Author Topic: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?  (Read 14931 times)

Offline Bianca M

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Re: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?
« Reply #30 on: August 31, 2016, 01:00:13 AM »
@ash0kgiri if your nib and paper work with your other holder, then perhaps it is an adjustment issue?  Is the way you're holding the pen holder causing your nib to twist to the left or right at all, so that the tines do not lie flat with each other?  This may cause occasional snagging.  You can get a $1.79 plastic holder that will work just fine if it's held correctly, so don't be concerned about the expense of your holder affecting performance.  It really just sounds like you're perhaps still getting used to the oblique nature of the holder.  Have hope! :)

Offline silvereye

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Re: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?
« Reply #31 on: August 31, 2016, 01:31:43 AM »
or maybe try one of the g nibs? 

ash0kgiri

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Re: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?
« Reply #32 on: August 31, 2016, 02:01:01 AM »
Hi @Bianca M,
I actually have the plastic holder. Day before I was trying new nibs and found out few of them working quite well on upstroke. Wondering whys that. But you are right may be it's the way I'm holding my oblique. Will observe and change my hold accordingly.

Thanks for your time Bianca. Really appreciate.
- Ashok

ash0kgiri

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Re: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?
« Reply #33 on: August 31, 2016, 02:01:53 AM »
or maybe try one of the g nibs?

The G nibs are good, but too stiff for my liking.

Offline darrin1200

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Re: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?
« Reply #34 on: August 31, 2016, 10:00:12 AM »
Darrin, yes my experiences are similar - I only wish that I could get Alumilite in large quantities over here in the UK (I can get Alumilite White, but not Clear).  Instead I've had to go through the lengthy and expensive process of trying out various clear polyurethane resins, to find one which suits my purposes.  Fortunately, I think I've found one with a long open time, so I can use a vacuum chamber, rather than a pressure pot, to remove the bubbles.  (I have the equipment for both, but am happier using the vacuum, for the reasons you stated).

Hey Melanie

I took a quick look through the Alumilite website. I found these two places that carry "Amazing Clear Cast". While this is not the resin that was designed for turners, perhaps they can get it in for you.
The place I found here, in Ontario Canada, didn't carry the exact resin I wanted, but they brought it in on there next order with no special extra charge. "Alumilite Clear Slow " is what you would want.

I don't know how close they are to you.

http://www.metalclay.co.uk/alumilite-amazing-clear-cast-resin-7-5-litres/
http://www.craftobsessions.co.uk/ice-resin-1oz-syringe-pack
Darrin McArthur
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Offline melanie jane

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Re: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?
« Reply #35 on: August 31, 2016, 12:58:44 PM »
@darrin1200 Thanks very much!  I'll get in touch with them and see what they say  :)
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Offline darrin1200

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Re: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?
« Reply #36 on: August 31, 2016, 02:29:32 PM »
Your very welcome.
Darrin McArthur
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Offline silvereye

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Re: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?
« Reply #37 on: September 03, 2016, 03:20:44 AM »
I actually think from their IG that they are coming out with a new model of oblique.  Maybe made out of horns??

ash0kgiri

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Re: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?
« Reply #38 on: September 04, 2016, 10:39:42 AM »
@ash0kgiri if your nib and paper work with your other holder, then perhaps it is an adjustment issue?  Is the way you're holding the pen holder causing your nib to twist to the left or right at all, so that the tines do not lie flat with each other?

Hi Bianca,
You were right. It was an adjustment issue.And i was holding the pen too upright causing the nib to twist. Still not got a hook but working towards it. Thanks anyways. :D

- Ashok

Offline claire lander

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Re: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?
« Reply #39 on: September 08, 2016, 03:50:49 AM »
Hi

I am also in the UK, when I started in April (I am learning copperplate) I used a plastic holder costing a couple of pounds. It was ok. I am learning with Gaynor Goffe, who recommends a Brause EF 66 nib (it is tiny). I bought a few months ago a Roger Mayeda oblique mahogany holder from Penman direct. It is elegant, but is very simple, not one of these gorgeous fancy ones that I do eye up from time to time :-). It was £45 - It was a birthday present to myself, I wondered if it could really make that much difference. My god! It is a revelation! Maybe because my nib is so small, but I now realise that it is now held at totally the right angle, unlike previously, the chap knows what he is doing!! I chose for my flange to be fitted for an EF66, there are a couple of other options. Totally worth it... I believe he makes fancy holders that sell out in minutes on his Etsy store (he's in America I think). Recommended!

Best wishes

Claire
dreamer...

Offline FirebirdArts

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Re: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?
« Reply #40 on: March 24, 2017, 11:34:23 PM »
@melanie jane can I ask your take on something called clear water resin...There's an artist in the UK who works with it and when I asked what kind of resin that was the answer I got...I'm not sure what it means online I found it meant polyester resin but it didn't say Clea water resin...So I'm lost...

Offline melanie jane

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Re: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?
« Reply #41 on: March 26, 2017, 07:09:12 AM »
@FirebirdArts Certainly! 

To be honest, water clear resin can apply to any of 3 resins - polyester, polyurethane or epoxy - it's really a property of the resin, rather than a type of resin.

The fact that you specifically asked, and they gave you that answer suggest to me that it may well be polyester resin - it's by far the cheapest resin (£8/l vs £45/l) and far inferior to the other two in terms of strength, so they may not have wanted to admit that that's what they were using.  Or they may simply not have understood what you were asking.  The only way you'll know if by going back to the maker and asking specifically whether it's polyester, polyurethane or epoxy.

Of course, depending on what the item is, it may, or may not, make a huge difference as to what resin they are using - is it something that is fragile, or will be handled, possibly dropped, or is it something that's fairly solid and just going to sit of a shelf?

Hope that helps, feel free to come back to me if you need any further info.
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Offline darrin1200

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Re: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?
« Reply #42 on: March 26, 2017, 08:26:13 AM »
It could be Alumilite Water Clear, which is a polyurethane. I have used it, and it's machineability is good and It has a bit of a soft feel to it. I know a number of penmakers that swear by it.  Because it is soft, there is a lot of flex to when it is thin.

This is a holder I made using Water Clear.

Darrin McArthur
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Offline melanie jane

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Re: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?
« Reply #43 on: March 26, 2017, 02:40:26 PM »
Unfortunately, we have very limited access to Alumilite in the UK, so if it is a UK maker, I'd be very surprised if it was Alumilite - the only Alumilite you can get in quantity over here is the Amazing Clear Cast, which is an epoxy.
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Offline FirebirdArts

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Re: The Curious Artisan - Oblique holders worth the price?
« Reply #44 on: March 27, 2017, 02:26:15 AM »
It's Tom's studio, I found him on instagram...and that's all he said when I asked for clarification "Is it a polyester, acrylic, or polyurethane resin?"...He never replied again.  So maybe it might be polyester resin...*sigh* they were soo pretty too... :'(