Broken boro dipping pen HELP please

[Lotti]

Not sure if anyone can help with this but thought I would try.

I had a customer in the shop/studio in Bude who bought a lovely boro dipping pen in Australia many years ago (he doesn't know where or from whom and I have done a search and can't find anything on the web), but unfortunately the nib has broken.  He brought it in hoping I could fix it, but I really don't dare, my boro skills don't quite stretch to pens (yet!).  He did say that if it couldn't be reformed then to just make it smooth again would be fine, so I could melt the end so it is no longer sharp or 'sand' it, but I did promise him that I would ask my boro friends if anyone could help.  It really is lovely (I had never seen one in the flesh before and was rather blown away by it's simplicity, beauty and balance).  Here is a photo of the nib.  I did see on a previous post about these that Ray makes them   but before I email him, thought I would ask you guys first.

[Nicknack]

Ray does make them, I watched him make one (in 104, I think!) at Westpoint one year.  He was doing it for a present for the man running the wood carving stand next to him.  Fascinating!  He did it so easily .

Nick

[garishglobes]

There's a guy in the US that makes these in boro with that type of nib.
I'd talk to Sean and see if he would be ok to have a go (I can do it but suspect Sean's are groovier  ), otherwise I'd suggest he might need to consider swapping the nib for a tube and insertable nib arrangement. Which would maybe not be quite so pretty but would be practical.

[garishglobes]

This is the guy I was thinking of in the US.

http://www.glasspens.com/gallery/penworld.html

If it isn't fixable and he is happy for you to just melt the end, I think you would be fine doing that 

[tuffnell glass]

Hi ,
We made these a lot of years ago in soft 104coe glass . With the pen being boro there should be no problem with heating the tip up and re pulling it , we would then grind a small flat of one side to write with by using carbrundom paste or you could try wet and dry paper with lots of water .

Best wishes ,
martin
Tuffnell Glass

[Lotti]

Thanks folks.  So Martin, as the tip is broken at an angle, I could just grind it (carefully) to taken the sharpness out of it and so flatten it? 

[Carefulkate]

That website is beautiful never knew you could get glass knitting needles x

[tuffnell glass]

Hi ,
        Looking at the tip I think it would be too thick to simply grind that's why I  said you should heat it and pull it down more towards a point and then regrind it . As a thick tip all the ink falls off in seconds rather than holding the ink on to write with .

martin

[Ian Pearson]

Used to make boro knitting needles. Scary to use though!

Ian

[Carefulkate]

yes but beautiful to own I love all craft stuff and knitting needles in glass just sound great x

[tuffnell glass]

Hi ,
For years we made usable glass lace bobbins and exported them all over the world.

Martin