{"id":3097,"date":"2019-03-22T08:00:32","date_gmt":"2019-03-22T12:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=3097"},"modified":"2024-04-12T10:11:14","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T14:11:14","slug":"custom-18111-pen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/custom-18111-pen\/","title":{"rendered":"An 18111 Commission"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Mid last year, I reached out to Yoshi Nakama of 18111 Pens<\/a> about commissioning a custom pen. As the DC Pen Show<\/a> was only a few weeks away, we agreed to discuss it at the show. At the time, I hoped to get a pen themed to my Exalted Bloodlines series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I eagerly sought him out at the show. However, when I showed him the ideas I had in mind, he warned me it may not be doable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/a>
Left to right: My design idea for the rollstopper, the blood drop I wanted scattered around the pen, and the moon and star I wanted on the top of the cap.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The proposed roll stopper design, the blood drop I wanted scattered across the pen, and the moon and star I wanted on the top of the cap all have “sharp corners.” Apparently, 3D printing and laser engraving can’t produce sharp corners at that size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I hoped we could reach a compromise with a modified design that I liked and could be executed. I agreed to modify the design before sending Mr. Nakama the files. He warned me that his waiting list was about 3 months long. Granted, considering the year+ waiting lists many pen makers have right now, 3 months is hardly an issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

So I went home and modified the designs, rounding all of the corners. When I finished, I was fairly confident I’d come to a good compromise, even if it wasn’t the “perfect” design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>

Left to right the rounded designs for: the rollstopper, the blood drop, and the moon and star. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rethinking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The more I thought about my pen and the edited design, the less satisfied I became with the idea of it. And really, there is no point in commissioning a custom pen you aren’t 100% happy with in the planning stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One day, it just popped into my head that as I have a “Poison Ivy” pen (the green ivies pen), it would be great to have a Harley Quinn pen as well. And so, a new idea was born.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Harley<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In mid-October, I reached out to Mr. Nakama about changing the design, sending him an image of the well-known Harley Quinn triple diamonds for the rollstopper design. I asked if he could create a black pen with red diamond shapes scattered around it. I wanted the diamonds in two colors, making it look as though there were two “layers” of diamonds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, he was open to the changes (perhaps even relieved that this new design was simpler). He informed me that it would make far more sense to have a single roll stopper, meaning the diamonds would need to be joined in some way. And he warned me that he’d fallen behind a bit and wouldn’t be staring my pen until January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thanked him for his amiability and confirmed that a single stopper was fine. To be honest, I’d been expecting that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It Starts…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Then came the hardest part: waiting. Toward the end of January, I received an email that increased my excitement. Mr. Nakama sent me a mock up of the pen and two roll stopper options.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Mockups<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The swirling design in the mock up captivated me. The roll stopper options were surprisingly different in appearance despite being so similar in design. I chose option 1, as option 2 looked a little odd in my eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after, Mr. Nakama tagged me in a post on Instagram<\/a> showing the finished 3D model of the roll stopper. I quite literally squeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next wait was a little longer. Though, thankfully, I had vacation and the Baltimore Pen Show<\/a> to distract me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Side Note: If you’re curious about the process Mr. Nakama uses to make his pens, you can take a look at these posts from his Instagram<\/a>: 1<\/a> | 2<\/a> | 3<\/a> | 4<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, hooray! Mr. Nakama tagged me again<\/a>. This time in a post showing the finished pen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even slightly out of focus, it’s beautiful. I promptly paid the PayPal invoice, wanting to avoid any potential delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Nakama ships his pens priority, so it showed up a couple of days later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My New Pen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I couldn’t be happier with my new pen. The craftsmanship is fabulous. I love the slight pearlescence in the diamonds and how they contrast with the solid black background. The roll stopper is perfect, although that’s no surprise. 3D printing is rather exact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I honestly have no complaints about the pen or the process. Mr. Nakama is a delight to work with, and his pens are fabulous works of art. If you have the ability to pick up an 18111 pen, I highly suggest you do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Harley<\/a>
My Harley Quinn pen with its “Poison Ivy” counterpart.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Harley<\/a>
My Harley Quinn 18111 pen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Close<\/a>
Close up of the diamonds on my Harley Quinn pen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Close<\/a>
Close up of the rollstopper on my Harley Quinn 18111 pen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For those interested, I inked my new pen with J. Herbin Rouge Grenat, because if any pen should be inked with blood red, it’s this one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I commissioned a custom pen from Yoshi Nakama of 18111. He was a delight to work with and the process went smoothly. Read more about my experience.<\/p>\n

Keep ReadingAn 18111 Commission<\/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":[219,137,43],"class_list":["post-3097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fountain-pens","tag-219","tag-fountain-pen-reviews","tag-story","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Z77k-NX","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1782,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/fp201-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":3097,"position":0},"title":"Fountain Pen 201: Indie Pen Makers","author":"Rachel","date":"August 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"My Pen Collection","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/collectionStarred-300x176.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1903,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/2018-dc-pen-show\/","url_meta":{"origin":3097,"position":1},"title":"2018 DC Pen Show","author":"Rachel","date":"August 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I've blogged, in depth, about both pen shows I've been to so far. 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See what I got in January.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"18111 Night Snow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/nightSnow-cutout.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/nightSnow-cutout.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/nightSnow-cutout.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/nightSnow-cutout.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/nightSnow-cutout.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9716,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/pen-porn-18111-snow\/","url_meta":{"origin":3097,"position":4},"title":"Pen Porn: 18111 Night Snow","author":"Rachel","date":"February 17, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The 18111 Night Snow was my first pen purchase of 2023. 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Enjoy the pen porn!","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Snowflakes on the 18111 Night Snow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/20230215_164947.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/20230215_164947.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/20230215_164947.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/20230215_164947.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/20230215_164947.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3771,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/2019-pens\/","url_meta":{"origin":3097,"position":5},"title":"Year in Review – 2019 Pens","author":"Rachel","date":"January 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Read my retrospective look at the pens I purchased in 2019, including the ones I love, the ones I regret getting, and my plans for 2020 pens.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Franklin-Christoph Model 02","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/FC.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/FC.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/FC.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/FC.png?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/FC.png?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3097"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12861,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3097\/revisions\/12861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}