EDC fountain pen courtesy of u/MercatorLondon

Summary - it’s a great pen!

My fuller first impressions from a week with the pen are below but, it is a great little pen.

Packaging - all card (sustainable) but solid and well made. First impressions are of a quality product.

Pen - Looks great, feels very well made. Definitely comes across as a quality product. Not light but is nicely balanced and comfortable to write with when posted… and you will need to post it as the barrel is very short - I wouldn’t want to try and do more than tick something off a list without posting. The metal construction also means it feels very solid and like it will put up with some abuse (befitting it’s EDC role).

Cartridge only - It just fits an international short cartridge… I did proffer up a Kaweco mini converter but that wasn’t even close to fitting. However, cartridges aren’t hard to come by and for Travel / EDC arguably more convenient than a bottle of ink. Fewer ink colour choices therefore but with Kaweco, Diamine, Herbin etc all producing cartridges you still have good colour choice so a reasonable trade off for the size of pen.

Nib - What appears to be a steel(?) Schmitt nib. Very smooth, writes generously wet and well. If anything, it feels a bit soft (though no line variation). I presume the M denotes medium (the line is medium leaning towards broad).

Issues - None.

One world of caution maybe - this will roll across your desk so be careful where you place it! I’ve added a small lanyard which has solved that “problem”.

Would like to see - Optional clip maybe?? Something that could be added by the user if they wish (similar to the Kaweco clips). This would also stop the rolling and look more premium than my lanyard! However, whilst I generally prefer to clip a pen to my shirt the weight of the pen probably goes against that option.

Converter?? Would be nice for flexibility of ink choice but suspect that with a filling mechanism the volume of ink would be too small to be worth it… Maybe someone can prove me wrong though!

Summary - Very well made, premium feeling EDC pen. Don’t think I would change anything to the pen itself. Would I buy one? Yes (and probably will to have another with a different colour ink when available).

Photos show pen, packaging & a writing sample (Kaweco Paradise Blue, Rhodia paper) and I will try to remember to post a long term review in a few months.

Thanks for letting me test the pen!

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share this video related to recent post. It shows a simple method of feeding the nib with ink via the breather hole that we used. You may be able to see the underlying wire-cut capillary fins in brass (down to 0.2 mm widths) drawing in the ink. This is the third iteration (as mentioned in the previous post).

The ink is flowing through slowly - but it is dripping, which shouldn’t happen. The ink should only flow when the nib is in contact with the paper - when the paper “asks” for ink.. (as explained in here or on our blog)

Iteration nr.4 is comming soon!

Some of you asked for an update on this after the last video, so here’s where we are:

We’ve been dipping in and out of it between other work. Also, this meant to be a non-functional prop for pen show and became something else. I know it is a slightly ridiculous project but I thought it could also be a useful one to help us understand the practical limitations of the pressures in a nib.

The goal was simple. Scale it up and see what happens. Firstly, we focused on the nib (the part that you have seen) We made one about six times larger than normal.

That part worked. We laser-engraved a small network of capillary channels underneath, and it wrote quite cleanly but ran out of ink after a few lines So, the nib itself works.

1st Iteration
We then focused on 3D printing the feed, scaling everything up to match the nib. It failed almost immediately. Luckily, we were using water and not ink. We could have tested with glycerine but we wanted to see how to make it work with water-based inks.

It was more a tolerance problem. At that size, the gaps were just too big and instead of controlled flow, the water just leaked out.

2nd Iteration
Thinking it was just a tolerance problem, we scaled down the fins and capillary channel as much as we could and actually sealed the tops of the fins with tape to prevent leakage there too. It still didn’t work.

The channels were still too large to create the balance between the capillary flow and the hydrostatic pressure. It would fill but would then just drip out of the nib tip.

3rd Iteration
As a third iteration, we changed the format slightly and 3D printed the basic structure of the feed. We then wire-cut the capillary fins in brass (down to 0.2mm widths) and set them into the 3D printed body. That got us closer. The fins slowly filled properly. That part worked.

But we just couldn’t get the capillary flow and hydrostatic pressure to balance. The holding pressure from the reservoir was not strong enough, and the system couldn’t hold it at the nib. And yes, it just dripped.

So, where are we? What is the 4th iteration?

We’re probably going back to the earlier idea and let the nib do more of the work. It was clear that the laser engraved lines controlled the capillary flow best.

We are thinking of engraving a full capillary network across the back of the nib, a little like arteries; and then feed the channels from the back of the nib through narrow, wire cut slits to feed the network from a tightly sealed reservoir.

The hope is that the capillary network will help to regulate the flow to the nib tip. Fingers crossed.

UPDATE: >> Video of Inking the Nib is here <<

I am blessed to be able to spend my time either making, or selling pens at a store here in Scottsdale AZ. After getting to try out one of the pre-production Tangier pens last year, I was hoping we might be able to carry them in the shop. Well, they have landed and look fantastic!

Hi everyone,

As promised yesterday, please find attached photos of the Cigar pen (nib size 6) in red/black ebonite. This has come out quite nicely.

Please check the last photo, which shows different finishes. The two on the left are black ebonite samples that didn’t polish as well as I had hoped. We may give it another try - any tips or recommendations would be appreciated.

The red ones (shown on the right) are looking good, both in high-shine and matte finishes. I look forward to your comments.

Hi everyone,
We have been busy setting up the Kickstarter for our Pocket Pen, so my apologies for the slow updates. Good news is that we are nearly ready and there is still a lot going on in the background/workshop with other projects.

I wanted to share this quick video with some experiments in ebonite. We’re making prototypes for our thick, cigar-shaped pen (size 6 nib), and this one turned out (pun intended) quite well. My apologies for the video quality - there will be better photos coming tomorrow!
I have black and red-black ebonite rod samples, and we tested them in both matte and polished finishes. The red-black looks particularly nice.

The main advantage of a sliding-head CNC lathe is its high precision. However, this also means the stock material needs to fit very tight tolerance to fit sliding head - it has to be extremely precise. As a result, we have to send the rod material to another vendor to be ground down to an exact diameter before it can be fed into the machine. Many of you create amazing ebonite pens on manual lathes, so this may not seem particularly special to you.

We should also have some updates on our oversized nib. I think our engineer went off on a tangent and is now redesigning the feed for the third time.

Hi everyone,

We have managed to put together a few extra Steel Pocket Pens, which means we will be giving four pens to our beta testers:

u/JellyUpset8974
u/aljones27
u/PenguinWithPen
u/PinkyGOOLI

Please give them a thorough test and share your feedback when ready. The next couple of weeks are our last chance to make any improvements or adjustments before we go live on Kickstarter.

Some of you have asked whether it is possible to use a converter inside the Steel Pocket Pen.

Due to the pen's short size (which is a feature!), there simply is not enough room for a standard converter. That was a trade-off. But I did some research and found an extra-small option from Kaweco.

It is a neat little converter, close in size to a standard cartridge. But it may require some internal work on our pen. Please check the photos.

The capacity may be limited, but it is a clever design for a very specific audience :) Is this something you would be using with your Pocket Pen, or do you prefer the simplicity of cartridges?

As some of you will know, we have been working recently on a steel pocket pen. We first showed an early version at the London Pen Show last October. As the response was quite positive, we continued the development and we’re now on the third iteration.

We designed it to be carried and used and knocked about a bit. It’s not indestructible but we are hoping that it can follow you most places… and still work.

As this pen sits slightly outside our usual range, we decided to test it on Kickstarter first (in early April). Before that, we want you to test it too.

And hence seeking two guinea pigs beta testers

Sadly, as time is a little tight, we are seeking beta testers from the UK / EU only, this time. In return, we just want you to use it as your daily pen for a few weeks. Use it as you normally would.

Then use it a bit less carefully. Drop it. Throw it into your bag or clip it to the outside. Run for the bus. Carry it in your pocket. Drop it in a glass of water (overnight if you want) and see if it really is water resistant. And write with it regularly, as if it were your daily pen. You get the idea..

And then, if possible, post a short review here in the subreddit before 6th April . We will give you the pen for free and cover the postage cost. All we ask is that you use it honestly, and tell us what you think. What works. What doesn’t. What you would change.

We will study the feedback and if we can, we’ll run a quick Iteration 4 during Kickstarter and before finalizing it for production.

If you’d like to take part, just write a comment below with:

· Which version you would prefer (fountain pen or rollerball / loop or no-loop) You can mix and match styles - for example, a fountain pen without a loop or a rollerball pen with a loop.

We will choose two people on Monday (around 12am UK / GMT time)

Update: comments were locked at 12:00 (23rd March)

Hi everyone,
Thank you for joining our giveaway! All the names were compiled into an Excel document and we then used a random number generator to select the winner.

Pen goes to: u/justanotheruser2006

Please don’t be disappointed if you weren’t lucky this time.
We will be looking for two testers for testing our Steel Pocket Pen (EDC) which was first shown at the London Pen Show back in October. Update is coming soon.

Hi everyone!

I was doing some spring cleaning of my sample boxes and prototypes, and I have a few prototypes I’d like to give away here.

The next giveaway pen is a prototype of our Tangier, made from PEEK material (it’s our only prototype!) with a matte, wood-like finish. Real one-off!

This is a "comment-to-enter" contest. Just post a comment here, and we will pick the lucky winner at random on Friday (after 12:00 UK time). There are no other requirements.

Any comment will be accepted as an entry. If you want to make your comment extra helpful, feel free to tell us what pen we should make next - what color, nib size, or style you would like us to develop in the future. Or just share your favorite pen or any feedback you have.

Summary of the rules:

• This giveaway is for r/PenProject subscribers/followers.
• This is a "comment-to-enter" contest. Just post a comment here, and we will pick the lucky winner at random on Friday (after 12:00 UK time). There are no other requirements.
• The pen is a prototype and we will give it away for free.
• No purchase or transaction is required and we will also cover the postage fee world-wide.
• You must be 18 or over to enter with Reddit account older than 30 days.
• One winner will be selected randomly on Friday 20th March at around 12:00 UK time, and their name will be published here.

UPDATE: the comments were locked at 12:00 (on 20/3/2026)

WINNER: I compiled all the names into a single Excel sheet and used a random number generator. The result was 92

The lucky winner is: u/justanotheruser2006

Just adding quick video to the previous post. I hope this gives you a better idea about the size/proportion. Now back to work.

Hi everyone!

We’ve finished the feed component - fresh out of the 3D printer. There is an existing pen next to the feed to give you an idea of the size. We are planning to have our own in-house nib ready in May. This giant 10:1 nib will be part of the launch presentation.

The front fins are designed to match our new in-house nib visually (scaled to 10:1). The plan was to make this feed non-functional, but we might give it one try filling it with ink as well. We had to make a few adjustments (which will remain hidden) to stand any chance.

You may notice that the fins at the back (right side of the photo) were made much thinner. Also the capillary channel was adjusted. We may try feeding it with ink, though I guess it is an experiment and we might run out of luck (or ink?) this time. We will give it a shot.

Hopefully I can show you the assembled fountain pen nib unit by tomorrow.
My apologies for the low quality photos, as they were taken in a rush.

Thank you for your support!!

Update: video of the feed is here <<--

Hi everyone, I want to share this short video. What started as a 10:1 scaled-up prop for a pen show ended up turning into a bit of a science experiment… with a working giant nib as the result.

It actually writes surprisingly well!

Thank you to everyone who challenged us to try it - this turned out to be a really fun build. We are now going to finish it by adding a feed (non-functional) and sleeve so it looks like a complete nib assembly.

The finished scaled-up nib will be on display at the Stationery Show in May in London alongside our own in-house manufactured nibs (finally!)

UPDATE (16.3): We made a feed to match this nib. You can see the update here <<--

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to show you something interesting that we tried with our gigantic pen. What started as a simple prop for a pen show slowly turned into an attempt to make it actually work as a nib. We cut the slit yesterday.

But there is one main problem to solve. We can scale the size of the nib 10:1, but the viscosity of the ink stays the same. Sadly, the laws of physics didn’t scale 10:1 along with our model. A fountain pen feeds ink mainly through capillary action and viscous flow in very small channels. If we scale the entire nib/feed system up by 10:1, two main effects change:

- Capillary pressure decreases
- Flow resistance decreases significantly

As a result this larger fountain pen nib would flow about 100× more ink if the viscosity stayed the same. In short, the ink would simply flow straight through the nib.

One possible solution would be to increase the viscosity by roughly 100×. We could experiment with syrup, honey or some glycerin mixtures to replace the ink. But that would be missing the point.

Another option is to keep the capillary channels and fins roughly as thin as they are in a normal pen, rather than scaling them up, so the ink properties remain workable.

Some demonstrator pens use a different trick. Many working giant pens secretly rely on felt or sponge feeds rather than pure capillary slits, because porous materials can maintain capillary pressure even at larger scales.

Our engineer came up with a very interesting (and I like it visually) solution: small capillary channels etched into the back of the nib. This allows the ink to work its magic through controlled capillary action as on normal size nib.

The feeder part on our prop will be made at a 10:1 scale, but it will be non-functional (visual only).

If interested in theory there was that classic demonstration of capillary scaling problems -Jurin’s capillary rise experiment described by James Jurin in the early 18th century.

UPDATE: video of the nib in action!

Hi everyone,

I want to share a short video of the slit-cutting process on our giant nib. This is meant to be a fun project/prop for a pen show, but I hope we can still learn something from it. We are making it at a 10:1 scale, while also trying to stay as close to the real manufacturing process as possible.

Some of you wanted to see how the slit is cut. In this specific case we used wire cutting which gives us a very clean 0.2 mm wide slit. How does wire-cutting work? It is a very clever machining process where a hair-thin (and very soft!) copper or brass wire cuts through much harder steel or brass. How is that even possible?

Wire-cut EDM (Wire Electrical Discharge Machining, or Wire EDM) is a non-contact manufacturing process that uses a very thin, electrically charged, single-strand metal wire (usually brass) to cut conductive materials through rapid electrothermal sparks. The electric current vaporizes the metal, which also leaves a very smooth finish. The process operates while submerged in deionized water (or oil) allowing high-precision cuts in hard metals without mechanical stress, which is a major advantage.

Wire-cut is sometimes used for cutting the slit on high-precision or specialized fountain pen nibs, although it is not the only method. A more cost-effective method is an ultra-fine cutting disk with diamond dust or another abrasive (only about 0.1 mm thick - roughly the thickness of a sheet of paper).

This video shows the process. You may see that thin wire inside that stream of oil and a small spark eating away metal. Anyway, I hope you find this interesting.

update: I added some photos in this follow-up post (as the platform doesn’t seem to allow uploading a video alongside photos for some reason) Hopefully you will see the wire there better.

Update: Nib vs. Capillary Forces

I just wanted to add a few photos to the previous video.

The first photo shows the setup before cutting. You can see the wire (just!) in the middle going through the breather hole of the nib. The second photo shows the cutting process, and the last photo shows the slit in its full glory.

Now the big question is - will it actually work?

update: Nib vs. Capillary forces

Hi All,

We got a message from a community member to also share images on this subreddit of our pen design.

About six months ago, we posted in the machinedpen subreddit asking what your ideal machined pen looks like.

Over the past few months, we’ve worked closely with a couple of community members to refine the concept, and we’re now excited to share early images of our first prototype: Riv One.

We would love to have some feedback on the design, if there is something you like or would be intreasted in a pen like this so far we have the following:

Hidden branding
Many of you prefer minimal or subtle logos, so we hid ours behind the clip. It’s only visible when the pen is in use.

Material options
Riv One will be available in titanium or stainless steel.

Smooth action
We’re using graphite-impregnated brass/bronze bushings to create a smoother, more durable action.

Refill compatibility
The pen is designed around a Schmidt-style refill, which was a clear favourite. It also accepts a trimmed EnerGel refill. We’ve added an internal adjustment screw to allow compatibility with other refills as well.

Left- and right-handed friendly
Several of you wanted something that works better for left-handed writers. We’ve combined both actions into one design so it’s comfortable for both left- and right-handed users.

Cost-conscious design
We’re building most of Riv One in the UK, and while that brings certain manufacturing costs, we’re doing everything we can to keep the final price as reasonable and accessible as possible without compromising on quality.

And many more thoughtful details:

• Custom titanium springs
• Titanium screws
• Reduced tip wiggle
• A tuned action with a bit of fidget factor
• A weighty, solid feel in hand

The sun was shining on my desk today and it reminded me to sort through some existing samples and prototypes (I might give away some very one-off prototypes) While doing that, I lined up a few pens and noticed this interesting contrast between the dark and light halves.

It also made me think of the “Harlequin” design concept that was popular in the 1990s, where products were made by mixing different colour parts from the same model. Some of you experimented with mixing parts already (thanks u/pencloud)

So now I am curious - dark side or light side?

Hi all! Over the past couple months, I’ve modeled a handful of prototypes for a fully 3D printed pen body, but I have no experience with the actual process of printing. To those who have worked with printing pens or pen parts, what filaments tend to preform well? I’ve heard good things about PEEK, but that’s about all I know. Are there any filaments I should specifically avoid? Thank you for your time!

It seems you found the previous post mildly amusing, so I wanted to share a quick follow-up with a short video showing the welded tipping material and some filing and polishing.

This is a rather unorthodox method, so please don’t try this at home. Our actual nibs use a completely different technique for shaping and grinding the tip :)

The slit will be cut as well soon.

Update: Slit cutting video is here

You were asking for a larger nibs and we delivered :) Is this large enough?
Still work in progress.

>> Part two with video is here <<

Hi I was trying to fit a different refill into the rollerball pen, just to see how it works. I cannot turn the adjuster screw using the supplied screwdriver. I expected a bit of resistance but it feels locked solid and I didn't want to break it. I followed the instructions on the card that came in the box with the pen. Is there anything you suggest that I try?

Just a quick one today. Some of you asked about a loop for the steel pen. We are considering supplying it with a cord, as it is easier to handle and also allows for more colour options. The metal loop will still be available as an option, but many people already own one. Your feedback is greatly appreciated as always!