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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Bamboo dip pen nib holder. A prototype design.

Well, after making that 100% bamboo dip pen (see the Blog entry just before this one) I decided to do a version of it that used a metal nib. That way you could change out nibs to whatever you like. After doing this the results were so nice that (as usually happens!) I just had to do a post on them!

So then I decided to take it to you all and ask what changes you might make to the design. This is prototype #1 and I already have a few changes to make but I'd love to have your input on it! I'd love to compile community feedback and make this into a community designed pen!

Here's what changes I've got so far.

 - Get rid of the screw in  the bottom  It's just there to hold in a piece that doesn't really need to be there.
- Do without the cap. After all, it's just a dip pen


What do you all think of this? Please, post a comment with you might like to see in this pen. I have a ready supply of bamboo so I can make quite a few prototypes before coming to a final design.

Here are the pictures!







Here are some pictures of it on a new little pen rest I made. I'll be doing a post of that soon!




8 comments:

  1. This is a cool idea. I have bunch of bamboo growing just outside, and some dip-nibs floating around here somewhere. Maybe I'll give this a try.

    One thing you may consider is that the bamboo is green. When bamboo dries it changes shape somewhat and may crack. I think there are ways of quick drying bamboo that prevents this. But I don't know how to do it.

    Regards, David in Jakarta

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  2. David,

    Thank you for your input! Yes, I do remember now something about drying bamboo. I have a butane torch and I hear that works well for quick drying it. I may have to try that and see what results I get.

    Regards,
    777 - Tyler Dahl

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  3. David,

    Thank you for your input! Yes, I do remember now something about drying bamboo. I have a butane torch and I hear that works well for quick drying it. I may have to try that and see what results I get.

    Regards,
    777 - Tyler Dahl

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  4. Tyler, keep the cap! So what if it's a dip pen; the cap protects the nib when not in use.

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  5. Hello Freddy, good to hear from you!

    So that's 1 vote for keeping the cap. You're quite right about it protecting the nib. The only reason not to is that it adds a lot of extra time to the process of making the pen. The cap takes just as long as the whole body...

    Aside from that the cap is a very useful feature indeed.

    Regards,
    777 - Tyler Dahl

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  6. That's really cool. And I vote keep the cap, if only for aesthetics.

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  7. Glad you think it's cool! I thought so too. I wasn't expecting it to look as good as it did (though if you saw it in person you'd see my less-than-great woodworking skills...).

    So, it seems like everyone likes the cap! That's interesting, I might have to do a round two now with some modifications!

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  8. keep the cap and make it and eyedropper! That would be what I would do....

    FPK

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