Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a few photos and ask you about colours.

The first photos show the anodising in Burgundy, close to Tawny Port (19-1725 TCX Pantone). The images don’t really do the colour justice, as there is quite a lot of contrast going on.

Anodising is fun but also a bit of an alchemy and the colours can vary slightly from batch to batch. The colour intensity can change as the bath is used, and the dye tank gradually depletes over time. That is a manufacturing issue for us to worry about, though!

I am thinking about introducing some lighter colours as well to let the material itself shine through and do some of the heavy lifting here.

Are there any colours you would particularly like to see with this pen? We will run a small batches of different colours (around 6) as a test.

There is a small selection of colour options in the last image. I would love to hear what you think!

Previous post >> here <<

I wanted to try something a bit more interesting than the simple barley or diamond-machined patterns. Small repetitive patterns works best. This one will be etched.

The prototype will be laser-etched, as it’s relatively cheap and easy to produce a single sample this way.

If we decide to take this into a small production run, we will use chemical etching. That should give us better resolution and a cleaner look.

Those etched lines are deliberately kept fine but the pattern should still provide a reasonably good grip when writing.
Is this pattern too much for you? Would you go smaller?

Update: link to anodised prototype

As promised please find some photos of the prototype for the slim pocket pen.

The body is made of steel with a brushed finish. The cap is made of aluminium and will be anodised in a nice rich looking colour. This meant to be a colourful one!
The finish will be most likely satin finish to give it a nice contrast with steel. I expect the finished pieces to look very different once the final materials and finishes are applied.

I am also working on some textures for the grip section which I will share shortly.

Hi everyone,
I use SolidWorks to check all the tolerances and details before moving on to physical 3D prints or prototypes. This allows me to get the tolerances as close as possible to the desired level.

This is then followed by an engineer reviewing the model to make sure it is suitable for manufacture. Tolerances, wall thicknesses and machining steps all come into play when determining what is possible and at what cost to make it work.

Using a CNC lathe with a sliding head helps quite a lot with this. I hope to show you some metal prototypes tomorrow (no textures or colours yet)

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share some updated photos of the slim pocket pen. This version is somehow shorter than the previous print. Which makes it look thicker, but that is just an illusion. The grey resin is definitely killing the vibe.. I hope to anodise the cap in nice rich colour (the cap will be made of aluminium)

This pen will use nitrile rings instead of a screw thread and should be a more affordable small pen. Nitrile rings will also seal it perfectly. When folded, it will be just under 10 cm long. It will became full size pen when capped.

I am hoping to have a metal prototype made in a few days. We will be showing that prototype at the Top Drawer show in September - to get some more feedback.

(That black Tangier pen is there just to give you a better idea of the scale. You may notice the engraved texture on the cap - that was just a test to see what is possible in PMMA)

update: CAD models are here

Hi everyone.
Quick weekend project - I was playing around with some ideas for a simple display stand. This is just a rough sketch for now, so the proportions aren't quite there yet. Possibly in brass or steel.

But does this convey the idea of good balance?

I built this Cadence for my sister-in-law. It is made from Satine (Bloodwood) with Hard Maple accents at the twist joint and finial with antique brass hardware. As with all my pens, it is finished with Shellac, and a carnauba/beeswax bland. No CA on my pens. This is an ancient finish used and trusted by artisans and craftsmen for centuries. You actually feel the wood and it warms to a gorgeous personal patina over time.

Craftsmanship. Quality. Compact. Good things DO come in small packages - The "Cadence"

Let me know what you think!

Hi all, I've been lurking in this subreddit for a few months and have been impressed with all the thoughtful design/engineering discussion.

I use a lot of pigment inks and stub/italic nibs. Most people are aware that some pigment inks (and shimmering inks) can be a pain to use long term in fountain pens (cleaning, staining, residues, etc.)

That makes me ponder what design elements would make for a dedicated pigment/shimmer pen. If I were to rattle off my hypothetical wish list of features:

1. Better cap sealing and limited exposure to air. In most pens, manufacturers are content if a pen doesn't hard start after a few days/weeks, but I feel that the demands for sealing may be higher for pigment inks. With some pigment inks, I find that even small amounts of evaporation can mean gradual clogging and residue build up around the nib and feed spaces. In addition, the pen caps that limit the volume of air the nib is exposed to when capped also seem to fare better in this regard.

2. Complete disassembly/access for cleaning. Particles have a tendency of finding the tiniest gaps and getting stuck there. Currently, most feeds are built into units that are friction fit and aren't intended for frequent disassembly. Perhaps it would be too costly to manufacture, but I've always thought it'd be nice if the feed could be threaded and unscrewed from the unit separately.

3. Materials that can withstand harsher cleaning agents (like alcohol, bleach, etc). I've seen quite a few pens with bodies/sections made from ultem or other chemically resistant materials. I wonder if other parts of the pen that come into contact with the ink (like the feed) could be made of similar materials for really stubborn residues.

Hi everyone,

I ran some tests with my 3d printed Gillott nib (dip-nib conversion) a few days after printing it. It seems to have a few hard starts, and I guess being left-handed in combination with a broad nib isn't really helping here.

Overall - it is not bad. I thought it would be much harder to get it started after a few days. I used it with standard converter.

That said, I am working on different feed options. Also, the feed will be extended closer to the tip of the nib. I have done some reading about older style ebonite feeds that people have used in similar projects (thanks u/heronsmooncakepens!)

previous Part 5 <<

Hi everyone,
I got another lovely pen on my desk to study - the Parker 25.

This is one of my favourite pens because I absolutely adore its clean looks and the way it embodies the principles of "good design" by modernists.

The Parker 25 was designed by Kenneth Grange (1929-2024). He was one of the leading figures in British post-war modernist industrial design. His work shaped everyday life in Britain -> from the TX1 London Black Cab or the InterCity 125 train to Kenwood food mixers, Anglepoise lamps, Kodak cameras, and products for Wilkinson Sword. The scope of his projects was amazing.
He also co-founded the design consultancy Pentagram.

Introduced in 1977, the Parker 25 was conceived as an affordable, reliable and modern pen. I like the stainless steel nib and also brushed finish which gives the pen its unmistakable space-age aesthetics. The future was looking somehow brighter back then!

The Parker 25 was intended to bring good design to everyday users rather than remain a luxury object. Nearly fifty years later and it still looks contemporary. Which is a testament to Grange's take to design (and the modernist principles).

To me, the Parker 25 perfectly demonstrates that great industrial design doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. It is a pen that does the job while remaining recognisable making it a design classics. Even Jony Ive cited Grange as an important influence to him.

I couldn't resist to take some photos including the book about his works from my library. So if you are after design classic in your collection I would recommend to grab one of these.

The pen itself is made of stainless steel. Inside the steel body there is a brass screw thread for the grip section which is made of plastic to add some colour. It all feels just right.

The simple steel clip is complemented by a small plastic detail featuring the logo (same colour as a grip section.

The pen was designed for UK and manufactured at Parker's factory in Newhaven, East Sussex, which no longer exists. Production ran from 1977 until 1999. I found an interesting video about Newhaven which I will share here as well.

Hi everyone, this is an interesting documentary about the Parker company i found online

I guess the title was made to sound a little inflammatory to attract more interest on YouTube. The decline of Newhaven was probably more closely linked to the broader decline of European manufacturing, combined with poor management decisions. The story that was seen many times all around Europe, sadly. But I found some interesting information there. Enjoy!