WinkPens is a manufacturer for innovative and quality writing instruments, with a unique niche for creative and refillable glass fountain pens.
“By designing a glass nib, Chan created a pen that can dispense unlikely “inks” like wine (hence the name, from “wine as ink”), beer, tea, and even liquid condiments.”
“If you’re into handwriting, drawing, keeping diaries the old fashioned way and sipping wine, you may soon be able to merge all those activities into one.”
“Use it like a magical Harry Potter quill by dipping the end of the WINKpen into your preferred liquid, extract it up into the glass cartridge and pour your heart into each and every word you write.”
“The WINKpen is designed to write with anything you can pour into it! Tea, Coffee, Juice, Alcohol!”
“Imagine sipping on one of your favourite teas and jotting down tasting notes with that exact tea as ink.”
“Jessica has a passion for industrial design…WINK PENS are refillable glass fountain pens that are built to write with alternative inks such as wine, juice, or tea.”
The Wink Pen was born from the desire to create a sustainable alternative to the everyday writing utensil. While the basis for the branding, WINK, was originally derived from the concept of using “wine as ink,” the pen can actually be loaded with virtually any liquid that possesses a staining property. Our pens have been engineered to adapt to very low viscosity fluids, which allow users to easily write with both traditional and non-traditional ‘inks.’ The Wink Pen can very much be characterized as a hybrid between a dip pen and a fountain pen, in that it is both manually fed and also contains an ink reservoir. In addition, the current design makes each of our writing nibs truly unique and one of a kind, as they are individually crafted — locally here in the United States — by hand from borosilicate glass.
The Wink Pen is built to be as modular and user friendly as possible. All components fit snuggly together with the use of rubber o-rings, and can be easily pulled apart and pushed back together for ease of cleaning. The piston design allows for a simple twist-to-refill and ink release system, making it an easy process to controllably unload and load the pen with various inks of your choosing.
While this product is listed as ‘In Stock’, it is currently being manufactured and so we are taking stock preorders. Backers of the original WINKPENS campaign will receive their orders as all inventory is received. Delivery is estimated to be in April.
Pen Contents | |
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Barrel Cap | Fastens to glass housing and turns the piston |
Glass Housing | Borosilicate glass pen body |
Piston | Simple twist-to-refill and ink release system |
Steel Ring | Steel ring will allow for varying cosmetic pen sleeves |
Coupler | Acts to hold glass nib. Elastomer inner lining aids with steady ink flow |
Glass Nib | Borosilicate hand-made glass nibs elegantly feed ink to the paper |
Pen Cap | Protects glass nib, prevents any leaking (Not pictured above) |
1.Refilling: To fill with ink, fully submerge the end of the piston in the desired ink and twist clockwise until full.
2.To operate: This pen is manually fed. Reassemble the entire pen then slowly twist the barrel cap until ink begins to flow. Begin to write and repeat as necessary.
Use soap and water to rinse the nib, coupler, and piston until water runs clear.
Pat and let dry. Clean as necessary, keeping in mind that certain ‘inks’ may be more perishable and require proactive cleaning after use.
Founder Jessica Chan’s goal with WINKPENS was to create an innovative and simple product people could use and re-use in their daily lives. In many ways, this pen can be a new addition to your creative arsenal, allowing individuals to experiment and express with untraditional mediums. It can be a unique purchase for the creative in your life or just as easily serve as an elegant and beautiful gift item. It is a “low-tech” product that marries history, modern aesthetics and environmental awareness with traditional function.
The glass writing nibs are all each individually hand-crafted in the USA. Truly one-of-a-kind, one-sided and made of a borosilicate glass . The glass replaces the metal tips and ball-points in traditional pens, removing the risk of corrosion and making it easy to clean. Spiraled grooves in the glass nib elegantly feed ink to paper while also boasting a beautiful aesthetic.
This initial production run of the greatly anticipated Wink Pen, will release as a limited first edition that includes a special founder’s initial engraving and a signed certificate of authenticity. Note that because of the longer lead times with some of our components, Wink Pens will only be released quarterly.
The $164 purchase option includes a personalized engraving that is beautifully laser etched on the glass body of the pen.
WINKPENS started its journey as a crowdfunding campaign and was successfully funded in June of 2015. Since then, WINKPENS has steadily been in production and—although there have been many hurdles along the way—we are now proud to say we are in the final stages of finishing manufacturing. We have detailed fulfillment lead times from all suppliers at this time and are on schedule to receive all final components by the end of March; at which point, we will begin assembling and fulfilling orders throughout the month of April.
Will this pen still work with traditional inks? Yes. While this pen was designed to facilitate the use of alternative inks, traditional inks still work great. Note, this first edition of the Wink Pen does not include any ink.
How far will one ink refill last me?
This depends on the type of liquid and how heavily it is being used. With alternative inks such as wine or juice, a little tends to go a long way. One refill with a runny liquid such as wine can last you roughly three-quarters of a written page.
Are there variations between glass nibs?
Each glass nib is uniquely hand-crafted from borosilicate glass. Because every pen tip is individually made, they will differ slightly and vary in writing width.
Can I buy nibs by themselves?
Yes, our plan is to eventually sell pieces of the pen individually, such as carrying sets of refillable pistons, as well as glass nibs.
How do alternative inks compare to traditional inks?
There are a variety of different factors that can impact the quality of alternative inks. While the most obvious factor is the liquid being used, the paper type can also play a significant role in absorption and how vivid your inks will appear after they’ve settled. In general, runnier liquids work great with art papers—such as bristol, pastel, and multi-media drawing papers with a heavier weight—but not as well with coated paper such as laser jet printing paper.
Do I need to clean out the pen after each use?
We recommend and encourage cleaning the pen regularly and as necessary, based on the type of ink being used. Keep in mind that certain ink alternatives may be more perishable than others and require more proactive cleaning. When using raw and biodegradable inks, such as juice and wine, we recommend cleaning after each use.
WINKPENS is a manufacturer of innovative and quality writing instruments, with a unique niche for creative and refillable glass fountain pens built to write with raw inks such as wine, juice, or tea. The company was founded by Jessica Chan, industrial designer out of Portland, OR, in 2015 to realize her vision of creating a sustainable alternative to something that many people use in their daily lives.
Jessica has a diverse background from teaching martial arts and personal training to business marketing, customer service, construction, freelance work, and design. Each major experience has been a stepping stone to where she is now — which is passionately pursuing her business venture.
Founder
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Fulfillment
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