The Kensworth Rollerball Pen

Handmade by Ken McLeod 

The Kensworth Rollerball Pen is styled in a Flamboyant Balanced Design and is of Very High Quality with Appointments in Rhodium, which I am sure will compliment any Writers Desktop. 

The Kensworth

The Kensworth features a Flared Cap and Centre Band Design and benefits from a Very High Quality German ceramic tipped Schmidt® Cartridge affording Dependable Smooth Writing.This instrument is completed by being Hand Turned and Finished in Fools Gold Resin which has been Polished to the Finest Standard and with Precision.

Rollerball

The Pen measures approximately 5.5 inches ( 140mm) in length and is styled with a threaded end cap which allows the pen cap to be attached quickly and easily without losing balance. The Kensworth Rollerball Pen comes secure in a Faux Leather Single Pen case for Protection and ease of carrying.

For more details of this and other handmade pens by Abbey Pens

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What Inspired The Steppingley Rollerball Pen Name?

When I began making handmade fountain and rollerball pens, I had to come up with individual names for the separate designs that I decided to make.

As I live in a rural area of Bedfordshire in England, I thought I would name the pens after Villages and Hamlets from around the County.

The Steppingley R Rollerball was inspired by the Village of Steppingley in the Heart of Bedfordshire situated only a few miles from where I live.

Steppingley R Rollerball with Black Titanium appointments and a Bocote Wooden Body 

Steppingley village stands on high ground in the centre of a small parish of about 562ha on the Greensand Ridge. People have lived here for several thousand years, flint tools over 8000 years on have been found in the southwest of the parish. Stepigelai (Steppingley Manor) is mentioned in the Doomsday Book.

Probably the most famous resident of the village was one of the early rectors, John Schorne, who took up office in 1273 (it has been said that the French Horn pub was named after him). He became well known as a healer and was credited with having imprisoned the devil, or demon of pain, in an old boot. He moved to North Marston church in 1283 and when he died North Marston became a place of pilgrimage. Small models of Schorne holding a boot with the devil’s head poking out were sold as pilgrim tokens and this is believed to have been the inspiration for the Jack-in-the-Box, so popular in Victorian times. John Schorne’s remains lie in St George’s Chapel, Windsor.







































In the late medieval period the poor quality agricultural land was emparked for hunting and timber production. Beckerings Park lay in the northwest of the parish and Steppingley Park occupied most of the south of the parish. Routes running through the parish were redirected around the parks, restricting further growth of the village.





In the sixteenth century, Beckerings became one of the local deer parks providing entertainment for King Henry VIII. Timber from the park and other parts of Steppingley became the most important element in the village economy at this time and much of it was used to build ships for the navy. Two hundred year’s later, Steppingley was one of a group of parishes in the area with a high proportion of pasture land producing dairy products for the growing London market, which brought a measure of prosperity to the village and an increase in population. Steppingley Kiln (where Kiln Farm stands today) was producing bricks for the local gentry and provided the materials for the Earl of Ossory’s Ampthill Great House in 1762-64.


In 1839 the 7th Duke of Bedford purchased almost all of the parish that he didn’t already own and began a programme of improvements. Hedges were removed to make larger fields, the Church, farm buildings and cottages were rebuilt. A few older buildings survive, but most of Steppingley was created between 1840 and 1872.
Today the village retains much of this character and the conservation status helps to preserve this.

St Lawrence Church at Steppingley was rebuilt in 1860 on the site of an earlier church, which collapsed when repairs were undertaken to rectify an outward leaning wall. The old church was once described as the 'the smallest church in Bedfordshire' by the Gentleman's Magazine, 1849 and the oldest parts of the building, the Norman nave, probably dated from the twelfth century and the chancel from the thirteenth century. However the only portion to have been preserved is part of the sedilia or piscina, which now forms the niche in the sacristy of the present building.

The new church was designed by the architect, Henry Clutton, who also designed the Romanesque church at Woburn, and the rebuilding was financed by the Duke of Bedford and the rector. Built of local red-brown sandstone excavated at Green End, Maulden, it is an example of the Early Decorated and Perpendicular styles of the fourteenth century architecture.
It consists of a chancel, nave, vestry, north aisle and a western tower containing 4 bells. The broad and regular tower is supported by buttresses which terminate half-way up each wall. An embattled newel-turret rises above the tower and below the embattlements are four gargoyles, one at each corner.
St Lawrence Church was restored in 1912 by the Duke of Bedford K.G. at a cost of £1000 and in the course of excavations in the chancel, 531 English and Scotch silver coins of 13th century were found. It is thought that these were offerings of patients of a former rector, John de Schorne, who acquired fame for his healing powers. A popular myth credited him with conjuring the devil into a boot and keeping him there under a restraining hand that allowed only his head to emerge.
The register of the church dates from 1562 but not continuous until after 1647.

Extracts taken from the Steppingley Parish Web Site where more details of the village and amenities are available.

Standing Out in a Crowd

Hi there to all Our Followers and New Readers.

Today I want to Highlight The Aspley R Rollerball Pen which I have just listed in my Etsy Online Shop.

The Aspley R Rollerball pen has been designed especially to stand out amongst others and to Grace any Gentleman's desk top.

The Pen displays an elegant design, but remains Robust with superb balance, coupled with all the tradition of a fine desk pen, and is complimented using 22k Gold cobalt accents on a Rhodium finish and features a top quality German made ceramic tipped Schmidt® Cartridge for smooth, effortless writing.

This example has a body and cap made of Black Quartz Corian® which is a man made material that has been developed by Dupont® which has resulted in a finely polished black pen which has fine particles that sparkle when subjected to light bringing the pen to life.

With the use Rhodium in this pen which is part of the Platinum group, it offers very durable hard plating and should be expected to retain its brilliance under normal careful use for many years.

This pen measuring approximately 140mm in length with a wide girth is a Substantial Gentleman’s Pen which will become an asset for it’s owner for generations to come.

Well that’s an insight to The Aspley R Rollerball Pen in Rhodium and Black Quartz Corian, so may I Thank You for taking the time to read this Blog, and if you want to take the opportunity of purchasing this wonderful pen, it can be found at my Etsy Online Shop.

Until the next time!

Ken McLeod © 2011

Keep it Turning

I find making one of my handmade pens a rewarding challenge that takes comparative patience and can be quite time consuming; however results in a unique one off writing instrument that is as unique as it’s owner.

The pens that I am currently making involve the use of wood and various resins or plastics.

Whatever you choose to make the body of the pen has to be capable of being turned on a lathe and it is in general the preparation of the material you decide to use that takes the majority of time involved.

In this blog, I am going to run briefly through the stages of making one of my Aspley Pens.

The process is generally the same for either a fountain pen or rollerball, with just the components used being variant.

The choice of design and material is a personal thing which in itself makes the pen so unique.

In this case I have chosen components that create The Aspley Classic Rollerball Pen, which offer an appointment finish in Rhodium, a bright and very durable white metal plating which is part of the Platinum family of precious metals.

Plated rhodium is very hard and has a high reflectance, which makes it great for optical instruments, jewellery and accessories such as pens.

I have also chosen a seasoned piece of African Blackwood for the main body of the pen.

Firstly the quality of the materials must be of the highest standard available, and I endeavour to use the same suppliers who have proved consistent in quality supply previously.

It is important that the wood is seasoned well and treated with a wax seal at end grain to prevent moisture fluctuation within the piece prior to turning which could result in the sample splitting or cracking.

Most of the pen components are visible in the finished article except the brass tube centre of the pen which is inserted within the wooden body, and is the main skeleton into which the pen components are pressed after turning.

The length of the pen is determined by these tubes, and in this case there are two tubes involved; one for the main body of the pen and the other for the cap.

The wooden sample is firstly cut into two lengths, one for each tube and is left slightly longer than the brass tube to allow for trimming and squaring off accurately.

A centralised hole is then drilled through the length of each piece of wood, ensuring square drilling throughout for an accurate fit of the brass tubes which are then secured in place with a strong adhesive.

Once this is achieved and the tubes are securely adhered into the wood, the ends of the wood are squared and trimmed to the length of the brass tubes which ensures a snug fit of the pen components upon assembly.

The two pieces that have now been marked to ensure the best grain match upon later assembly, are then fitted onto a spindle using bushes unique to the pen component design, which determines the limits to which you can turn down the wood.

The turning of the wood can now commence and the shape of the pen be determined.

Throughout the making of the pen, protective clothing and safety glasses are used as high powered machinery and very sharp tools are constantly in use.

As the wood is turned with the use of various chisels, it is initially turned into a round and then more delicately shaped into the desired shape of the pen.

I tend to shape into a barrel style which I find provides a well balanced pen resting comfortably between thumb and index finger.

Once the wood is turned into the desired shape, the samples are then sanded using up to fifteen grades of abrasives to provide a very smooth surface, then sealed and polished using approximately six layers of wax.

The turning and polishing now over, the pen is ready for assembly.

Ensuring that the grain is lined up to match on both the body and the cap of the new pen; the components are then carefully pressed into position using a special press that ensures parts are added squarely and accurately.

The result is a beautiful unique rollerball pen destined to become the trusty servant of it’s new owner for years to come.

I hope that you have enjoyed this brief insight into what goes into making one of my pens.

Visit my Handmade Abbey Pens Shop to find a pen of your choice, available for immediate delivery.

Ken McLeod © 2011