Pens

The story behind making nib-holders started with me finding a certain breed of Bamboo in Takoma Park, Maryland. A house of friends were kind enough to let me cut down a bunch after I realized that the hollow portion of the bamboo might be the perfect size to hold a pen nib. I was right. Unfortunately, The variation of the abundant plant was so great that the first batch of stalks that I brought home only yielded ONE working nib holder. Determined to find more to work with, I went back to Takoma Park with an eye for the approximate size desired to create more holders. With luck, I came home with about 12 working stalks.

The craftsmanship behind them is simple but rather involved. After curing the nibs in my oven (which took some experimenting) and  letting them sit for about a month, I went to work at finishing the product. Polishing the wood revealed beautiful markings of the insects that attempted to devour the fresh plant. The trails the critters leave behind are only topical and do not interfere with the integrity of the wood.  I used the strongest threads available (waxed linen and black button) to support the structure of the wood with the constant changing of nibs. I finally topped it all off with a bit more threading and a tiny screw to help finish the aesthetic and supply a little extra weight. 

If anyone is interested in purchasing one of these hand-crafted pen-nib holders you can email me at alotajam22@gmail.com. I have a very limited supply and have been using one for my own purposes including the drawing in the previous post. These nib-holders are a sturdy tool fit for any studio, and for anyone looking for a greener alternative to those ugly brown holders that come with pen and ink kits. I hope you like the pictures. enjoy