yet another first

[waterbuffalo]

leveche fountain pen on a burl hybrid blank from brett cunningham...
i think ive finally made something worthy of sale, but what do you guys think? please be honest, i can take it and im never gonna learn otherwise

 

[yorkshireman]

Nice kit, nice blank, well turned. There’s nowt wrong with that Nigel

 

[flexi]

Brett does make nice blanks, which does result in nice pens.... Nice job done on that Nigel.
I won't critique, but suggest some tips.....
Always paint the inside of a resin blank (cotton buds and acrylic paint or nail varnish) they can be translucent if you go to thin, nowt wrong with this one though.
Clean the ends of your tubes before assembly, I always wipe them over with a cloth and give the tube a turn with a snail countersink, not loads just to remove any burrs. I push a flue brush through too again removes dust and polishing compound. When you press your components in the brass will flex fractionally wood absorbs this, but some harder materials like acrylic can just crack, so good practice. After spending good money on a blank and investing hours in the process I hate losing one at the last minute

 

[waterbuffalo]

Brett does make nice blanks, which does result in nice pens.... Nice job done on that Nigel.
I won't critique, but suggest some tips.....
Always paint the inside of a resin blank (cotton buds and acrylic paint or nail varnish) they can be translucent if you go to thin, nowt wrong with this one though.
Clean the ends of your tubes before assembly, I always wipe them over with a cloth and give the tube a turn with a snail countersink, not loads just to remove any burrs. I push a flue brush through too again removes dust and polishing compound. When you press your components in the brass will flex fractionally wood absorbs this, but some harder materials like acrylic can just crack, so good practice. After spending good money on a blank and investing hours in the process I hate losing one at the last minute

thanks Mark, i did everything you told me to do and this one went together flawlessly...thanks for all the advice....need to sell this one now so i can get more kits

 

[wm460]

That is a beauty Nigel, nothing wrong with it.

I use one of these to chamfer the inside of my blanks.

https://external-content.duckduckgo...id=OIP.mkjNx5KQgEws85gkwh7pkAHaHa&pid=Api&f=1

To clean inside of the tube I have some rifle cleaning brushes.

 

[Geoff Kent]

A lovely pen.One small criticism.The Leveche is quite a large pen.The curves on the barrel and cap may make it too large for some folk.

 

[waterbuffalo]

A lovely pen.One small criticism.The Leveche is quite a large pen.The curves on the barrel and cap may make it too large for some folk.

thank you geoff, ive not made one before so its impossible for me to visualise a finished item, but now ive done one the next will be easier...and i didnt want to turn off too much of that lovely blank..i have enough left for 1 more so i think ill do a roller ball and make it a bit thinner...maybe i can sell as a set ...appreciate the comment though

 

[waterbuffalo]

That is a beauty Nigel, nothing wrong with it.

I use one of these to chamfer the inside of my blanks.

https://external-content.duckduckgo...id=OIP.mkjNx5KQgEws85gkwh7pkAHaHa&pid=Api&f=1

To clean inside of the tube I have some rifle cleaning brushes.

thanks mark, ill look in to it...i do have a countersink bit but its for wood

 

[Phil Dart]

Some great tips and advice above Nigel, and I think you have a right to be justly proud of your pen. It looks great.

The shape and size of the barrel and cap that you make are a completely subjective thing, but in the interests of experimentation, you could as you say, try making your next Leveche a bit thinner and see what you think. You'll already know that all four bushes for a Leveche are different from each other. That was a deliberate thing when I designed the kit so that the cap can taper from the centre band towards the clip, and so that the barrel can taper from the nib end towards the finial. Therefore, (also to see if you like the effect), you could experiment with making your cap and barrel with flat sides, so that you can see that taper, and bit like the drawing below.

It's all entirely your choice though - there are no pen police out there. You'll eventually settle on a style for that kit which you like, and that is probably how you'll then make them going forward. To reiterate though, the one you've already made looks great and if it were my work, I'd be extremely pleased.

 

[Penpal]

Nigel I like your pen design and appreciate your leaving it this shape to conserve the detail,I also support the suggestions offered by Phil. In relation to cleaning inside and the end of the brass I use a slow taper reamer from Radio Shack equivalent ot as Mark in Aus another version of the cartridge reamer from gun shops. To clean all through the brass I get a snug fit drill held in an old battery drill chuck being ultra careful,the drill could be longer than the brass and mess you hand up as itr comes through. I like to step the lower barrell as it joins the centre to give a beaut design to the pen when the cap is fitted. Shape,colour and size are personal choices both for you and prospective customers. Have success mate.

 

[Bill Mooney]

A very nice pen Nigel. A pen to be proud of.

 

[waterbuffalo]

Some great tips and advice above Nigel, and I think you have a right to be justly proud of your pen. It looks great.

The shape and size of the barrel and cap that you make are a completely subjective thing, but in the interests of experimentation, you could as you say, try making your next Leveche a bit thinner and see what you think. You'll already know that all four bushes for a Leveche are different from each other. That was a deliberate thing when I designed the kit so that the cap can taper from the centre band towards the clip, and so that the barrel can taper from the nib end towards the finial. Therefore, (also to see if you like the effect), you could experiment with making your cap and barrel with flat sides, so that you can see that taper, and bit like the drawing below.

It's all entirely your choice though - there are no pen police out there. You'll eventually settle on a style for that kit which you like, and that is probably how you'll then make them going forward. To reiterate though, the one you've already made looks great and if it were my work, I'd be extremely pleased.


View attachment 44777

firstly, praise from the person who designed the thing is most encouraging, so thank you and im humbled you like it ..secondly, i love the kit, it was so easy to work with and assemble and it writes beautifully so i doff my cap to you sir...thirdly, i will take all the advice on board and implement on the next few kits to see what happens, but i WILL be purchasing more when i can afford it

 

[waterbuffalo]

Nigel I like your pen design and appreciate your leaving it this shape to conserve the detail,I also support the suggestions offered by Phil. In relation to cleaning inside and the end of the brass I use a slow taper reamer from Radio Shack equivalent ot as Mark in Aus another version of the cartridge reamer from gun shops. To clean all through the brass I get a snug fit drill held in an old battery drill chuck being ultra careful,the drill could be longer than the brass and mess you hand up as itr comes through .I like to step the lower barrell as it joins the centre to give a beaut design to the pen when the cap is fitted[/U][/B][/U][/U]. Shape,colour and size are personal choices both for you and prospective customers. Have success mate.

thank you sir, could you please expand the bit about the lower barrel, maybe a piccie or summat so this thickie can understand it a bit easier..