Custom Pens From Fosfor Pens, India

[fpwriter]

The fountain pen hobby is still pretty new for me and over the past 2 odd years I have been lucky to come across some wonderful pens and people. The learning curve was relatively rapid as there was so much info to take in and combinations of pens, inks and paper to try out. But by far the best part of this hobby is to not have to stick to standard mass produced and factory made stuff. Not that there's anything wrong with it, I love my Pelikans as much as any custom pen, but the joy of being able to pick and choose what material, shape, filling mechanism and nib combination you want your pen to have is a truly pleasurable experience. The process of getting the pen made is as pleasant as owning and using them. Today I would like to share a few such pens I was able to add to my small collection.

 

All of these were made by Manoj at Fosfor Pens and he has managed to impress me every single time. The execution is pretty spot on to what I have asked during the design discussion every single time.

 

The first pen I got made was a KOP sized/shaped pen.

Now this particular pen was made by other people before me and while I liked the pen, I wasn't impressed enough to get one for myself. That was in till I saw the pen in the CS Dartmoor. To my eyes, that looked prettier than even the actual KOP in regular ebonite

This then simply had to be my first Fosfor pen. There were a few clip options to choose from and I went with the ball ended one. A pen this size (and namesake) needs a matching nib to go with it, so I decided to go with the Jowo #8 rose gold nib in B. Like all Jowo nibs I have used till date, this one too wrote beautifully out of the box and put down a smooth wet line. Sadly, a piston filler couldn't be incorporated into this design for some reason, so I went with the pilot con70 for the filling mechanism. Since this was a design Fosfor had done few times the only input I had to give was how I preferred the grip section and the transition from the barrel to grip. The polishing could have been a tad bit better but that's just me nitpicking. The fit and finish is excellent and the pen works perfectly.

 

The next pen I got was a custom design idea that was not done before.

The shape/profile is fairly straight forward but this is what I thought would best go with the pattern of the blank. I wanted a plunger filler for this pen and though Fosfor hadn't done one prior to that, Manoj was more than happy to take it up and give it a try.

The filling mechanism from a vintage Sheaffer was retro fit into the pen. It needed some tweaking later on but now works perfectly.

What I love most about this pen is the balance and feel of it in the hand. It is somewhat similar to how a Pikan M1000 feels, which works perfectly for me. The bands used were made out of bronze and are taking a patina over time. The over all look, the bronze fittings and knowing about the retro fit plunger in it, this pen gives a very vintage-y feel while using it.

 

The third pen was built around a TWSBI Vac700. This particular pen that was used was my daily carry pen and used to be inked and carried irrespective of the other pens I had inked. Unfortunately, even though I used and kept the TWSBI carefully, it started falling apart. First the cap broke where the steel ring was attached, then the inner thread in the grip section broke. While TWSBI was willing to send replacement parts for the broken ones, I needed a more permanent solution. So I decided to custom make a pen using the best bits of the Vac700.

The cap, grip and plunger knob were made in CS Dartmoor while retaining the fill mechanism and the barrel.

One of the things that I didn't like about the vac700 was how thin the grip section felt for such a large pen. This is something that was on the top of my list to remedy with the custom pen. The grip section is now much wider and more comfortable. The pen balances well too because of this minor change in design. I swapped out the steel nib with a Bock #6 Ti Broad nib.

I retained the fittings on the cap from the vac. I wished the cap and filler knob could have been faceted like the vac700 but that couldn't be done due to restrictions of hand machining the pen. But even without that, this pen looks beautiful and is among my favourites.

 

The last pen (for now, since others are still queued up to be made) is this pen made in buffalo horn.

The inspiration for this pen and design is pretty obvious. While I did like the original, spending that much for it is something I couldn't justify to myself. Hence I took the easy (cheaper) way out

Fosfor hadn't worked with the material before so I checked if it would be ok to make a pen with it. When the response was in affirmation, I was a happy man.

The pen was fairly simple in design since the reason for getting this pen was the material itself. A nice touch to the design was the rollstop band in the barrel. The band is made of silver and plated in rose gold. I love the hammered effect it has.

The buffalo horn has some nice pattern and also a little depth to it that I like.

I was told that polishing the horn and getting an even finish isn't a simple task so the surface finish across the blank is not a 100% even. But I guess most people would be bothered much by this. To my eyes the finish could have been better but it is what it is and and glad to have something unique when compared to the rest of my pens.

 

It has been a pleasure to work with Fosfor. More so due to the clarity in communication, the timely updates and the prompt responses to my emails. For a one man operation, Manoj is doing a very commendable job. Three cheers to him!

 

Cheers,

Kshitij.

Edited February 25, 2018 by KshitijShetty

[Aditkamath26]

That customized TWSBI though! It just erases every negative of the vac700. I think I must get one for myself now!!

[Honeybadgers]

Ho. ly. (bleep).

[hari317]

You have sone lovely pens. Excellent job by you and Manoj. Thanks for sharing.

Best

Hari

Edited February 25, 2018 by hari317

[mhguda]

Nice writeup of some wonderful pens.

My only nit to pick would be the fact that you incorporated the Twsby's cap jewel into your & Manoj's hybrid - giving them more credit than they deserve! Although it does look very nice...

And your experience with Manoj mirrors my own: he is wonderful to work with. His most special pen for me was an Islander, made of wood from my late parents' garden, that has a special significance for me because trees do not grow easy on that island...

That material also could not be polished perfectly, but that's fine with me - the bark of those trees always is very rough under one's hand, and so I'm reminded in that respect too of that very special place in my life...

[fpwriter]

Thanks guys!

 

Nice writeup of some wonderful pens.

My only nit to pick would be the fact that you incorporated the Twsby's cap jewel into your & Manoj's hybrid - giving them more credit than they deserve! Although it does look very nice...

 

Hahaha... while their pens seem to fall part on their own, it was a good affair while it lasted. So incorporating the finial was a small tribute to that

[BlueJ]

KS: Does Manoj stock or order the Dartmoor material himself, or did you have to arrange to get it shipped to him?

 

Also, did Manoj fabricate some kind of adaptor to make the Pilot CON-70 fit the back of the Jowo nib unit?

[prashant.tikekar]

Those pens are stunning. Hats off to the efforts put in by both of you.

[fpwriter]

KS: Does Manoj stock or order the Dartmoor material himself, or did you have to arrange to get it shipped to him?

 

Also, did Manoj fabricate some kind of adaptor to make the Pilot CON-70 fit the back of the Jowo nib unit?

Hi BlueJ,

Yes, Fosfor does have the Dartmoor in stock. Though the blanks for the one with the #8 Jowo nib was sent by me, the blanks for the TWSBI pen were supplied by Fosfor only.

As for the adaptor for the con70 I am not sure. Can't see anything special inside the grip section but I can use both the Con70 and a regular CC just fine with that pen.

 

Those pens are stunning. Hats off to the efforts put in by both of you.

Thanks Prashant! They are among my favourite pens.

 

Cheers!

Edited March 1, 2018 by KshitijShetty

[SoulSamurai]

Lovely pens. That TSBI looks incredible.

[siamackz]

The fountain pen hobby is still pretty new for me and over the past 2 odd years I have been lucky to come across some wonderful pens and people. The learning curve was relatively rapid as there was so much info to take in and combinations of pens, inks and paper to try out. But by far the best part of this hobby is to not have to stick to standard mass produced and factory made stuff. Not that there's anything wrong with it, I love my Pelikans as much as any custom pen, but the joy of being able to pick and choose what material, shape, filling mechanism and nib combination you want your pen to have is a truly pleasurable experience. The process of getting the pen made is as pleasant as owning and using them. Today I would like to share a few such pens I was able to add to my small collection.

 

All of these were made by Manoj at Fosfor Pens and he has managed to impress me every single time. The execution is pretty spot on to what I have asked during the design discussion every single time.

 

The first pen I got made was a KOP sized/shaped pen.

20180225_122108-1305x734.jpg

Now this particular pen was made by other people before me and while I liked the pen, I wasn't impressed enough to get one for myself. That was in till I saw the pen in the CS Dartmoor. To my eyes, that looked prettier than even the actual KOP in regular ebonite

20180225_123820.jpg

20180225_123306-1305x1236.jpg

This then simply had to be my first Fosfor pen. There were a few clip options to choose from and I went with the ball ended one. A pen this size (and namesake) needs a matching nib to go with it, so I decided to go with the Jowo #8 rose gold nib in B. Like all Jowo nibs I have used till date, this one too wrote beautifully out of the box and put down a smooth wet line. Sadly, a piston filler couldn't be incorporated into this design for some reason, so I went with the pilot con70 for the filling mechanism. Since this was a design Fosfor had done few times the only input I had to give was how I preferred the grip section and the transition from the barrel to grip. The polishing could have been a tad bit better but that's just me nitpicking. The fit and finish is excellent and the pen works perfectly.

 

The next pen I got was a custom design idea that was not done before.

20180225_122255-1305x734.jpg

The shape/profile is fairly straight forward but this is what I thought would best go with the pattern of the blank. I wanted a plunger filler for this pen and though Fosfor hadn't done one prior to that, Manoj was more than happy to take it up and give it a try.

20180225_120231-1305x734.jpg

The filling mechanism from a vintage Sheaffer was retro fit into the pen. It needed some tweaking later on but now works perfectly.

20180225_124212.jpg

What I love most about this pen is the balance and feel of it in the hand. It is somewhat similar to how a Pikan M1000 feels, which works perfectly for me. The bands used were made out of bronze and are taking a patina over time. The over all look, the bronze fittings and knowing about the retro fit plunger in it, this pen gives a very vintage-y feel while using it.

 

The third pen was built around a TWSBI Vac700. This particular pen that was used was my daily carry pen and used to be inked and carried irrespective of the other pens I had inked. Unfortunately, even though I used and kept the TWSBI carefully, it started falling apart. First the cap broke where the steel ring was attached, then the inner thread in the grip section broke. While TWSBI was willing to send replacement parts for the broken ones, I needed a more permanent solution. So I decided to custom make a pen using the best bits of the Vac700.

20180225_122950-1305x701.jpg

The cap, grip and plunger knob were made in CS Dartmoor while retaining the fill mechanism and the barrel.

20180225_122915-1305x894.jpg

One of the things that I didn't like about the vac700 was how thin the grip section felt for such a large pen. This is something that was on the top of my list to remedy with the custom pen. The grip section is now much wider and more comfortable. The pen balances well too because of this minor change in design. I swapped out the steel nib with a Bock #6 Ti Broad nib.

20180225_115842-1305x734.jpg

I retained the fittings on the cap from the vac. I wished the cap and filler knob could have been faceted like the vac700 but that couldn't be done due to restrictions of hand machining the pen. But even without that, this pen looks beautiful and is among my favourites.

20180225_115745-1305x734.jpg

 

The last pen (for now, since others are still queued up to be made) is this pen made in buffalo horn.

20180225_121824-1305x734.jpg

The inspiration for this pen and design is pretty obvious. While I did like the original, spending that much for it is something I couldn't justify to myself. Hence I took the easy (cheaper) way out

Fosfor hadn't worked with the material before so I checked if it would be ok to make a pen with it. When the response was in affirmation, I was a happy man.

20180225_121039-1305x734.jpg

The pen was fairly simple in design since the reason for getting this pen was the material itself. A nice touch to the design was the rollstop band in the barrel. The band is made of silver and plated in rose gold. I love the hammered effect it has.

The buffalo horn has some nice pattern and also a little depth to it that I like. 20180222_151245-1305x817.jpg

I was told that polishing the horn and getting an even finish isn't a simple task so the surface finish across the blank is not a 100% even. But I guess most people would be bothered much by this. To my eyes the finish could have been better but it is what it is and and glad to have something unique when compared to the rest of my pens.

20180222_145401-1305x2116.jpg

 

It has been a pleasure to work with Fosfor. More so due to the clarity in communication, the timely updates and the prompt responses to my emails. For a one man operation, Manoj is doing a very commendable job. Three cheers to him!

 

Cheers,

Kshitij.

Manoj and you have done a commendable job! I had a pen designed with him and waited 5 months in the queue but then cancelled right before he was about to start because I changed my mind and started focusing on vintage Pens by then.

 

Enjoy these beautiful pens

[fpwriter]

Lovely pens. That TSBI looks incredible.

Thanks. I enjoy using that one quite a bit

 

Manoj and you have done a commendable job! I had a pen designed with him and waited 5 months in the queue but then cancelled right before he was about to start because I changed my mind and started focusing on vintage Pens by then.

 

Enjoy these beautiful pens

Thanks! The lead time at Fosfor is quite long at the moment. I have had to wait for a long time for these pens. It did create a slightly different problem for me too... by the time my turn came up, I always ended up wanting to make more pens than I had originally asked for Edited March 4, 2018 by KshitijShetty