Improving Methods of Creation and Aesthetics of

Handcrafted Writing Instruments

Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Summa Cum Laude – Fall 2017

Marshall Petrik

Committee Chair- Dr. Scott Banks (MAE), Faculty- Dr. Anil Rao (MAE), External Faculty- Dr. Mark Law (ECE)

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Abstract— This research follows the improvements made in

the methods of creation and aesthetics of handcrafted writing

instruments over seven years of crafting. It was discovered the

optimum equipment to make pens are a mid-size wood lathe,

tabletop metal lathe, and carbide cutters for each. Pen

components and mechanisms progressed from making pens using

a single basic pen kit to using more than 50 different pen kits

with various styles to making custom components. Materials

started with woods, and progressed to acrylic, metal, and exotic

castings yielding truly unique aesthetics. Finishing techniques

were developed in conjunction with the various materials to

complement the natural beauty of the material. Safety was held

in high regard over the years with the implementation of dust

collecting equipment. Designs improved from simply matching

colors to eliciting emotional responses from the end users. These

improvements have led to the creation of world class handcrafted

writing instruments that stand at the forefront of the craft.

I. INTRODUCTION

HIS paper follows the improvements I have made to the

methods of creation and aesthetic results of my

handcrafted writing instruments over the seven years of

practice. I found out my grandfather made pens years before

during a visit in 2009. He gave me a pen that he crafted and

showed me the equipment he used to make them. I had always

enjoyed high end writing utensils and at this point it dawned

on me that the possibilities are only limited by your

imagination if you craft your own.

At that point I decided this was something I wanted to do

and began researching modern penmaking methods. After

reading many books and articles, and watching instructional

videos I purchased the equipment necessary and started

making my own pens in early 2010. From the start I began to

improve my methods and use a variety of materials to make

more aesthetically pleasing writing instruments.

In May 2010 I joined the International Association of

Penturners, a community of penmakers around the world who

share their works and advice. I was able to learn many new

techniques from other craftsmen at a rapid pace which lead to

immense improvement in my skills. Seeing the variety of pens

that others exhibited made me want to become one of the top

penmakers in the world by creating one of a kind designs

using materials that few if any had ever worked with.

By applying my engineering knowledge, researching cutting

edge techniques and materials, and trial and error I was able to

elevate my penmaking to a world class level. My works are

recognized by other craftsmen around the world. The areas in

which I have improved upon my craft are tooling, pen

mechanics and components, materials, finishes, safety, and

design.

II. TOOLING

The primary tool used to make pens is a lathe. This piece of

equipment spins a material at a high rate of speed while a

chisel or cutter removes material radially from the material. It

is used to make objects that are cylindrical in shape. I started

my penmaking with a mid-size wood lathe called a Turncrafter

pro shown in Fig. 1 below.

Fig. 1. Turncrafter Pro mid-size wood lathe. Fig. 1 from [1].

A wood lathe is the ideal tool for turning wood and acrylic

materials. It has a tool rest upon which chisels are placed and

guided by hand. These chisels come in a variety of shapes and

sizes to provide different cut geometry when interfacing with

the workpiece. This lathe has been my sole wood lathe for the

entirety of my penmaking career and is still serving me well. It

has plenty of power and enough speeds to accomplish every

task with ease, and has been very reliable.

Initially I invested in carbon steel chisels to use with this

wood lathe. These chisels are easy to sharpen and hold an

edge decently well. I used them exclusively for my first fifty

pens I produced. As I started to experiment with harder

materials, the edge on these tools would only last two or three

cuts before dulling and requiring me to stop to sharpen them. I

then upgraded my tools to M2 high speed steel.

These high speed steel tools have a much higher hardness

than the carbon steel tools I used before. This hardness allows

them to hold an edge longer and cut harder materials. The

better edge lead to higher dimensional accuracy in my pens as

they would cut the material with little input force allowing me

to cut small amounts of material when desired. They still had

to be sharpened, but much less frequently. These tools worked

very well until I started cutting composites that contained

metal or stone particles. At this point I upgraded to a tungsten

carbide chisel.

Improving Methods of Creation and Aesthetics of

Handcrafted Writing Instruments Petrik, Marshall

T

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Tungsten carbide is a very hard ceramic that can cut

significantly harder materials than similar tools made of steel.

The chisel I selected utilizes a four sided radiused tungsten

carbide insert attached to the end of a carbon steel shaft.

Fig. 2. Square carbide insert wood lathe chisel. Fig. 2 from [2].

Since the carbide insert used at the tip of the tool has four

cutting edges, it can be indexed to a fresh edge when one side

gets dull. This allows the tool to cut a large amount of material

before needing to be sharpened. The slight radius on the cutter

is well suited to penmaking as it is possible to turn a smooth

curve on the pen without the corners of the cutter digging into

the workpiece.

This tool maintains an edge that is so sharp I have now been

able to skip my first two sandpaper steps while finishing the

pen. The finish left by the tool is about equal to the finish from

600 grit sandpaper. It has allowed me to pick any material I

desire with the knowledge that no matter what material I turn

on my wood lathe, this tool is able to cut it. This opened the

door to many of my most impressive pens that are made out of

exotic materials.

After attempting a pen made out of aluminum on my wood

lathe with my carbide tool I realized I needed new equipment

if I were to make any metal pens in the future. While the

carbide was able to cut the aluminum, I was unable to hold the

tool rigidly enough to provide a smooth cut. The chisel would

chatter across the workpiece, cutting little material and putting

a large amount of stress on my lathe. I then invested in an

Atlas tabletop metal lathe to start making pens out of metal.

Fig. 3. Atlas 6x18 metal lathe. Fig. 3 from [3].

The Atlas metal lathe has a carriage and cross slide that

move using gears and threaded rods. This creates a very rigid

platform upon which the tool rides. The user of a metal lathe

has very precise control of the motion of the tool in the X and

Y directions. It is this rigidity and control that allows the tool

to cut metal without the chattering that was experienced on the

wood lathe. Using carbide inserts on this metal lathe allowed

me to turn almost any metal I desired to make a pen from.

I perform all of my drilling operations on these lathes which

relieved the need for a drill press. I utilize some ancillary tools

to complete the penmaking process, but most of the work is

done on my two lathes. The combination of the Turncrafter

Pro wood lathe and the Atlas metal lathe using carbide cutters

allowed me to make pens out of any material I desired short of

stone. This equipment has allowed me to make world class

pens only limited by my imagination and design skills.

III. PEN MECHANICS AND COMPONENTS

Most pens consist of a standard assortment of components.

These components are a nib, clip, finial, actuation mechanism,

and refill. As with most people who embark on the penmaking

hobby, I started with a kit sold by many online retailers as the

Slimline kit.

The Slimline kit comes with every part necessary to make

the pen in one convenient package. It is a two barrel design

meaning two pieces of material are worked by the penmaker

and are separated by a center band. The kit has two brass tubes

that the craftsman glues his or her materials to that serve as the

skeleton of the pen. The finial, nib, and mechanism are press

fit into these brass tubes to form the pen after the materials are

worked. It utilized a unidirectional twist mechanism and a

ballpoint refill.

Fig. 4. Nine of my first fifty pens. All Slimline kits.

My first fifty pens primarily consisted of Slimline kits in

various finishes with various materials. It is a good kit to start

with as it leaves you with a lot of design freedom due to its

simple shape. I was able to hone my wood turning skills on

my lathe and learn how to make a pen aesthetically pleasing

and well proportioned. After doing a number of these pens I

yearned for more and started to purchase other kits with better

plating materials on the components and better mechanisms.

Each kit has a unique aesthetic and style to it. I kept trying

different kits to create the various aesthetics I had imagined

for each specific pen. After a few years I had used more than

50 different kits for my pens. These kits that came in a variety

of materials, finishes, and types taught me the difference

between high and low quality components. I learned which

kits met my quality standards and which did not. After a few

years, I started purchasing high end kits almost exclusively as

they more accurately reflected my skills as a craftsman.

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The actuation mechanism is one of the most important parts

of any pen. The end user of the pen interacts with this every

time he or she intends to write with it. Initially many of my

pens were operated using a unidirectional twist mechanism.

Soon after I started using bidirectional twist mechanisms, click

mechanisms, and even bolt action mechanisms. Each

mechanism has its benefits and downsides, and is one of the

first things I will discuss with a customer when creating a

custom pen. The right mechanism for the pen comes down to

customer preference and the end user will be happy as long as

it is of high quality and reliability regardless of actuation type.

The most important part of the pen is the refill. It

determines the feel of the pen while writing as well as how the

user’s writing looks on the paper. All of my pens are made so

the user can access the refill to replace it when it runs out of

ink. This allows the user to use different colors and style of

refills in the same pen. That said, each pen is designed around

a standard refill type which cannot change, so the refill type is

one of the most important factors when designing the pen.

The first fifty pens I made primarily used a Cross type

ballpoint refill. This type of refill comes in various tip widths

and colors, but only has standard dyed oil based ink. This

limits the number of different writing experiences the user can

have with a pen that accepts this type of refill.

Fig. 5. Cross type refill used in my pens. Fig. 5 from [4].

My preferred ballpoint refill is the Parker type ballpoint

refill. I will only make a pen that utilizes the Cross type

ballpoint refill if a customer specifically requests it. The

Parker type refill comes in various widths and colors like the

Cross, but it also comes in different viscosities. This allows

the user to get a Parker type refill that writes like a rollerball

or one that writes like a gel pen. It makes the pens I make

much more versatile for the customer. Since some kits are

designed around the Cross type refill, I no longer make pens

using those kits.

Fig. 6. Parker type refill used in most of my pens. Fig. 6 from [5].

On many of my higher end pens I want to provide the best

writing experience possible. In order to do this I will use a kit

that incorporates either a Schmidt type ceramic tip rollerball

refill or a fountain pen nib with various inks. While ballpoint

inks are oil based to increase the viscosity of the ink, rollerball

and fountain pen ink is water based. This enables the ink to

flow much faster and smoother than the oil based inks. The

downside of these inks is since they are water based, they are

prone to evaporate. Any pen using a rollerball refill or any

fountain pen must have a cap that covers the tip of the refill or

nib.

Fig. 7. Schmidt type rollerball refill used in my pens. Fig. 7 from [6].

Despite all of the options offered in the commercially

available pen kits, there are still times when there isn’t a kit

that fits the design or characteristics I want in a pen. With the

addition of my metal lathe to my shop, I have started

designing and making my own pen parts. Often I will purchase

a mechanism and refill, then make all the other components

myself. The benefit of this is total freedom over the design and

overall aesthetic of the pen. Also I can utilize higher quality

mechanisms than the ones included in kits.

IV. MATERIALS

My first dozen or so pens were all made out of wood.

Working with wood is very easy for beginners who are just

learning how to work on a lathe. It cuts very predictably and is

forgiving in most cases. Many people enjoy the warmth of

writing with a wooden pen. I tried a few different woods, but

very early on I decided to try working with acrylics.

Acrylic is an interesting material to work with on a lathe. It

is a very dense plastic that comes in numerous colors and

designs. Many of the designs are very appealing and make

very nice looking pens. While wood forms chips when it is

cut, the acrylic materials form ribbons that can be upwards of

twenty feet long after a cut. This ribbon can wrap around the

workpiece and form a large mass of tangled plastic that has to

be separated from the workpiece after the lathe is shut off.

Fig. 8. Ribbons formed when cutting acrylics on a wood lathe.

Another difficulty of acrylic is the hardness. It requires

much sharper tools to cut than most woods. If the tool is not

sharp enough it can generate heat very quickly and even burn

the acrylic workpiece. This burning can render the workpiece

useless if it occurs near the final diameter of the pen. The

acrylics must be wet sanded to a very fine grit paper, polished

with polishing compounds, and sometimes buffed using

various buffing wheels to achieve a proper finish.

The third main category of materials is metals. My first

metal pens were made out of aluminum. Aluminum dissipates

cutting heat well and cuts very smoothly. After aluminum I

made a pen from stainless steel. This is much harder than the

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aluminum and requires much sharper inserts to cut. It still

handles heat fairly well and is very durable in its finished

form. The most difficult metal I have worked with is titanium.

Only a handful of penmakers around the world have attempted

pens out of titanium due to its cost, low thermal conductivity,

and hardness. It does not dissipate heat well and requires very

hard and sharp tools to cut.

Fig. 9. Pen made out of Ti-6Al-4V titanium.

Almost all of the materials I work with can be placed into

one of those categories. The variety available in each category

is the surprising part. Within the wood category there are

hardwoods, soft woods, composite woods, veneers, burls, and

dyed woods. Acrylics have the greatest variety of all. Not only

do they come in virtually every color combination and design

imaginable, there are also acrylic composite materials. One of

these such materials is called Trustone and it consists of 85%

real stone particles combined with 15% acrylic to form a

material that looks and feels like stone, but can be worked

successfully on a wood lathe. Another technique done with

acrylics is casting objects and materials in clear acrylic resin.

It protects the material that is being cast without disrupting its

appearance.

I have always been interested in materials and have tried to

use as many different materials as possible to make my pens.

A pen that is good looking is a cool thing to have, but a good

looking pen with a compelling material that has a story behind

it can be priceless. I push the limits and am always open to

trying a new material even if I have to use it in a way in which

it has never before been used.

Some of the woods I have worked with are exotic woods

from all over the world. These include padauk, Indian

rosewood, African blackwood, bamboo, ironwood, ebony,

black ash burl, curly koa, and purpleheart. I have made pens

out of ancient kauri, a wood excavated from bogs in New

Zealand that carbon dates more than 50,000 years old. One of

my pens is an American flag pen made from dyed and laser

cut maple that you put together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Fig. 10. Pens made from various materials.

Some of the more impressive pens I have made are items

cast in clear acrylic resin. Some things I have cast in resin are

shredded money, abalone shell, carbon fiber, silver fiberglass

fiber, snakeskin, decals, circuit boards, pheasant feathers,

aluminum duct tape, and watch parts. These pens are some of

my most popular because they protect the material while

showing off its natural beauty.

Fig. 11. Pen made from watch parts overlaid on carbon fiber cast in resin.

My flagship pen has an Invicta watch face and other watch

parts overlaid on carbon fiber and cast in clear resin. I have

always enjoyed the pattern of carbon fiber and how

technologically advanced it is as a material. I use that as the

basis for the pen. I then bend each watch part to match the

curvature of the pen and adhere the parts to the carbon fiber.

This is then cast in resin and turned on the lathe. It is a time

intensive process, but shows the impressive results that can be

achieved with a little creativity. My fascination with materials

will always lead me to try new materials to push the limits of

my penmaking.

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Fig. 12. Watch face bent and glued to carbon fiber with original Invicta watch.

V. FINISHES

The quality of the finish of any object plays a huge role in

the overall feel and value of the object. When creating a finely

crafted writing instrument, the finish is the key to a quality

product. The finish should complement the natural beauty of

the material the pen is made out of. When using a variety of

materials, you need to know a variety of finishes to make the

most of the material.

Starting off with wooden pens I mainly employed friction

polishes. These polishes seal the grains of the wood and bring

out the character in terms of color and grain lines. The finish

does not last very long when handled, so the wood will begin

to absorb the oils from the users hand. With some woods this

creates a patina of sorts and makes the wood soft to the touch.

Other woods don’t react well with the oils or may cause a

safety hazard. The friction polish is still a good finish that

leaves the wood in an almost natural state while adding some

protection.

Another wood finish I employ is a cyanoacrylate finish.

This finished is achieved by applying numerous thin layers of

cyanoacrylate glue, letting each dry before the next is applied.

This is then wet sanded and finished like an acrylic blank.

This completely seals the wood and is a very durable finish,

but has a plastic feel to it, so the user loses the warmth of the

wood in their hand. This finish is preferred for woods that

have loose grain patterns or wouldn’t react well to oils from

the user’s hand.

To add some interest to some wood pens I will burn lines

into the pen. This is achieved by cutting a small groove with

my parting tool on the lathe. I then wrap a piece of wire

around this groove and pull it tight. The friction of the wire

rubbing against the spinning wood burns the wood. This adds

black decorative lines to the pen in a short period of time.

Fig. 13. Burn lines near the center band of the pen.

Finishing acrylics consists of wet sanding and polishing.

Since they have a smooth surface, the smallest scratch is very

apparent when examining the final product. To counteract this

I wet sand with 600, 1200, 1500, and 2000 grit sandpaper.

This reduces any scratches in the surface to barely perceptible

swirl marks. These are then removed with plastic polishing

compounds. Some of the harder acrylics aren’t really affected

by the polishing compounds, so they must be buffed in

addition with red rouge and white diamond buffing

compounds.

One of the more interesting finishes I have done is

anodizing an aluminum pen. Aluminum being a soft metal is

prone to scratching. One way to stop this is to anodize, a form

of forced oxidation, the outer surface. During the process the

aluminum will absorb a die, so you can add color to the pen as

seen in the blue anodized aluminum pen in Fig. 13.

Fig. 14. Aluminum pen that I anodized blue.

The process of anodizing consists of submerging the

aluminum in a diluted sulfuric acid solution with lead

electrodes. DC current is run through the electrodes and the

aluminum part for over an hour, and then the aluminum part is

boiled to seal the pores in the metal. I was one of the first

penmakers in the United States to use this process and was the

first in the world to double anodize a pen. That consists of

anodizing a pen one color, masking parts of that anodized

layer, stripping the rest of the layer in citric acid, then re-

anodizing the pen another color. It is an interesting technique

that creates a very durable and appealing aluminum pen.

Another finish I employed is a hammered finish. This finish

consists of striking a metal pen with a ball peen hammer to

create an indentation. This process is continued until the strike

indentations begin to intersect one another. This creates an

interesting texture and pattern on a metal pen.

Fig. 15. Stainless steel pen with a hammered finish.

As I continue making pens I will continue to experiment

with new finishes. A good finish can take a lackluster design

and make it aesthetically appealing. Through lots of practice I

have found I have reached a point of being confident in my

ability to apply a near flawless finish to any pen I make.

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VI. SAFETY

Safety has always been paramount to my success in my

penmaking endeavors. I approach each pen with a focus on

safety and ensure I do not take any action that could put me at

risk in any way. One hazard that I was unaware of when I first

started turning pens on my lathe is the toxicity of the fine

particles and dust released into the air while cutting or sanding

on the lathe. I read reports that showed some health detriments

of inhaling these particles. Ebony and cocobolo wood dust are

both particularly dangerous to inhale.

To eliminate this safety hazard I installed a dust collection

system to pull all of the dust out of the air and filter what is

released back into the environment. The dust collector I use is

2 HP and when used in conjunction with the 4 inch hose and

collection hood attached to my lathe, it vacuums almost every

chip and dust particle produced while using my lathe. When

turning particularly hazardous woods like ebony and cocobolo

I will wear a respirator along with using the dust collector. A

dust collector like the one I use is a necessity for anyone who

works on a wood lathe for any appreciable amount of time.

Fig. 16,17. Collection hood and 2 horsepower dust collector used in my shop.

Fig. 16 from [7]. Fig. 17 from [8].

VII. DESIGN

The thing that sets any given pen apart from other pens is

the design. A good design is the key to an appealing pen.

Initially my designing was limited to matching the color of the

blank to the plating of the kit. I made sure the kit plating

would complement the material used for the pen and not

detract from it. This level of design will only take a craftsman

so far. It yields products that are good enough, but not

groundbreaking in appeal.

When I started using a variety of kits to make my pens, it

opened me up to another level of design. At this point I could

figure out an overall theme or central idea to base the pen on.

The kit would complement the material not only in color tone,

but also in its geometric nature. An acrylic with smooth,

swooping curves would be paired up with a kit that has softer

edges than a crosscut wood with well-defined grain lines. This

level of design when executed correctly can lead to great

success as customers and end users are able to relate to the

theme of the pen.

The next level of design takes you out of the realm of what

is commercially available in terms of kits and materials to

custom made components and materials. At this point you can

design a pen that elicits a certain feeling. It is more than a

combination of two unrelated objects as is the case when you

match a kit to a material. In this case the two are designed

together and are intrinsically related.

An example of this is the stainless steel pen found in Fig.

18. All the components of the pen were made out of 304

stainless steel. The transitions are smooth and the proportions

are just right. All the lines and edges on the pen are sharp

except for the rounded corners on both ends. Each part serves

a purpose and plays a role in the overall aesthetic of the pen.

Fig. 18. Fountain pen made entirely from 304 stainless steel.

With custom components and designs, you also have

control over all of the tolerances. Some kits have loose

clearance holes and sloppy interfaces. Since these kits are

produced in bulk, the design must be conservative so it will

work regardless of the accuracy of the machine it is produced

on. When making your own components you have complete

control over all the tolerances and can ensure all clearance

holes are properly sized. While a refill may rattle inside a

commercially available kit due to loose tolerances, I have

made pens in which each component is a metal on metal press

fit.

As I continue my penmaking I am focusing more on the

design aspect of the hobby. I strive to create designs that are

universally appealing and functional at the same time. My

focus moving forward is on ergonomics. The pen should be a

pleasure to use and should function as an extension to the

human body when being used. I continue to test my machining

abilities by creating more challenging designs with tighter

tolerances and more complex geometry.

VIII. CONCLUSION

Penmaking has greatly affected my life over the last seven

years. To date I have made over 400 pens and have learned

from each and every one of them. I have sold over 350 to

customers in more than 20 countries and fifteen states.

Through the International Association of Penturners I have

won international penmaking competitions. I was featured in

The Independent Florida Alligator after displaying my work at

the Harn Museum Art in Engineering night.

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Fig. 19. Featured photo after Art in Engineering display. Fig. 19 from [9].

The penmaking has helped me win scholarships to school,

internships with reputable companies, and the UF Attributes of

a Gator Engineer Award for Creativity. It has also allowed me

to meet interesting people and form lasting relationships.

During a study abroad in South Africa I met a gentleman who

made pens and he remembered my name and my pens from

the International Association of Penturners.

All of these successes would not have been possible without

continuous improvement of my penmaking abilities and

equipment. Through lots of research and trial and error I have

reached the forefront of my craft and have made fine

handcrafted writing instruments that appeal to the masses.

Fig. 20. Assorted carbon fiber and watch part pens.

I improved my equipment to the point where I can turn any

material I desire. I started with basic pen kits, expanded to

using more than 50 commercially available kits, then started

making and implementing custom components to create my

desired appearance. I used and experimented with countless

materials and have found what materials help make a pen

attractive. I have learned various finishes to complement the

natural beauty of the material. I have held safety in high

regard and have implemented equipment to keep the hobby

safe. Finally I have improved my design skills to create pens

that are aesthetically pleasing and with which the end user

connects on an emotional level.

These are the improvements I have made thus far through

countless hours of research, study, and experimentation. It is a

never ending journey during which I will always improve my

skills. I strive to make better pens in the future than I have in

the past. This serves as a roadmap that outlines the progression

from just starting the hobby to being at the forefront of the

hobby worldwide. Moving into the future I will continue to

make fine pens that blend the fields of art and

engineering, represent the boundless possibilities of the

craft, and inspire others to bring their imagination to life.

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