So what Time is it?

I just finished a small batch of our signature watch-parts pens and wanted to share a behind-the-scenes look at what really goes into creating each one. As most of you know, everything we make is 100% handmade in our little family workshop — it’s just me and my wife working together. There’s no assembly line, no shortcuts, and no two pens are ever identical.

The process is incredibly labor-intensive and requires a huge amount of patience (and good lighting!). Every single watch gear, pinion, balance wheel, screw, and jewel is placed onto the brass pen tube one tiny piece at a time using a magnified headset (10× loupe) and fine watchmaker tweezers. We’re talking dozens of individual components per pen, each positioned by hand.

Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. **Base layer** – The blank brass pen tube is first coated with whatever strikes my fancy that day: sometimes a rich metallic (bright silver, antique gold, or brushed copper), other times a vibrant automotive candy or pearl paint that gives an amazing depth once the resin is poured.

2. **Steampunk foundation** – I hand-cut thin strips of copper, brass, and silver sheet, texture them with hammers or rollers, and wrap them around the tube to create the underlying “steampunk circuitry” pattern you see peeking through the gears.

3. **Placing the watch parts** – This is the most time-consuming part. Every salvaged vintage watch movement component is carefully selected, gently bent or shaped with pliers so it conforms perfectly to the curve of the tube, and then glued in place exactly where I want it. Hours can disappear just getting the layout and balance right.

4. **Casting in crystal-clear resin** – Once I’m completely happy with the arrangement, the decorated tube is suspended inside a custom pressure pot and encased in multiple layers of high-quality, jewelry-grade clear epoxy resin. The pressure pot (40–50 psi) is critical because it forces any microscopic air bubbles out, resulting in water-clear clarity.

5. **Curing** – The casting then sits under pressure for a minimum of 48 hours (sometimes longer in cold weather) to fully harden without any risk of cracks or soft spots.

6. **Turning & finishing** – After demolding, the resin block is mounted on the lathe and carefully turned down to the final pen shape, revealing all those intricate details beneath the glassy surface. Multiple stages of wet-sanding (from 400 grit all the way to 12,000 Micro-Mesh) and machine polishing follow until the pen has that deep, wet-look shine you see in the photos.

Total hands-on time per pen is usually 10–18 hours spread across a week or more depending on several factors (mostly waiting for glue and resin to cure). Some of the more elaborate ones with extra painting steps or rare complications (like tourbillons or moon-phase dials) can easily stretch to two weeks or more.

There’s simply no way to rush this — every single pen is a one-of-a-kind tiny piece of functional art born from recycled antique timepieces.

I hope this gives you a better appreciation for what goes into each one. If you have any questions about the process, specific materials, or anything else, just ask — happy to chat! 😊