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A New Pen From Scrap, And A Nib Question


Jamesbeat

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Yesterday evening, I found myself with a few hours to spare and I decided to make myself a pen.

The pen is unremarkable at best, but what is remarkable is that I made it entirely from scraps from other projects.

 

It came out a little funky looking as a result, but since this was all material that I would have otherwise thrown in the trash, the fact that it exists and works is good enough for me.

 

The red parts are offcuts of an acrylic blank that I used for another pen, and the black parts are Ebonite.

 

My least favorite part is the cap. I'm not quite sure why, but it doesn't look right to my eye. I think this may be due to the the dimensions of the scrap of ebonite I had.

The cap is long enough to be functional, but too short to look aesthetically pleasing.

 

I have a question about the IPG nib unit.

I found it in a box of parts, and I can't even remember where I bought it.

 

It looks to me like I haven't fully inserted the nib into the unit, because the feed seems too far back.

I know I put it in the right way round, because the nib holder is keyed so that the feed only fits in one way around.

I tried pushing the nib in further, but it seemed to come to a stop at this point and would not go further.

 

Afraid that I would bend the nib, I decided to call it quits and inked the pen up.

I wasn't expecting it to work properly because I believed the nib to be inserted incorrectly, but to my surprise, it works perfectly.

In fact, I have been using the pen all morning at work, and it writes so nicely that I can't put the thing down!

 

I don't think I have ever had a non-vintage pen that writes this nicely, and I'm so pleased with it that I'm thinking of making a nicer cap so that I can enjoy looking at it as well as writing with it.

 

So what's the deal?

Is the nib inserted correctly?

If it isn't, should I try to correct it, or should I just leave it alone because it writes so nicely?

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Edited by Jamesbeat
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Hi, that looks perfectly right to me, nib, cap and all. If it writes well too, don't mess with it! and I, for one, like the cap as it is. Does it close the pen correctly? The nib doesn't scrape the top? And is it an eyedropper-filled pen?

a fountain pen is physics in action... Proud member of the SuperPinks

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Thanks for the compliments, though I'm really not sure this pen deserves them!

 

The cap does function correctly - I machined a shoulder on the inside which seals against the front of the section when the pen is capped.

This prevents the pen from drying out and also prevents the nib hitting the top of the cap.

 

It's a cartridge/converter filler, though I suppose it could be used as an eyedropper - the interior of the barrel is a blind hole and the ebonite section would seal well I think.

 

I have now gone through about 3/4 of a converter of ink and it's still writing flawlessly.

Maybe the nib is in right and it's just a shorter feed than I'm used to seeing?

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The nib looked right to me - of course I can't see inside the section but the part that you show seems correct to me. It might give you a little flex, even - I've noticed that if the tines stick out more they will tend to "give" a little when you write. If your hand is not too heavy that should not be a problem, at all. I've got many pens where the nib sticks out over the feed like that.

a fountain pen is physics in action... Proud member of the SuperPinks

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I just found another identical nib unit in my parts box.

It's too late now to find my flashlight and loupe, but tomorrow I'll check to see if there is a ridge to stop the nib at a certain spot.

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Looks good to me, though there is something about the cap that looks a little odd.. maybe the transition from straight to curve? Definitely nothing major.. and if it writes well, Bonus! :-)

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You're too kind :)

 

I have two pieces of good news though:

 

The first is that I examined the other identical nib holder that I found in my parts box, and figured out that the nib was definitely not inserted all the way.

This gave me the confidence to push the nib in further and it is now seated correctly.

 

I had to push this one much harder than any other nib I have inserted in the past, which is why I was reluctant to force it until I knew for sure it could go further.

 

The pen still writes perfectly, and is in fact a bit wetter now the feed is closer to the tip.

 

 

The second piece of good news is that I found an extra scrap of the same red blank that had fallen behind my lathe.

This one has a blowout from drilling, but I think there is enough material to make a nicer cap.

 

It will probably have to wait until the weekend, but I'll be sure to post an update.

Edited by Jamesbeat
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I got a couple of hours last night to work on this pen. I made a replacement cap, and I am MUCH happier with it now!

 

I did have to cheat a little - the black ebonite top of the cap did not come from scrap, I had to dip into my supply.

 

I made the cap in a classic flat-top 'streamline' style, which I think looks better than the more heavily tapered original version.

 

I didn't have time to do the final sanding and polishing, so the cap is currently as it came off the lathe. I'm hoping to get to to spend some time on it tonight and get the whole pen sanded and polished.

 

I'm also toying with the idea of blunting the end of the barrel to match the cap, but I haven't made up my mind yet.

I may also add some kind of roll stopper.

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Hm. It may be a better match, color-wise, but I liked the earlier shape a little better. But since it's your pen... Enjoy!

a fountain pen is physics in action... Proud member of the SuperPinks

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It was the shape that I didn't like - it was like a vacumatic type taper, but on a pen this wide it didn't work.

Made it look like a sharpie :D

 

I still have both caps, so if I change my mind I can always go back. I'm liking it the way it is for now though.

Just a nice polish and I'm done.

 

Edit:

I flattened the end of the barrel to match the flat-top cap, and adjusted the angle of the cap lip chamfer.

The pen is now all polished up and ready to go.

 

I'm very pleased with how it turned out :)

I'll post photos of the finished pen tomorrow.

Edited by Jamesbeat
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Finished!

 

However, looking at the photos, I just noticed some machining marks in the section :(

They aren't really visible to the naked eye, but they obviously show up in photos.

Might have to do a bit more polishing tonight to get rid of them...

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