One thing I never cared for with many of the CS pen styles were their oversized caps. While many pens have oversized caps, I always thought some CS caps looked larger than they needed to be. However when you make a tribute pen, you can sometimes come to understand why certain decisions were made during the original design process. And while making the CS pens, I came to learn that there are two things you can’t have together in a pen: a thin cap and a short pen. Only one or the other.

On most pens, when you install the cap, the cap stops at the base of the barrel threads. But CS made several of their pens so the caps seats below the barrel threads. This allowed the pens to have a shorter overall length when they were capped. But in order to achieve that, you have to make the caps fatter in order to accommodate the larger hole required in the base of the cap. This is a subtle feature most may not notice, but I think it makes the caps look too big.

This may also affect the cap length. Most of the time caps aren’t any longer than they have to be. So if you seat the cap below the barrel threads, it pushes the nib further into the cap. So then, besides requiring the cap diameter to be larger, it would also require the cap to be slightly longer. So you may be only moving the length taken from the barrel up onto the cap. So there are two other things you can’t have together: a short barrel exposure and a short cap.

So theirs’s always compromises when it comes to creating a pen. I like thinner caps, so I’ll usually elect to make the pen longer. I also think if a barrel is seated too far into the cap, it can make the pen look squatty.

But all that said, I was able to stick to the original recessed design for the JEB’s Nelson. I used the original cap diameter and was able to drill the cap large enough at the base to seat it below the barrel threads. So when the cap is installed, it sits about 1/4″ below the threads.

Cap posting: Since I was able to use the same cap specs, it means the cap will also post onto the end of the barrel.

The original Conway Stewart Pen Company (CS) was located in England and in operation for over 100 years. But sadly, they had to shut down 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 tagline was “they made the pens for the Queen”.

Eventually, the original materials and parts were sold off and made available on the open market. Many of those original materials are still available today. Some are being reproduced again by the original manufacturer in the UK. If you have an interest in having a replica of a CS pen made, please send me an email.

Contrary to what many may believe, the name “Conway Stewart” didn’t come from the name of the company’s founder, but rather it was believed to have been derived from a popular vaudeville act of the day. 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.

The JEB’s Nelson is similar in size to the original. The length is only slightly longer than the CS Nelson (at 5.81″). Uncapped, the pen is about 5.3″, with a maximum diameter of about 1/2″ (13mm). The cap is about 2.7″ long, with a diameter of about .594″, NOTE: I say the sizes are about” because the sizes of handmade pens can vary slightly from pen to pen. But I do my best to hit the target dimensions.

Clip Style:
Unfortunately, I don’t have access to the original style Nelson clip, but I found one with similar style and dimensions. If you’re a frequent visitor and read the notes I post with my pens, then you know how I complain about the lack of availability for pen clips. I’ve been making custom pens for well over a decade, and sadly, the issue has gotten worse instead of better. So whenever I want to create a new pen, the first thing I have to consider is the clip style. Unless you get lucky and run across a batch of NOS clips as I have with these, you’re basically out of luck as far as clips are concerned. You have to find a clip in the right style with the right length, AND if it’s a ‘ringed’ clip (which 99.9% are), then the ring has to be the proper diameter. Then, with most NOS clips, the finish is worn, so you have the added time and expense of getting them re-plated So this part of the pen-making business can be quite frustrating.

Their aren’t many options or upgrades for the JEB’s Nelson other than material and inking systems:

Material & color: With material, you could use your imagination and change up the color combination. Maybe swap out the black for another solid color, or really change it up and make the entire pen from the same material.

Inking systems: Change out the stock C/C inking system for a button or lever filler. The pen uses a threaded blind cap on the barrel for the band; the pen is prepped for the upgrade.

Nib options: Upgrade the stock steel nib with a 14k or 18k gold nib to make your pen really special!