(Caroline Foty's first fountain pen was a 1970s Sheaffer No Nonsense that still writes perfectly. Since she discovered pens by independent makers, she wants "one of each, please" and wants to meet all the makers. Maybe you do, too. She lives in Baltimore with pens, cats, and all kinds of fiber arts supplies.)
It’s not often you ask a pen maker, “How long have you been making pens?” and the answer is: “Nearly three decades.”
Adolphus Smith, the man behind Darailpenz, was working for a furniture company when he saw a perfume atomizer someone had hand turned, and he thought, “I could do that.” Soon there was a Jet Mini wood lathe in his garage in Ohio, and he was making atomizers, bowls, furniture, and also kit pens. In the absence of the multitude of online resources available today, there was a lot of trial and error and learning by doing. However, he persisted to the point that he needed a company name for his work; he started with his first name, but then settled on Darail, his middle name.
Initially, the materials available for making pens were limited – most kit pens featured wood, and there was not the range of colorful materials available now. About seven years ago, he was introduced to kitless pens by a young maker who said, “Once you do these you’ll never go back.” He acquired the necessary taps and dies and found guidance through YouTube videos of makers turning kitless pens. Both kit and kitless pens remain important to his portfolio, however. First, “My wife likes kit pens.” But in addition, he has found that people new to pens or intimidated by fountain pens can still walk up to his table at a show and buy a rollerball or ballpoint kit pen and have a good variety of attractive affordable pens to choose from.
In addition to the universe of available materials, he particularly enjoys turning soapstone and alabaster, using the same tools as for the acrylics – as long as they are kept sharp and in good working order. Soapstone presents a favorite challenge. “It’s soft, you can’t rush it, you can be almost done and it will shatter.” His stone pens usually are sold before he can display them at a pen show.
Although he has dabbled in casting his own blanks, “it doesn’t call out to me.” He has a son, however, who enjoys casting and has been making blanks for his pens. And following what calls out to him keeps him happy with what he does. “To me it’s relaxation. I don’t look at it as a job.”
He finds constant inspiration in his materials. “The nature of each blank is what inspires me.” He enjoys working with celluloid, although it can be finicky, because of the challenge it offers. Which blank gets turned at any given time comes down to inspiration as he looks through a collection of blanks spanning fifteen years. Even beyond the fact that a given blank will make a different pen every time it’s turned, he will sometimes turn a blank on a slight angle to get a different look. Before cutting a blank he looks at it to decide which area should become a pen’s section, cap, and barrel. His philosophy is to “let the material talk to you.”
When asked about a favorite pen, Smith thinks immediately of one of his own that got away. “It was a Conway Stewart blank with blue, green, and purple. I put it on the table and said, ‘If they don’t buy it I’ll keep it,’ and it sold right away.” He’s still looking for more of that material. (Anybody have any? 😊 )
In search of a new challenge, he has ordered materials to make custom clips, to learn how it’s done and see if it brings that necessary joy. He’s also teaching some of his thirteen grandchildren to work in his shop (including young Darail), and he plans to begin naming pen models after his grandchildren.
Smith is willing to invest more time in custom orders, and is working with his son to improve his online presence. He intends to make and post some videos, especially of turning his stone pens.
When he teaches pen turning in his workshop, which is still outfitted with his Jet Mini lathe, “I tell them to keep it a joy. I don’t watch sports, my joy is in the shop.”
Adolphus Smith’s work can be seen on Instagram, at his website, and in his Etsy shop. He has a full show schedule this year, and you can visit him at shows in California, Baltimore, Arkansas, Chicago, St Louis, DC, New York, and possibly Atlanta, San Francisco, and, in the fall, London.
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