Messages

1

The Library / Re: Flourish by Veiko Kespersaks

« on: July 03, 2021, 05:32:39 PM »

Yes, he’s the same author who wrote the Calligraphy in 24 hours book.

Erica, I’m not sure where you can get it, I don’t think it’s officially on sale yet, but I’ll ask him.  In the meantime I’ve taken a few more pics...

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The Library / Flourish by Veiko Kespersaks

« on: July 02, 2021, 06:14:20 PM »

I just received an advance copy of this in the mail, I haven’t had much chance to look through it yet (it’s a pretty thick book) but it looks an amazing resource, covering much more than just copperplate.


 

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Tools & Supplies / Re: My Favorite Nibs for Pointed Pen

« on: May 22, 2021, 06:06:03 PM »

It would be interesting to know how much of the process they do have the equipment for, but I doubt they’d have the ability to temper (or possibly knowledge) the metal properly etc, nor coat it.

It’s a shame that so much knowledge of how the nibs were made has been lost 😞

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Tools & Supplies / Re: My Favorite Nibs for Pointed Pen

« on: May 22, 2021, 05:31:11 PM »

Thanks Jean, I would be interested in reading it. I believe there is a place in England where they still make nibs by hand. I will try to find the information about it. It was on our visit list before the trip was canceled because of Covid.

I don’t believe anywhere here is actually still making the nibs any hand, although the Pen Museum in Birmingham has many of the old manual tools which were used, and you can have a go yourself at parts of the process.....however, it’s not the whole process and I doubt that everything needed, nor indeed the knowledge, still exists. 

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Tools & Supplies / Re: JW Ergonomic pen holder

« on: March 23, 2021, 10:33:11 AM »

I just remembered that Chris Yoke (Yoke Pen Company) also makes replicas of some traditional ergonomic penholders, so it would be worth taking a look at his site too.

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Tools & Supplies / Re: JW Ergonomic pen holder

« on: March 23, 2021, 10:20:19 AM »

I only skipped through the video but the only pen I can see him making is a turned pen, not one of his ergonomics.  I’d guess that his acrylic ergonomics are cast in a mould, since they are so uniform and have the ‘look’ of a cast piece, though of course I could be wrong. His wooden ones are, I assume, hand made since I can’t think of any other way of making them. 

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Tools & Supplies / Re: JW Ergonomic pen holder

« on: March 23, 2021, 08:22:07 AM »

There are other pen makers (myself included) who make ergonomic penholders at a much more realistic price, and of different shapes and sizes, which might be less of an extreme change from the traditional shaped penholder.  A search on Etsy will find you lots of choice at different price points.

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Did vintage nib boxes came with samples?

« on: March 18, 2021, 07:50:48 PM »

Yes, the Perry 120 always seems to come with a sample nib on that little card.  I can’t remember any of their other boxes including samples, but I could be wrong.  However, I think the 120 box is probably the only box with the room to put a sample in, so that may be why.

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Help Needed -New Pen Holder

« on: February 28, 2018, 03:08:42 PM »

Diane, glad to be of help.

The most important thing, in terms of comfort of a penholder, is probably the width of the grip.  Some people like a thinner grip, others find that a slightly wider grip can help in avoiding the 'death grip' and help stop getting hand cramps.  If you're not sure what you prefer, you can wrap tape, or string, around your existing penholder and see whether having a bit wider is more comfortable.  Evan an extra 0.5mm can feel quite different.

The weight can also have an impact on the comfort of a penholder, especially if you're using it for long periods of time.  Generally speaking, a wood pen will be lighter than an acrylic, but you can always message makers and ask.  Some people do prefer a heavier pen though, so have a think about which you think you'd prefer.

Finally, this is just my personal opinion, but I'd avoid long penholders with very thick tails (it doesn't matter so much with shorter penholders).  This thickness at the end of a long tail can unbalance a penholder.  Generally you want the majority of the weight of the penholder to be held within the hand.

Hope this helps!

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Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Help Needed -New Pen Holder

« on: February 27, 2018, 10:41:20 AM »

My advice would be to not spend too much money at first.  Once you get past a certain price, all you're paying extra for is aesthetics.

You say that you have a cheap holder at the moment - have a think about what you like about the penholder, and whether there's anything that you don't like.  Consider things like width, length, weight, material.  Take this into account when you're looking for new penholders.  If you're looking on somewhere like Etsy, don't be shy in messaging sellers to ask any questions.

I'll leave it to others to make recommendations of pens and makers, however, I will say that, if you're buying from etsy, make sure that you check reviews and pay close attention to the photos.  There are some excellent penmakers there, but the are also a couple who seem to be turning out oblique pens without really understanding their use.

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Coffee & Nib-bles / Re: Shanghaied!

« on: February 27, 2018, 06:21:42 AM »

Congratulations Dave!!     

I hope you'll both be very happy!

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Tools & Supplies / Re: Custom Oblique Pen Holder | Makers

« on: January 23, 2018, 12:30:42 PM »

I'll also add another European penmaker - Kate in Italy www.etsy.com/uk/shop/inkatable  Lots of handturned olivewood pens, along with a few others things.

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Tools & Supplies / Re: Curv-E Holder - New Oblique Pen Holder

« on: January 21, 2018, 05:22:38 PM »

One other thing that I think people should understand about designing the new pen is just how much work and time goes into finding a name. Erica and I must have come up with 50 names each....thankfully it was Erica that hit the nail on the head and the Curv-E Holder was born!

Edward

Haha, always the hardest bit when starting a business too! 

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Tools & Supplies / Re: Curv-E Holder - New Oblique Pen Holder

« on: January 21, 2018, 11:32:02 AM »

Sounds great Edward!  I've also just seen your instagram post showing the design in more detail - there are quite a few changes you've made to a normal pen.  It looks like a happy medium between a traditional turned pen, and a full blown ergonomic.  Well done!

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Tools & Supplies / Re: Curv-E Holder - New Oblique Pen Holder

« on: January 20, 2018, 05:57:41 PM »

I've often wondered why penmakers don't flatten out the top of turned pens to allow a more comfortable and 'stable' grip.  I generally make ergonomic pens, where the top is already flat, but have also experimented with making similar modifications to a couple of turned pens I've made.  I assumed that there wasn't much demand for them, so didn't bother pursuing it any further - but from my experiments, I agree that it makes a more comfortable pen.

Looking forward to seeing some more.