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Waiting for Scriptorium pens

I have
  • metal pens     ⇒    many ☺
  • ebonite pens  ⇒    many ☺
  • acrylic pens    ⇒    many ☺ 
  • wooden pens  ⇒    not a single one 😣
I thought "How can I live with such a manko?" The solution was easy, I ordered some from Scriptorium Pens.  I was discussing another pen with Renee from Scriptorium Pens, when we happened to talk about wooden pens and she mentioned that she actually started from making wooden pens.
She showed me some wood she has, some pens she made - and I knew I will let her make a pen for me. The problem was only, which wood and which shape should the pen be. Despite the many wood types, they were quite easy to choose, the shape was the problem. To talk in "Sailor pen language", the question was "should it be a 1911 shape or should it be a ProGear shape". My typical solution in such a case is, neither 1911 nor ProGear but both.
The 1911 shaped pen is made from Amboyna Burl. In this case, it is the highest grade of Amboyna available which is difficult to find but Renee managed to get some blanks. The pen will get a Jowo 18 K EF with a CI grind from Mark Bacas, aka. the nibgrinder.




The ProGear-shaped pen is also something special. It is made from Snakewood. Snakewood is a very difficult wood, it cracks so easily during pen turning. Renee had never used this wood. But I decided "no risk, no fun" and asked her to try. She researched a lot what precautions against splitting are necessary and found out, the wood cracks when getting hot. With this information at hand, Renee turned the pen without cracking. I also had searched the web for information and found pen turners everywhere reporting about cracked pens. What a relief when Renee reported success, my congratulations and thank yous! Necessary to say, that even after some months, the wood still can crack - as I said, the wood is reportedly the most difficult pen turning wood among all woods.
This pen will get a 14K Jowo factory semiflex, a nib which Jowo only gave to a few pen makers. Renee managed to procure me one. I like semiflex nibs very much because they drastically improve my handwriting.



At the moment, another pen, an ebonite pen in vintage green in Sailor KoP style with a Bock #8 (CSI grind by the nibgrinder) is in the make. When it is finished, Renee will send me the pens. Can't wait to get them.


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