Galalith lever filler

[Pierre---]

Hi all,
I go on exploring others ways of filling a fountain pen, today the lever filling system. The pen is made of galalith, one of the first plastics, a mixture of milk and formalin. A wonderful touch.


The section is made of black ebonite, another old plastic, a very warm material, the opposite of icy acrylic.


The lever can be manipulated with the nail, it presses a Jbar that presses a rubber sac, making vacuum. If you dip the nib in an inkwell and put the lever back to its place, then the ink is sucked.


The tricky moment is when trying to insert the lever and its box into the body, but needle files, a Dremel and a good loupe make wonders.
Comments and critics are welcome!

 

[Pastor of Muppets]

It is always a pleasure to see you work Pierre but I have to ask...... did you say milk??
The pen its self is beautifully proportioned and looks really comfortable to hold.
Great work!

 

[wm460]

That is a beauty Pierre .

 

[Ratty]

Love it, Stunning work.

 

[porker356]

Pierre, that is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. Stunning pen.

 

[Paul hd]

Hi Pierre,
Fantastic looking pen and beautiful craftsmanship. What tap and die do use for threading?

Regards,
Paul

 

[Unique]

A tremendous piece of skill and craftsmanship Pierre to make this lovely pen,

Tony

 

[Les ELm]

Very nicely done.

Les

 

[Pierre---]

I have to ask...... did you say milk??

I did. Casein in fact. But I am afraid I can't tell you more, I am not a chemist...

What tap and die do use for threading?

I use a threading machine, not taps. The difficult part is to build the machine, but when you're done, the advantage is that you can play with any diameter you want, using simple, double, triple or even quad starts if you need it, without buying expensive taps and dies. You can use it I suppose on any material, including wood, which is not that easy to thread with dies. The sizes are M9.3x.8, and M12.2x.75 double start.

 

[Paul hd]

I use a threading machine, not taps. The difficult part is to build the machine, but when you're done, the advantage is that you can play with any diameter you want, using simple, double, triple or even quad starts if you need it, without buying expensive taps and dies. You can use it I suppose on any material, including wood, which is not that easy to thread with dies. The sizes are M9.3x.8, and M12.2x.75 double start.

Would be great to see what this machine looks like.

I will have to look and see if my Cowells lathe will cut threads.

 

[Pierre---]

It looks like this one. From the right, the mother screw turning in a bolt, the axis, the chuck with the piece to be threaded. On the left side, a milling machine on a XY vice, with a 60° bit.

 

[AllenN]

That’s an amazing pen Pierre. Very cleverly done.

 

[Penpal]

Dedication shown here Pierre, the resulting pen is worth the effort. Thanks for the detailed little machine for threading picture as well. You do like a challenge.

Peter.

 

[Pierre---]

I forgot to say that this is not my machine on the photo, but a very similar one - and a good pic too - made by French turner Pierre Delétraz.

 

[Bill Mooney]

A superb looking pen Pierre

 

[Freck Fraser]

Lovely workmanship again Pierre

 

[sammy]

You are a very skilled craftsman, great work and a pleasure to behold.

George