Elbwood - The Hanseatic Penmaker

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Elbwood - The Hanseatic Penmaker

Frank Pressentin ist Künstler & Handwerker. In seiner Hamburger Atelier-Werkstatt entstehen Schreibge

individuell hangefertigte Schreibinstrumente / bespoke writing instruments, made by hand

02/09/2026

Take a closer look at THE FLEMING PENCIL, a bespoke piece built for Harrison Monarth, executive leadership coach and New York Times bestselling author, who has spent years building a growing collection of bespoke writing instruments, each one used daily and each one carrying a story he researches in real depth.

This one began with Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond. Searching through auctions, Harrison collected numerous editions of Fleming's work, including several first editions. In one of them, he found a handwritten signature from Eve Fleming, the author's mother. He cut out the small fragment, 3 x 9 cm, and asked us to extend our POCKETPENCIL design so it could be hidden inside, completely out of sight.
A quiet nod to "M," the head of the secret service in Fleming's novels, and to "Mom" at the same time.

Making that possible meant rethinking the POCKETPENCIL from the inside out: a concealed inner chamber, built to screw shut without showing a seam, because a secret message needed to stay a secret. The pencil itself is built to last, with a graphite tip designed to outlast around a hundred ordinary pencils.

The material follows Fleming's own history. He wrote his novels on a gold typewriter, which is why we built this pencil from 333 gold, weighted to sit naturally in the hand, then plated in 999 gold for depth and shine.

THE FLEMING PENCIL is more than a writing instrument. It's a daily companion at the desk that carries a secret inside it, a quiet homage to the world Ian Fleming created.
The full production film is on our YouTube channel.

01/09/2026

08 | Memory - A Core Value of ELBWOOD

Craft can hold memory.

Through material, patina, provenance, or gesture a pen can become a vessel of time.

30/08/2026

THE COMMANDER PEN - A Bespoke Project of ELBWOOD

Harrison Monarth spent months searching for an original Royal Navy sextant from 1945, meant to honor a friend who served the same year and is no longer here. Among three sextants he found, each engraved with a different commander's name, he chose the one whose service record and character matched his friend's most closely.

From there, the sextant traveled to Studio Nonne 11 in Bamberg, where it was disassembled, melted down and cast into a blank in sand with Nora and Alvaro, before returning to our atelier to become THE COMMANDER PEN. The texture left behind by the sand casting was kept as the defining feature of the cap, a mark of where this pen came from rather than something to smooth away.

The full and satisfiying process is on our YouTube channel.

29/08/2026

The nib is where a fountain pen begins, translating every movement of the hand into line, rhythm and character.

Since 2026, we've focused entirely on gold nibs, size JoWo No. 6, made by JoWo Berliner Schreibfeder, one of the few remaining manufacturers of this craft, and embossed exclusively with the ELBWOOD name.

Each nib is tested and adjusted individually before installation, so it can develop its own character.

27/08/2026

Three POCKETMASTERs, three material stories, all part of THE NINE. Each is built as a compact pocket pen that grows into a full sized writing instrument once the cap is screwed on, with the same vertically knurled grip section running through all three, cut 0.5 mm deep for hold and control.

The first pairs walnut from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, felled by hand about ten years ago, with solid 935 silver used throughout the grip, mechanism and every construction element inside. Warm wood against cool metal, both worked from solid material.

The second is solid 935 silver from end to end, its surface shaped by hundreds of hand struck blows. At around 77 grams, it's the heaviest of the three, substantial in hand without becoming heavy to write with.

The third combines Ebonite "1920 Black" from the Schönberger Ebonite Manufaktur with solid copper throughout the grip and mechanism, including the parts you never see. Copper changes over time, and we consider that patina part of the piece, not something to prevent.

Each POCKETMASTER is limited within THE NINE 2026 and numbered individually.

25/08/2026

07 | Substance - A Core Value of ELBWOOD

A good pen has weight—physical and emotional.

It feels valuable in the hand and carries meaning in its presence.

23/08/2026

Deep Insights: SHORTCAP, ebonite "The Penmaker's Atelier," special edition 2026

Before this piece existed as a pen, it existed as ebonite, developed at the Schönberger Ebonite Manufaktur in Hitzacker, with Frank Pressentin on site through the process.

What came out of it: a satin surface in the hues of the ELBWOOD studio, paired with a knurled brass grip section cut in 0.5 mm grooves.

24 pieces a year.
Each one numbered, each one different.

We keep the longer, relaxing versions of this process, on our YouTube channel. For anyone who wants to sit with the full build from start to finish.

22/08/2026

The Penmaker's Atelier - LONGCAP

Where the SHORTCAP leaves its grip section exposed, the LONGCAP does the opposite: the long cap fully encloses the knurled brass grip, keeping it hidden until the pen is opened.
The same 0.5 mm deep grooves are there, cut with a dedicated knurling tool for secure hold and controlled ink flow, but here they stay a quiet detail rather than a visible one.

The barrel is made from Custom Edition Ebonite "Penmaker's Atelier," developed with the Schönberger Ebonite Manufaktur in Hitzacker specifically for ELBWOOD.

The cap and the inside of the pen are built entirely from solid brass, including the parts you never see.
Each pen carries an 18K gold nib from JoWo, in five widths, plus an optional 14K flex nib.

Limited to 24 pieces a year, numbered individually.

Shop the Longcap:
https://shop.elbwood.de/products/longcap-fuellfederhalter-ebonit-penmakers-atelier-sonderedition-2026-handgefertigt

21/08/2026

The San Francisco Pen Show is almost here.
There are only a few appointments left and if you have been considering it, now is the time to reach out.
Each conversation is individually prepared: 60 minutes, beginning with materials and philosophy, not a display case.
If you wish to take your time, I will take mine as well.

Book your appointment here: https://www.elbwood.de/private-appointment

20/08/2026

Long before there were any pens, there was this boat, built by Frank himself.
We took it out with the whole team, past Speicherstadt, through HafenCity, out to a quiet bay for a picnic on the water.
It was somewhere in the middle of building this boat that the idea for ELBWOOD first took shape.
The full story is coming in 2027.

Adresse

Sonnenweg 60
Hamburg
22045

Telefon

+491738089942

Webseite

http://www.elbwood.de/

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