Kitless Fountain Pen in Verawood

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jalbert

jalbert

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May 17, 2015
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Louisville, KY
My most recent fountain pen, in Verawood, brown acrylic and brass. Uses a #6 Jowo nib and standard converter. The wood was essentially left raw, except for a coat of mineral oil to bring out the color. For those who haven't heard of it, Verawood is a close substitute for true Lignum Vitae, so it is very dense and oily. It polished up very nicely and has a pleasant scent, which was why it was left unfinished. The clip was handmade from brass, hammered so it was work-hardened and decently springy. I was looking forward to using it on a daily basis, but someone wanted to buy it, so it's now gone :( oh well, I guess there are worse problems to have ;) Thanks for looking, and I hope you enjoy it!
-John

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Thanks Mike! I cut the clip from 1/16" sheet, and it's roughly the same thickness finished. I pretty much stuck to light hammer blows in order to curve it slightly and work harden it.
 
The brass work looks great and adds a nice custom touch to the pen. Are using sheet and solder for the bands? I've dabbled with making nickel silver bands out of bezel wire and sheet but can't say I'm too fond of it.
 
Charlie69 said:
The brass work looks great and adds a nice custom touch to the pen. Are using sheet and solder for the bands? I've dabbled with making nickel silver bands out of bezel wire and sheet but can't say I'm too fond of it.
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Thanks Charlie! For the bands I used round stock, which I drilled out to the appropriate inner diameter, then parted them off. Back in my metalsmithing days in college I would have probably soldered strips together, or ideally just turned the bands from casting wax and cast a whole bunch of them at once. Unfortunately I don't have the space for any soldering or casting equipment, so I have to resort to machining them.
 
I haven't stared at a pen in awe this long in a while! Awesome design and execution! Should have saved this one for next months fun, it was a winner...
 
wwneko said:
I haven't stared at a pen in awe this long in a while! Awesome design and execution! Should have saved this one for next months fun, it was a winner...
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Thanks for the kind words James! This was actually a potential entry for all of next month's festivities, but I decided on another pen I was working on that is hopefully a little better ;)
 
That is a beautiful pen! I particularily like the colors - they very much compliment each other. Blank grain match is excellent, shape is great and the added brass really sets it off.

Very nice.
 
That is a gorgeous pen John. I have some lignum I have been itching to try.

Did you sleeve the body and cap? If so, with brass tubes or with the acrylic?

I love the brass. Did you coat it with something?

Sorry, don't mean to barrage you with question, but I think I have a sheet of brass in my pile. You have inspired me to grab it out today.
 
I really like that. Beyond the outstanding craftsmanship, I like the iridescent character of that wood. Subtle and classy.
Well done John~
 
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darrin1200 said:
That is a gorgeous pen John. I have some lignum I have been itching to try.

Did you sleeve the body and cap? If so, with brass tubes or with the acrylic?

I love the brass. Did you coat it with something?

Sorry, don't mean to barrage you with question, but I think I have a sheet of brass in my pile. You have inspired me to grab it out today.
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Thanks Darrin! Do try the lignum. It's a fun wood!

I did sleeve the body and cap, and used the acrylic to do so. The little band of brown on the front end of the cap, and the section with the cap threads on the body are actually part of the sleeves themselves. after I've done all my threading on the body and cap, I put them both on their respective mandrels and turn the portion that the wood and bands slide over down to the necessary diameter, then glue the bands and wooden sleeves on. I've never tried brass tubes...I've often thought about it being a good solution though.

The brass is pretty much just raw. I sanded and polished it same as the rest of the pen (180-12000 grit), but I imagine it will patina eventually. At this stage I haven't really done a whole lot in regards to the metalwork, since I don't have access to equipment for plating or anything like that.

No worries on the questions! Always welcome!

-John
 
That is definitely one of the best looking wood & resin combinations I've seen. Actually, it's one of the best looking pens period. And I absolutely love Lignum. I have a 2 tone piece I'm saving till I feel like I can come close to something like yours. Great job! :good:
 
BSea said:
That is definitely one of the best looking wood & resin combinations I've seen. Actually, it's one of the best looking pens period. And I absolutely love Lignum. I have a 2 tone piece I'm saving till I feel like I can come close to something like yours. Great job! :good:
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Thanks Bob! I love Lignum too, but I had never used it in a pen before. I think I am definitely going to have to buy some more though because I really liked using it!
-John
 
I actually have two different Lignum's. One is similar in tone to yours, while the other is 2-tone with off-white and a very distinctive green.

Both say Lignum Vitae.
 
darrin1200 said:
I actually have two different Lignum's. One is similar in tone to yours, while the other is 2-tone with off-white and a very distinctive green.

Both say Lignum Vitae.
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Haha, yea, the whole "Lignum Vitae" thing is a little weird. From what I understand, there are three woods that are marketed as Lignum: Guaiacum officinale (true Lignum), Bulnesia arborea (Verawood), and Bulnesia sarmientoi (Argentine Lignum). Since Guaiacum is restricted in trade, I wouldn't expect one would receive that when buying "Lignum", but rather one of the two woods from the Bulnesia genus, which are apparently so similar that the two are not often differentiated from each other.

Regardless, they are all hard, heavy, oily, and very pretty and interesting woods! The rough blank I cut mine from was super green, and turned more brown in color after I turned it. I hear that it will supposedly develop that green color with exposure to light.

-John
 
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