Customized Pilot Pens - Any Interest?

[Maurizio]

I posted this in the Japanese pen forum about 2 weeks ago and the response was underwhelming. Posting here to see if I can garner any more interest. But I guess I'm just going to cry in my beer and be resigned to use a cheap plastic Parallel pen:

 

"I'm posting this here first, then depending on the response will either post something in the pen turning forum or perhaps, compose a letter to Pilot HQ in Japan. Or, if there's no interest at all, do nothing except cry in my beer.

 

I have all four sizes of the Pilot Parallel pens and use then frequently to practice italic calligraphy. I would like to have a "nicer" version of a Pilot Parallel pen such as a pen body made of wood or ebonite. If you browse any of the calligraphy supply catalogs or sites you will see that there are a variety of nice wooden dip pen bodies available from various manufacturers ranging in price from $10.00 - $20..00.

 

So 2 questions:

 

1 - Is anyone else interested in this or am i just spittin' in the wind and destined to use the ho-hum bodies of the Pilot Parallels?

 

2 - How much of a premium would you be willing to pay for such a nicer version of a Parallel pen?

 

For myself I'd be willing to pay as much as $40. for a wooden body (perhaps ebonite would be more expensive?).

 

Getting the body itself produced shouldn't be that costly based on the variety of dip pen bodies which are available and their price. The challenge would be fitting the body with the threaded insert to accept the nib. I don't see why Pilot couldn't figure out a way to use the same plastic insert and put that into a wooden ( or ebonite) body.

 

Thoughts?"

Edited January 23, 2017 by Maurizio

[Jamesbeat]

I'm not all that familiar with the Parallel, but it looks like it is of relatively conventional construction, ie a section (the part you grip that holds the nib) and the barrel.

 

Do you mean that you want to have a custom replacement barrel that the section screws into?

 

If so, that should be doable, just need the correct size tap to match the threads on the section.

 

I wouldn't rely too heavily on the prices of regular dip pens. You are talking about a custom item to fit a specific pen model, which means it's a lot more specialized.

The market would be much smaller, and the price consequently higher for a niche item such as this.

 

Not trying to put you off, just want to protect you from potential sticker shock if you base your expected price on regular dip pens.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Jamesbeat

[Maurizio]

Hi James - are you a woodsmith? Yes you are correct. What we need is a barrel into which the existing Parallel nib unit would fit (or screw). Also, this barrel would need to be hollow at least to the length of a converter and cartridge.

 

I like the fact that you "local" in NY. Although I now live in NJ, grew up in the Hudson Valley and I work in the City.

 

If you are a turner would would you estimate the cost of a job like this would be?

 

In my desire and desperation, I've thought of trying a homemade procedure. I may try to neatly slice the threaded section of the Parallel barrel and try to find a wooden pen blank onto, or into which I could glue the threaded section.

 

Sadly, there doesn't seem to be enough interest in this project to make it worth the time of a wood turner. I was hoping we might get a lot of enthusiastic interest so that a turner would see there were customers lining up and so see that there was some steady work in the piece, and, therefore, lowering the cost once the initial work was done. Clearly, there are a lot of people using Parallel pens. If you go to the Paper and Ink Arts website (www.paperandinkarts.com), you will see that they sell customized versions of the Parallel pens and have an artisan who has re-ground the nib widths to 4 custom sizes. They sell these at a still modest double the price of the original pen. They've been doing this for at least 2 years I believe, so somebody must be buying all those customized Paralells. I wouldn't expect a wood body to be as relatively inexpensive, but I was hoping the market would be full of enough customers to keep prices relatively low. That doesn't seem to be the case. I think I will send an email to Paper and Ink Arts to explore this possibility also.

[Jamesbeat]

No, I'm not a woodturner, but I do make acrylic and ebonite pens on an amateur basis.

 

Something to bear in mind from the outset is that wood generally doesn't thread well, especially the fine threads you find in a fountain pen.

I'd say that there is a very high probability that there will have to be some kind of threaded metal or plastic sleeve inside the wood.

This may increase the width of the area where the barrel meets the section to an undesirable width.

 

The only other difficulty I anticipate is the threads for the section.

It's possible that they are a standard size, but for some reason most commercial pens seem to have custom threads.

A custom tap to cut those threads might be expensive, more so if they are multiple lead threads.

 

I think if you were to get someone to make them for you, there may be a minimum order just to defray the cost of the custom tooling.

 

If the pen happens to be a standard off the shelf thread, then the tap will only be $10-$20, and that's much less of a burden.

 

I'd say that the first thing you need to do is find out exactly what the spec of those section threads are.

That will give you the information you need to get a price quote from a maker.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Jamesbeat

[Jamesbeat]

I just looked at some photos of the Parallel, and it looks like the cap screws on.

If this is correct, it complicates things somewhat.

 

I can practically guaranteed that the cap threads are multiple lead, and it's a good bet that they are some non standard size.

This means a custom die, which can get expensive fast, and often with a minimum order quantity.

 

A neat way to sidestep this would be to dispense with the supplied cap and make a new one.

Then the maker could choose which cap threads to use, and cut down on tooling costs (though it would probably still be expensive).

 

This would mean making both a cap and a barrel, which is getting into almost full custom pen territory, the only things missing being the section and nib.

[Flyingwatchmaker]

as an aside or even slightly parallel to this, I had thought to use the section from the Pilot Metropolitan for the pens I will be making... then found the Bock and Jowo nib units, and am heading in that direction instead, for both plastic (alumilite/ebonite/acrylic) and wooden pens.. The main decision in this was the time saved in re-machining pieces and hoping that everything would work happily once I'd finished (been down that path with watches and it can get very frustrating and expensive, very fast)

 

Tom

[Jamesbeat]

Yes, I had a similar idea a while back.

When I decided to make pens, I thought I would start easy by buying pens and using the whole section/nib assembly and just making caps and barrels.

 

Turns out that this would require exotic taps etc and the end result would be less satisfying, so I didn't bother.

 

This situation is different of course because the Parallel is a very unique pen with a specific purpose.

[Maurizio]

James, thanks for your insight. Yes the cap does screw on so I'd say it's looking like this will end up costing way more than i was anticipating and therefore not doable. I was hoping it might be doable for something like $50. on the high end but it doesn't seem like that's a close estimate if we're talking about an almost totally customized cap and barrel whether the artisan uses wood or ebonite - which to me would be a nice alternative to wood.

 

Proving your point about wood not threading well, I have a very nice Pilot Custom Kaede (resin-infused maple wood) fountain pen and indeed there is a plastic threaded sleeve in the barrel to facilitate the cap screwing on and off.

 

Looks like i'll think about a plan B: find a wooden pen blank barrel - if such things exist - and see if I can make a Frankenpen by inserting or attaching the Parallel nib section to that.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Maurizio

[Jamesbeat]

I hope I didn't dishearten you too much, it's just the way it is.

You could always save the money for a custom made one sometime in the future.

It could last essentially forever if you take care of it, so it would be a sound investment.

 

Maybe you could put together a group buy for the necessary tap (if it's a non standard size) and that would make it a lot easier to find someone to make it for you.

 

Don't lose hope just yet, find out the specs for the section thread so you at least know where you stand.

[APPLEMAN]

Not a very good pic but it was all I could find on some work I did

 

http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr15/APPLEMAN320/IMG_0686.jpg

 

http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr15/APPLEMAN320/IMG_0685.jpg

 

Green one on the right with a converter installed

 

http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr15/APPLEMAN320/IMG_2011.jpg

 

http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr15/APPLEMAN320/IMG_2010.jpg

 

http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr15/APPLEMAN320/IMG_2014.jpg

 

http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr15/APPLEMAN320/IMG_2012.jpg

 

http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr15/APPLEMAN320/IMG_2013.jpg

[darrin1200]

Hi Appleman.

 

Those look sharp. I have been following his thread with the thought to give it a try. Unfortunately for Maurizio, I don't think these will be any less than my other custom pens.

I will likely pick one up next week to study, but would you be able to tell me what thread you used for the section?

 

Thanks.

[Jamesbeat]

Appleman, that's some nice work.

 

There's no section to make or nib to buy, so that would have to count for something when considering the price.

It's still pretty much a custom pen though.

[Maurizio]

Appleman, that''s a very handsome looking custom job on the Pilot Parallel nib section. I'm afraid I won't like the answer, but, my curiosity compels me to ask, assuming you'd like to make another, what would your price be for that kind of work?

[Maurizio]

Hi Darrin - your work is beautiful. I may treat myself sometime to one of your straight nib holders but I don't use traditional nibs often. The straight holders you've made are extraordinary.

 

I believe my idea of a somewhat reasonably priced customized pen body to house a Pilot Parallel nib unit will not come to fruition because it appears that to do it requires too much - justifiably - pricey custom work. Since the pens themselves sell for about $8.00, a $100.00 customized version just seems not worth the cost to me or, I imagine, the scores if not hundreds of others who do enjoy using the Parallel pens

[darrin1200]

In the realm of pen making, buying a pilot parralel just for the section would be like buying a fountain pen nib and feed. It would just come in a really long shipping tube. :-)

 

Buying a customized holder to fit the Pilot nibs, is no different than buying any customized calligraphy holder, just a little more specialized. You can buy one very cheap or you can spend a small fortune. Its all up to you.

 

This customized holder idea does have me intrigued though, so I will still add it to my project list and continue looking into it.

[Maurizio]

Please post any experiments or results if and when you do.

[Jamesbeat]

In the realm of pen making, buying a pilot parralel just for the section would be like buying a fountain pen nib and feed. It would just come in a really long shipping tube. :-)

 

I don't agree with that.

 

If you buy a nib unit, you have to make at least three parts - a cap, a barrel and a section (for the nib unit to go into).

If you were to buy a Parallel for the section, you only have to make two parts - a cap and a barrel.

 

Making a section requires quite a few machining operations, so having a ready-made section would eliminate a lot of machining time.

[darrin1200]

I understand what you mean James. I was only refering to the fact that it is simply buying a part, such as the nib and feed.

There are a lot of aspects, that go into making a pen, that can vary the time and complexity. The nib and section are just one part.

[APPLEMAN]

but would you be able to tell me what thread you used for the section?

 

If my memory is correct I think it was a M10 x .5

[Jamesbeat]

Victor machinery has M10 x .5 taps for $6.50, but they have a minimum order of $25.

Edited January 27, 2017 by Jamesbeat