# Home-made Fountain Pen Sections



## duncsuss (Jan 14, 2014)

@Wildthings asked if I could show pix of a home-made fountain pen section, here are a few shots.

For those unfamiliar with the term, the "section" is the part of a fountain pen that your fingers hold, typically it connects into the pen barrel at one end and holds the "nib unit" (comprising the nib and feed, and often a housing that holds the nib and feed aligned.) In principle, you could write with nothing more than a section and an ink supply (not that I'd want to.)

I got fancy with one of these and laminated a patch of guitar-pick-guard to the material before working it.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Schroedc (Jan 14, 2014)

Those are beautiful, looks like you have that down pat. I'll probably invest in a few pre made sections from Berea for the next few I try once I get into taps and dies.


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## duncsuss (Jan 14, 2014)

Well ... if by "down pat" you mean "get a couple of keepers out of 3 times that many attempts" then I'd agree with you 

They are the part of the exercise I feel I need to work on most -- quite finicky about the depths you drill to (or you made a tube, not a section!) and they can be delicate, so I have to remember to tap the internal threads _before_ turning down the outside profile.


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## Wildthings (Jan 14, 2014)

Thanks Duncan that's what I was looking for!! Second picture what is the white ring inside the section?


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## duncsuss (Jan 14, 2014)

Wildthings said:


> Thanks Duncan that's what I was looking for!! Second picture what is the white ring inside the section?



Ahhhh ... you noticed!

Well, that section is designed to work with the Esterbrook Renew-point interchangeable nib units (even though Esterbrook has been out of business for decades, there are lots of "new old stock" units to be found on fleaBay, plus older Osmiroid calligraphy nib units fit the same section). You can see the tail-end of one in the next photo -- note that it doesn't have a protruding tube, the way (for example) Bock nib/feed/housing units do.

Meaning, there would be nothing to push inside an ink converter or cartridge (even if you could break the seal of the cartridge somehow). Not a problem if the pen is built as an eyedropper or bulb or lever action -- but for a cartridge/converter you need that feed tube.

So I improvised -- measured up some Bock units, determined the o.d. is 0.10" and bought piece of stainless steel tube to that dimension from Enco. Cut it down, peened over one end and glued it into a bushing of ebonite, then glued the bushing/tube combo into the bottom of the hole I'd drilled in the rear end of the section.

It works "mostly" -- just a little bit leaky with the converter I have on there now, but that might be because I damaged the converter somehow while I was monkeying with it.


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## Wildthings (Jan 14, 2014)

Aha that's what I thought it was but didn't see anything protruding from the other end - nice work! I wanna get into making a few kitless myself


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## rdabpenman (Jan 15, 2014)

Just curious.
Why are they called "Kitless" if purchased pen components are used?
Would a "Kitless" pen not be one that has all the components hand made?
Nice work on your turned and threaded material.

Les


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## duncsuss (Jan 15, 2014)

rdabpenman said:


> Just curious.
> Why are they called "Kitless" if purchased pen components are used?
> Would a "Kitless" pen not be one that has all the components hand made?
> Nice work on your turned and threaded material.
> ...



Thanks, Les.
I'm going to duck your question about "kitless", since I didn't use the term ... at least, not in this thread


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## BassBlaster (Jan 17, 2014)

rdabpenman said:


> Just curious.
> Why are they called "Kitless" if purchased pen components are used?
> Would a "Kitless" pen not be one that has all the components hand made?
> Nice work on your turned and threaded material.
> ...


 What does handmade have anything to do with the term "kit"? If I hand make a bunch of parts, put them in a bag and sell them and someone else assembles them, didnt they assemble a "kit"? Im curious why that everytime someone posts pics of a handmade pen, you call them out? Youve posted this question and weve answered it before. He used a nib and a feed and a clip that he purchased seperately and made every other part of the pen. None of his parts came from a kit. I dont understand what your beef is.


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