We are happy to announce that we will be creating a blog here on the site. This blog will be highlighting what the company is up to, any new products, designs and general pen making posts. We will try our best to post at least weekly if not sooner.
If anyone is interested in a commissioned pen, now is the time!!! I am currently only running about two weeks out. Get in line while the line is still short!!!!
We have some exciting things coming up soon!! We will be unveiling a new model soon, and we are also expanding our tooling to accommodate JoWo #5 nibs, Bock #5 and #6 nibs, and hopefully Bock #8 in the future.
We will be reworking a coupe of our designs when we expand our tooling. The Aristophanes model will be changing to a JoWo #5 nib at some point so we can reduce the size and diameter of the pen. The design will not be changing.
Our Prime and Aeschylus models are available in slim versions now!!!! The body diameters are 1-1.5mm slimmer than the full size version.
Our new model, without giving away too much information, will be a larger pen. I know what some folks are saying, “Really?!?!? You need a bigger pen?" Rest assured, if you like the model, we can always create (within our abilities) a version of the model that fits your needs. I was a fountain pen user and enthusiast before becoming a maker, and I also like larger bodied pens.
We had a requested commission for an Aeschylus model with no visible joint between the cap and body. I have the body shaped and the joint fixed (disappears!!). We use triple start threads on our caps, so it takes fewer turns to secure it to the body. The triple start threads are not accommodating when making a flush joint on the pen. With the triple start threads, there are three entry points for the starting thread. When a flush body and cap are made in this fashion, only one of the thread starting positions will insure the flush joint. If the cap is threaded from one of the other two spots the joint will not be flush.
So, I have ordered single start taps and dies in both M13 and M14 specifically for these applications. If you would like to have a flush joint on either your Aeschylus or Prime commission, the cap threads will be single start (which would typically mean more turns to secure the cap). I will make the body tenon shorter on the flush joint versions to fix that problem.
On the materials front, we have been using McKenzie Penworks blanks for the past month or so. I am out of all the Brooks blanks I have (except for some Liquid Mother of Pearl and quite a bit of short pieces). I recently purchased some blanks from Coy at Two Trails Woodworking and I am looking forward to turning some of them down once I have completed the commissions that are on our list. This means we will have a few pens that will be posted to the website soon!! Most of the pens will be going into show stock for the DC Pen Show.
Finally, we will not be attending the Chicago Pen Show as planned. Due to issues with the rescheduling, our schedule will not permit us to go. We will be in DC!! I am trying to see if I can get into the Dallas Show and Scritpus in Toronto (these are tentative). We hope that you can get your pen show fix and visit with us in DC. We are looking forward to meeting our customers in person!! we will have plenty of pens, some material examples and lots of commission forms!!! be sure to stop by!!
Thanks everybody, stay safe and be well.
Brad