October | 2013 | Scriptorium Pens

I am just as thrilled as can be to announce that nibmeister Pendleton Brown is now carrying some of my custom pens! Pendleton is famous for his custom-ground Elegant Butter-Line Stub~Italic nibs and other custom nib work. I have several vintage pens with his wonderful stubs and they are among my favorites. Now my own Scriptorium pens will have nibs just as superb to write with. Right now he is carrying the Balladeer and the Scribe, two of my most popular pens.

When Pendleton contacted me, I could barely believe it. It was at once exciting and humbling to think he had chosen my pens out of all the fabulous pen makers out there. His website’s subheading is “Fun Pens and Custom Nib Work,” and my pens are certainly colorful and fun. PB is a great guy to work with, and I look forward to this collaboration. Thanks for this amazing opportunity, Pendleton!

Visit Pendleton’s Pens and pick out a pen for a custom nib grind!

Welcome to Scriptorium Pens, a new source for custom, handcrafted fountain pens!

Balladeer in Lava Explosion #3 – Large

Just over a year ago I got a woodworking lathe and began to learn how to make custom, kitless pens. With the generous help and advice from a couple of experienced penturners from the Fountain Pen Network and the International Association of Penturners, I was able to hit the ground running. A few months later, people were starting to ask if they could purchase my pens. Success caught me by surprise, and I was soon making pens on a regular basis. It’s been 10 months since I sold my first pen, and the requests keep coming in. This hobby has turned into a full-time business, much to my surprise and joy! It’s time to move to the next level with a real web site — with answers in one place to all those questions customers ask in emails.

Company Name

Custom Muse – “Bama Pen” in Alabaster and Ruby Tortoise

One new question that’s sure to come up is where the company name comes from. As a retired English teacher, I’d already started naming my pen models with titles for people who write, who create, who tell stories or pass along news, looking back to the oral tradition. I’ve a definite leaning toward words evocative of myth and fantasy. One place where those elements come together is the writing room of medieval monasteries. In the Scriptorium, monks copied important religious documents, collected stories, and created their magnificent Illuminated Manuscripts, adding countless works of art to our literary legacy. Of course, they also made their own pens and ink. So, the medieval scriptorium provides the perfect confluence of associations that I was searching for in a pen company name!

Scribe in Mardi Gras Lava Explosion #9 with custom grip & finial

In the days to come I’ll be filling the site with product images and information. Expect things to change frequently as I experiment with the best way to organize and arrange the site. Hopefully it will all be squared away soon. In the meantime, you can still visit my Flickr Pen Gallery to see my work. Thanks for stopping by!