Recently, I got a new fountain pen as a gift, bought a new Jacques Herbin glass dip pen, and have been playing with different inks. While waiting on materials for another project, I thought I would try making a stand to keep the glass dip pen safe on my desk.
I envisioned something that would echo the glass of the pen and ink bottles as well as the curves. The green glass acrylic seemed ideal for this, as it is a ringer for actual glass visually.
I started by modeling an outline of the pen in Inkscape and used that to figure out the rest of the design.
Layers of glued up MDF made a great bending form for the curved piece.
Using acrylic cement frequently results in unsightly blemishes on finished pieces, and can be easy to break. So, I designed this with M3 bolts for a mechanical connection between the curved and base pieces. I ended up with press-fit nuts shored up with a little CA glue, which seems to be strong enough and avoids the unpredictability of acrylic cement flow.
There is also a 2-minute build video:
2 Comments
I will definitely make this for my dip pen!! wonderful design. Just wondering how complicated do you think it would be to make this in wood? I’m envisioning lots of small tiny horizontal cut lines along the bend and some wood glue/filler as needed to bend the curve and use the walnut plywood to make the piece. Not sure how this would turn out but thinking of giving it a shot.
Thank you! You should absolutely try it!
What you are describing with the wood is called “kerf bending.” Searching for that may yield some useful suggestions. There is, for example, a Kerf Bending Wizard and tutorial that will help you figure out the right number of cuts and spacing to get the curve you want.
Other approaches to making it in wood might include stacked layers of pieces cut in curves, or a steam or vinegar-bent piece.