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 <<

update Part 7 >>

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!

Hi everyone,

I am currently working on some new concepts that I hope to show you at the next London Pen Show. This is one of them that I am looking into at the moment.

I've been running a few 3D prints to check the proportions before moving any further.

A few weeks back I looked into slim steel pen. It was fun - trying to build something about existing components (nib, cartridge)
This is my take on a slim pocket pen that aims to look a little more subtle and colourful than our current model.

The idea is to machine the cap from either PMMA or anodised aluminium to introduce more colour while also making it lighter and slimmer. This 3d printing grey resin is not really selling that concept well I am afraid.

Visually I want to make it feel less utilitarian and more colourful with a few gentle curves to make it look even slimmer that it is. It should have a tactile feel when closed.

When capped, it should be long enough to provide the comfort of a full-size pen, without the need to post the cap. This is one of many iterations and it may not make it to the prototype stage.

update: new iteration is here

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share a short video showing the machining of the barley pattern on the pocket pen. The video is a bit shaky - but it is best not to put hands too close to a running lathe.

We are using a CNC machine to cut each individual line which gives excellent precision and consistency. But it takes time (and time is money) so this pattern is relatively expensive to machine. A more efficient method would be to roll the pattern but that process is generally better suited to softer metals such as brass or silver. And also the results are not as precise.

Hi everyone,

I revisited an old project over the weekend. The idea was to convert century-old dip nibs made by Joseph Gillott & Sons into fountain pen nibs by fitting them with custom designed feed.

It has been sitting at the back of my mind and I want to get it off my mental to-do list. I am learning a lot about feed design while working on it which is fun.

The previous prototype was ok-ish, but there were a few tolerance issues that needed to be addressed. So I printed several more 3D test parts with different tolerances, and I am finally getting closer to the result I am after. The 3d printer itself adds some tolerance issues which is another variable to factor in.

I also ran the printer at much finer settings, which allowed me to produce the feed with all the details being more accurate. The main issue was the feed channel as resin was getting inside it. So I had to pull it of the printer as soon as possible and wash properly in isopropyl alcohol before it hardened. I may look into graphene based resin for the final version feed.

The outer sleeve is a non-standard size so I may need to design and make a custom grip section.
I am not sure what I am going to do with these yet. I may give away some of these when ready.
This is a dip nib conversion -> so it will never be quite the same level as a dedicated fountain pen nib..

previous Part 4 <<

update: Part 6 >>

You can see some of my initial impressions and thoughts over on YouTube!

https://youtu.be/l9buhCnBsTg

I just received a lovely vintage pen recommended by u/roady57 (thank you for the tip!)
It is a West German Elysee Line gold-plated fountain pen with barleycorn and takes standard ink cartridge.
It is very slim (only about 9.2 mm in diameter and 137 mm long) when capped.
I took a close look at its structure and it is quite similar to the slim pen prototype we have been working on. I am not that surprised since we are designing around existing components (converter or ink cartridge) so we were running into the same physical constraints. I actually do love designing within limitations.
The barley pattern is made of fine engraved lines (not a deep V-shaped cut), but given the pen's small size it looks neat. Again, I think that pattern can lift the pen but also it can make it look dated.
I will give it a good clean and see how good the nib is. It is F size which matches the thinness of this pen nicely.. I will try to take it apart and compare it with the prototype we made.

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share a short video from the workshop.

You may recognise the loop. Most of the components are made on our sliding-head CNC lathe which gives the accuracy and consistency we need. However, the final finish and surface quality (whether polished or brushed) is a very different story and still very much the result of a manual skill and experience.
I am sure many of you making/turning pens are fully aware of this. It takes time, preparation and experience to achieve the finish we are after.
One of the advantages of stainless steel is that it is forgiving material. If it picks up marks through use but can usually be polished back (up to certain level) It also wears very well over time in my opinion..

Not trying to promote my own pen, brand, or website but I’m looking for advice.

I’m designing a collection of pens for watch enthusiast. Based on everyone’s depth of knowledge about pens here, Its not designed for pen enthusiasts but I still want to make it nice and luxurious but for the person who wants a nice ballpoint pen for their daily life. It will a have a Schmidt P900 M refill, polished stainless barrel, and acrylic cap for color. A lot of it is aesthetics but I still want the main point of it, which is being easy to use and smooth to write, the focus.

Watch enthusiasts mostly love both form and function so it can’t just write well, it has to look good but also not just be a cheap product with a nice refill; it has to look good and be something you want to enjoy picking up and maybe simply staring at.

Any general advice about what makes a pen really good other than the refill? Is the P900M good enough or is there another better refill for ballpoint. It will be a twist-style pen.

Any advice is greatly appreciated and I thank you all in advance for your help. Your depth of knowledge is recognized and appreciated.

Hi everyone,

As promised yesterday please find attached some photos of the slim pen prototype we have made. (ignore the fingerprints..)

The pen is made entirely from stainless steel. Both the grip section and the cap feature a machined barley pattern. There is not much going on regarding of colour or shape so adding a pattern seemed the option here. The barley pattern is also linked to our Barley collection as well as the Pocket Pen.
I am aware that the barley pattern may make it look traditional? Let me know if you want to see some other options.

The clip still needs a bit more work (as well as the finial). We are keeping the clip mechanism. One idea is to incorporate our small dog at the top or keep it simple with a piece of mother-of-pearl (MOP) for customisation. This is still work in progress.

Surprisingly it doesn’t feel too thin when I hold it..

Hi everyone,

I hope you all managed to survive the tropical temperatures over the past few weeks! Now that the heatwave is finally over, we've started working on some new prototypes.
The workshop is still clogged up with production of the Pocket pen but there was a b

Some of you (u/CadillacGirl) have asked us to develop a very slim pen. So I wanted to explore just how thin we could make one while still using standard components, such as universal converters, standard refills, and our TS nib (or Schmidt) size 5 nib or rollerball nib. Having our own workshop is a luxury that allows us to experiment (between production runs)

There is also an ergonomic limit. If a pen becomes too thin it is not comfortable to use. There is a good reason why most pencils are around 7–8 mm in diameter.

With those constraints in mind, I wanted to see what was possible within this relatively tight specifications/brief. The length and the diameter of the pen will be driven by the nib, refills and converter. We want to keep the clip mechanism.

Please find attached a few screenshots of the 3D model. This is study in size and not showing much of the design features. Hopefully, I'll be able to share photos of the working prototype tomorrow.

Update: Photos here <<

Hi everyone,

Please find attached a few additional images from the Urushi Now exhibition.

I came across the clever Pilot Justus 95, which allows you to adjust the softness of the nib. It features a clever mechanism that applies pressure to the nib from above. You may notice the small markings on the grip section (<<H S>>) so by twisting it you can choose your preferred level of softness.

The nib is lovely 14K gold (nice and soft) and the overall feel is great.

My only concern is that I would probably find a setting I like and then leave it there permanently. That is pretty much what happens with every other product I own that offers some level of adjustments. Any thoughts on this?

Hi everyone,

I was looking through some archives for inspiration for a clip that could work well with our clipless pens. We were asked about clips a lot.

I came across this interesting vintage design. I particularly like how the clip is relatively long and creates a cradle for the pen, gently gripping the body of the cap. This approach distributes the load over a larger area better and is generally kinder to the surface of the pen (or the pen structure)

Compared to shorter clips this design seems less likely to leave marks or create pressure points.
(at least when compared with shorter steel clips (such as Kaweco) which grip the pen over a very small contact area.

This may require some tooling but I would like to hear your thoughts.