I've been all over "search" function on here tonight.
..I was honestly about ready to buy a Jowo tap #6 from Turners warehouse !
Russ
 

PenHog

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Joined
Jul 6, 2019
Messages
255
Location
Mississippi
Hi Russ,

Some (all?) of the Karas nibs will have the Karas logo on them instead of the standard Bock logo, just in case that matters to you. I corresponded with them, and they are indeed Bock nibs/feed/housing, just a cosmetic change re the logo.

Going back to The Classic Nib, I contacted them about their Phoenix nibs, and they confirmed that they use the Bock 250 housing (although, they are not Bock nibs, I think). So, I guess they should work with the standard tap; I've ordered 1 to try it out.
 

GAW9576

Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2020
Messages
12
Location
Michigan
Fintastic work. I have thought of doing similar things but never ended up trying it out. It's really inspiring that you can make such a stunning blank without all the usual casting process and equipment. And with such stellar results.
 

pnemox

Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2019
Messages
36
Location
Georgia
I appreciate the compliments and great info about the nibs. That will be very useful. Sorry but I don't sell blanks. It just takes too much time and isn't economically feasible.
 

carlmorrell

Member
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May 14, 2013
Messages
689
Location
Cary, NC
You might be surprised at how much us lunatics are willing to spend on a pen blank. I am too embarrassed to admit
 

JohnU

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Jan 31, 2008
Messages
4,923
Location
Ottawa, Illinois
Congrats on the front page! Very well earned! I've worked with those skins and that's not easy to pull off. Beautiful work of Art!
 

mark james

IAP Collection, Curator
Joined
Sep 6, 2012
Messages
12,720
Location
Medina, Ohio
I also missed this. Glad Jeff brought it back as this is a beautiful pen. Well done to tweak your process. đź‘Ť
 

philipff

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Joined
Jun 21, 2009
Messages
596
Location
Williamsburg, VA
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