Submarine Themed Fountain Pen
with stand and torpedo cartridge storage.
This pen project started out as an unusual request. The initial email stated the customer wanted a pen shaped like submarine which he wanted to present as a gift to a friend that served on a submarine. After scratching my head for a while, I sent a reply to ask for some additional information.
Besides wanting a submarine (aka ‘sub’) shape, the customer also wanted the sub to have a ‘corning tower’, which he explained is the top section of the sub. AND he wanted it to house spare ink cartridges. I had to tell the customer I could only offer him a ROUND pen. I also didn’t think the corning tower would scale properly for the ink cartridges. So after some back and forth, he settled on the project you see here-minus the torpedo (more about that later).
Engravings:
The pen cap has engravings on two sides. One side has a ‘Shot Flag’, which as I understand it is a symbol that represents a submarine’s torpedo shot successes. The opposite side has the initials of the pens recipient.
The initials were standard letter engraving, but the shot flag was a custom logo that I created and supplied to the engraver. The customer sent a picture of the flag insignia embroidered on a jacket, so I had to recreate the image into something suitable for the engraver.
About the cap colors:
The three colors at the top of the cap that looks like a bullseye actually represent the drape of the French flag over the nose of the submarine. The client sent a photo showing an example (shown in the group below) and wanted it on his pen.
The submarine nose was fairly blunt, but the the top of the pen cap was going to have more of a taper. So I wasn’t sure at first how I was going to transfer it to the pen and have the colors visible in a head-on view.
In order to pull it off successfully, I had to figure out the thickness of the individual colors so each one would show properly in a bullseye pattern when the pen was looked at head-on. So I had to calculate the thickness of each color segment so it would have the proper width for the angle of the pen cap top. Then based on those dimensions, I had to a) cut the colors to the correct thicknesses; b) glue them to the cap blank; then c) make sure I turned the top of the cap to the exact diameters that were needed for the exposure of each color.
All the dimensions were theoretical. I wasn’t going to know for sure if it was going to work out until after I had the cap turned. Lucky for me, it came out perfectly on the first attempt!
About the torpedo:
I have to admit, the torpedo wasn’t planned. It ended up being something I took the liberty of making while the pen was at the engraver. I felt disappointed that I wasn’t able to deliver on the corning tower for the ink storage. So I wanted to see if I could come up with another alternative. So while the pen was at the engraver, I did a little research to see if I could come up with something appropriate.
During my research on the submarine, I ran across pictures of this torpedo, so I thought I’d see if I could make one to store the ink cartridges.
The torpedo is a 1/42 scale (approximately) of a Mark 48 (aka MK-48) torpedo. The actual size of the MK-48 torpedo is 21 inches in diameter by 19′ long. At 1/42 scale my torpedo is .50″ diameter by 5.75″ long and is large enough to houses several spare ink cartridges. It will hold up to three standard size cartridges, or two long cartridges.
Now that I had a submarine and a torpedo, I figured I needed something to display them. So after making the torpedo, I decided to add the display stand to complete the set.
If you’d like to learn about the Mark 48 torpedo, see Wikipedia.org/wiki/mk-48-torpedo.
About the material:
I used several different solid colors of acrylic for this project. Luckily I had most of them on hand-I’m kind of a collector of solid colored acrylics. And as this project shows, you just never know when you’re going to need a certain color.
Pen colors: The pen is solid black acrylic called coal mine. The colors on the cap used for the flag drape are: red, white, and navy blue (appropriate ah?). See below to find out what those colors on the cap represent. The primary green used for the torpedo is called lazy lizard. The black on the nose is more of the coal mine, and the yellow band acrylic is called mandarin yellow.
Dimensions:
Pen specifications:
Color / Material: Main color: coal mine (solid black) acrylic acetate.
Colors on cap (all solid): engine red, white, navy blue.
Length: Capped 6.0″ / uncapped = 5.72″.
Diameter: Max (joint) .675″ / barrel end 9mm / cap end .40″ (white).
Weight (grams): Capped 24.6 / uncapped 17.4.
Nib: Ruthenium finish steel #6 Jowo.
Filling System: C/C (cartridge/converter).
Torpedo specifications:
Color / Material: Main color: lazy lizard (green) acrylic acetate.
Nose cone: coal mine (solid black) acrylic acetate.
Center band: Duofold mandarin yellow acrylic acetate.
Length: Capped 5.75″. cap 2.19″ / barrel only (less threads) 3.54″.
Diameter (max): .50″.
Weight (grams): Capped empty 13.6 / full (3 standard) 16.4.
Display stand specifications:
Color / Material: Maple wood with matte black acrylic paint.
Size: 1.25″ wide x 2.50″ deep x .50″ high at front and .75″ high (at back).
Submarine Fountain Pen in Black Acrylic (capped)
Miscellaneous items:
I also offer a variety of hand-made pen-related items. Pen Props, pen cap Buttons, Pen and Ink Trays, Cufflinks, and Button Covers. Use a Pen Props to display a pen or temporarily raise the nib. Order in a pen-matching material or a wooden style in a variety of finishes. Cap Buttons are small pieces of cap jewelry you can add to a clipless pen to keep it from rolling. Use a Pen & Ink Trays to display your favorite pen and ink. Trays are available in several styles and in your choice of natural wood. Cufflinks and Button Covers are timeless favorites that dress up a shirt. Order them in pen-matching material.
To custom order any of the pens you see on my website for yourself or as a gift, please contact me at jeb<@>jebspens.com.
If you need fountain pen maintenance help (cleaning, refilling, or general issues), please visit my “Fountain Pen Help Line” page. If you’re having a problem and can’t find a solution, use the contact form or send an email.
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