second fountain pen - royal purple quilted acrylic Jr. Retro

[Joe Aliperti]

I kept my first FP; this one's for my wife --- then I'll make some for sale!

Royal purple quilted acrylic
CSUSA Jr. Retro in rhodium plating
Lou Metcalf medium point flex nib
"Purple Mojo" Private Reserve ink :cool:

This blank is pretty cool. From one angle it has a quilted chatoyance, and at another angle it's mostly black with a thin ribbon design. I tried to capture the effect in the photos. Thanks for looking!

http://www.silverlakewoodworks.com/images/pens/purple_fountain1.JPG

http://www.silverlakewoodworks.com/images/pens/purple_fountain2.JPG

http://www.silverlakewoodworks.com/images/pens/purple_fountain3.JPG

[David Walser]

Jim,

Your wife should love her new pen. It's a real beauty.

Where did you get the blank?

[John Keeton]

Joe, I think you nailed the two different "looks" in the last two pics! Amazing that they can get that kind of chatoyance in acrylic. Really a nice pen!

[Jeff Nicol]

Joe, How do the fountain pens write and do they ever get messy like some of the old ones I have do? I have been wanting to make some but my other affliction (Welding) has been keeping me out of the shop for wood or turning much. I did blow out a few pens for a show I did last weekend just to have some variety. Lots of interest but only one pen buyer, and up here in "Whitetail Country" it was a cartridge pen!

I love the acrylic blanks and have a drawer full so I need to get busy!

Great pictures,

Jeff

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very classy looking pen Joe! Your wife will love it!

Very nice photos as well!

[Joe Aliperti]

Thanks!


Jim,

Your wife should love her new pen. It's a real beauty.

Where did you get the blank?

I got the blank from Griffin Exotic Woods. Here's the link to the pen blank page. It's the one called "Royal Purple".

http://www.exoticwood.biz/pen-blanks.htm


Joe, How do the fountain pens write and do they ever get messy like some of the old ones I have do? I have been wanting to make some but my other affliction (Welding) has been keeping me out of the shop for wood or turning much. I did blow out a few pens for a show I did last weekend just to have some variety. Lots of interest but only one pen buyer, and up here in "Whitetail Country" it was a cartridge pen!

I love the acrylic blanks and have a drawer full so I need to get busy!

Great pictures,

Jeff

Thanks, Jeff. I've only been writing with a fountain pen for about a week now, and so far no mess. Writing with it takes a little getting used to, especially for a lefty. Sometimes I have the angle wrong, and no ink comes out at first, so I think I need to work on my technique.

I'm using Private Reserve cartridges, as opposed to using a piston converter. My wife will be the real test pilot though... she's a teacher and Master's student and does a ton of writing. She took her new pen for a test drive this morning and really liked it. No ink flow problems for her. I'll keep you updated and look forward to seeing some of your pens!

[David E Keller]

That's a beautiful pen, Joe. Great finish and photos as usual.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Joe that is a beauty. She is going to love that one.

[James Combs]

Very nice Joe, She will love it.

I'm kinda looking for a personal keeper myself but I am leaning toward a roller ball.

[Donny Lawson]

I really like the purple design.Thanks for showing.I would like to make one like it one day.
Donny

[Jim Shaver, Oakville Ont]

Nicely done:)

[Norm Zax]

Nice touch with the excellent nib and purple ink! and excellent craftsmanship.

[Baxter Smith]

One of the nicer pens I have seen. Great pics as well.

[Jarrett Sadowsky]

Joe,

That is an awesome pen. I usually am more drawn to the wood pens, but the purple acrylic is stunning.

I recently purchased a mandrel and some European pen blanks. I am curious what size mandrel is required for this style pen? It looks like the blank is drilled to about 1/2" diameter. Is there a special sleeve or something that is used to make up the difference in diameter to the 7 mm pens?

Jarrett

[Joe Aliperti]

Thanks for all the comments. :)


Joe,

That is an awesome pen. I usually am more drawn to the wood pens, but the purple acrylic is stunning.

I recently purchased a mandrel and some European pen blanks. I am curious what size mandrel is required for this style pen? It looks like the blank is drilled to about 1/2" diameter. Is there a special sleeve or something that is used to make up the difference in diameter to the 7 mm pens?

Jarrett

I actually don't use a mandrel to turn my pens. But this pen can still be turned on the same size mandrel as a European. The tenon on the bushings is what creates the snug fit inside the tube.

I use a 60° live center and 60° dead center along with steel bushings that I get from this vendor:

http://www.penturnersproducts.com

The bushings are sized precisely for each pen kit and have a female 60° chamfer that mates with the live/dead centers. Then I turn one pen barrel at a time. In the penturner community, this is known as "Turning between centers" as opposed to turning on a mandrel.