This Desk Set was made as a standard c/c desk pen only. Set includes the pen with barrel extension and solid brass accent band, and the solid base with threaded funnel. The material is a black Inlace Acrylester with a hint of gold laced through out. Pen Specifications: Color / Material: Golden Black Inlace Acrylester*. *Note: this was a special ordered color blend. The front-section made from solid black Acrylic Acetate. Length: Pen (overall with ext and band) = 8.75". Front-section .75", barrel 3", Band .375", Ext 3.50". Diameter (centers): Barrel = .50" / Band = .52. Nib: #6 2-tone Steel Meister. Accent Band: Solid Brass. Weight (pen): 21.7 gms. Ink system: c/c only (cartridge or converter). Nib: #6 2-tone Steel Meister. Accent Band: Solid Brass. Weight (pen): 21.7 gms. Ink system: c/c only (cartridge or converter).Base Specifications: Color / Material: Solid one piece base made with the same material as the pen with ogee edge treatment. Approx Size: 5" wide x 3" deep x 13/16" thick. Funnel: .72" dia. x 2.25" long, threaded.

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A few words about the material used for this pen...
This pen was made from a type of acrylic called Inlace Acrylester (IA). It is softer, more brittle, and less transparent than other pen acrylics (such as Acrylic Acetate (AA)). These characteristics causes it to come away as a powder when turned with a cutting tool but as chips when turned with a gouge, so it takes more time and concentration to turn it without chipping. But more importantly, these characteristics makes it very hard to cut the male (external) threads successfully with conventional cutting dies. Regardless of the approach, it always seems to be a hit or miss as to whether I can get decent threads on a part. The finer the threads, the better chance of success, but it still doesn't always work. As a result, in order to use the material and be assured of getting good parts every time, I made a few modifications to the pen parts to accommodate the threading issue.

The modification was to basically eliminate the male threads on the barrel. So one change was to put female threads on the top of the barrel for screwing on the extension (just like the base of the extension). Then I made a separate threaded rod from black AA to thread the extension to the barrel. Since it not seen, it's not a big deal except that this setup takes away the option of upgrading the pens to button-fillers. I'm looking into a set of finer threads that will work, so I hope to go back to the standard connection in the near future if the new finer threads work.

The other modification I made that you CAN see is that the front-section had the cap threads on it instead of the barrel and is made from solid black AA. Because of the shape of the parts, it's had to tell when looking at the pen that the threads are on the front section and not the barrel. And since their isn't much of the gold that shows through the pen parts, it's hard to tell the front section is made from a different material.

Two-tone pens... Although it isn't noticeable on this pen, it will make a difference for other IA colors unless a color is available that will blend as well as the black does. So you will need to consider this when choosing other IA colors to use for your Desk Pen. The Solid Black is the safest choice and could be used with most any color, and since it will be hidden in the funnel when the pen is stored, it won't affect the overall look of your desk pen. But there are a few other solid colors available that might blend well with other IA colors.

OK, you may be wondering-- if I can't thread the material, then why use it? Well, one reason is so there are more choices of material to use for making desk or any other style of fountain pens. Another is that it's hard to beat this material for it's pearlescence finish and depth of color. But the main reason is because to date, it's the only material I can buy in large enough pieces for making solid bases. Any of the other materials, would require a laminated base. I'm looking for a supplier for larger pieces of other types of acrylics, so I hope to be able to offer some other acrylics for solid bass at some point in the future.

I've listed some other information about the Inlace Acrylester and the other base options, on a separate page along with additional ordering information. If you are considering ordering a desk pen, please take a few minutes to read through that information as well. But if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me ( DESK PEN ORDERING INFORMATION).