This is a new material that I am getting from England... it is an alternative amber... very translucent, so I have to treat the interior tubes so they don't show through.... sorry for the picture quality. It is not as sharp as I would like... really need to get that Nikon D50 I want... the material looks just like a fine piece of amber ..... sans the Jurrasic insect life...

The pen style is a Jr Statesman fountain pen
Platinum fittings with 22K gold accents on the cap finial and the centerband....

...

Pretty, Tom! I like amber. Being an old docent at the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, I talked with the visitors a lot about amber and the critters found in it. I mentioned, I think on this board, some months ago, that a pen made from amber *with* ants would be a real stunner and conversation piece. Of course, with what collectors are paying for genuine amber with ants, spiders, etc., it would be a frightfully expensive pen, but what the heck, the carriage trade would buy it!

What a lovely warm colour...

If I don't sell this one by Christmas, I might just have to order some Noodler's Apache Sunset to put in it....
I have come to the conclusion that I am going to need to start making personal pens that match the colors of the inks I am starting to like...
I already have a green Vanishing Point on the way to use with the Noodlers Sequoia I ordered....
This is not a good thing.... SWHTM expects me to sell more pens than I keep...

I dunno. I kinda like the insect idea.

I vote to skip the "insect-inserts." The pen is pretty enough without 'em...

TMann

Hi,

The insect idea might be something. I have an extreme fear of bugs though.

Dillon

Hi Griz,

Wow....

Looks perfectly sharp to me, btw.

Warm regards, Wim

But Ted, the ants I'm proposing are 25 million years old! I mean, you talk about a pen with historical significance...

Tom: Did you address the question about making a pen without the metal section? If so, I missed it.

I am looking into it... the biggest problem is that since my work is done by hand cutting on a wood lathe and not a metal lathe, making the front section can be a logistical nightmare... BUT, I am working on some ideas... in fact my wife was wondering what was burning last night...

There are some kits that have black plastic front sections, but personally I think they don't look as elegant...
One of the concerns mentioned was durability and possible corrosion... I have yet to have one of the over 100 pens I have made with platinum or TN Gold (24K gold with a touch of titanium) corrode from ink or the acids and oils from someone's hands. Or even show excessive wear patterns..
As for the tactile feeling of the metal front ends, that of course is personal... and obviously only you can decide if you like the feel..

So does this mean you've worked with amber? If so, why would you want an alternative to it??

(Lithuanian heritage here, and Amber is a big deal there, so I'm being nosy)

-Bruce

Unfortunately, getting amber big enough to do a pen is too too expensive...
I have played with some small amber pieces that I used to make inlay cabochons for a certain customer for some wine bottle stoppers.... they supplied the amber... very interesting to work with and very tricky to cut without chipping it out...

If I could find amber big enough and pure enough to do a pen, it would most likely end up costing a whole lot more than anyone would be willing to pay for it... and the amount of waste involved would make me cry...
The biggest problem in using amber is the translucence.... since the pens I make are done on brass tubes. They have to be colored so that they don't shine through the more translucent materials.... and the coloring has to pretty much match the material I am using.... in the case of the alternative amber pen, I used a combination of different colored Prismacolor markers to keep the color from being too uniform...

Tell your wife that you have this bunch of Fountain Pen Nuts that are goading you on, and to expect that 'smell' often.

Admitedly, the discontinuity of the black plastic section, to some eyes, might take away from the pens looks, but many users, as opposed to collectors, are willing to accept that for the feel. I'm just trying to figure out how to open up your offerings to more FP people.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate that Roger.
One thing I have to say to not only you, but everyone here....
It is amazing how well I have been accepted here as a pen maker and as a real newbie in the other area of pen information...
The fact that I have gotten so much good feedback and ideas on my work is truly amazing considering the treatment that many "kit" makers (I really hate that term) receive in some other forums...

I want to thank everyone here for being what you are... good and gracious people who care about pens in general and people in particular...
Now everyone go out and buy a new hat because I know I have swelled a few heads..

I noticed that some pens made from amber are actually ringlets that are glued together with a metal seperating ring,probably silver.

I suspected it was a combination of factors. It's always heatbreaking when you have to loose a lot of valuable raw material to make something.

I have a link at work I'll post of a bulk amber dealer in Lithuania tomorrow morning. However, I'm otherwise ignorant of the market.....I just happened across this site.

If it's useful, great, if not, well. . . . it was worth finding out.

-Bruce

Here is that link I promise. Hope it is useful!

-Bruce

Bulk Amber

(and if someone is looking for a Russian bride, the link is useful too, apparently... )
Sorry, Bruce; I tried to resist posting that...

Interesting info on amber material there...

Ha! I did manage! Not anymore now, though...

Warm regards, Wim

THAT is a very healthy looking girl. Looks like she could have been one of 007's adversaries in a couple of the movies.

Hmmmmm....I missed the bride part. DARN hahahhahahahahahhaha

Hi, my name is Kris and I make amber pens. From REAL AMBER, no plastic resin. I live in Ukraine, in the city where they find amber. Unfortunately it is a State monopoly here, so I made a deal with the governement factory on who makes what part of the pen. They are indeed pretty expensive because the price of raw material is that high. i am not turning like wood, but use only sandpaer on my lathe. Anyhows; here is my website: www.amberpen.com

That is a gorgeous color ! Sort of like the middle band of color in an autumn sunset

A beautiful pen! If you wish to pursue possibilities with ants, I have on my property a surplus of modern ants which I'd be pleased to send to you for whatever purposes you wish: embedding, turning, polishing, etc.

-Italicist

Nice!

-david

As a thought, you could just draw the ant shadow on the tube


-Kel