Best "Heirloom" Pen kit

[NicG]

Hey folks, I'm looking for some advice on rollerball pen kits. I go looking thru the net at all the pretty options, and other than wasting tremendous amounts of time that I really should be doing something more constructive with, I never seem to get any closer to actually choosing and buying the kits I need!

I'm buying some ridiculously expensive 50,000 year old wood for making some "themed" pens for my friends and family, (a bit of a tribute to my recently deceased father, among other things) and I want them to be something special - but without breaking the bank like some of the £30+ kits I've seen kicking about - I'm not exactly Bill Gates or Elon Musk. It's struck me that, just from the pics and sales gumph on the websites, there's actually no way to tell things like the quality of the mechanism, the refill and the plating, all the stuff that make a pretty pen into a Great Pen - Everyone says that their pens are exeptional!

I like the "Manliness" of the directors style Americana cigar pen - that potential for taking off the cap, screwing it deliberately to the other end, while still pondering your signature is just so classy, I wasn't a big fan of the hex-nut style cap-end but it was a nice kit. I wasn't too pleased with some (I believe old model) Baron style pens that I picked up somewhere as, in the hand, I wasn't so fond of the faceted tips and the brasswear seemed a lot lighter and thinner than some others I've seen. I'm not a huge fan of ostentatious stuff, so I don't fancy the roman harvest style from Timberbits.

I'm looking for more experienced folk's knowledge of good heavy built kits that are well plated and attractive, that will last till the only turning I'm doing is in my grave at what they're being used for! I'd like a slightly more delicate kit for my sisters (I know that's probably not Politically correct these days, but they're my sisters, so there! ) And I'm more of a fan of kits with two wooden sections than those with huge swathes of metal/plastic areas.

Any help/pointers are welcome, as well as tips for buying good pen kits in the UK, as the best place I've seen online seems to be Timberbits in Aus, where I'd imagine returns would be more tricky than usual!

Oh, I just recalled having promised one person a fountain pen too, so maybe advice on just one decent fountain? :)

Thanks in advance!

Nic.

 

[NicG]

This was the Americana I made as a wedding present for a neighbour last year. I was rather pleased with it, other than the fact that, at the time I took the photo, I couldn't get the patches out of the finish on the cocobolo. Apparently I should have given it a thorough wetting with meths first. His favourite colour was red, hence the acrylic/cocobolo mix.




His wife got this, as her favourite colour is purple. It's acrylic and some very brightly coloured Purpleheart I was lucky to find, though the camera is awful, so the colour is muted.




I don't show my stuff off much, but those I took for another forum a while ago. I was quite pleased with them for rookie work :)

Nic.

 

[Buckeye]

If the pristina is not too bling for you they come in premium platings.

Peter

 

[Vic Perrin]

Roman Harvest is a nice kit very well made and its bling seems to attract the ladies.

vic

 

[wm460]

For ladies Timberbits Elegant Beauty's.
For men JR Gent II or if want more bling Roman Harvest.

 

[NicG]

So the general consensus even here is that Timberbits is one of the best suppliers? I was hoping that there might be a more local supplier of equal or better quality.

Thanks so far!

Nic.

 

[Jim]

So the general consensus even here is that Timberbits is one of the best suppliers? I was hoping that there might be a more local supplier of equal or better quality.

Thanks so far!

Nic.

Nic, i was at Axminster today, i very rarely look at their kits as i found them expensive in comparison to where i get mine, but they do have some quality kits on show .. But it is about taste, what may take my fancy you may turn your nose up to .. Worth a look ..

 

[NicG]

I seldom turn my nose up at anything

I actually have several Axminster pen kits, and I've been quite happy with them for average gifts and general projects.

It's just that nothing there had that extra "special" feel to be used to remember my Dad as family mementoes.

Just for this one project I was after something that both feels exceptional quality and will last as long as reasonably possible.

Dad was an office worker of one kind or another his whole life, had exceptional handwriting (you could have framed his signature) and he loved good quality pens, however his collection was stolen after he died.

I'm planning on making something suitable as a memento for each of his kids, as I only managed to start turning due to enough inheritance to set up a wee garden workshop. [emoji3]

Nic.

 

[kjmc1957]

Hi

Have you considered turning a pen from scratch? there has been a recent thread on it on this very forum.

 

[stevenw1963]

Look at the Broadwell Nouveau kits, Jim at Pencrafts in Glasgow did them.
Different platings but pure class. A very nicely weighted pen in rollerball & fountain pen.
Suitable for both sexes as my 80 yr old mother loves hers as much as the young man who was also given one as a gift for getting a new job.

I would also say the Pristina as Peter says above, another cracking pen, but, for heirlooms it would be the Broadwell for me