Edison Pen Company

The Urushi Pearls are Completed!

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:31:00 -0400

Hi Pen Fans!

The first ten Urushi Pearls are completed, and will ship tomorrow.

For those who will receive the second ten pens, we are still on track for a mid-September delivery. We will send updates.

Some photos below....

To see the complete set of photos, click here, or the link below...

http://edisonpen.com/page.cfm/Urushi-Pearl-Project

Thanks,

Brian at Edison and Ernest at Hakumin Urushi.

The Urushi Pearls are Finished, and Teaming Up with Hakumin Urushi in DC!

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:35:00 -0400

Hi Pen Fans!

I have two items to cover in this blog entry. Both involve Ernest, with Hakumin Urushi Kobo.

First, I am pleased to announce that Ernest and I will be teaming up and sharing a table at the DC Pen Show this weekend.

Our teaming up will truly make for a phenomenal custom pen opportunity.

If the customer wishes, a custom order for any Edison Pen can be placed, with Ernest working his urushi magic on said pen. Or we can work with the customer to create a completely new design.

This means that the possibilities are endless. Any Edison Pen or any custom Edison creation can be comissioned. Then the customer can discuss lacquer techniques with Ernest to customize a wonderful traditional Japanese lacquer finish.

This certainly represents something awfully unique in the pen world.

Second, The Urushi Pearls are Finished!

Please see the pics below...they certainly speak for themselves!

I will have more completed photos up on the Urushi Peal Page later, as I'm busy getting ready for the DC Pen Show.

This has been a fantastic project. Ernest and I are already making plans for the next Limited Edition. If you want to subscribe to my blog (upper-right-hand corner of this page), you will be automatically updated when we are starting the next series, and taking orders.

So I hope to see lots of you at the DC Pen Show. If you are on the fence about attending, remember that this is the biggest and best show in the US if not the world!

Thanks!

Brian at Edison

Urushi Pearl - Just About Done....

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 00:16:00 -0400

Hi Pen Fans!

The first ten Urushi Pearls will be available for shipping the week of August 16th.

For those attending the DC Pen Show, you will receive your pen at the show.

For those who cannot attend the show, your pen will ship after the week of August 16th.

I will attach some teaser photos......complete photos will be coming soon.....

Introducing the Huron Grande and Herald Grande....

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:03:00 -0400

Hi Pen Fans!

I am proud to introduce two new pen models.

I have created larger versions of the Herald and Huron.

These will be known as the Huron Grande and Herald Grande.

Here is a slideshow showing the Huron Grande.....
(if you cannot see this slideshow, click here)

...and a slideshow showing the Herald Grande....
(if you cannot see this slideshow, click here)

These are both pretty large pens, at 6 1/2" capped, and 5 3/8" uncapped. But still not overly heavy at around 26 grams capped and 15 grams uncapped.

Here is a photo showing how these new pens stack up next to my current line....

These Grande pens are both avalable as fountain pens, but I will have a rollerball option coming soon.

I do have some of these pen in inventory, ready for immediate sale. Click here to see my current inventory.

Please click these links to learn more about these pens.

Huron Grande

Herald Grande

Thanks,

Brian at Edison

Urushi Update - An Exciting Step....

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:06:00 -0400

Hi Pen Fans!

The Pearl Urushi Project is getting even more exciting.

We are at the Togi (sanding) stage. This means that all of the work to create the layers of gold and lacquer are starting to emerge.

At this point, careful sanding exposes the layers that have been built up and hidden until now.

There is a video as well as a photo showing the progress here....

http://edisonpen.com/page.cfm/Urushi-Pearl-Project

It is safe to say that we are at the home stretch on the first batch of 10 pens.

We are anticipating having these pens complete prior to the DC Pen Show.

The second batch of 10 pens are still on target for September delivery.

Thanks,

Brian at Edison

Experimenting with Texture...

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:10:00 -0400

Hi Pen Fans!

Recently, I've been experimenting with different techniques involving texture.

I have produced two pens that I'm pretty happy with. The texture resembles a cracked shell effect. The shorter pen is textured entirely (but I'm unsure about the texture on the conical ends. I might eliminate that with future designs), and the longer pen has a polished middle, with textured ends for a contrast.

If anyone has any honest critique, please don't hold back.

I'm not sure if this will be a standard production feature, it will probably remain a nice custom option. If anyone is interested in this technique, you can contact me to discuss.

Thanks

Brian at Edison.

The Edison/Chatterley LE Huron Grande

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 08:36:00 -0400

Hi Pen Fans.

I'm pround to announce a collaboration between Edison and Chatterley Pens.

In about 2 weeks, I will officially announce "Grande" versions of a couple of my pens.

As the name implies, these will be larger versions.

I have completed an early Limited Edition of 18 Huron Grande pens for Chatterley Pens. These pens are made from Ivory Celluloid.

This Ivory Celluloid is getting scarce, and will be completely gone very soon, if it's not already gone from my supplier.

This is a larger pen, at about 6.5" capped, and 5.5" uncapped.

This pen in Ivory Celluloid will only be available from Chatterley Pens. They are not for sale here. I will not be making anymore Huron Grande pens from this Ivory Celluloid.

Please visit Chatterley Pens at www.pentime.com for more more details.

Photos are below, courtesy of Chatterley Pens.

Thanks,

Brian at Edison.

A Blow Filler? A Blow Filler!

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:28:00 -0400

Hi Pen Fans!

I always love it when a customer approaches me with new ideas, designs, filling systems, and challenges to consider.

I had a customer speak to me about a blow filler.

This is a filling system that was used very early in the history of pens. I'm not sure that it was a real lucrative filling system, as I've never seen one live, but it turned out to be very interesting and certainly fun.

With a blow filler, there is a sac attached to the section or housing which holds the ink. This is just like any other typical pen incorporating a sac as the reservoir, such as a lever filler, button filler, crescent filler, etc.

Each of these sac filled pens incorporate some way of compressing the sac. When you dip the pen in ink, compress the sac and then release, the result of the sac returning to it's shape will cause a vacuum resulting in ink being drawn into the sac.

In the case of a lever filler, there is a pressure bar that compresses the sac, activated by a lever. With a button filler, there is a pressure bar activated by a button on the bottom of the pen, with a crescent filler, the same applies, and you can guess what activates the pressure bar.

So this pen fills the same way, but with an incredibly simple method of compressing the sac.

How does this pen fill?

There is a very small hole drilled into the bottom of the barrel, which is visible in the photos below.

The section threads are made very precise, to the point of where they are airtight.

This seals the barrel internally.

So to fill the pen, you insert the nib into an ink reservoir, and blow into this hole on the back of the barrel.

Since the interior of the barrel is sealed, blowing into the barrel increases pressure, causing the sac to compress.

When you stop blowing, the sac decompresses, drawing ink into the sac.

Two or three cycles of blowing into the back of the barrel will fill the pen completely.

The blowfillers of the past would typically not have an ink window. The customer who ordered this pen wanted some kind of way of knowing where the ink level was. We went with an ink window, and also a clear sac. This makes it easy to determine when it's time to refill.

This pen was also made from original Sheaffer Crimson stock. Very hard to find.

This was a seriously fun pen to make. It was really nice to revive a design from a very long time ago!

Brian at Edison

Urushi Update - Gold Application

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:53:00 -0400

Hi Pen Fans!

The Urushi Pearl Page has just been updated with new photos and videos of the process.

The gold dust has been applied.

Click here to see the progess.

Thanks,

Brian at Edison

Urushi Pearl Project Videos....

Mon, 24 May 2010 21:54:00 -0400

Hi Pen Fans!

The Urushi Pearl Page has just been updated with new photos and videos of the process.

The nine layers of laqcuer have been applied and sanded. The unevenly applied, or decorative layer has been added.

Videos are documenting the mixing of the Shibo Urushi, and the application of the Shibo Urushi.

Click here to see the progess.

Thanks,

Brian at Edison

A little time away...

Sat, 15 May 2010 15:47:00 -0400

Hi Pen Fans.

Just a quick heads up. I'll be taking some time to myself this coming week.

I'll be doing emails, but if I'm slower than normal, you'll know why.

I'll be back in action on the 24th.

Thanks.

Brian at Edison

Waterman Ink is Here...

Thu, 13 May 2010 14:34:00 -0400

Hi Pen Fans.

The Edison Pen Company is proud to offer and endorse Waterman Ink.

See this page for details.

Thanks.

Brian at Edison

Chicago Pen Show

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 07:51:00 -0400

Hi Pen Fans.

My wife and I will be packing up our car and heading to Chicago on Thursday morning.

I won't be set up on Thursday, but I'll certainly walk around.

Then I'll have everything set up Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

I will have probably my largest inventory that I've had at a pen show. Well over 50 pens. I will have around 6-7 bulb fillers, and today I'll be cranking out plenty of Morgans.

My current inventory can be seen below....

(if you cannot see the slideshow above, click here)

Be sure to check back, as this slideshow will be updated today and tomorrow with more inventory for the show.

Thanks,

Brian at Edison

Nancy Olson, Ink.

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:02:00 -0400

Hi Pen Fans.

Nancy Olson, the editor of Stylus Magazine, recently began a new blog that I've found quite enjoyable.

Click here to view...
Nancy Olson, Ink
...and you will see the other reason for this post. Nancy put together a nice entry regarding a couple of Edison pens that I recently sent her to evaluate and critique.

You can see her review of two of my pens on her blog, or here is a direct link.

I recommend bookmarking and/or following Nancy's blog. She's only been blogging since February, but I've found every entry to be a great read, and I always look forward to the next one.

Thanks,

Brian at Edison

The Pearl Urushi Project....

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:40:00 -0400

The Edison Pen Company is proud to announce a collaborative project with Ernest Shin, of Hakumin Urushi Kobo.

Most of you know enough about the Edison Pen Company. Here's an introduction to Hakumin Urushi....

Hakumin Urushi, run by Ernest Shin, is a US-based studio devoted to working with the Japanese tradition of lacquerware and exposing it within the United States as well as the western world. Although Urushi is not unknown outside of Japan, many have only been exposed to a relatively small range of what is possible when using lacquer. While these techniques including the famed Maki-e are certainly praiseworthy works of art, they only touch on a small fraction of everything that is Urushi.

Japanese lacquerware (or Urushi, as it is also known by its Japanese name) has a history spanning over several millennia. Over that time, lacquer production has reached a level of complexity that is rarely seen in the world of arts and crafts. Between the versatility of the lacquer itself and ingenuity of the craftsman, there have developed hundreds of different techniques to create exquisite works of art from the perfectly polished deep black so closely associated with Urushi, to meticulous paintings with sprinkled gold and silver, to the exquisite patterns created as much through the whim of chance as the mastery of the craftsman.

Urushi works particularly well with fountain pens because of it's closeness to the user. As much as it is beautiful in its appearance, a piece of lacquerware is meant to be touched--to be physically experienced. Urushi has always been used for utilitarian goods in Japan, and specifically for those that are meant to be picked up or held in the hand--small soup bowls, inro and tea caddies to name only a few. It only makes sense that something as close to the user as a writing instrument be finished with lacquer.

So what is the collaboration with Edison and Hakumin Urushi?

Edison and Hakumin Urushi will create a Tsugaru-nuri version of the Pearl. This will be a limited edition. The plan is for ten pens, but if demand is high enough, this may be increased to a limited edition of twenty.

Tsugaru-nuri is one of the regional forms of lacquerware produced in Japan and is named for Tsugaru, Aomori Prefecture in Japan. The range of techniques uniquely derives its patterns using serendipitous means. A textured surface is created through the use of various materials such as seeds or burnt rice husks, or mixtures of various substances with Urushi, such as egg whites or tofu. This layer is then lacquered over with contrasting colors and after curing, the whole piece is then sanded smooth finally revealing the distinctive patterns of Tsugaru-nuri.

The particular technique to be used for these pens is called Karanuri, one of several techniques considered Tsugaru-nuri. After the meticulous application of the first layers of lacquer, the same used for standard unadorned Urushi pieces, an uneven layer of lacquer is applied using a mixture of urushi and egg whites, a sticky, gel-like mixture that resists running and dripping prior to curing. The mixture is carefully applied ensuring that the texture is pronounced enough to create the desired patterns while not too thick to avoid the wrinkles typically caused by curing an overly thick layer of lacquer.

After a slow and extensive curing process, the uneven layer covered over with multiple layers in contrasting colors, in this case, 23 karat gold powder and translucent Urushi. Once these layers are fully cured the piece is sanded smooth, just enough to reveal the intricate patterns of Karanuri. Afterwards, the piece is finally polished meticulously to bring the surface to the deep shine so distinctive of Urushi.

How will this come together?

Please visit the Urushi Pearl Project Page for more details as well as progress pictures...

Brian at Edison