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About the Name:
The Lhotse (pronounced "loat---as in goat-- say") is named after Mount Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain on earth. Lhotse is best known for its proximity to mount Everest and the fact that climbers ascending the "standard route" on that peak spend some time on its northwest face. And in fact Lhotse has the smallest topographical prominence value of any the other mountains in it's group.

Lhotse Dimensions:
The Lhotse shape is known as a "cigar", and is one of the most iconic and popular clipless fountain pen styles ever made. It has a gradual taper from the center (joint) out to either end, ending in a nice round-over. The clipless style and short length allows the pen to be very portable. It can easily fit in a pocket, purse, briefcase or knapsack. The standard length is about 5 1/2", but it can be ordered in any custom size between 5" and 6" (or even longer if desired). The pen uses a standard Cartridge/Converter inking system. It can be fitted with a #5 or #6 nib. Nib finishes available for STEEL nibs are: 2-tone, polished steel, Black Oxide (#6 only), or Ruthenium (#5 only). Current tip sizes are x-fine, fine, medium, broad, and two italics (1.1 both; 1.4 for #5 only, and 1.5 for #6 only). 14 & 18K Gold nibs are also available as a special order.

Lhotse MAGNUM:
The Lhotse MAGNUM is a larger version of the Lhotse that is 18% larger. The MAGNUM has a capped length of 6 1/2" (165 mm) and a diameter of .71" (18 mm). The threads are also larger than the original to maintain the scale. The only part of the pen that isn't scaled up is the nib. The MAGNUM uses the same #6 nib as the original size. This is because a larger nib isn't available in steel. But if you would prefer a larger nib, PELIKAN offers a larger nib in their M1000, as does Bock in their type 380. But both are only available in 18k, so the upgrade cost would be much more expensive vs the standard #6 steel nib.

Lhotse Options and Upgrades:
The Lhotse is another pen style that allows for a few upgrades and options. You could add metal accent bands to the base of the cap, or add a HIDDEN RING clip (see the Tortoise Shell). The accent bands are available in several finishes (24k gold, nickel or Rhodium, and come in a variety of diameters with widths from 1 to 4mm (n 1mm increments). As stated above, you can also upgrade your pen with a 14k or 18k gold nib.

Inking system upgrades... Because of the style of the barrel, The Lhotse is not very conducive to adding a blind-cap for a piston or button filler. But it can be ordered as Lever-filler, Bulb-filler, or Eyedropper.

I also offer a variety of hand-made Pen Props and Pen Buttons. You can order a Pen Prop in a material to match your pen, or any one of the wooden styles made in a variety of stained or dyed colors. The Pen Buttons are available for any of the clipless pens.

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About this Pen and Material:
This pen is the MAGNUM version of the Lhotse. This material is not quite an acrylic, but rather composite material made up primarilary of lava (yes, rock from a volcano) composite material. It comes from a company that makes pen blanks using various natural materials such as lava, metal and carbon. They offer the lava in several other colors. I'm not quite sure of the actual contents--the sellers discription seemed a little ambiguous, combining all the various materials the company offers into a single paragraph to cover the various materials used (see below). The Lava is comprised of a special material called M3, which is short for Macro-Molecular Materials, the same type of materials used for everything from the Stealth Bomber to the International Space Station. It's brittle like some acrylics, but not near as hard as some of the exotic materials can be. This M3 Lava also has pearl in it, so it has a nice sparkle once it is polished. One other thing to note that I found with the M3 Lava was its WEIGHT-- it's about 45% heavier than most acrylics. So if you prefer a heavy pen, you may like this material.

Description of the Red & Blue Lava from the suppliers website:
"Real Metal Blanks That Turn on a Wood Lathe! Create stunning heirloom quality luxury goods with M3 Mokume* composite blanks. Add a whole new dimension to your art by creating with magnificent materials exhibiting spectacular wood grains (Mokume), patterns and surface characteristics that both mesmerize and inspire. Produced with exotic natural elements (metals, lava, carbon) that have been transformed by the M3 macro-molecular process enabling them to be worked with standard tooling, finished easily to a gem quality surface and will literally last forever."

*Mokume is short for Mokume-gane (木目金 Mokumegane), a Japanese metalworking procedure which produces a mixed-metal laminate with distinctive layered patterns, as well as that laminate itself. Mokume gane translates closely to "wood grain metal" or "wood eye metal" and describes the way metal takes on the appearance of natural wood grain. Mokume gane fuses several layers of differently colored precious metals together to form a sandwich of alloys called a "billet." The billet is then manipulated in such a way that a pattern resembling wood grain emerges over its surface. If you'd like to read more about M3 and the process, then check out this link: https://m3mokume.com/what-is-m3/

This Pens Specifications:
Color / Material: Red & Blue M3 Lava.
Length: Capped 6.50" / Uncapped 5.77".
Diameter: max .71" / min .59".
Nib - AGS (All Gold Steel) #6 Jowo.
Filling System: C/C / Eyedropper.