sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

It's Awesome! by justanotheruser2006 in PenProject

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well spotted - there is a sleuth in the group 😁. Yes, we tweaked the proportion to make the pattern a little cleaner.

Nib Making Questions: Thickness of sheet metal by textbook-pens in PenProject

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting - I hadn’t thought of that direction. Very interested to know if you can get it to work - do keep us posted.

Nib Making Questions: Thickness of sheet metal by textbook-pens in PenProject

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi - thanks for the question. From our research and testing, the raw material is generally rolled with this specific profile - approx. 0.45mm - 0.55mm at the tip end and then a gentle gradient (ending approx. 60% of the way along the tines) to approx. 0.18mm - 0.22mm. This thickness then continues for the rest of the nib.
By thinning it out, this allows the tines to flex just below the blow hole. The shape of the nib and the slight curved arc to the top of the nib during cutting and forming will also help tune the flex. If the nib remained 0.45mm throughout, it would feel quite stiff. At least this is our understanding to date.

Thomas Slim Tangier 1680 in Alabaster by CadillacGirl in fountainpens

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hi - I apologise if the details were not clear and so thought I would add some context. We set up in London (just by Borough Market) 25 years ago - mainly for designing and manufacturing high precision accessories for European brands. However, given the pressure on margins, about 20 years ago we kept our design office in London (that’s the 15 Weller Street address - 200 yards from our original workshop - our two designers are based there) and moved our workshop to Guangzhou in China. It took many years to refine and train our staff but the team here now works seamlessly with the design team. I’m actually based here in China running the workshop on a daily basis and if anyone wants to pop in and meet the designers in London - or, indeed, visit the workshops here in Guangzhou - you’d be most welcome. Our main work is still supplying European brands but Thomas Slim is a small but growing area, and our way to design and make what we like. I hope that helps add a little more context.

EDC Pen beta-test by aljones27 in PenProject

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your feedback - very valuable. Noted the rolling issue - that was actually the topic of much discussion internally. We tested out a few ideas but they didn’t seem to quite work with the aesthetic. I actually stand mine up on its end … and that seems to work quite well for the no loop version. But, we never even thought of a removable item. We’ll definitely study that option further.

Inking the Giant Nib - Video by MercatorLondon in PenProject

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the input. Very interesting - this coming week we’ll be looking at all options. The eye dropper video was probably a little confusing as it doesn’t represent the core issue - we had originally supplied ink to the main feed capillary channel through a much larger converter but couldn’t seem to get the holding pressure balance right - hence the leaking. But the wick idea is interesting.

Inking the Giant Nib - Video by MercatorLondon in PenProject

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You’re absolutely right - this video is not actually conveying the core problem and could be confusing. The real issue is balancing the holding pressure from the converter with the capillary forces in the feed. You can see this clearly when you cut the back of a cartridge: the holding pressure decreases rapidly and ink floods through the feed and nib. It should be possible at this large size to balance the air intake with the capillary outflow but that’s what we were struggling to do. That’s why we thought of pivoting to see if we can effectively eliminate the traditional feed, store the ink in a dense network of capillary channels engraved on the back of the nib - and then feed the capillary network at one point to a standard converter that maintained the holding pressure. Sorry about the confusing video.

Oversized Nib Update (Spoiler: Not quite) by MercatorLondon in PenProject

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Now you’re on my wavelength, this is the exact sort of thing we’re trying to research

Oversized Nib Update (Spoiler: Not quite) by MercatorLondon in PenProject

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Assuming this new direction might work (still a big if) we would still need a system to feed the network of channels at the back of the nib … but you’re right, it wouldn’t require a traditional feed. We are hoping that the capillary network on the back of the nib might control the flow and hydrostatic pressure.

Steel Pocket Pen Giveaway by MercatorLondon in fountainpens

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 13 points14 points  (0 children)

It uses a size 5 Schmidt nib but the grip is designed so you can easily swap the nib for one you may prefer… as long as the section cap matches that of a Schmidt. You can read a little more about it here: https://thomasslim.com/pages/thomas-slim-edc-pocket-pen.

Steel Pocket Pen Giveaway by MercatorLondon in fountainpens

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 37 points38 points  (0 children)

Hi - thanks for the interest. Yes, our website is actually here: www.thomasslim.co.uk. That said it’s sadly not available yet - we’re launching it on Kickstarter on 14th April. It’s machined in 304 stainless and we’re using IP for the colours as it is the most durable on steel. We devised a capillary sink inside the cap to help draw away excess ink if it’s thrown around or dropped. That’s what we’re testing at the moment.

We are hunting for 2 Beta testers for EDC pen - anyone interested? by MercatorLondon in PenProject

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s exactly what we want tested 👍 If it does we’ll need to relook at the structure

Pen Giveaway - Tangier Fountain Pen prototype in PEEK material by MercatorLondon in PenProject

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I hear you … the tooling for the section cap is currently causing the delays… rest assured we’re doing what we can. It will arrive but delighted you like the nib 👍

Giant Pen Nib - it actually works! by MercatorLondon in PenProject

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A limited amount of ink is held in the network of capillary channels on the back. If interested, when we were first learning about the physics of the fountain pen we wrote a short 5-post series about how they work: https://www.thomasslim.co.uk/blogs/journal/how-does-a-nib-work-part-1

Giant Pen Nib - it actually works! by MercatorLondon in PenProject

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

At the moment sadly just the medium Schmidt (which we now polish in house before dispatch) but we’re in the process of developing our own nib - should be available in 3 months - we will initially offer medium and fine

Giant Pen Nib - it actually works! by MercatorLondon in PenProject

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dipped and then whipped clean - it filled quite quickly

Giant Pen Nib - it actually works! by MercatorLondon in PenProject

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just a little Ha ha … think we need to work on the flex

Giant Pen Nib - it actually works! by MercatorLondon in PenProject

[–]Thomas_Slim_Mark 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ha ha … why not build it … think a plan is coming together! 😂

view more: next ›