Pen Rescue

I got this pen a bit ago at the market and it was missing it's nib and feed.

A quick 10 min on the lathe and it now sports a Esterbrook screw in nib.

I could still put in an original nib and feed if I ever found one but I really like it as it is so I think I will keep it like this.
A really nice looking vintage pen.

Adding A Vintage Nib To A Twsbi Vac 700

This pen was a custom commission.
The customer loved the pen but wanted his vintage flexible nib in it.

The first thing and the hardest thing was to get the right sized hole on the section so that it is tight enough to hold it snug but not tight enough so that the nib still works right.  After that I had to match the threads that went into the body of the pen and install the O ring.

I have never used a flex nib before so I am not to sure how it will all work but it all fits and looks good.

A couple more 51 style pens

I have always wanted a Parker 51 ballpoint but every time I see them they are going way more than what I am prepared to pay.

So because today was a holiday I was able to get out into the shop by 6:30 and this is what I came up with.

I also polished up the inside so you can see the ink level of the Itoya refill that I have installed in it.

Next up is using some Parker Sonnet nibs that I had kicking around.

Esterbrook Nib Holder

 

I have been wanting to use this material for a bit now and I was just waiting for the right pen to claim it.  This pen was built to take Cross carts or it could also be used as a ED filler.  Most Esterbrook pens are a little on the smaller size so I decided to make it in the 51 shape and size to go along with my 51's.

Penman ball point repair

I had a customer who had a Penman set, a FP and a BP.  The ballpoint was dried up and is no longer available so I had to make something up for him.

I normally install a metal nose cone but because this section was not screwed in there would be no way to install a spring to keep the refill where it belongs so I had to come up with another solution.
The original refill just pushed in from the nib end so I ended up using a Bic stick refill.  I had to machine a new sleeve that went inside the original section and then drill it out to take the Bic refill. 

I know it is a Bic but at least this matching pen set is usable.

A fine nib

Sometimes you just can't beat a fine nib. So I had made up a pen a while ago but I sold it last weekend.  As soon as it was gone I started missing it so I had to build another one.  

I found some nice ebonite in my stash pile and this is what I came up with.

Very large ED

This one has been on the bench a long time.  I think I have built almost 3 pens with all the problems I have had with this one.

I had the pen body turned down to size and sat it aside and started the cap.  Had the cap all turned to size and when I was starting to sand and polish under a magnifying glass I notices all sorts of bubbles as well as a stress crack in the blind cap on the body.  Even when I was sanding and working with this ebonite it felt like it was not cured enough.  The smell was way stronger than any ebonite I have ever got from Germany or even India for that matter.  The sanding residue was pure black and stained my hands like the soot from a lamp shade. So we had to get more material and it to had bubbles but they were more to the surface so as I cut deeper I was able to get past them.  The smell and soot properties are still there so I am not sure if this was all just a bad batch or what but not a lot of fun.

Any way I was able to finally get a pen made up.