Rocket City Newbie

[Tachmonite]

Greetings! I'm a soon to be graduated mechanical engineering student who has been part of the fountain pen community for about 2 years now, although with increasing enthusiasm over the last couple of months. As of this moment, I have yet to turn a pen and have only been a user. That is something that should be soon remedied and I look forward to learning from y'all's expertise as I learn this craft.

 

[Alan Morrison]

Jonathan, you are very welcome to the forum.
Alan

 

[Edgar]

Welcome from Texas, Jonathan. You still have time to enter some of our NAS Puzzle contests, and you could win a prize just for submitting an entry.

Puzzle #8 is still active & there are 2 more to come.

 

[wolf creek knives]

Welcome from Montana. Great site to learn and ask questions.

 

[magpens]

Hi Jonathan !! . Warm welcome to IAP !!!

Congratulations on your soon-to-be "Engineer" status ... we'll expect great things from an M.Eng. graduate !!! (in due course !)

 

[Brotherdale]

Welcome from Houston

 

[studioseven]

Welcome from Wisconsin. You had me with y'all. I grew up in the south and miss that southern dialect. Really miss the waffle houses more. Any way enjoy our site.

Seven

 

[Jim15]

Welcome Jonathan.

 

[bsshog40]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Tachmonite]

Hi Jonathan !! . Warm welcome to IAP !!!

Congratulations on your soon-to-be "Engineer" status ... we'll expect great things from an M.Eng. graduate !!! (in due course !)

Thank you very much! I think that much of that due course will be in having the funds to create what I might dream up for sure. Really, what I'd love to get into are kitless pens... But I thought that a better and less "ambitious" starting point might be making a couple of kit pens. I've been looking at making some Flat Top pens from the kits at beartoothwoods. The resin materials that have caught my eye for that so far are Alumite (which I have read is easier to turn and what I was thinking I should start with), Rhino Plastics (ridiculously affordable, apparently harder to turn), and Tru-Stone (because I have a soft spot for malachite). I also found some Irish Bog Oak and Grade A Bethlehem Olive Wood... Any thoughts?

 

[Tachmonite]

Welcome from Wisconsin. You had me with y'all. I grew up in the south and miss that southern dialect. Really miss the waffle houses more. Any way enjoy our site.

Seven

Glad to bring a spot of joy through my Southern-isms.

 

[WarEagle90]

Howdy Jonathan. Glad to see another member from God's country. Welcome aboard. BTW: I got to ask, where are you graduating from?

 

[mark james]

Welcome to IAP! Have FUN.

 

[magpens]

Really, what I'd love to get into are kitless pens ..... starting point might be making a couple of kit pens. .... I've been looking at making some Flat Top pens from the kits at beartoothwoods. The resin materials that have caught my eye for that so far are Alumite (which I have read is easier to turn and what I was thinking I should start with), Rhino Plastics (ridiculously affordable, apparently harder to turn), and Tru-Stone (because I have a soft spot for malachite). I also found some Irish Bog Oak and Grade A Bethlehem Olive Wood... Any thoughts?

@Tachmonite

Yes, I have some thoughts ....

Good idea to start with a few kit pens. . May I recommend the PSI 30 Caliber Bolt Action ... very, very satisfying for your first few pens.
Straight sides make it a very easy turn ... much easier for starting out than slimlines (which is how most of us started). . I would even leave the Flat Top style until after the Bolt Action.

You are on the right track in several ways. Alumilite is a dream material for turning ... only one drawback is that it doesn't take a great shine.
But it turns beautifully and is good for threading when you decide to go kitless. And it does not chip (at least not easily).

Rhino blanks shine beautifully, but you have to take care when turning because they can be prone to chipping more than most other materials.

Tru-stone you should leave until you get some experience with wood and resin blanks. . I understand your love of malachite. . Can chip easily and some skills and considerable care are required.

Irish Bog Oak is nice, but over-rated. . Oaks are generally harder to turn and harder to finish than many woods. . They tend to have surface crevices.

Australian burls are the best woods, IMO ... very hard, in general, but very beautiful when carefully turned and finished.

Olive wood (who knows if it comes from Bethlehem) is a total joy to turn and I highly recommend it for your first (and later) wood pens.
It smells great, it feels great, it turns great, and it finishes great ! . Oh yeah ..... and it LOOKS great !! . Beautiful grain patterns. . Good wood for newbies.

 

[tomtedesco]

Welcome from Colorado.

 

[Willee]

Someone said Tru-Stone was a bit on the hard side to turn.
I have turned a lot of Tru-Stone and as long as you leave some diameter for sanding and polishing it is just like turning wood.
When you turn it the tool marks are deeper than with wood and the surface is powdery.
That is why you need to leave it about 10 clicks oversize and sand it down to final size.

 

[Tachmonite]

@magpens

I appreciate the input a lot, thank you very much. I'll consider doing the bolt action, although I really would most prefer to do a fountain pen if you have a suggested kit for one of those?

 

[Tachmonite]

Howdy Jonathan. Glad to see another member from God's country. Welcome aboard. BTW: I got to ask, where are you graduating from?

I will be graduating from UAH! Also, as is tradition in Alabama: "Roll Tide"
Cute kitten by the way. I approve.

 

[magpens]

@Tachmonite

A possibly good fountain pen kit for starters is the "El Grande", although a "Jr. Gent II" or similar would also be OK. . See also "Jr. Aaron"

Actually, my favorite fountain pen kit is the "Jr Antony" (not positively sure of spelling). . Can't find a retailer for it at the moment, but here is the wholesaler URL (you have to buy large qty from them ... like 100+ kits):

Jr. Antony Fountain/ Rollerball Pen Kit | DAYACOM INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.

Find Details about Jr. Antony Fountain/ Rollerball Pen Kit from Taiwan Pen supplier-DAYACOM INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. Source on Taiwantrade.

dayacom.en.taiwantrade.com

This kit is considerably more expensive than the ones I first mentioned, but it is really classy, IMO.

Another really nice one is the "Jr. Emperor pen kit" and there are several vendors for that one, if you care to do a google search using that name.

 

[Tachmonite]

@magpens

I appreciate the input. I'm interested in why a kit such as El Grande or Jr. Emperor might be found a simpler task than the Flat Top? Is there something that I am unaware of here? Thanks!

 

[magpens]

@Tachmonite

@magpens

I appreciate the input. I'm interested in why a kit such as El Grande or Jr. Emperor might be found a simpler task than the Flat Top? Is there something that I am unaware of here? Thanks!

I have a personal prejudice against any kit design based on 7mm brass tubes and/or using a Cross type refill. . I much prefer pen kits using larger brass tubes AND using Parker refills. With the 7mm brass tubes it is virtually impossible to do the additional hardware to use the Parker refill. . The Cross refill does not have as good acceptance among users. . But of course, I am talking ballpoints, and you are mainly interested in fountains. I am not even aware of any so-called "Flat Top" kits for fountain pens. . In my mind, the term "Flat Top" refers to a 7mm kit which is just a step up from the ballpoint slimline ... having more aesthetically pleasing body shape and hardware pieces (like clip and centerband).

I would be happy to be corrected if my understanding of "Flat Top" is inappropriate or wrong.

EDIT: I have already corrected (or reviewed) my understanding of "Flat Top" so you don't even have to comment on that.
I should really delete my first cut at replying to your post, but I decided there might be some educational advantage ... for both of us ... if I leave my reply "as is".

 

[magpens]

@Tachmonite

I have just been to the BearToothWoods website and I have seen their Flat Top fountain pen kits:

Bear Tooth Woods - Flat Top Fountain/Rollerball Pen Kits

Those are actually OK if you like them. . I apologize for the confusion. . They are not my choice for a classy pen, though.

You can access the instruction sheet for these pen kits by going to the lower right hand side of the page and clicking on FAQ/Instructions, and then searching for "Flat Top" on the resulting page.

I see that the instructions for these kits specify a letter-size V drill bit which has a diameter of 0.377" (or about 9.6 mm) which is well above my "prejudicial threshold" of 7 mm .... !!!! ). . If you read the instructions you will see mention of an optional "tenon" when turning the upper blank.
The word "tenon" sometimes creates a negative reaction among pen turners, but it really shouldn't in the case of these kits ... it is pretty straight forward in the case of this kit. . But this reference is not to a typical tenon. . More generally, the term "tenon" refers to having to turn a depression in the barrel ... a depression which goes only part way down to the brass tube ... and turning such a depression is quite often regarded by beginning pen turners as beyond their capabilites because it requires a fairly accurate measurement of the depth of the depression and a process of turning which, because of its required accuracy, is a more advanced skill. . In the case of these "Flat Top" kits, the tenon goes right down to the brass tube, and so the creation of such a tenon really only amounts to making the upper blank shorter ... no depth measurement or carefully controlled turning is needed. . I hope this is fairly clear. . If not, ask for clarification.

 

[Tachmonite]

@Tachmonite


I have a personal prejudice against any kit design based on 7mm brass tubes and/or using a Cross type refill. . I much prefer pen kits using larger brass tubes AND using Parker refills. With the 7mm brass tubes it is virtually impossible to do the additional hardware to use the Parker refill. . The Cross refill does not have as good acceptance among users. . But of course, I am talking ballpoints, and you are mainly interested in fountains. I am not even aware of any so-called "Flat Top" kits for fountain pens. . In my mind, the term "Flat Top" refers to a 7mm kit which is just a step up from the ballpoint slimline ... having more aesthetically pleasing body shape and hardware pieces (like clip and centerband).

Alright! I will keep all of that in mind should I ever make any ballpoint/rollerball kits. And regarding the bit about the tenon, I will have to take a look at the instructions after work. I have a suspicion that after viewing those things would be clearer. Also, I'll take a closer look at some of those other kits. The plan for at least 5 of these first pens is to give them as groomsmen gifts. I don't have a ton of money so I was not wanting to buy kits that cost me $30 a pen— but I'd be a bit more open to spending $15 or so. My last prejudices will simply be towards the functionality of the pen and whether anything would bother me about it to use. I've never been a huge fan of anything remotely bulky, for instance, and I've been avoiding metal sections because they can get really slick for some people.

 

[johncrane]

Welcome to IAP Jonathan!