Hi all

I've been collecting pens for many years, but I am being drawn to the idea of actually making a few too. I'll credit my bug to a few people, not least to Brian who has smitten me with his herald bullet designs...

That said, I would like some advice as to where I can buy the following in the UK:

1 non-wood pen blanks
2 nibs etc (i presume bock or similar) & other metalware
3 a decent lathe / drill to work with

I'm sure there is more I'll need to know, so would appreciate any advice.

One last thing; although I say I'm starting from scratch, I should confess that I was a precision engineer many years ago, so have an appreciation of turning & tolerances.

many thanks
Bren

Hi Bren...

Yes, Brian does have that effect on many people, myself included and I'm grateful.

I'm across the pond in the US, but maybe check your EbayUK for pen blanks. Many folks buy them here that way. As far as the other stuff, hopefully someone from your side of the world will chime in.

Good luck and welcome to the madness. Making pens can be as serious as a sickness as collecting them

Edit in:
Almost forgot Bren.... send me that Edson you have for your Avatar and I'll be happy to set you up with what you need!!!

I suggest that you find a local pen turner and have a chat

There are local woodturning clubs everywhere. Find one, and contact them. There has to be some woodturner that would show you the process and chat out the requirements.

That would get you a practical sense of what it takes (time, money, effort, etc.)
Its a bit more than it looks.

You can chat it out here, or at some penturning-specific sites. But, that only helps so much.

--joe

Right, first off, I've got to say I've not made any kit pens. However I've had a bit of a bash making replacement parts for one of my Parker 61's.

For pen blanks I'd suggest http://www.rutlands.co.uk/cgi-bin/psProdSr...user::1,0,0,9::.

For nibs, maybe the same place.

For a decent lathe. If you are a machinist already, you'll only be satisfied with a proper metalworking machine. The most cost effective lathe I found was from Warco, http://www.warco.co.uk/, and ended up getting their WMT300 combined mill & lathe. After my experience, don't get a combined one as the milling head is too flexible & mashes cutters. The lathe bit is great. Failing Warco, try Machine Mart.

Hope that is of some use,

Regards,

Richard.

Bren,

Hi and welcome to our own corner of the nuthouse

Richard is right about Rutland. You could also check out Berea , Steebar and Craft Supplies (UK) among others.

Before you splash out on a lathe, do a lot of thinking. There was a bit of discussion on lathes here and in some of the other posts in that thread.

Be warned - turning is highly addictive. Also have a think about where you will be going - mainly wood or mainly metal??

Happy hunting,
Ruaidhrí

Many thanks for the suggestions. Time to go do some research...