British Pen Makers

Originally I was just going to list the ‘one man band’ makers with links to their sites, but then decided, why not expand it to include the larger companies. Note the lists are not comprehensive and I will add new makers as I am told about or discover them. Net result please come back to this occasionally to see what’s new – I have added a tracker to the bottom of the page so you can see who has been added since your last visit.

So why do this? Well I’ve tried for quite a while now to support the small British makers. We are in the fortunate position where we seem to be gaining a couple of new ones each year, some are started as hobbies, some as some thing to do as they step closer and into retirement, and some with a view of becoming full time at some point.

Caveat. While I do or have owned pens from around a dozen on this list (so far) I do not have experience with all of them to make enquiries or to order.

The One Person Bands

Note where the following maker has an Instagram site, check out their photos for the latest offerings then message them.

Companies

I’m only using links below where you can buy pens directly from them (including at pen shows). All of these can be found at at least one or more UK based retailers, and some high street art and school supply shops.

For anyone wondering where Italix/Mr. Pen is, Peter Ford announced he was going to retire towards the end of 2021. In the end he extended this until early 2023 and has now closed the company.

Pen Kit Users

Originally I was going to leave those who just use pen kits off the list, partly due to the poor reputation many of these have within the community (the down side really to a lot of the hobbyists with lathes who turn up at craft/X-Mas fairs), however I am also fully aware of the costs in finances, time and effort to move on to fully making pens. It is not just the purchasing of a die to cut a Bock, JoWo, or Schmidt nib unit thread in to a piece of material but also the designing and testing of caps, threads, new materials, etc. In addition to this I realised that most of the pen kit users who have their own websites are the serious ones who we would still normally consider. As a result this list will start small but I do expect it to increase over time.

  • Devon Pens – uses some interesting and expensive woods, including from HMS Victory
  • Gilbert House Pens – except his individual pen section.
  • Handcrafted Pens by Mark – I was pointed at this pen maker by someone outside of the hobby. He believed Mark uses pen kits. At the time of writing he has no fountain pens for sale, but does have replacement nib units so may make whole pens (if he does I will move him).
  • Samad Pen Company – new company with some interesting finishes.
  • Whitlock Wooden Designs

If you make pens or are starting up and wish to be added to the list then please contact me through the contact link at the top of the page.

Tracker:

13/08/2021 – Original release.
14/08/2021 – AuRola added.
16/08/2021 – Clyde Pen Company added.
11/09/2021 – Ritters Writers added.
28/01/2022 – Pen 7 added.
17/05/2022 – Nine – Bespoke Pens added.
08/10/2022 – Shibui North added.
10/05/2023 – Devon Pens added.
25/05/2023 – Tom Marchant of Bright Night Designs added.
21/07/2023 – Charles Lethaby (ION) added.
08/08/2023 – Bright Night Designs new website replaced the link to his Facebook store.
02/11/2023 – Pen 7 closing down.
07/12/2023 – Andhand and Scriveiner added.
03/03/2024 – Post March London Pen Show The Copper Pen Company and Bob Nicolle Urushi
15/06/2024 – Pen 7 is now back as trial_8_error.
21/06/2024 – Samad Pen Company added. Ritter Writers has stopped using pen kits (before it was just his Cadmus Collection).
22/06/2024 – Handcrafted Pens by Mark added.
06/08/2024 – Altered Designs UK added.
26/09/2024 – Black Robin Pens new website replaced the old Instagram page.
01/11/2024 – Worcester Pen Company URL updated as now .com not .co.uk. Also Den’s Pens bespoke link removed as no longer works.
21/11/2024 – Addicted to Pens added.