My Handmade Nib Holders!

[ash_bush]

Hi everyone. I (greatly) hesitate to show you these because they're so beginner (but the price obviously reflects that ~$25 each) but I would love your input, feedback, suggestions!

(In the photos most of the flanges aren't yet attached, they're just resting underneath the holder til we know whether it's for a right or left handed person)

My etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AshleyBushInk?ref=hdr_shop_menu













My husband has been working on turning these on an old lathe passed down through my family. He's an illustrator and getting his masters in 3D modeling (he's currently making a 3D print of a nib holder with the 3D printer at his school - Virginia Tech - I'll post that once it's done printing.) He can create 3D models of pen designs before turning on the lathe, it's pretty cool.

Anyways, all that to say - we opened an online shop about a month ago and have been surprised by the interest we've gotten with basically 0 marketing. We've been asked for features, asked about wholesale prices for buying all the holders, asked about adjustable flanges and straight holders. And so right now we're a little overwhelmed, very surprised and really, really excited. This whole process has been really fun!

I'm by no means a master and never will be, not looking to be the next Mike, Brian, Heebs, Jake, etc. - they are in a class of their own. We're just making simple, imperfect, wood holders for the average person to buy and try out as an alternative to things like the plastic speedballs. It's a stepping stone on their way up to a unique oblique

So I would LOVE to know:
1. Do you have a preferred length?
2. Do you have a preferred weight? Lighter, heavier?
3. Do you have a preferred thickness? Skinny, fat?
4. Should the flange butt right up next to the pen or be further out?
5. What's the best way to create adjustable flanges?
6. Can you make straight holders without using metal inserts?
7. What's the best angle for a left-handed holder?
8. What are your favorite finishes? Shellac? Wax? Poly?


Gimme all the feedback you've got, criticisms, suggestions, ideas, questions, anything and everything! I wanna hear it!

Thank you in advance - and I apologize for my rookie mistakes.

[Des]

How are the flanges fitted? glued or friction or both?

[AndyT]

Hmm, I like the second one best for appearance, but #4 looks like it would work well for me.  It's nice to see someone not aiming for the "prestige" market. 

Answers to your questions:

1.  No.
2.  As light as possible.
3.  Comparatively skinny ... say 3/8" where my fingers go.
4.  Depends on the nib.  Tight in for little 'uns, further out for big 'uns.  Also depends on the offset angle, so no clear answer on this one.
5.  Simple bent brass flange for me, with a strong preference for it to be dry fitted in the Zanerian fashion.  That, however, incurs extra work.
6.  Probably not easy, but Brause make one.  I really dislike those cross-shaped metal inserts and far prefer the old fashioned style which curl around the edges of the nib.
7.  Not convinced an oblique holder is necessary for left handed under writers but not really qualified to say!
8.  Not wax.  I've used oil on my home made holders because it's easy to rejuvenate the finish, but anything that isn't too slippery would be fine.

[Jamie]

Oh these look lovely! And I like how simplistic most of the designs are. I'll  have to get one the second I get my first paycheck. My job is semi-seasonal so it hasn't started back up yet.

Although personally (and I don't mean anything against what you've done here ), I'm disappointed in general at the lack of variety in holders outside of just wood. To me Wood isn't even the easiest material you could work with unless you've already got the stuff to do the carving, and I'm more partial to metal over wood for pretty much any thing.

Plus I prefer the skinniest thing you can get for a holder/case of anything I write with, and I feel like that's easier to achieve with a metal holder. I have tiny hands which is part of it. I drool every time I see the really small vintage holders that seem to float around some, though I think they're all straight holders. I managed to put together my own custom straight holder out of a metal tube, the metal slip-in piece usually used for straight holders and then by getting feathers and sticking them on the other end of the tube. It's my favorite holder and so I rarely touch my others. I only grab the oblique if I want to make nice flourishes because my hand is more relaxed with it.

[schin]

Very nice!

I like the variety in the shapes, but don't forget that it has to be comfortable to hold.. if there are turned bumpy designs right where the skin touches wood it may not be pleasant after awhile.
I used to love loooong rat tail pens, but these days I prefer stubs!
I always like very light pens, but a nice weight sometimes writes great too.. people have different preferences depending on the size of their hands.
The best way to fit a flange is to imagine a nib already in it.. and make sure the point comes to about the center of the pen. Some penmakers position their flanges very far out and when the nib is inserted, it is far from the actual pen, making it kinda awkward to use... again everyone has their own preference but yknow, the flange should be positioned in a way that complements the writer.. best way to find out is to use your own pens and see how it works for ya!

[ash_bush]

Thank you thank you for the replies! This is really scary to have you all looking at them, but your feedback is invaluable!!

[Brad franklin]

scary? they look awesome!

[chantellehoffmann]

I am certainly no expert when it comes to holders as I've mostly only used a wood one from Paper and Ink Arts. I'm mostly just wanted to post a comment here because I think you are off to a lovely start.  I really do love love love the look of dark solid wood pens. I am not surprised that there is a market for less prestigious pens (although I am first to raise my hand in admitting I am still hard-core lusting after a Brian-Schin creation). I love the look of the first pen and would only hesitate due to what Schin alluded to: would it be bumpy where my hand rested against it? But, love the swirls, love the uniqueness, love the wood, love that you are a husband-wife team making these beauties. Can't wait to see more!

So I would LOVE to know:
1. Not really. I'm not a huge fan of the carrot look, but I've heard they are comfortable to write with
2. Light is good.
3. I tend towards a death grip on my pens at times, so a slightly thicker grip base is helpful for me
4-7. I defer to the experts for those questions.
8. For natural wood, I would like anything that protects the wood & is somewhat matte. Most important is that it's not slippery when held for a prolonged period. Perhaps there are very light wood oils that would soak in and not leave a residue.

[garyn]

1. Do you have a preferred length?
- At least 7 inches long.  I do like the longer tails, but I have not determined what the max length of the tail should be.  But the longer it is, the more critical the balance is, so not too long.
2. Do you have a preferred weight? Lighter, heavier?
- LIGHT, but I can't give you a weight, at least not right now.  I would probably prefer it under 20 grams, with a max no heavier than 25 grams.  But this is a guess, as I need to weigh my pens to give you a better answer.  Schin had an interesting comment, having a holder that is heavier or lighter than my usual holder might make for a good change, every once in a while.
3. Do you have a preferred thickness? Skinny, fat?
- skinny, but a grip that then tapers to a "rat tail" is OK.  My preferred grip size is about 10-11mm diameter, I cannot use anything larger than 12mm, as I have a small hand.  I also realize that a mouse tail would be difficult to turn on a lathe.  So that would set a practical manufacturing minimum.
4. Should the flange butt right up next to the pen or be further out?
- If you can, have the option of 2 flanges,
-  -  #1 for the "normal" shorter nibs.
-  -  #2 for the LONG nibs.
5. What's the best way to create adjustable flanges?
-  I thought that was a good idea, but I have since taken the advice of some people, and now use 1 holder per pen/nib size.  I currently have 2 oblique holders (#1 for Nikko G and #2 for Esterbrook 556).  It is a lot less hassle to switch to a different holder than to adjust the holder for a different nib in the middle of a writing session.  My larger nibs are in a straight holder, although I would like to put one of those on an oblique holder.
6. Can you make straight holders without using metal inserts?
-  -  I think this is for folks that get the end of the holder into the ink, in which case the metal clutch could rust.  But I don't know of any real options.  I think Tachikawa uses a plastic clutch.  But that plastic clutch also makes the grip fatter.
7. What's the best angle for a left-handed holder?
-  I'm RH so cannot comment.
8. What are your favorite finishes? Shellac? Wax? Poly?
-  I would like hard finish, like Shellac or Poly finish, to keep the ink out of the wood grain.

[Moya]

Ash these are really beautiful! 

Here are some answers - I skipped the ones that I can't answer:

1. Do you have a preferred length?
Not really!  I like long and tapered, it makes me feel fancy ... but I've never tried stubs either.

2. Do you have a preferred weight? Lighter, heavier?
Not really!  I like a variety of holders. Sometimes one just feels better to my hand that particular day.  I have a very heavy Weidmann and some super light locally turned ones, and neither is really better than the otehr.

3. Do you have a preferred thickness? Skinny, fat?
I'm increasingly leaning towards 'a bit fat' - I think it's easier on my hands for long sittings.  But again, I like the novelty of having the options.

4. Should the flange butt right up next to the pen or be further out?
As mentioned above - depends what kind of nib I end up using it for.  I mostly work with Leonardt EFPs, so fairly butted up is good for me most often.

6. Can you make straight holders without using metal inserts?
I have a couple of the Tachikawa plastic holders and they are among my favourites for broad pen - but I've no idea on how they're made.  Plastic moulded, maybe. 

8. What are your favorite finishes? Shellac? Wax? Poly?
I have to admit I'm not clear on the difference, to be honest ... My favourite holder is by Chris and Heather Held, and the coat is extremely glossy and shiny, if that helps? Ink doesn't stick to it - which is ideal

[SueL]

Oh how coincidental. Your instagram page was on my recommended list of pages to look at. I took a peek and followed you.

I like that your holders are all-wood holders. They have that rustic feel to them which appeals greatly to me. I like the look of your second holder but was wondering how comfortable it would be for me. It would be great if someone who's tried one could do a review.

On to your questions:

1. Do you have a preferred length?
I like my holders at least 8" in length.

2. Do you have a preferred weight? Lighter, heavier?
I like both because it depends on my mood that day.

3. Do you have a preferred thickness? Skinny, fat?
I prefer a slightly thicker grip.

4. Should the flange butt right up next to the pen or be further out?
Depends on the nib I'm using.

8. What are your favorite finishes? Shellac? Wax? Poly?
I like a matt finish on natural wood holders. It adds to the rustic look. But more importantly, the finish has to be non-slippery.

[patweecia]

i like the last two holders

i only have the hourglass adjustable oblique holder so i'm not sure if my answers will help you...

1. Do you have a preferred length?
- the length similar to the hourglass oblique is fine with me. a shorter one would do so too...

2. Do you have a preferred weight? Lighter, heavier?
- i have a heavy hand so i'd rather have my holder with a little light for balance

3. Do you have a preferred thickness? Skinny, fat?
- i like them a bit fat/thick for the grip

4. Should the flange butt right up next to the pen or be further out?
- a little further out for big/normal sized nibs for me

8. What are your favorite finishes? Shellac? Wax? Poly?
- what sueL said

[penstaff]

They all look terrific and very tempting! Keep up the good work - the best is yet to come!
Harvey
[email protected]

[Perfectsettings]

You poor thing!  All of this feed back is clear as mud.  As you can see, everyone is quite different.  One thing I learned the hard way (in business) is not to take preferences personally.  Not everyONE is a sale for you.  That one customer is yours because of what they find in YOU and your specific style in what you offer. 
Good luck.  Your work is fabulous!

[Heebs]

First of all these are looking great, I really like the experimentation but like Schin said just make sure the aesthetics don't interfere with comfort.

I agree with Daisy--while I love the research you are doing with the questionnaire, it will likely make things a bit more confusing You can't please everyone so just find what works for you and stick to it and if someone requests a special modification to something like the flange or width you can adjust for them. Every pensmith has their own preferences according to what they have found works well for them but any one of them will adjust their design to your needs (within reason). I would recommend trying to create holders you are happy with and, at the end of the day, you'd want to be using. Once you find the details that work for you (flange angle/distance, mounting, etc) you can start creating variants with different lengths and grip widths so you have something for everyone.

As for adjustable flanges, there's no short trick for these and they are quite a bit of work for such a small piece. I pretty much started by examining and reverse engineering the PIA adjustable oblique. You can pick up the straight holder inserts online but the only other alternative i've seen was more work than it's worth.