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Lhotse Custom Clipless Fountain Pen - in Carrot Acrylic.
Featuring Pilot Falcon Section and Nib.

(Click each photo to view larger views)

carrot_lhotse_capped carrot_lhotse_uncapped carrot_lhotse_closeup carrot_lhotse_uncap2 carrot_lhotse_closeup2

 



A
bout the Name:
The Lhotse (pronounced "loat---as in goat-- say") is named after Mount Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain on earth. Lhotse is best known for its proximity to mount Everest and the fact that climbers ascending the "standard route" on that peak spend some time on its northwest face. And in fact Lhotse has the smallest topographical prominence value of any the other mountains in it's group.

Lhotse Dimensions:
The Lhotse shape is known as a "cigar", and is one of the most iconic and popular clipless fountain pen styles ever made. It has a gradual taper from the center (joint) out to either end, ending in a nice round-over. The clipless style and short length allows the pen to be very portable. It can easily fit in a pocket, purse, briefcase or knapsack. The standard length is about 5 1/2", but it can be ordered in any custom size between 5" and 6" (or even longer if desired). The pen uses a standard Cartridge/Converter inking system. It can be fitted with a #5 or #6 nib. Nib finishes available for STEEL nibs are: 2-tone, polished steel, Black Oxide (#6 only), or Ruthenium (#5 only). Current tip sizes are x-fine, fine, medium, broad, and two italics (1.1 both; 1.4 for #5 only, and 1.5 for #6 only). 14 & 18K Gold nibs are also available as a special order.

Lhotse MAGNUM:
The Lhotse MAGNUM is a larger version of the Lhotse that is 18% larger. The MAGNUM has a capped length of 6 1/2" (165 mm) and a diameter of .71" (18 mm). The threads are also larger than the original to maintain the scale. The only part of the pen that isn't scaled up is the nib. The MAGNUM uses the same #6 nib as the original size. This is because a larger nib isn't available in steel. But if you would prefer a larger nib, PELIKAN offers a larger nib in their M1000, as does Bock in their type 380. But both are only available in 18k, so the upgrade cost would be much more expensive vs the standard #6 steel nib.

Lhotse Options and Upgrades:
The Lhotse is another pen style that allows for a few upgrades and options. You could add metal accent bands to the base of the cap, or add a HIDDEN RING clip (see the Tortoise Shell). The accent bands are available in several finishes (24k gold, nickel or Rhodium, and come in a variety of diameters with widths from 1 to 4mm (n 1mm increments). As stated above, you can also upgrade your pen with a 14k or 18k gold nib.

Inking system upgrades... Because of the style of the barrel, The Lhotse is not very conducive to adding a blind-cap for a piston or button filler. But it can be ordered as Lever-filler, Bulb-filler, or Eyedropper.

I also offer a variety of hand-made Pen Props and Pen Buttons. You can order a Pen Prop in a material to match your pen, or any one of the wooden styles made in a variety of stained or dyed colors. The Pen Buttons are available for any of the clipless pens.



About this Pen:

This pen was a custom order, with a special request. The customer wanted to use the nib from a Pilot Falcon. But like many manufactured pens, the section is molded on the inside to accept the nib and feed directly, eliminating the intermediate housing (I use Jowo nibs that have an intermediate housing that screws into the section. This allows the user to easily swap nibs by simply unscrewing the nib-feed-housing assembly, and screw in a new one). The Falcon nib also had a custom form, so I could just pull out the nib and use it with a Jowo feed and housing. The other hurdle came when I took measurements of the sections threads. It turned out, just like the nib and feed, the section threads were also custom, so I couldn't just tap the Lhotse barrel to match the Falcon section. But I had an idea-- after easing the threads on the section, I thought I could trim off the original threads, then re-cut new threads that were of standard size that matched the threads in the Lhotse barrel.

How to proceed... normally when I cut the threads on a section, I cut the threads on the tenon before I drill it out for the nib assembly and cartridge. But since the Falcon was already drilled out, I had a concern that if the material couldn't handle the twisting torque when I cut the threads, the tenon could twist off the section. So before proceeding, I decided to make a test piece first that was the same diameter and inside hole, than cut the threads to see how the tenon reacted as I cut the threads. AND... The result: the threads cut fine on the test piece, and it seemed to have minimal resistance, which meant there wasn't a lot of torque being put on the part. So with this successful test, I forged ahead to working on the Falcon section. And just as with the test piece, the new threads cut easily on the Falcon section.

About this Material:
Looking at the square foil layered pen blanks, it was hard to understand why this color was called "carrot". It wasn't shaped or look like a carrot, or would it remind you of one. But once I started turning a blank, it became perfectly clear where the name came in! As the blank was turned round, the perfect "carrot orange" color became visible! The combination of foil and color layers created the perfect color of an orange carrot (see HERE).

This Pens Specifications:
Color / Material: Carrot Acrylic.
Length: Capped 5.32" / Uncapped 4.93".
Diameter: Max (at joint) .57"; Min .50" (ends).
Nib: 14k Gold Rhodium finish Pilot Falcon.
Filling System: Pilot Converter.