Custom Kitless Pens in Purple and Gold Flexigran

[JPMcConnel]

It had been a while since I posted pictures of fountain pens I have completed. This pair is done in purple and gold Flexigran, but different in style. Neither pen has a clip because clips were not desired. On the smaller pen with the rounded finials, I worked with Bob Dupras to come up with a solid alumilite color for the finials and the section close to but not exactly the same color of purple of the Flexigran. The other larger pen has the single finial done in Italian resin. For those interested, the Flexigran and the Italian resin both came from Richard L. Greenwald.

 

[thewishman]

Those are pretty pens. How do you like working with the Flexigran?

 

[terry q]

Wow Pat, super pens. Well done.

 

[Jim15]

Those look great.

 

[JPMcConnel]

Working with Flexigran

Those are pretty pens. How do you like working with the Flexigran?

I find working with Flexigran is a bit like working with Alumilite: very strong material and threads well with care. You need sharp tools because dull tools can score it. You also have to be careful when turning, sanding, or buffing to manage heat because it can become soft and start to change shape. It isn't the easiest material to buff to a high gloss, and again, you cannot be too aggressive with sand paper (wet sandpaper is a must) or buffing. It is very rugged material, which makes it attractive for pens. I have not see any new Flexigran for a while so I don't know what availability will be in the future. I do like the material and have made eight kitless pens from it.

 

[Wct3]

Those colors are super!

 

[penmaker56]

Hi Jim,

I am still making FLEXIGRAN, but unfortunately, do to my father's death and my wife's cancer, I can only get into my shop once every one to two weeks; and making a single sheet takes almost a full day of shop time. The sheet mold must be pre-heated, the resins must be colored, then vacuum degassed, poured, then pressurized to 70psi while curing. The pressure tank must be monitored for a few hours, then the sheet must must be heat cured for an additional 8 hours. My pressure tank can only hold one sheet at a time . I have stopped making PR blanks, since everyone else has started making them, and have done a few of my most popular colors in FLEXIGRAN; everything will be added to the website sooner or later, as my wife runs the website, and she does that when she has one of her "good weeks" after her chemo treatments.

After I use up my current supply of resins, I will get back to making and plating parts, making the roller ball to ball point converters, and then maybe, I will make a pen or two, which I haven't done in years.

So, everything will get done, in due time. I hope that my customers will understand, but my family and settling my father's estate comes first.

Best Regards to all,
Richard

 

[JPMcConnel]

I hope things take a turn for the better

Richard,
Sorry to hear the reasons why your fine product, FLEXIGRAN, is in short supply. I think you have your priorities in the proper alignment. It sounds like you may have a protocol for those of us in the user community to acquire FLEXIGRAN so I will use that channel. Thanks for your timely response. Attached is a picture of one of my pens in Autumn FLEXIGRAN, a favorite color of mine. Of course, Blue/Gold is very lovely, too.

 

[penmaker56]

I hope you don't mind that I am posting your pics of your pens using my products on my LLC's Facebook page.