World's first 3D printed fountain pen by Pjotr is a collector’s item...
Writing instruments seem to become increasingly an ancient, and niche object d'art which is now a part of a select few collectors. But for those few do have an affinity for them, they are as good as any other piece of jewelry. For the worthy piece, the price really isn't an obstacle for the pen connoisseur, like we saw in the case of the most expensive writing instruments. A year which saw the year being centered around the Albert Einstein Montblanc edition pen, will certainly rise to high standards with the Pjotr, the world's first 3D printed fountain pen. Handiwork and craftsmanship of Dutch designer Rein van der Mast, this pen chronicles detailed artwork depicting some legends of Europe, with accuracy and finesse rarely seen before. To include the sculpture on these writing instruments, Rein can der Mast ensures that his designs are made in extremely limited edition runs, so that his work in rarest of fabrications and his customer demands, always remain the highest priorities.
According to an ancient legend in the land of Silene, a dragon once arrived to lay it's nest on the spring, which served as the main source of water for the nearest village. Since this dragon would need to be removed from its place, so that the villagers could get their water, the residents then decided to please the dragon by providing it a sacrificial sheep. After sometime, when this plan didn't work out, they started offering a maiden girl to it. The maiden girls to be the dragon's feed, were decided by lottery. Eventually, the princess became the bait. Her father, the king requested for his daughter to be spared but to no avail. Then on the day when she was sent to the dragon, Saint George was on his journey when he saw the plight of the princess. He then used his skills and power to slay the dragon and rescue the princess. This is the story, which one would see on the handiwork of the Pjotr instrument. Other than the figures from the legend, there is also a bit of the royal Dutch army's history depicted on the instrument. There were earlier 4 regiments in the Royal Netherlands Army with the names Huzaren van Boreel, Huzaren Prins van Oranje, Huzaren van Sylzama, and Huzaren Prins Alexander, out of which only the first of the lot remains. The Leopard 2A6, which was their main battleship and one of the most famous world over during it's days, is now no more a part of their scheme of operations. However, the regiments and ship have been represented on the body of the instrument via the 4 crow hooves.
In terms of the construction of the instrument, the technique used is 3D printing, or rather Additive manufacturing as some may call. Rein van der Mast, through his company SOLide (Solutions in Design Engineering) that mastered this technique, as shown on the 0.3mm titanium body, which has been a handcrafted piece of art. 3D CAD software along with the handiwork has manifested itself into this 3D printing writing instrument, the first of it's kind in the world. The intricacies of the crafted instrument can also been seen on the pen's top driven wheel, which depicts the Leopard 2A6 ship's mast, hull, and sail. However, to get an exact price, one would have to directly approach the designer or see how many of these would be there for sale.
I.M.
