This is a final "release" of the Traveler Pen. Almost everything I did on this pen was a first for me, threading, modeling, cutting wax with complex toolpaths, Having the wax cast, finishing the sterling silver and a whole lot of time fitting and finishing.
This is a long pen with 112 sterling silver inlay dots, custom made solid sterling silver clip and band, 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