Under Steam hand-painted fountain pen
ZAR11,000.00 – ZAR13,500.00
Zelna le Roux’s art has an amazing ability to evoke such keen emotions. While listening to soulful music and examining this fountain pen, Under Steam, I find her painting elicits a deep nostalgia. For a bygone era when travel by steam train was a regular experience, and time moved more slowly. When it took longer to get from A to B, and one spent that time more consciously. Perhaps reading the newspaper or a hand-written letter, rather than with a spreadsheet open, message notifications from clients popping up, balancing a paper coffee cup in one hand and trying to navigate the fastest route with the other, while three online colleagues and two family members are demanding attention.
Instead, Zelna’s steam train speaks of a ride across open grassland, the sun slowly setting, and the passage of time that refuses to be rushed. Her ability to capture light and reflections and distil it on to a miniature surface is exceptional. Had this painting been on an enormous canvas, it would have been magnificent. On a surface the size of a fountain pen it is mystical.
This pen is part of Zelna’s Trains, Planes and Automobiles Series. Running with the Wind, her painting of a sailing ship in a storm was also intensely evocative.
For the grip section on this Under Steam pen, Lana le Roux mixed a perfect dark brown resin with a touch of graphite. It works so well with Zelna’s (her sister’s) colours and adds to the gravitas of this magnificent work of art.
Some more background on the process: We created the pen blank which Zelna then painted. Once she had completed her artwork, we coated it in a layer of clear resin so as to allow the ultimate owner to carry and use this art on a daily basis without it getting scratched or damaged. Lana mixed the resin from which Dave made a stub that connects the barrel to the grip section, and also turned the section from the same resin. He then did the final shaping, followed by a polishing and buffing. Finally we will tune the nib once the new owner has chosen the nib width they would prefer. The end product is a portable, functional, unique work of art.
This particular pen has a bronze section ring and cap band, and a medallion embedded in the cap finial which has our logo in silver.
Nib:
Available in Jowo #6 in polished steel. Please select Fine, Medium or Broad at the check-out.
The Jabulani model
SPECIFICATIONS
This is a gently curvaceous model, with a girth of 16 mm (0,6”), narrowing to a 10,7 mm (0,4”) grip section. The relatively large size of the model is to allow the artist sufficient space for their artwork, and the artwork is encased in a layer of clear resin to protect it from getting damaged during day-to-day use. Our logo medallion is embedded in the cap finial which is ever-so-slightly rounded, and the barrel finial is ever-so-slightly conical. The cap is a flush-fit and does not post. The Jabulani model usually comes with a hand-made, cap band and section ring in either Argentium silver or bronze, though this may differ depending on what best suits the artwork. Custom hand-crafted roll stops can be added.
The Jabulani model
Dimensions:
| mm | inches | |
| Total length (closed) | 157 | 6,2 |
| Length (pen only no cap) | 141 | 5,5 |
| Diameter at widest point (excl. cap) | 16 | 0,6 |
| Width of section at narrowest point | 10,7 | 0,4 |
| Section length | 30 | 1,2 |
| Cap thread | 13 | 0,5 |
We supply our pens with a Jowo #6 nib, alternatively the section can be made to fit a Bock #6 if requested.
Refill type:
Standard international fountain pen converter (supplied) or ink cartridge.
SHIPPING
International shipping to your door via DHL Express is R350 and should take less than 10 days once despatched. Pens are securely packed.
Shipping within South Africa to your door is R60.
