This is a website where you can look at the pens produced by Chestnut Pens, look at the gallery of past work and, if you wish to, order new pens. Chestnut Pens will take commissions should you want us to undertake that work for you.
Please Note: This site has been subject to a malware infestation. It has been deleted, and restored from an old backup, so please bear with me as I get things sorted out. In the meantine, I am sorry, but the pens shown are NOT for sale. I hope to get things sorted by Feb 16, 2019.
Chestnut Pens has made Ball-Point Pens, Propelling Pencils, Rollerballs and Fountain Pens. The basis for Chestnut Pens' Ball Point, Pencils and Roller Ball Pens are widely available kit pens, which are custom turned with various finishes to form high quality, durable pens. The fountain pens are in the form of both kit pens (like the ball points), and 'Custom' pens where the highest quality nibs and feeds are used.
The 'Custom' fountain pens are beautifully engineered pens intended for discerning fountain pen users, and are designed for decades of use. The 'Custom' pens are precision instruments that have taken several years to develop and require precision machining - such high quality pens manufactured with the level of care and attention to detail as the 'Chestnut Pens' Custom fountain pens don't come cheap. They are high quality instruments for people who want to write with them first and foremost, and they happen to be beautiful objects too.
Take time to have a look around, see what we do and generally browse to your heart's content. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us from the Contact page.
I have recently bought a small 4 Axis CNC Engraver/Router/Light Mill. This machine looks quite 'Heath Robinson' but is capable of some fine quality work. Like any new skill, it takes time to master and find out the limitations of both the machine and the imagination of the person using it. Anyway, I think I am at the point where I can start to make prototype CNC assisted pens. I spent a good deal of time coming up with a flexible fountain pen design that could have customised decoration applied to the surface, and then after a brainstorming session, and some very kind input from the members of The Fountain Pen Network I now have a few designs to prototype:
The designs are (from top to bottom):
Classic, Lazy Spiral, Shallow Diamond, DNA, Decahedron, Deep Diamond, Octagon, Barley Twist, Twin Spiral, Double Diamond, Barleycorn and Twin Basket Weave. The twin spiral is rendered below:
The Lazy Spiral, Barley Twist and Twin Spiral pens may be in either the left hand spiral shown, or a right hand spiral.
The CNC pens will have hallmarked silver furniture, steel nibs unless specified otherwise and a solid walnut box. The cap-barrel thread will be a 4 start thread for the Classic, Lazy Spiral, Shallow Diamond, DNA, Deep Diamond and Octagon. The thread will be triple start thread for the Barley Twist, Twin Spiral, Double Diamond and Basket Weave. This will ensure the pattern aligns however you put the cap on. I have not yet decided whether to try a 5 start thread for the Decahedron. The pens are not going to be cheap. I shall be asking at least £200 each if they turn out as expected.
There is no way of paying for pens on the website. This may change, depending on demand and - more importantly - being able to find out how to do it! In order to buy a pen, click on the 'Buy the Pen' link on each sale page and send the e-mail that is automatically generated. The pen will then be sold to the first person who sends an e-mail and the sale page will be removed from the web site as quickly as practicable.