Black Beauty------Fountain Pen

[Gary Max]

This has been are real Joy--I had several other words in mind --I spent they better part of last week messing with this Fountain Pen. The wood is Ebony --and I was going to get the perfect finish no matter how many times I had to redo it. Then after getting the finish perfect---I took about 40 pics and these two are the best I could get. Sometimes you just got to keep on working on the finish until you get it right.
Hope you enjoy
Oh I already Have a buyer for this one.

[John Hart]

Hot Dang Gary. I think you nailed it! No chance of cracking I hope.:)

[Jim Dunn]

Gary it's very nice but so pretty it looks like plastic. Was that the look you were going for?

[Michael Stafford]

Gary, the pen is beautiful. I think you would find it easier to photograph something like that pen if you used a more neutral background. The red is so much contrast I think it makes it harder to see your beautiful work. IMHO.

[Andy Hoyt]

I agree with Big Mike. Alternatively, this pen is so nice that perhaps it deserves a vignette setting (ala John Harts pics from late last fall) would be nice. Ya know, cherry desktop, dark leather blotter thingie, some stationery, a tattered dictionary, etc etc.

[Gary Max]

Mike I tried everything for a back ground---almost just gave up---it's been a long day.
Jim it still has the feel of wood---so that super high gloss shine is what I wanted-- I really spent a huge amount of time getting it to look just like that.
John that blank has been through so much that I don't think it will crack.
If you look closely at the pics----you can see the detail of the nib and the rivets on the inside of the clip---the treads on the end of the pen. I ain't a fan of the red but the detail is there.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Gary.........Black Beauty...such an appropriate name!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Gary great pen. Definately a beautiful pen.

[Chris Barton]

Gary, that's a very fine piece of work! I know there is a proud owner out there waiting to get there hands on it.

[Corey Hallagan]

Wow, that's a beauty Gary! Nice work.

Corey

[Pete Simmons]

Very nice and I wish you luck but I know of 2 types of Ebony pens.
1. Cracked
2. Will crack later.

I use Blackwood now and have hade good luck with it.

[Keith Burns]

Very nice and I wish you luck but I know of 2 types of Ebony pens.
1. Cracked
2. Will crack later.



Me too . Hope you have better luck Gary.

[Ernie Nyvall]

An appropriate name Gary. Very nice.

Ernie

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Grand lookin' pen there, Gary. And, YES it IS a BLACK BEAUTY!

Bruce

[Jim Ketron]

Beautiful Pen!
Nice Job!

[Scott Donley]

An outstanding job Gary. Are you sure it is wood ? It looks almost to perfect. Really nice job.

[Gary Max]

Thanks for all the kind words. For a pen the sale for the big money it has to be perfect---close will not do---good enough will only bring 30 cents on the dollor. Most folks do not realize how much work you can put into making a real good pen.I know folks that make nothing but high end pens---every pen they build will have a price of over $100.00 and run up to $400.00 and $500.00 I have never been that good but am working on getting better. There are members here at the Creek that make and sell pens for hundreds of dollors each. My market makes that almost impossible to do.
Every once in awhile you will see someone post a remark about How Pens do not sell. That's only because they are not after perfect and are not selling in the right place. Most of my pens sell for $20.00 to $25.00 and you have to move a bunch in order to make any money at those prices. The cost of material and supplies just keeps going up.

[Mark Cothren]

What a nice pen, Gary! Great work!

Thanks for the pictures!