JEB's Dandy Custom Fountain Pen
Featuring RAISED Double Cap Bands
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About the Name:
The JEB's DANDY is another pen made in homage to the former Conway Stewart Pen Company (CS). This pen is my version of the DANDY. And as with my other CS styled pens, I borrowed the name again.
A little bit of History...The original Conway Stewart Pen Company (CS) was located in England and in opperation for over 100 years. But sadly they had to close their business in October 2014. If you're not familiar with the company and their pens, they were a British company that had been in operation since the very early 1900's with more than two dozen different pen styles to their credit over their many years in business. Their most famous tag lines was "they made the pens for the Queen". Contrary to what many may believe, the name "Conway Stewart" did NOT come from the name of the founder of the company, but rather it was believed to have been derived from a popular vaudeville act of the day. Eventually the original materials and parts were sold off and made available on the open market. Many of those original materials are still available, while others are being reproduced by the original UK manufacturer. If you have an interest in having a replica of a CS pen made, please send me an email. If you would like to read more into the history of The Conway Stewart Pen Company, you can find additional information at wikipedia.org/Conway-Stewart.
As I've mentioned with the other pens, I've always been a fan of their pens, so when some of their original material became available after they went out of business, I decided to try making a few of their styles. The Dandy was a small pen with a capped length of only 5" long and I wanted to use the larger #6 nib. So it presented a few challenges. The THREE MAIN challenges were: a) the short length; b) the thin diameter; and c) the RAISED bands. These are challenges because as is always the case when making a new pen style, I'm limited to currently available materials and machining sizes. Luckily though, with the Dandy, I was able to get fairly close to the original specs with just a few compromises:
#1. Short length... As I mentioned previously, the Dandy was a small pen, with a capped length of less than 5" (4.84"/123mm). This was achieve by a) using a press-in clip; and b) recessing the nib-section-barrel deeper into the cap (by a full 5/8" past the threads). On most other pens, that 5/8" would be added to the overall length of the capped pen. I couldn't do this because of the way I must mount the bands at the base of the cap. If you examine a manufactured pen, you will see that the cap (less the finial) is one solid piece. The bands are installed with a process called 'swagging', which is compressing the bands into a groove. The bands are just large enough to fit over the barrel, then they are compressed smaller to fit in the groove (this is one of the reasons why the bands can eventually become loose and spin). Swagging requires special equipment. I tried doing it following a how-to video I found online, but all I did was ruin bands. So I had to come up with another way to install my bands. I ended up using a simple mortise and tenon method. But this method requires smaller diameter holes inside my caps, so I'm not able to recess my barrels as deep as the original Dandy's.
#2. Slightly thicker Barrel... The diameter of the material on the original Dandy cap is about .53" (13.45mm), with the bands about .545" (13.85mm). The closest diameter bands I could use were 15mm (outside diameter). But besides the diameter, these bands also had to be thicker in order to be raised. So the 15mm bands were the closest size I could find that would work. So I paired the 15mm raised bands with a9/16" (.563" / 14.3mm) material diameter.
#3. Knurled Finial... The last compromise I had to make was the knurled or horizontal grooves in the finial. It's a nice subtle feature, but like the swagging, requires specialized machining. So my finials are smooth.
However the pen isn't all compromises. There are some things I can offer on the JEB's Dandy that you couldn't get on the original:
First, is giving you the option of being able to choose from any material. Second, is the choice of the larger nib size. So instead of just offering the small #5, that was on the original Dandy, I also offer the larger #6. Third, is the option of a short or long barrel. If you want to use a converter, I can give you a full 3" long barrel. But if a shorter capped length is important to you, then I can reduce the length of the barrel to keep the pen under 5" (but using only a refill). Lastly, I have a small supply of the original Dandy clips, so for now at least, I can offer the pen with the original clip.
JEB's Dandy Dimensions:
The JEB's Dandy is slightly smaller than the JEB's Duro. The length is a little shorter (unless you opt for the longer barrel). The barrel and section diameters are smaller than the JEB's Duro. But the cap is about the same diameter, just with the raised bands. The max barrel diameter is .48". The section is smaller proportionally, but is the same size with either nib size.
JEB's Dandy Options and Upgrades:
Because of its small size, the JEB's Dandy allows few upgrades or options. But you could use your imagination and change it up with a 2-color combination, or change out the raised bands for flush bands, and/or the number of bands. You could also upgrade the stock C/C inking system with a button-filler. Since the pen uses a threaded blind cap on the barrel for the band, the pen is prepped for the upgrade. You could also upgrade the stock steel nib with a 14k or 18k gold nib to make it really special.
I also offer a variety of hand-made Pen Props and Pen Buttons, and Cuff-Links and Button Covers. You can order a Pen Prop in the same 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. The Cuff-links and Button Covers can also be ordered to match your pen. I have a variety of styles and finishes in the Cuff-links. The Button Covers are available in gold and nickel.
(Click the pens below to see additional photo's and specifications)
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JEB's Dandy Rollerballs
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For help with your Fountain Pens on replacing cartridges, filling converters or button-fillers; with cleaning or
any other general fountain pen maintenance, click the link below to visit my "Fountain Pen Help Line" page:
For pricing, shipping and warranty information see HERE.
