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About JEB's PENs:

If you haven't read my CONTACT PAGE, then the first thing you should know is that there is no "US". It's just ME!

I work out of a small home shop on the east coast side of the US. I've been a woodworker all my life, but never "turned" wood. But finally in late 2003, I decided to buy my first lathe. I bought a small inexpensive wood lathe because since I'd never turned wood before, I wasn't sure if I was going to like the process (I'm a self confessed "clean freak", so I wasn't sure about the idea of getting showered with sawdust). Therefore I didn't want to invest a lot of money into something I'd end up not using. But as I slowly learned how to "turn" wood, one thing I found out rather quickly was that since it was a small lathe I couldn't turn very large diameter items on it. So about a year later, I ended up buying a second larger lathe for turning larger items such has bowls and platters (I recently replaced that lathe with a much nicer one!). As most newbie's do that are just getting started, I dabbled in a variety of turning projects. One of those was turning "kit" pens. If you're not familiar with what a "kit" pen is, it's a pen sold as a disassembled kit, and it includes all the parts you need to assemble a pen once you "turn" the main centers (the barrels between the metal parts). For the centers, you're supplied with a pair of brass tubes for the main parts of the pen. The brass tubes are glued into the center of the material you intend to use, and then they're mounted on the lathe and turned to the proper diameter and profile based on the specific pen style you're making. At that time, the pen turning "craze" was just starting to build, so there weren't a lot of pen styles or types of material available quite yet. So I soon became bored with just rounding the centers and wanted something that was more challenging. So I bought some books on various woodturning methods and learned to turn a variety of other items in order to improve my turning skills. I turned bowls, platters, various Christmas ornaments and knick knacks. I even made some walking canes (I have a bad back and use a cane, so as a woodworker, I thought I should try making my own). My skills grew, but I kept going back to pens. Since everyone uses a pen, they were an easy choice for Christmas and birthday gifts and were easy to make.

One day I was online looking at pens, and ran across some HANDMADE fountain pens. I loved how they looked and was very intrigued. They were made from all acrylic, without any metal parts at all except the nib. After doing more research, I decided I was going to try and see if I could make one. Since the only fountain pens I own were the few kit fountain pens I had made, I had to start everything from scratch-- from figuring out the size of the parts, to how to add the various threads-- and most importantly how to make the parts on a WOOD lathe. To get started, I jointed a few pen forums and inquired as to how to get started. But I was quickly shut down, told that you couldn't make fountain pen parts on a WOOD lathe--I was told I had to have a METAL lathe to make those kinds of parts. But instead of giving up on the idea, I decided to take it as a personal challenge. And since I couldn't ask anyone for help, I just started trying various methods to make the parts. I slowly worked out the processes for making each of the various parts. I had to work out how to mount the parts so I could do as much machining as possible. Sometimes I worked it out on the first attempt, other times it took several attempts before I had a part made properly. Next I began researching sources for the few various pieces of hardware I needed (like clips and nibs), as well as some of the special tooling that was necessary for making some of the parts. After a few months, I eventually had a few basic fountain pens completed. I showed off my first pen in 2011, and immediately had people asking whether it was for sale, or if I'd make them one. After some prodding, I decided to try selling some in order to have the funds to buy more of the speciality jig and tooling I needed for making different size pens and help make the process easier. After learning the basics, I continued to challenge myself to make more complex pens, by making various styles and sizes; adding metal accent bands; and trying out alternate inking systems. I've since added various accent bands to several of my basic pen styles, and added Button and Piston filler inking options as upgrades to several styles. I'm constantly making and posting new pen styles, so please stop by often to see my latest additions.

What's NEXT?

I haven't stopped trying to improve. I've continued to challenge myself by taking on more challanging projects, and adding new features to my standard pens. For example I've been working for a while on a LEVER-FILLER inking system. Although it doesn't use many parts, the parts must be fitted precisely, so it's been a challenge. But I'm determined to make one. I've also been working on more complex pen styles or ways to add features. One new feature I'm working on is adding a pair of metal accent bands to the acrylic band of my Dhaulagiri. It's a popular pen just as it is, but I think the bands would make a nice addition. But besides wanting to add new features to my pens, I'm also constantly working to improve the quality of my pens as well. One of the best ways to improve is to get direct feedback. So if you ever have a problem with one of my pens, please let me know about it.

About Placing ORDERS....

If you see a pen you like, or you're looking for someone to create something custom or unique that's just for you, please feel free to contact me with your request. Most of the pens posted can be ordered by e-mailing me directly using the e-mail address list at the top of the page. Send me an e-mail, and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible. Because I offer a variety of options on the pens, I only stock samples, so if you order a pen, one will be made for you. As long as the materials are readily available, I can usually turn around a standard pen order in 2-3 weeks. Payment is easily made through PayPal, and all shipments are sent out via Priority Mail (overseas can be standard Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express depending on that countries insurance limitations). USA shipments are usually received in two days, overseas shipments vary depending on the amount of time it takes to get cleared through customs.

Thanks again for visiting, please come back again soon.

Cordially...JEB