Red Vintage Cola Fountain Pen

[ValleyBoy]

Hi pen people

I am pleased that I had a fairly decent couple of days in the worship at the beginning of the week, as the start of the second Ashes test today means progress will now inevitably slow down a lot.

Here are three I did manage to finish. I’ve made a few pens in this colour combo already and it reminds me a little of the old fashioned blue/green Coca Cola bottles which, combined with the red, makes me think it looks a little retro.

I don’t often make more than one pen at a time, but I have become pretty good at making pens that are consistently the same dimensions. I remember this was a big deal for me when I first started making them and I spent a lot of time focussing on accuracy and how to achieve it without taking a disproportionate amount of time in doing so. I tried lots of ways and altered my process until I arrived at the way I do it today, and it’s almost second nature to me now.

Anyway here they are. They have 13mm triple lead cap threads, and I decided to dispense with my usual sterling silver accent rings on these as I like the way the red finials transition into the “cola glass” in a slightly blurred way. Almost like a liquid inside the bottle. (It’s all acrylic of course).

The clips are chrome plated steel and the nibs are Jowo fed by cartridge/converter.

Cheers
Ash

 

[flexi]

Very nice as always Ash! Yes I too like the transition between the accents and love the colour combinations....
Well done,

 

[alpha1]

Very nice. When ever I see a post by your good self regarding a new pen I imediatelly pull up a pad and pencil and take down dimensions and thread sizes used. I am thinking I would like to have a go at a kitless pen but I am not sure I have bought the correct triple lead size taps etc to acomodate a bock size 6.

 

[Kendoka]

The colours work together beautifully!

 

[SorinS]

Very nice. When ever I see a post by your good self regarding a new pen I imediatelly pull up a pad and pencil and take down dimensions and thread sizes used. I am thinking I would like to have a go at a kitless pen but I am not sure I have bought the correct triple lead size taps etc to acomodate a bock size 6.

Dave, I believe M14 would be the best size for a Bock#6, would be enough wall thickness so you'll have no concerns (but also for the overall pen's proportions). But I saw nice and sturdy pens with M13 and Bock#6, with brass sleeves (or not), depends on the materials you use

 

[SorinS]

Hi pen people

I am pleased that I had a fairly decent couple of days in the worship at the beginning of the week, as the start of the second Ashes test today means progress will now inevitably slow down a lot.

Here are three I did manage to finish. I’ve made a few pens in this colour combo already and it reminds me a little of the old fashioned blue/green Coca Cola bottles which, combined with the red, makes me think it looks a little retro.

I don’t often make more than one pen at a time, but I have become pretty good at making pens that are consistently the same dimensions. I remember this was a big deal for me when I first started making them and I spent a lot of time focussing on accuracy and how to achieve it without taking a disproportionate amount of time in doing so. I tried lots of ways and altered my process until I arrived at the way I do it today, and it’s almost second nature to me now.

Anyway here they are. They have 13mm triple lead cap threads, and I decided to dispense with my usual sterling silver accent rings on these as I like the way the red finials transition into the “cola glass” in a slightly blurred way. Almost like a liquid inside the bottle. (It’s all acrylic of course).

The clips are chrome plated steel and the nibs are Jowo fed by cartridge/converter.

Cheers
Ash

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This is a great color combination and the whole work on them is amazing.
Now, because you just mentioned about your working process, do you mind to share it, or at least some points of it? At least for myself, this might be useful, as your work is very inspirational for me. Thanks!

 

[PensFromNo11]

Hi Ash, as others have said your pen designs, execution and colour combinations are an inspiration.

Spending a disproportionate amount of time to get constant dimensions is where i'm at now.
I'm still very much at the begging of my pen making journey and currently still only play at modding kit pens, I will progress onto Kitless once i can amass the new tools required and have a few more hours under my belt working out the skills to take my pen making to the next level.

Your advice on finishing has been a step change for me so thank you.
Do you still turn on a wood lathe or have you gone to an engineering lathe for the consistency?

Cheers
Darren

 

[ValleyBoy]

Very nice. When ever I see a post by your good self regarding a new pen I imediatelly pull up a pad and pencil and take down dimensions and thread sizes used. I am thinking I would like to have a go at a kitless pen but I am not sure I have bought the correct triple lead size taps etc to acomodate a bock size 6.

Thank you.

I make pens almost exclusively using Bock and Jowo no6 nibs and, for me, the best size cap threads for these nibs, (if you’re using the triple lead taps and dies that are available), is M13x0.8. This means the grip section will be around 12mm diameter at its maximum which is a nice size for most hands.

If I ever make a pen for a number 8 nib I’ll step up to 14mm. You could of course use 14mm for number 6 nibs too if you prefer a broader pen. But 13mm is my go-to size for no6 nibs.

Cheers
Ash

 

[ValleyBoy]

Hi Ash, as others have said your pen designs, execution and colour combinations are an inspiration.

Spending a disproportionate amount of time to get constant dimensions is where i'm at now.
I'm still very much at the begging of my pen making journey and currently still only play at modding kit pens, I will progress onto Kitless once i can amass the new tools required and have a few more hours under my belt working out the skills to take my pen making to the next level.

Your advice on finishing has been a step change for me so thank you.
Do you still turn on a wood lathe or have you gone to an engineering lathe for the consistency?

Cheers
Darren

Thanks Darren!

I currently run 3 lathes, one engineering and one wood. Inside the engineering for
1) Turning blanks round
2) drilling and boring
3) threading (using tap and die)
4) turning metal

I use the wood lathe for
1) shaping the outsides
2) sanding
3) polishing (with mops).

The accuracy steps occur on both lathes (tends to be more length focussed on the metal lathe and diameter focussed on the wood lathe). I use my callipers a lot!

Cheers
Ash

 

[ValleyBoy]

This is a great color combination and the whole work on them is amazing.
Now, because you just mentioned about your working process, do you mind to share it, or at least some points of it? At least for myself, this might be useful, as your work is very inspirational for me. Thanks!

Thank you.

Sharing my process isn’t straightforward as there are quite a lot of steps and to be honest it isn’t necessarily the best way to do it. It just happens to be the best that I could create around the tools, skills and constraints I have.

But one thing you can’t really avoid, if you’re trying to achieve the consistency I alluded to, is frequent measuring with callipers (and a dial indicator if you have a metal lathe like me). I used to find this quite time consuming and I almost resented having to keep doing it. So I went back to the drawing board and thought about the design of my pens and changed them a little to make them easier to make consistently. Basically I discovered that, once I had gained some experience of making pens, I could go back and tweak my design to fit a more straightforward approach. You almost have to come at it from both sides.

Cheers
Ash

 

[alpha1]

Hmm unfortunately I bought 12x 0.8 triple lead taps and dies with a view to having a go at a kit less pen I should of asked before purchasing them obviously they were not cheap. Buying another set in 13x0.8 is not some thing I can stretch to at the moment.

I run two lathes.
An Engineering lathe.
A Wood Lathe.
I also have a milling machine.

 

[PensFromNo11]

A really insightful thread, thank you for answering our questions Ash

 

[ValleyBoy]

A really insightful thread, thank you for answering our questions Ash

My pleasure and you may have spotted my typo - I run 2 lathes (not 3 ).

 

[ValleyBoy]

Hmm unfortunately I bought 12x 0.8 triple lead taps and dies with a view to having a go at a kit less pen I should of asked before purchasing them obviously they were not cheap. Buying another set in 13x0.8 is not some thing I can stretch to at the moment.

I run two lathes.
An Engineering lathe.
A Wood Lathe.
I also have a milling machine.

All is not lost! I started with a 12mm set and made many very nice (in my opinion ) fountain pens with it. Occasionally I still do and will probably make another now I’ve started talking about it.

Just use number 5 nibs - some of the Bocks, especially the wide shoulder versions, are very nice. The number 5 nib housing fits easily into an 11mm (approx) diameter section so you’ll be fine.

Cheers
Ash

 

[alpha1]

Thanks Ash.

 

[alpha1]

If you make make one using a No5 would it be possible to detail the process you go through. Please.

 

[TVS]

Dont you just love em they are fantastic