{"id":1782,"date":"2018-08-03T08:00:53","date_gmt":"2018-08-03T12:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=1782"},"modified":"2024-08-21T07:19:38","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T11:19:38","slug":"fp201-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/fp201-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Fountain Pen 201: Indie Pen Makers"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Happy Fountain Pen Friday, and welcome to another issue of Fountain Pen 201. This week, I’ll be discussing indie pen makers.<\/p>\n

When I discovered indie\/small business pen makers, I was amazed by the options opened up to me. For the most part, it’s ruined me for large manufacturer pens. Right now, 8 of my 20 pens are from indie makers, and I’m expecting 3 more.<\/p>\n

\"My<\/a>
Starred pens are from indie makers.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

In my opinion, the “best” thing about indie pen makers is your ability to get custom pens. This can be as basic as a special clip, or as unique as a completely custom pen. I spoke to Yoshi Nakama of 18111<\/a> at the DC Pen Show last weekend, and commissioned a completely custom pen from him. It’s going to be gorgeous, like the rest of his pens, so follow me on Instagram<\/a> to see it when it arrives. Depending on the maker, you may be able to get a custom material from them. Some makers, like Jonathon Brooks of Carolina Pen Company<\/a>, are known for their unique materials.<\/p>\n

\"Brooks<\/a>
A Franklin-Christoph pen made from a Carolina Pen Company\/Jonathon Brooks material.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some of the things you find in indie-created pens are difficult, or impossible, to recreate in a large scale. For example, Chet Herbert of Herbert Pen Company<\/a>\u00a0has a “ribbon” series with hand-painted paper ribbons. They would be nearly impossible to create on a large scale. I’m lucky enough to have two pens from this series, a limited edition and a special edition.<\/p>\n

\"Herbert<\/a>
Left: Goldfish ribbon pen. Right: Herbert Pen Co. and Papier Plume New Orleans Tricentennial Pen<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You can find some interesting shapes and pen designs from indies as well. From double-ended pens, to faceted barrels and\/or caps, clips and roll stoppers, the customizations and unique pen attributes available will blow your mind. But, if you want a simple pen that makes the material the star, you can find that, too, and Mike Allen of Woodshed Pen Company<\/a> is brilliant at it.<\/p>\n

\"Woodshed<\/a>
Three pens from Woodshed Pen Company<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some pen makers (like Desiderata<\/a> and Osprey<\/a>) are also making pens that have multiple interchangeable nib sections. Take this early Osprey model that also takes Noodlers nibs and Zebra G dip pen nibs aside from proprietary Osprey nibs.<\/p>\n

\"Opsrey<\/a><\/p>\n

One downside to indie pen makers is that they seem to have exploded in popularity recently, meaning LONG wait times. In some cases, like Brian Chu of Red Dragon Pen Company<\/a>, indies have had to close their commissions list because of their demand. While I’m very happy that these indie makers are experiencing such popularity and success, it’s hard to wait that long. But I guarantee the wait is worth it.<\/p>\n

So, if you’re interested in purchasing a pen from an indie maker, or even if you just want to check out indie pens, I’ve compiled a list of indie companies. I’ve left off a few, like Edison Pen Company<\/a> and Franklin-Christoph<\/a>, who are well-established and quickly growing out of indie status (in my opinion). Let me know in the comments if I’ve missed anyone, and I’ll add them to the list.<\/p>\n

Pen Makers<\/h2>\n

NOTE: This list is alphabetical by company name, it is not ranked. The company name is linked to their website or Facebook page, if one exists. The @handle, when present, is a link to the company’s Instagram page.\u00a0This list is updated in my newer Indie Pen Maker post<\/a>.<\/strong><\/small><\/p>\n

18111<\/a> – @18111com<\/a>
\nAdditive Pens<\/a> – @additivepens<\/a>
\nAsa Pens<\/a> – @asapens.in<\/a>
\nAtelier Lusso<\/a> –\u00a0@atelierlusso<\/a>
\nBenu Pen<\/a> –\u00a0@benupen<\/a>
\nThe Birmingham Pen Company<\/a> – @birminghampens<\/a>
\nBroadwell Studios<\/a> –\u00a0@broadwellstudios<\/a>
\nBrute Force Design<\/a> –\u00a0@bruteforcedesign<\/a>
\nCarolina Pen Company<\/a> –\u00a0@brooks_803<\/a>
\nChesapeake Pen Company<\/a> –\u00a0@chesapeakepenco<\/a>
\nDesiderata Pen Company<\/a> –\u00a0@thedesideratapencompany<\/a>
\nDryad Pens<\/a> –\u00a0@dryad_pens<\/a>
\nFaggionato Stylos<\/a> –\u00a0@faggionato_stylos<\/a>
\nFisher of Pens<\/a> –\u00a0@fisher.of.pens<\/a>
\nFountain Pen Revolution<\/a> –\u00a0@fountain_pen_revolution<\/a>
\nFrontier Pen Company –\u00a0@frontierpenco<\/a>
\nGW Pens<\/a> –\u00a0@gwpens<\/a>
\nHaskoson Pen Company –\u00a0@haskoson<\/a>
\nHerbert Pen Company<\/a> –\u00a0@herbertpencompany<\/a>
\nIrish Pens<\/a> –\u00a0@irishpens<\/a>
\nJC Lesher<\/a> –\u00a0@jrlpens<\/a>
\nKasama<\/a> –\u00a0@kasamaph<\/a>
\nMatthieu Faivet<\/a> –\u00a0@stylo_matthieu_faivet<\/a>
\nMini Wood Productions<\/a> –\u00a0@miniwoodproductions<\/a>
\nNewton Pens<\/a> –\u00a0@newtonpens<\/a>
\nOsprey Pens<\/a> –\u00a0@ospreypens<\/a>
\nPendoras<\/a> –\u00a0@pendoras_<\/a>
\nRanga Pens<\/a> –\u00a0@ranga_pens<\/a>
\nRed Dragon Pen Company<\/a> –\u00a0@reddragonpenco<\/a>
\nRomulus Pens<\/a> –\u00a0@jalbertlawrence<\/a>
\nRyan Krusac Studios<\/a> –\u00a0@ryankrusac<\/a>
\nSchumacher Pen Company<\/a> –\u00a0@maxschumacher98<\/a>
\nScriptorium Pens<\/a> –\u00a0@scriptorium_pens<\/a>
\nSee Pens<\/a> –\u00a0@seewoodpens<\/a>
\nSmith Crafters<\/a> –\u00a0@smith_crafters<\/a>
\nStylo Alexandre Duboc<\/a> –\u00a0@atelier_alexandre_duboc<\/a>
\nTom’s Studio – @tomsstudio<\/a>
\nTurning Point Pen Company<\/a> –\u00a0@turningpointpenco<\/a>
\nTwiss Pens<\/a>
\nWoodshed Pen Company –\u00a0@woodshedpenco<\/a>
\nWrite Turnz<\/a> –\u00a0@writeturnz<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to Fountain Pen 201. This issue I cover indie pen makers. I’ve also included a list of indie makers I know about.<\/p>\n

Keep ReadingFountain Pen 201: Indie Pen Makers<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[219,221,113,213,371,431,214],"class_list":["post-1782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fountain-pens","tag-219","tag-carolina-pen-co","tag-fountain-pen-201","tag-herbert-pen-co","tag-indie-makers","tag-indie-makers-update","tag-woodshed-pen-co","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Z77k-sK","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16038,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/indie-makers-6\/","url_meta":{"origin":1782,"position":0},"title":"Even More Indie Makers","author":"Rachel","date":"November 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I've come across even more indie makers since my post last year. 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Here's a non-comprehensive maker list for reference.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/201.2-IGSm.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9955,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/more-indie-makers\/","url_meta":{"origin":1782,"position":4},"title":"Even More Indie Makers","author":"Rachel","date":"March 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I've come across even more indie makers since my last maker post. 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