Hello from Wollongong Australia

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Oddy

Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2026
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5
Location
Australia
Hi from Australia. I'm a hobby woodworker that does a little bit of wood turning for fun. After making pens for family members as Christmas presents one year, I seem to get fairly regular requests from friends of family, friends of friends of family, friends of friends of friends of .... to buy a custom pen.

I stumbled on your forum looking for information on making kitless pens and where to buy suitable and reasonably priced tap and dies for this. I was also looking for advice on high quality nibs for fountain pens. I haven't been entirely satisfied with the quality of many pen kits, so would like to have a go making some from scratch. It looks like your forum has a wealth of information and experienced makers. Hope I can make some contribution.
 
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Welcome from NJ! You sound like you are following a similar path to mine, as I have invested into making full custom pens after over a decade of spinning kit pens. Nothing wrong either way you go, but as you probably saw, kit less requires a pretty big investment in tooling if you go full in.

Keep an eye out here for group buys to help keep costs down and look at Rick's custom tool catalogue in the vendor area to find some high quality tools he makes for members from his metal shop. Both will get you good stuff at the best prices.

Kevin
 
NJturner said:
Welcome from NJ! You sound like you are following a similar path to mine, as I have invested into making full custom pens after over a decade of spinning kit pens. Nothing wrong either way you go, but as you probably saw, kit less requires a pretty big investment in tooling if you go full in.

Keep an eye out here for group buys to help keep costs down and look at Rick's custom tool catalogue in the vendor area to find some high quality tools he makes for members from his metal shop. Both will get you good stuff at the best prices.

Kevin
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Thanks for the info Kevin, a group buy is definitely of interest - those triple start tap and die sets are hideously priced on their own!
I lived in Philly for many years and worked across the river in Mount Laurel NJ.
 
Oddy said:
Thanks for the info Kevin, a group buy is definitely of interest - those triple start tap and die sets are hideously priced on their own!
I lived in Philly for many years and worked across the river in Mount Laurel NJ.
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Oddy -
Yep, they are crazy expensive, but not necessary especially if you are going to do pattern matching in either wood or resin. Triple starts have three potential starting points on the thread, so matching a pattern regularly is an impossibility whereas a single start always starts in the same location making the match simpler.

You can get good quality single start taps/dies in the needed sizes from a number of sources at reasonable prices. If the amount of turns on cap/body connection bothers you a bit with the singe starts, then cut down on the tenon length just a bit and save a turn or two. Focus on getting your design and work flow together with the single starts, then when you can/want to move over to triples. Lots of custom makers use and swear by single starts, so either way you go is up to you.

How in the world did you get from Philly to Australia!!! lol.... I live on the east coast of NJ near Seaside Heights - home of the famous "Jersey Shore' show from years back. I did IT security work and had a number of clients in both Philly and Mount Laurel area, so knew the area well. Welcome to our group!!

Kevin
 
Greetings from Nebraska USA and welcome tot he IAP community. There are some awesome timbers in your part of the world. Hairy Oak is one of my favorites, especially when it is diagonal or cross cut. Like the one in this linked post by one of your fellow Australians, Casey Giddins (CjG78). The grain is simply amazing. There are a lot of other unique timbers in Australia and New Zealand that we rarely have access to here in the USA. Once again, Welcome. - Dave
 
egnald said:
Greetings from Nebraska USA and welcome tot he IAP community. There are some awesome timbers in your part of the world. Hairy Oak is one of my favorites, especially when it is diagonal or cross cut. Like the one in this linked post by one of your fellow Australians, Casey Giddins (CjG78). The grain is simply amazing. There are a lot of other unique timbers in Australia and New Zealand that we rarely have access to here in the USA. Once again, Welcome. - Dave
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Wow! Yes that example is spectacular!
 
NJturner said:
How in the world did you get from Philly to Australia!!! lol.... I live on the east coast of NJ near Seaside Heights - home of the famous "Jersey Shore' show from years back. I did IT security work and had a number of clients in both Philly and Mount Laurel area, so knew the area well. Welcome to our group!!
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Originally from Australia, but worked in Philly and NJ for Hewlett Packard. Married a Philly girl, but after a holiday home she and our daughter wanted to escape the PA winters and live the beach life for good. Friends had a "shore house" at Stone Harbor - many fond memories there.
 
Oddy said:
Originally from Australia, but worked in Philly and NJ for Hewlett Packard. Married a Philly girl, but after a holiday home she and our daughter wanted to escape the PA winters and live the beach life for good. Friends had a "shore house" at Stone Harbor - many fond memories there.
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So, maybe on your next vacation back to Stone Harbor you should bring a suitcase full of Jarrah, Buloke, Gum, and Hairy Oak pen blanks! I know that a lot of us IAP U.S. members would be interested in buying them from you! - Dave
 
egnald said:
So, maybe on your next vacation back to Stone Harbor you should bring a suitcase full of Jarrah, Buloke, Gum, and Hairy Oak pen blanks! I know that a lot of us IAP U.S. members would be interested in buying them from you! - Dave
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Probably not doing any trips back soon, but could do an occasional care package forwarding if someone saw something they really wanted to get their hands on. Australia post to US is roughly $US30 for 1kg and $US45 for 2kg (4.4 lbs). I don't see buloke or hairy oak around much where I live, but it can be found at some of the specialty suppliers. Jarrah and all the gum varieties are very common - I'm actually building a desk for my daughter at the moment from jarrah.
 
Oddy said:
Probably not doing any trips back soon, but could do an occasional care package forwarding if someone saw something they really wanted to get their hands on. Australia post to US is roughly $US30 for 1kg and $US45 for 2kg (4.4 lbs). I don't see buloke or hairy oak around much where I live, but it can be found at some of the specialty suppliers. Jarrah and all the gum varieties are very common - I'm actually building a desk for my daughter at the moment from jarrah.
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Yes, since Hairy Oak is really more of a shrub it isn't usually harvested as lumber, so it doesn't surprise me.
 
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