Ken Cavers Custom Pens: February 2016

WELCOME!

Welcome to my Custom Fountain Pen website/blog. I put this site together a while ago so that I could let some of my fellow pen enthusiasts and penmakers, as well as my customers, see what I have been up to lately in the workshop. I don't publish all of my pens here, but good percentage of them.

A Little About My Pens: I love doing fine work on the lathe, which is what got me into this work. That is, I enjoy the focus on the details of a project - the material and colour selection, the form, the fit and finish of the pen. I also test all of the my nibs before shipping. I fill the converter, run ink through the nib and feed, and write with it. I spend a significant amount of time smoothing and adjusting the nib of every pen that I sell. My goal, with each pen that I make, is to create a writing piece whose fit and finish will impress you when you first pull it out of the packing, and that will serve you well as a great writer when you fill it up with your favourite ink.

Have a look at my posts to see some of the work I am doing lately, or see my pricing guide in the link below to the right, or check the link to my current inventory of already-made pens (usually small, as most of my work is by commissions/orders).

Or, if you are interested, you can see some of the work I have done previously in my Custom Pen Gallery on Photobucket!

If you have a Twitter account, I am @drgoretex

If any of my posts generate particular interest, I will pin them as links on the right (eg 'Basic Nib Adjusting 101').

* ORDERS: Please contact me at kencavers@gmail.com to place an order.

* PRICES: Please see the link on the right side of the screen 'Pricing Guide' for an idea as to the cost of a pen.

* REVIEWS: Have a look at the bottom of this page for some reviews done by previous buyers!

* HOW LONG WILL MY ORDER TAKE?:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: I am happily overwhelmed with pen orders. This gives me great joy in that my work is so well received, but saddens me that I cannot fill orders anywhere near as quickly as I would like. I am still trying to work through back orders, but if you have ordered from me and heard nothing for some time, feel free to email me and ask how things are going.
I still only make these pens in my spare time, when work and family time permit, and even then the productivity slows down during the coldest winter months thanks to my unheated workshop.
Given that I make these pens primarily as a hobby, I also reserve the right to pursue some other interesting pen projects in between filling orders.
I apologize for long delays in order fulfillment, which may in some case be over a year and a half. In the meantime, you are welcome to contact me to inquire about new pen orders, or to check up on a previously submitted order.

-Ken Cavers

Wednesday 3 February 2016

Compact Style Fountain Pen in 'Emerald Fusion' Alumilite

Hello folks,

Here is another one of the pens that I made this week for the sheer pleasure of using a material that I have been wanting to try out.

This material is another of Jonathon Brooks' cool alumilites. I have to admit that I can't recall what he called it, but let's call it 'Emerald Fusion'. Awesome swirls of different hues of rich pearly green that your eyes can get lost in. Well, not literally - that would be awkward.

The pen is made in my 'Compact' style, which is one of my current favourites. It is a nice, portable size for carrying, and is made so that the cap can post very securely on the barrel while writing - a great style for small hands and large hands alike.

This pen is fitted with a broad steel JoWo nib, and the fill mechanism is cartridge/converter (but with a bit of silicone grease, it could easily be used as an eyedropper fill).

Thanks for looking!

Compact Style Fountain Pen in 'Ghost Koi' Alumilite

Hello folks,

I have a number of alumilites and acrylics in stock that I just never seem to be able to get to. So every once in a while, I just decide to pull out some cool looking materials and turn them into pens for the sheer pleasure of it (since this one is not spoken for, it is going up for sale on my sales page).

This material is one of Jonathon Brooks' lovely alumilites, which he called 'Ghost Koi'. And typical for Jonathon's blanks, it looked kind of boring on the outside - a couple of blocky looking purple patches on a white blank. But having turned so many of his blanks, I knew better. Sure enough, as I turned the blank down to size, a very, very cool pearly purple swirl began to emerge (in fact, I'm pretty sure I yelled "cool!" as I was turning this one…).

The pen is another of my 'Compact' style pens, which is one of my current favourites. It is a nice, portable size for carrying, and is made so that the cap can post very securely on the barrel while writing - a great style for small hands and large hands alike.

This pen is fitted with a broad steel JoWo nib, and the fill mechanism is cartridge/converter (but I have made the grip/barrel threads snug enough that with a bit of silicone grease, it could easily be used as an eyedropper fill).

Thanks for looking!