DIY Kaweco Event at Flax Pen to Paper

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

I was so excited when Kaweco announced that they would be releasing a special DIY (Do It Yourself) Kaweco but it would only be available at in-store events. I kept seeing events popping up at vendors at times/places that I couldn’t attend so I thought I’d just have to hunt for a used one down the road. Thankfully, the stars and schedules aligned and I was able to make the trek to Flax Pen to Paper this past weekend and assemble my own Kaweco! Spoiler alert: this article contains pictures of the DIY process, so if you’re planning to get one done and you don’t wanna see what’s involved, scroll to the bottom and look at the haul instead 🙂

I love the signage for the DIY event as well as Custom Nib Studio and Saiko Stationery!

Ryan Finnegan of Saiko Stationery also did a pop-up at the store! I was good and didn’t buy any washi tape but I might have picked up some other stuff…

After the first rush of customers, I was able to start working on my DIY Kaweco! I’m so excited!

This big box is shipped to the vendors around the world who had signed up to participate in the DIY event.

The various pen parts are inside, including different nib units, grips, etc.

Here are the parts for my pen (not including the box and sticker.)

I put the inner cap onto the metal post thingy (yes, that’s the technical term and I’m sticking to it, lol) and then put the cap on top of that. The inner cap helps prevent evaporation.

Time for the finial to go on the cap!

Voila!

Time for the nib to go into the pen!

That was easy!

*All done! *

All of the steps were very easy to follow (especially since Ryan walked me through it!) and the machine was also very easy to use - no significant strength required! I did not keep any of the packaging as there was nothing highlighting that this was a DIY Kaweco, other than the silver engraving on the pen cap itself. It does not come with a converter.

Gena Salorino of Custom Nib Studio was on hand to work their magic on folks’ pens, including my newly created Kaweco!

Can you believe that, all this time, I only wrote on their sample pad and never in my notebook? Oops 😃 Glad I finally took my own advice!

Gena ground the broad Kaweco nib to a Cursive Italic and I inked it up with Robert Oster Napa.

In addition to the DIY Kaweco, I couldn’t escape the store without buying these goodies from Flax and Saiko Stationery.

I couldn’t choose between the different packs of stickers from Saiko Stationery, so I got several! Also love the wine “juice box” sticker from Flax and underneath is a Bellroy Lite Sacoche, the link is for Black, but mine is Clay.

I also bought some Uni-ball One P and F gel pens, a PLOTTER Bible-size Fastener Case, Midori metallic transfer stickers and some awesome cards.

I had a great time at the event! Aside from assembling my very own Kaweco, it was so fun meeting people and chatting with them while they shopped or tried Gena’s tester pens (highly recommend, even if you’re not getting anything done). Thank you to Flax Pen to Paper for hosting this event, to Ryan for helping me with the Kaweco (and bringing some super cute Saiko Stationery goods) and to Gena for making the nib extra special! I believe the Kaweco box of goodness will be making its way to the next stop soon (though I was unable to find a list on the Kaweco website), but if you have the opportunity to assemble a Kaweco at your local pen store, I highly recommend the experience!

(Disclaimer: All products and nib services were purchased by me at Flax Pen to Paper.)

Kaweco Sport Piston Fountain Pen Review

Like many Kaweco fans, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the launch of the Kaweco Sport Piston Fountain Pen since they first announced it was in the works a year or two ago. Would it be a modern interpretation of one of their classic designs, or would it be a fully vintage inspired release?

Why not both?

In my head, I fully expected a plastic barrel piston-filler, sort of an upgraded, built out, Kaweco Sport, without a clip. What we got was a throwback exterior design with the Black barrel and Gold clip, but using Aluminum for construction, a more modern material. It’s a perfect combination of old and new, and a bit unexpected if I’m being honest.

As obvious as this is to state, the design is less important for this pen than the piston mechanism. It’s the reason it is being made, and it has to work well. In a smaller pen like this, that is always a question. Can the mechanism fit while retaining the desired barrel size? Does it operate smoothly? Does it allow for enough ink capacity as compared to a cartridge? Is the pen easy to clean? So far, the Sport Piston answers “Yes,” across the board.

The clip is easily removable if so desired.

To access the mechanism, Kaweco uses a blind cap that must be removed from the end of the barrel. Under the cap you will find the twist knob that activates the piston to draw up ink, or to expel water repeatedly when cleaning. The twist is a decent size - not too small to use comfortably - and the piston moves smoothly inside the barrel.

A vintage Kaweco Sport Piston, right.

My first draw from the ink bottle filled the ink chamber to around 75% capacity. That’s in the normal range. I could get closer to 100% if I drew up the ink, kept the nib submerged and expelled the ink, and drew up the ink again. That clears some of the air you get on the initial fill. YMMV.

You can check the ink capacity using the built in ink window, which I think is important for piston-filling pens. According to the product specs, the ink chamber can hold 1.2 ml of ink, while a short international ink cartridge holds 0.7 ml. That’s a decent increase for a pocket pen, with the caveat that a bottle of ink is required to refill it.

I ordered my Sport Piston with a Steel Extra Fine nib, and it is perfect for my handwriting. The ink flow from piston fillers is always something to watch, and this one is metered perfectly. I have yet to have any consistency issues in my lines, and I’ve been using this pen regularly for weeks, filled with Kaweco Royal Blue ink.

While my experiences with the Kaweco Sport Piston have been good so far, there are a few things to consider before purchasing:

— Price: This is an easy one to list first, because at $160 ($170 with a bottle of ink,) it is not a mindless purchase. Is it “worth it?” It is to me, but I’m a Kaweco fan, and was looking forward to this release for a while. Could they have lowered the cost if they used plastic/acrylic? Not by much I don’t think. I’m assuming much of the cost is on the inside of the pen, not the outside.

— Blind cap: There are two things to consider. One, people worry about losing the cap. Valid concern. Two, the blind cap can twist off inside of the pen cap when posted if you twist the pen cap itself when removing it from the back of the pen. It takes almost one and a half rotations to completely unthread the blind cap from the back of the pen, so it would take effort to cause this, but it is not out of the realm of possibility. I’ve had no issues so far, and don’t see this becoming a problem down the line.

— Grip: Out of these three considerations, this is the one I have to think about the most. When my fingers are dry, the satin finish of the aluminum barrel is slick. I need a little moisture to lock in my fingers for a more solid grip, and better writing experience. This is prone to happening with metal barrel pens, especially ones with a smooth grip like the Sport Piston.

Size comparison with LAMY Safari.

For their first piston mechanism release in decades, I think Kaweco did a great job. It’s a throwback design to when this filling system was part of their regular lineup, while bringing modern updates to the pen with the choice of barrel material. Hopefully this is a platform they continue building on because I see many different ways Kaweco can take the Sport Piston in the future.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Kaweco ART Sport in Pebble Blue Acrylic Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

There are so many pens to choose from in Kaweco's lineup, that it can difficult to tell them apart. The most common of these is the Sport model, which is a pocket pen that magically becomes a full-size pen when you post the cap on the back of the pen body. Kaweco also has several other pen models, but the Sport is the classic and what they're known for.

The Sport is also a great entry point for many who are trying out their first or second fountain pen due to the lower price point for the base model. While there are different price points and materials used in the Sport models, the writing experience is largely the same. The Sport is a fun, dependable pocket pen that is known as a classic for a reason. Whether it's the base ABS plastic Sport or the aluminum AL Sport, you get a fantastic pen. But, different materials open up a fun avenue of trying a form factor you love with small changes. For example, the AL Sport is almost twice the weight of the plastic Sport, and they feel a little different when writing or handling them.

A less common variant of the Sport line is the ART Sport. Using the same design and form factor as other Sports, this one features a marbled acrylic material that brings new life to the old classic. The Pebble Blue model I have is a mixture of dark blue, turquoise, and black shards of acrylic that have been turned into the shape of a Sport. Pens that are turned from acrylic have an aesthetic and beauty that you can't copy or fake with other materials. They're all unique, and I think Kaweco is saying that they're also a form of art in the way of sculpture. They're beautiful pens, and since the Sport platform is a known quantity, you know you're also getting a great pen. And, if you happen to know you don't like the Sport pens, then you know to steer clear!

Aside from the material, there's one other big difference between the ART Sport and the regular Sport and AL Sport: the integrated clip. I really like the integrated clip on this model because it just fits right. I like the freedom to choose whether or not to use a clip on the other models, but this blue acrylic material looks fantastic with the silver clip setting it off, so it would have a clip regardless of if it was integrated or not (for me, anyway).

When handling this pen and writing with it, it feels unique compared with the regular Sport and AL Sport. I expected this because different materials just feel different in your hand. They retain warmth at different rates, they provide different levels of grip, or the weight slightly changes the center of gravity. I was actually surprised to find that the ART Sport weighs the same as a regular Sport (with a clip installed). At just 12.6 grams, it's a really lightweight pen that is easy to use and feels nimble in the hand.

Compare that weight to the aluminum AL Sport, which weighs 20.6 grams without a clip and 23.2 grams with a clip, and you can definitely feel how the pens handle differently — both when writing and when handling or storing in a clothes pocket.

The Kaweco ART Sport uses the same interchangeable nib unit (nib and feed combined) as the AL Sport and newer Sports, so changing out the nib is as easy as unscrewing it and screwing in another. You have your choice of standard nib sizes (EF - BB) as well as several specialty sizes (several italic sizes and a double nib), and even different nib materials (silver steel, gold tone steel, black steel, or a premium gold nib). The EF nib in this unit has written beautifully from the beginning, but it's nice knowing that I can easily swap it out for a different nib if inspiration strikes.

The Pebble Blue material is a striking blue that loves catching the light, but there are a few other material options as well: Hickory Brown, Mineral White, or Terrazzo.

Finally, there's the question of price. At $125 base price (the price goes up if you choose a specialty nib), it's certainly a bit more than the AL Sport model, and $100 more than the regular Sport. But, the ART Sport line is made of acrylic rods that are created and then turned into the pen. The finished product is very nice — there isn't a single flaw on this pen, so the fit and finish is top notch. It's a fantastic pen, and I think it's worth the price. If you love the Kaweco Sport and also love acrylic pens, then this is a great match.

I've really enjoyed using the Kaweco ART Sport for the past few weeks. The small difference in how this pen feels and behaves is delightful, and I love how the acrylic material catches the light and provides small transparent glimpses into the threads beneath the surface. Definitely check these out if you can.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!