# How hard would it be to make fountain pen if purchase the nibs beforehand?



## farhanc007 (Apr 11, 2013)

Hello

If I purchase a nib from the website link below 
Fountain Pen Nibs Website
How hard would it be to make fountain pen with the nibs from that website which are 14kt gold nibs.

As I want 2 handmade wooden mahogany pens with gold nibs.

I was looking at £25 nib’s form that website.
What would be cost of the 2 pens?
Is it difficult to make a pen with nibs chosen first?  

I am in the UK, so if a person in UK can help.

Any help appreciated .

Yours

Farhan (London England)


----------



## Haynie (Apr 11, 2013)

As long as you had the nib and the feed you'd be good.  If all you got was the nib then you would still have to have a feed.  I suppose people make the feeds but that seems to be a very exacting process best left to a machine.


----------



## lorbay (Apr 11, 2013)

farhanc007 said:


> Hello
> 
> If I purchase a nib from the website link below
> Fountain Pen Nibs Website
> ...



If you are just talking about the nibs they won't work without the feed, like the first ones at top of that page then the thread on those looks nothing like the taps out there for the common sections on the market.


----------



## Mr Vic (Apr 11, 2013)

The site looks like they have parted out fountain pens which can not be restored. The nibs are used and meant to fit the specific model pen...I would suggest looking for parts being offered for kitless or conversion of Rollerbal to Fountain pen.


----------



## plano_harry (Apr 11, 2013)

Farhan, welcome to IAP.  I see you are a new member.  Are you new to pen  making as well?  

If you are new to pen making, there are some very nice  kits that you can start with.  Turn your mahogany pen and upgrade the nib to a  nice quality gold one.  There are several vendors on IAP that have nibs  that will fit the kits we use.  The kits would have the appropriate  housing and feeds to complete your pen and have it work properly.

Harry


----------



## Smitty37 (Apr 11, 2013)

farhanc007 said:


> Hello
> 
> If I purchase a nib from the website link below
> Fountain Pen Nibs Website
> ...


Hi, without meaning to discourage you....if you have to ask those question you probably shouldn't do it.

How much it would cost would depend not just on the cost of the nib but there is a big variable in the cost of the blank which could cost as much as the nib price you're talking about.


----------



## Curly (Apr 12, 2013)

Hi Farhan. 

When you posed a similar question on the Fountain Pen Network I (Inspector on that forum) I suggested you try one of the woodworking forums near you. Seeing as that didn't work and several have told you that the threads on the old production pens, as they are on the new, are proprietary and would require a custom tap to be made, a hundred or two dollars for one, or someone with the metal lathe and skill to cut the thread for it (few and far between), I'll suggest this to you. Buy new German made gold nibs, feeds and housings from Meisternibs and then look for one of the custom pen makers here or on the FPN that make pens with that family of parts (usually the steel ones) that have the taps already to make the pens for you.

I would also be remiss if I didn't warn you that the costs are going to be considerably more than the $75.00US or so each you have been looking to pay as mentioned in your other threads on other forums. There are a few here that will make a kit fountain pen for that price but it will cost extra for solid gold nibs and there will be postage along with any customs at your end if you get someone from the colonies, past or present,  to make it. The custom or scratch made pen will be many times more expensive as they need to make the pen with ink proof liners inside the wood to prevent ink leaks from staining the pen from the inside out. and to hold the threads as the mahogany won't. That is like making a pen within a pen.

Now to bring up something else that you have not mentioned. Are you looking for the pen to have the deep rich reds or browns of mahogany that you see when looking at antiques or are you good with the lighter orange/red of freshly cut mahogany that will come off the lathe? If you want the dark traditional colours the pen maker needs to know this so they can stain the wood to look as you expect. The vast majority of the turners here do not stain the wood before finishing, they look for woods of other species that have the end colour to start with. A pen turner will have to know this before taking the job on to account for the extra learning curve and practise of the extra finishing steps.


----------



## Twissy (Apr 12, 2013)

I too saw your post on the FPN, and my thought was this sounds like a can of worms, ignore it and it will go away! Pete's response has raised an element of guilt in my attitude, especially as I'm in the UK......I do still feel it would be a can of worms though

There are a few nibs on the link that you have given in the £25 price range you have given. Which ones in particular are you looking at?
My personal opinion of the three I glanced at are:

Parker 51 .....not a chance! I could re-body a 51 but I wouldn't do it in wood. As Pete said a liner would need to be made and there wouldn't be enough meat to work with.

Parker 41 ...... I wouldn't touch it.

Watermans. There is a _slight _chance one of these could work with a new feed, but these nibs were designed to be used with ebonite feeds that are warmed and bent (formed) to fit the nib.

If I were to make a pen for anyone with a nib they supplied I would give absolutely no guarantees against leakage, skipping, scratching flow etc etc. There are a few exceptions to this, but not as far as your requirements are concerned.

If a customer requires a gold nib for a pen I make them I order it in. I received one last week and the cost was £85 for one of the larger nibs.

I maybe wrong, but I get the feeling from your post you want a lot of bang for very little buck! If this is not the case, then feel free to PM me for prices.

I'm sure you have googled handmade pens, so you must have a good idea of what it will cost you!
Good luck and best regards.
John


----------



## frank123 (Apr 12, 2013)

Make something cheap first.

Out of the readily available parts -or kits- that various vendors offer.

You'll learn enough to answer your own questions after you've made a few, come up with a few nice pens, and probably save a lot of wasted money in the learning process as well.


----------

