# Traveler Pen



## dfurlano (Jul 10, 2007)

This is a long pen with 112 sterling silver inlay dots, custom made solid sterling silver clip and band engraved with "To travel hopefully" from RL Stevenson "To travel hopefully is a better thing then to arrive", Pomele Bubinga Sapwood on the body and African Blackwood on the cap. Ebonite nib assembly holder along with the top finial and bottom cap.  I purchased the London Stanley compass inset in the very top of the finial and the nib and nib assembly.  Everything else was fabricated, fit and assembled by me.







Close up of the cap front side.  I engraved a sterling silver disk with the compass and then made a fixture so when I heated the disk I could bend it into the proper radius.  I then enameled the engraving with black enamel. I finished with 0000 steel wool.






This is a photo of the pen clip on the rear of the cap.  The clip was machined in wax and sent out for casting in sterling silver.  Once I got the clip back I finished the clip mostly by tumbling and some buffing.  I then used Liver of Sulfur to blacken the clip.  






Shot with the cap and pen together.  On the bottom of the clip in the oval is my trademark df. 






Why is the pen so long?  Well I wanted to make it so that a converter would fit in the body.  Again the part I purchased was the nib, holder and converter that you see outside the pen.  I made the threaded black ebonite on the pen.  Outside threads for the cap inside threads for the nib assembly.






But why does putting a converter on the assembly make the pen long?  Well like any good traveler you always travel prepared.   The bottom cap unscrews and you can store a refill cartridge in the back of the pen.  I made a separate storage compartment that is separate from the rest of the pen body. A place to store that special contraband.






Thanks for looking.

Dan


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## Tuba707 (Jul 10, 2007)

Beautiful pen.  You had a very creative design and it was obviously well executed.  That is a work of art - are you selling it?

Just out of curiousity, where did you get the nib housing and converter?


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## GaryMGg (Jul 10, 2007)

Dan,
I well remember the prototype but this is <b>_AMAZING_</b>.
Fabulously, creatively, magnificently executed!
Bravo!
Gary


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## gerryr (Jul 11, 2007)

Beautifully done, Dan.


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## ahoiberg (Jul 11, 2007)

that's a fantastic piece. very nice detail and obviously well thought out. great thinking outside the box!


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## skiprat (Jul 11, 2007)

That is truly fantastic, definitely in a different league[:0][]


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## vick (Jul 11, 2007)

Outstanding pen!


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## Thumbs (Jul 11, 2007)

An amazing piece!  Congratulations on what had to be a long involved work![]
Looks like a viable entry for the you-know-who group.  Much better than some I've seen there.

Oops![:0][:I] Maybe you're already a member!  Whether you are or not, this is a spectacular piece that deserves recognition.  Great pen, nice finish!  LOL![]


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## Tanner (Jul 11, 2007)

Wow, beautiful pen!!  Awesome craftsmanship!!  That pen is so cool!!![]


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## rcarman (Jul 11, 2007)

Very creative and well executed.  Excellant craftsmanship on the fit.


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## Rifleman1776 (Jul 11, 2007)

Very unique and well crafted. For my tastes, I'm not a fan of mixed media. Cap and bottom look like they belong on other pens that match. That's just me.


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## alamocdc (Jul 11, 2007)

Dan, only one word comes to mind and I've studied every photo closely for the last 20 minutes... stunning, simply stunning. This is one of the most beautiful hand made FPs I've ever seen.


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## TBone (Jul 11, 2007)

Fantastic pen and beautiful design and craftsmanship.


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## Rojo22 (Jul 11, 2007)

Nicely done!  The design is magnificent! How does the sterling silver hold up over time?  I dont have any experience with that finish, and would like to file the knowledge away for future use. I would also like to know about how the converter kit was made.


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## thewishman (Jul 11, 2007)

Gorgeous, awesome, outstanding!!! A true work of art. Congratulations on a superb writing instrument.

Chris


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## laserturner (Jul 11, 2007)

Beautiful job Dan. A definite masterpiece. I love the theme.
Ken


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## ashaw (Jul 11, 2007)

Dan

The traveler came out great.  Good job on the design and execution.


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## DKF (Jul 11, 2007)

Wow....very, very nice.....Sometimes the bar gets placed pretty high around here!


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## MDWine (Jul 11, 2007)

That is a teriffic pen, very well appointed and executed...
I think I hate you... [][][]

...beautiful...


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## rherrell (Jul 11, 2007)

Fantastic!!!!


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## GoodTurns (Jul 11, 2007)

I had to come back to respond.  When I looked at it right after you posted, my first reaction was BUSY!  As is often the case, waiting and looking again changes impressions.  It is an incredibly complex and beautiful artwork.  It is not something I would be drawn to make, but the craftsmanship and detail are incredible!  I don't know what direction my penmaking will take, I can only hope that I can even see the path you are on.  Fantastic pen.


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## btboone (Jul 11, 2007)

I like it Dan.  Let me know where you buy your kit.  [][)]


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## penmanruss (Jul 11, 2007)

Had to take a moment to respond.  That is one beautiful pen, and has had a great deal of care put into it.  Tremendous work, and an inspiration to those of us who try to incorporate different materials and media into our pens.  Thanks for showing it to us all.


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## jtate (Jul 11, 2007)

Beautiful!

Are the dots on the body of the pen Mother of Pearl?


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## papaturner (Jul 11, 2007)

Speechless.............It`s absolutely awesome.Perry


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## Scott (Jul 11, 2007)

Hi Dan!

Nice pen!  It is one of the few pens I've seen here that is a solid step away from "penturning", and a solid step towards "Pen Making".  I have no idea what motivations were behind the making of this pen.  They must have been something, because I know full well what it took to make this.  So let me ask a few questions:  Is this a "one off" for the fun of it, or do you have a purpose?  Are you happy with the final result, or do you see improvements?  Are you going to sell this pen, and if so, what audience do you picture being the target?  Please don't be offended by my questions, because I really like what you have done!  I just want to get a feel for how and why you got from point A to point B.  Please feel free to E-Mail me if you choose not to reply here.  Thanks!

Scott.


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## workinforwood (Jul 11, 2007)

Very nice, ingenious and creative.  Looks like a real show stopper to me.[]


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## dfurlano (Jul 11, 2007)

Thanks for the comments. To answer the questions:

I finished the sterling silver with liver of sulfur to tarnish the surface.  I would assume the surface will hold up and I am going to do an experiment on the longevity of the flexibility of the clip interface to the pen body.

The "dots" are sterling silver wire.

The motivation for the pen was RL Stevenson's prose.  I plan on making several pens based upon classic works in the public domain. I am rarely happy with the end result and this clearly is a problem for me.  I like to iterate and change and improve my designs to a fault.  Although I would not add anything to this pen I have contemplated making a sterling silver compass, adding a full engraving inside the spiral grooves of RLS's prose, having the lower body go inside the upper cap ring.... it's almost madding.

I am hoping to have several of these available for the DC show, although that may not happen due to time restrictions.  People that are serious travelers will get the theme and I hope appreciate the look and feel of the pen.  The intention was to make a pen that did not look manufactured and had an old world feel, like a dusty old world map book you would see in a Indiana Jones movie. I have not come up with a price I see how much interest it draws.

I did a lot of new things on this pen and that caused me to make choices that I hopefully will not have to deal with when I get more experience.  I like mechanical things and I simply could not do the type of design I had envisioned on this pen.  Hopefully future pens will see some new ideas.

Dan


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## cdcarter (Jul 11, 2007)

That's really something special, and you should be proud of it. Thanks for sharing with us.


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## GaryMGg (Jul 11, 2007)

Dan,

With any luck, this pen and it's entire evolution will become a sticky here! []
The <s>craftsmanship</s> virtuosity, thoughtfulness and effort that went into producing this masterpiece ought to be preserved for posterity.

For those who haven't seen it or who've forgotten the evolution of this piece, I give you the prototype

http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=20530

and the second iteration

http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=21475

Bravo Maestro! Bravo!

Gary


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## BRobbins629 (Jul 11, 2007)

IAP Pen of the year (or century).  What else can be said.


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## Dario (Jul 12, 2007)

Bravo!


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## Johnathan (Jul 12, 2007)

Wow, this pen has a great look. Great job!


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## johncrane (Jul 12, 2007)

Fantastic Work Dan![]


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## BigRob777 (Jul 12, 2007)

Dan,
Holy smokes.  That's an amazing pen, down to every detail.  Keep on designing.
Rob


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## Scott (Jul 12, 2007)

Dan,

Thanks for the answers!  You have a concept here that works very well.  I hope you intend to make a limited edition of this pen.  I know it's boring to make the same thing over and over, but if you could do even ten of these, I think it would be worth your while.  This pen is every bit as appealing as most of the Krone LE's I have seen, and they sell very well.  I know you want to make improvements, but there is also the need to leave well enough alone.  This pen is fine how it is!  Remember the improvements you want to make, and use them on the next pen design.

I really like the use of the silver inlaid for the dots.  I first saw this technique about six years ago, used on a woodturned bowl.  The mechanics of inalying a silver dot is not that bad, but the aesthetics of it are more challenging.  I think you nailed the aesthetics dead on!  The spiral on the lower barrel is also just about perfect.  Subtle but noticeable.  And not too busy.  I really like the compass emblem you made for the cap.  I'm not so sure about the working compass in the finial, but it fits with the pen.  I also don't know if I care for the pointed end on the clip, but that is personal preference, and again it fits with the pen.

You have done an amazing job of sticking with your theme here.  Your workmanship and attention to detail is flawless.  Depending on your price point these pens will be snapped up by collectors, so you ought to be thinking about how much you want to charge!

I really appreciate you sharing this with us!

Scott.


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## richstick1 (Jul 12, 2007)

That is, far and away, the nicest piece of work I've seen here.  Nothing else even comes remotely close.  Incredible job.  The clip is so gorgeous I can't believe it.


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## Jim in Oakville (Jul 14, 2007)

Stunning pen, your imagination and creativity has given this instrument mre life than any pen I have seen in a long time...just wonderful to see and appreciate!![]


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## Stevej72 (Jul 14, 2007)

Dan, There is nothing I can say that hasn't been said better already.  That is an absolutely awesome pen.


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## neon007 (Jul 14, 2007)

WOW!!! What else needs to be said!!!


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