Vintage Fountain Pen

[gwilki]

At least that is what I was shooting for.

The material is from Italy and I understand was used by Schaeffer many moons ago.
The nib and clip are stock El Grande. The center band is from the same kit, but pared down by about 2/3. The section is turned from the same material.

 

[rdunn12]

Very nice work I like that.Cool looking blank and pen.

 

[skiprat]

Very well done Grant. I think that if the material wasn't as busy, then the straight shape may not have worked so well.
Not trying to be critical, but it is a slight shame that there isn't any white showing in the finial. At first glance, I thought it was a different material.

How on earth did you trim the cb?

Top job

 

[gwilki]

Steve: I know what you mean about finial. There is the slightest bit of white just above the clip - unseen in these pics.

As for the cb, the stock one has a wide chrome ring, with two grooves in it. I just cut along one of the grooves to give me a narrow band. Then, since the band holder/black bit has a shoulder on it the same width as the stock chrome ring, I use a pin chuck to hold it on the lathe and I turn the shoulder down so that the only part left is the same width as the new, narrower band. I've done a couple of them this way now, and it's not too bad, really.

 

[thewishman]

Very nice work!

Chris

 

[JayDevin]

wow~
a good wow
wow

 

[Johnathan]

Great looking pen Grant.

 

[BigShed]

And another WOW.

That looks excellent, great work.

Note to self: get in to closed end pens.

 

[Ligget]

Outstanding work, that is a really owesome pen![]

 

[rjwolfe3]

I agree with above, wow

 

[Dalecamino]

That's cool Grant ! Very nice ! [8D]

 

[gwilki]

Thanks much, guys.

And, Johnathan, I've visited your web site many times, and WOW does not come close to covering your work.

 

[RussFairfield]

An impressive job of recessing the clip, and an excellent match between shape and material. The matching grip is the finishing touch that makes this a great pen. And a good photo shows it off very well.

May I ask how you made the slot in the plastic for the clip??

 

[DKF]

Very, very nice!

 

[Jim15]

Excellent pen, great work.

 

[TurnaPen]

I like the blank and it is a well finished pen, obviously much talent there in adapting the kit, I would like to see that blank on a fatter pen that is more balanced ie the the two pieces not as differing in length. Amos

 

[gwilki]

Thank you, all.

Russ: After I turned the cap to size, I simply filed a small slot for the clip tang in the cap blank and the tube. On this kit, the clip has a large i.d. ring that slips over the screw in the finial. But, the o.d. of the clip ring is already smaller than the o.d. of the cap. So, with the brass insert in the cap recessed down into the blank by the thickness of the tang, there is no need to mortise out the finial. The finial for this kit is easier than others, too. You can just turn the black plastic off the brass, drill a small blank to take the brass and turn it down. It's nice, too, because you can screw the finial into the cap, hold it in a pin chuck and turn the finial down to exactly match the diameter of the cap, with no measuring at all. I hope this is more clarifying than confusing.

Amos: These blanks are 5/8" rods. The bore for this cap is 33/64". That only leaves 7/128" all around the tube as it is. I don't believe that there is any way this particular blank could result in a fatter pen. I wish that I could get this in 3/4", but no can do.

 

[Buzz]

Grant, thats a great piece of work and a beautiful pen.

 

[karlkuehn]

Wow, Grant! That pen is straight out of the eighties, via the fifties! I think I had a string tie in high school with that very same pattern! hehe

Great looking pen, and your custom work is wonderful! You've come a long way, my friend!

 

[johncrane]

well done Grant.

 

[gwilki]

A tie, Karl?? You were clearly one smooth dude.

Seriously, thanks, guys, for the compliments. I'm improving for sure. Still a very long way to go, though.

BTW, in a previous post, I described how I shortened the centre band. I forgot to mention that you need to increase the length of the cap blank to compensate for the now-shortened distance between the threaded end of the cap and the finial. If you don't do that, you risk bending the nib against the finial when you screw the cap on. (And no, Karl. I'm not talking from experience here. I actually thought of it BEFORE bending the nib. )

 

[MDWine]

nicely executed, well done!
Sure is pretty material, I love those "retro" kinds of materials!

 

[pipeyeti]

Originally posted by gwilki

Thank you, all.

Russ: After I turned the cap to size, I simply filed a small slot for the clip tang in the cap blank and the tube. On this kit, the clip has a large i.d. ring that slips over the screw in the finial. But, the o.d. of the clip ring is already smaller than the o.d. of the cap. So, with the brass insert in the cap recessed down into the blank by the thickness of the tang, there is no need to mortise out the finial. The finial for this kit is easier than others, too. You can just turn the black plastic off the brass, drill a small blank to take the brass and turn it down. It's nice, too, because you can screw the finial into the cap, hold it in a pin chuck and turn the finial down to exactly match the diameter of the cap, with no measuring at all. I hope this is more clarifying than confusing.

/quote]

I do the same thing but I use the threaded part from a cigar pen kit The threads in the finial on the el grande and churchill are the same as a cigar pen finial. The coupler for the cigar transmission will accept the finial from the church/grande and thats what i chuck into the lathe. Keeps me from messing up the brass part for the kit.