I Made A Kaweco Liliput In Fireblue Today

[sub_bluesy]

I think it came out a little better actually than oem but only because I polished the pen first. Mostly it came out about the same as it does when Kaweco fires the pen. Firing this pen was very different than firing the Steel Sport. I had to really lay into this one and I think it took longer than the Steel Sport despite no real disassembly required with the Liliput. I didnt fire it with machining oil on it as Kaweco does. The results are very similar though. Theres no plastic in this pen so its pretty straight forward to fire. The big challenge was to get the polishing compound out of the threads. I used a sonicare toothbrush with an expired brush head to do that. Optimally would be an ultra sonic cleaner. I figure it took an hour start to finish if anyone is interested in doing this at home. Overall I do like the finish better on the polished pen vs the original Kaweco Fireblue but I can see why Kaweco doesnt go that route. Just the cleaning would add an hour to production for each pen. Original Fireblue on the left and mine on the right.

[Chrissy]

If I was asked to pick the one I liked best, it would easily be the pen on the right. No contest. That's a great job well done.

[catbert]

Nice job! It would be interesting to see how the two finishes hold up over time.

[SoulSamurai]

Damn man, you're making Kaweco look bad! I mean the company, not your pen, your pen looks great!

[sub_bluesy]

I think the cutting oil is really holding Kaweco back from getting the gold and purple tones on this pen. The stainless really needs a lot of heat to oxidize to that color. Surprisingly I could make a gold colored Liliput all day long the way the stainless oxidizes. Really, just straight up gold over the whole pen! I was really surprised about that. I was like “hey where’s the purple and blues already?”

[sub_bluesy]

Damn man, you're making Kaweco look bad! I mean the company, not your pen, your pen looks great!

After doing all this myself, I can see why Kaweco does what they do but there is some room for improvement if you’re willing to take a little more time

[Uncial]

How did you you do it; as in, what's the process?

[SoulSamurai]

You've got me interested in trying it myself now. I would like to use a larger pen than a Liliput or Sport though; can anyone think of any affordable (so I'm not as scared of screwing up) stainless steel pens that would be easy to remove all plastic from? I have a SS Lamy Logo somewhere, I might try to dissassemble it.

[Uncial]

That's exactly why I asked about the process as I'm wondering what it would look like on the Delike 'War & Peace' pen.

[MsRedpen]

You did it again!!! Great work.

I also like your finish better than the original!

[southpaw]

Wow....just WOW! Easily you're is better. Nice craftsmanship.

[sub_bluesy]

Thanks all! To fire this pen I first took the nib unit out and polished the pen with a die grinder. Then cleaned the polishing compound off and degreased the pen thoroughly. After that, a rinse in alcohol and wiped the parts down. I used a mapp gas torch to fire the pen. Firing the pen is completely subjective to what color you want but if you’re happy with gold or purple, it’s best to stop early. It seems the hotter and longer you fire the pen, the more light blues you get. It’s pretty much the same process that I used on the Steel Sport in an earlier post.

[sub_bluesy]

You've got me interested in trying it myself now. I would like to use a larger pen than a Liliput or Sport though; can anyone think of any affordable (so I'm not as scared of screwing up) stainless steel pens that would be easy to remove all plastic from? I have a SS Lamy Logo somewhere, I might try to dissassemble it.

Please post some pics if you do fire a pen! I’ve had my eye on doing a Jinhao x750 but I think the silver colored pen might be aluminum so that won’t work. What other steel pens are out there that you can think of?? The hard part is really figuring out how to strip the pen of everything plated or that melts.

[Uncial]

Thank you, that sounds pretty straight forward.

[Spelikan]

I am bringing this thread forward, because encouraged by your (@sub_bluesy) results, I made my own Fireblue last evening.

 

I didn't polish, or degrease, or do more than wipe down with alcohol before beginning, but only because I didn't actually understand what was meant by the first two.

 

"Wipe down with alcohol," I can do.

 

My neighbor's son is a welder, and I'd hoped he'd do the honors with a Mapp gas torch or such.

 

Instead, my neighbor showed me how to fire up his Coleman propane torch, we torched the pen cap (perched on a screwdriver) together just long enough to see that 'discoloration' would definitely happen, and he sent me and his propane torch on our way.

 

 

Steel Liliput over Supra, Before:

 

 

With the pen parts propped up in vises (cap on a screwdriver, section and body-- screwed together-- on a hex wrench), I moved the torch over them until they heated up and changed color.

 

The results aren't as mottled/variegated as the official versions, let as alone as pleasingly dramatic as @sub_bluesy's, but I mostly just wanted the pen to be interesting and mostly Blue. I am very happy with the results.

 

Just After:

 

 

 

 

In the cold, matte light of a new day:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(The pen often appears more muted, like directly above, but the 'brighter' images are accurate as well-- it all depends on the light.)

 

I'd been following another thread here about the potential of Kaweco's Fireblue to fade over time, and possible coatings, etc. to apply to prevent this.

 

At this point, I've decided to simply let the pen distress and fade as it will, and take it from there.

 

At ~$50 for the pen and a short 30 minutes(?) of work with a borrowed torch, I am no longer concerned about preserving a perceived investment the way I might still be if I'd paid the going rate for an official Fireblue.

 

 

-- The Stainless Liliput has such a great weight and presentation when posted, I highly recommend it even if one has no plans to apply Fire.

 

~ S.

Edited November 15, 2018 by Spelikan

[BaronWulfraed]

FYI: true MAPP fuel has not been manufactured for over a decade (at least, not in the US) -- the last producer shut down the line. "MAP//Pro" is really just a propylene/propane mix, with a somewhat lower heat transfer.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAPP_gas

[sub_bluesy]

I am bringing this thread forward, because encouraged by your (@sub_bluesy) results, I made my own Fireblue last evening.

 

I didn't polish, or degrease, or do more than wipe down with alcohol before beginning, but only because I didn't actually understand what was meant by the first two.

 

"Wipe down with alcohol," I can do.

 

My neighbor's son is a welder, and I'd hoped he'd do the honors with a Mapp gas torch or such.

 

Instead, my neighbor showed me how to fire up his Coleman propane torch, we torched the pen cap (perched on a screwdriver) together just long enough to see that 'discoloration' would definitely happen, and he sent me and his propane torch on our way.

 

 

Steel Liliput over Supra, Before:

 

 

With the pen parts propped up in vises (cap on a screwdriver, section and body-- screwed together-- on a hex wrench), I moved the torch over them until they heated up and changed color.

 

The results aren't as mottled/variegated as the official versions, let as alone as pleasingly dramatic as @sub_bluesy's, but I mostly just wanted the pen to be interesting and mostly Blue. I am very happy with the results.

 

Just After:

 

 

 

 

In the cold, matte light of a new day:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(The pen often appears more muted, like directly above, but the 'brighter' images are accurate as well-- it all depends on the light.)

 

I'd been following another thread here about the potential of Kaweco's Fireblue to fade over time, and possible coatings, etc. to apply to prevent this.

 

At this point, I've decided to simply let the pen distress and fade as it will, and take it from there.

 

At ~$50 for the pen and a short 30 minutes(?) of work with a borrowed torch, I am no longer concerned about preserving a perceived investment the way I might still be if I'd paid the going rate for an official Fireblue.

 

 

-- The Stainless Liliput has such a great weight and presentation when posted, I highly recommend it even if one has no plans to apply Fire.

 

~ S.

This looks great! I have to report that polishing is not the way to go with a fireblue finish. Mine has started to flake just a little. The rougher finish should hold up pretty good I suspect. The steel sport I made a while back with the raw brushed finish was just fine. Montegrappa seems to have learned this the hard way on the polished Blazer pens. The section finish would flake off. It looks like they finally just ended up leaving the section raw steel.

[wastelanded]

I've been waiting forever for someone to do this. The premium that Kaweco charges for the finish is laughable! Well done 👏👏👏

[amberleadavis]

WOW thank you for sharing this!

[Muncle]

Both of the pens look amazing!