Color Options

Four Current Options

The four current options are all pictured together above. Shredded Money, Black Market, Blood Money, and Gold Rush.

Shredded Money

Shredded US dollars cast in clear resin. This makes for one unique pen.

Black Market

Shredded US dollars cast in a black resin with a hint of pearlescents swirling through out. It's nearly impossible to picture the moving pearlescent shifts in this dark color. While it is a subtle change, it is one you will notice while jotting something down with the sunlight shining on your pen.

Blood Money

Brilliant red and white swirl among the clear and shredded US dollars in this color option. In my opinion this is a truly bad A... writing instrument. Whether it just intrigues you or makes you feel tough, this pen is definitely a show stopper and an ice breaker. I await every opportunity I get to write something in public. People always ask about this crazy pen.

Gold Rush

There must be something even fancier! Not only does this color option have shredded US dollars imbued within it, it is also filled with 24 karat gold flakes. The clear and gold colored resin dance together until they become one.

Closeup of a Gold Rush Writer cap

The Story

The Writer. A fairly simple, yet explanatory name. The Writer is a pen design I developed mostly as a starting ground for my pen making adventure. Yet in the short months since I’ve started making these pens it has turned into much more than that. A year ago, I started making pens… well scratch that. 7 years ago, I started making pens. Very simple little projects. If anyone is familiar with hand turned pens, you know what I’m talking about. You buy a kit online, take a piece of wood, drill a hole in it and glue in a brass tube. You then mount that on your lathe and make it round. Press fit it all together and it’s ready to go. A year ago, I decided to go “kittless” a term many pen turners use for when you make a pen from scratch without the help of a kit. There are still some things most people need to purchase. Such as a nib and feed, or an ink refill and a spring. Let’s just say that my first few kittless pens were much more of a challenge than I had expected. There were many flaws that needed worked out and they all changed once I talked to a true master of this craft. At least someone I consider to be a master. After several failed attempts and several designs that were workable but needed improvement it came to the point where I could no longer get much of his help and it was time to learn on my own. Through those trials and errors came the Writer. A simple pen with a few “flairs” to the design. My favorite part of the design is a small undercut on the cap that allows it to slide over the body rather than butt up against it like many fountain pens do. Just something a little different, but not crazy out there change the industry type of work. No, that’s still a long ways off.

A little over two months ago I made a pen from casting resin with red dye and shredded money. It looked killer. So now I’m hoping to bring it to you! Its design follows that of my Writer. Combine that simple sleek design

Grey Acrylic Writer

With this exciting material, and you end up with a pen everyone will be talking about. It’s not just a statement piece however. It functions. Yes, it functions like any other pen, but it can also be changed between two types of pens. You aren’t stuck with just a fountain pen or a rollerball. You can swap between the two easily. To go from a fountain pen to a rollerball, simply unscrew the grip section, removing the nib, feed, and convertor. Then drop in the tension spring and the rollerball refill and thread on the rollerball grip section. It’s ready to go that fast.

So, let’s get down to the material then! There are four different options available. Shredded Money, which is shredded US dollars (completely legal, you can, and I have purchased shredded money from the US Treasury) cast into clear plastic resin. Blood Money, is the same as before, only red and a splash of white have been added into the mix to create a material that will keep you turning it over and looking at all the different angles. Black Shredded Money, is simply black colored resin with shredded money captured inside. Gold Rush is where things get fancy. Clear and gold dyed resin swirl throughout this material. Not only are there shredded US dollars embedded in this material, but there are also flakes of 24 karat gold mixed in! By no means am I the first person to use these materials. Neither in the crafting or the pen world. These however are my own materials, made in house from alumilite casting resin, pigments, dyes, shredded currency, and 24k gold. From the material to the finished product these are completely made by hand. The pens are turned on a manual metal lathe by yours truly. The material is thought out as well. Each blank is cast so that none (or very little) of the shredded money is incorporated where the threads lie. This is to ensure the strongest possible threads so there is no fear of breakage in an already weakened point on the pen. This takes time and precision. Each blank of material is casted one at time to ensure a perfect fit and finish when turned into the finished pen.

Rounded Stock Material

Finished Blood Money Writer Capped

With this project I hope to bring my idea into the light and show people what Smith Crafters can do. With the funds raised from this project I will purchase a new lathe which will make creating these writing instruments much easier and faster. A larger machine than what I currently have with more power and more room for even larger projects. A few tools will also be purchased to increase the productivity and over all finish of the product. A collet chuck for more precision and faster changes. A quick-change tool post for ease of tool changes. A tool box to act as storage and a base for the new lathe. Tooling, and materials for the products.