Lynn Sorgatz, The Pen Dude; Guest Post by Emma Silverman and Amy Brabender

Lynn Sorgatz in his workshop.

Lynn displays some of his handiwork.

Lynn Sorgtatz's studio: in the foreground, cellulose acetate pen bodies, in the background, some of the machines Lynn uses to make them.

Emma and Amy listen attentively about Lynn's process.

An example of Lynn Sorgatz's work- a pen made of ivory-like cellulose acetate and pearl.

Another example of Lynn Sorgatz's work- his patented Triad pen made of cellulose acetate.

A colorful display of raw materials used for pen bodies: cellulose acetate, celluloid, hard rubber, and acrylic.

Emma, Amy and Stefan, members of the Exhibition Committee for the Material Culture Conference this spring, went on a research trip last Friday. They ventured out to Orfordville Wisconsin to visit the workshop of Lynn Sorgatz, an artist-engineer. Sorgatz is one of a handful of craftspeople in the United States who restore and construct fountain pens using vintage designs and materials. He uses labor-intensive techniques such as lathing and polishing acrylic and cellulose acetate for the pen bodies, hand tooling metals for ornamentation, and carving shells to decorate the exteriors. Sorgatz's pens will be exhibited on campus in conjunction with the conference, and he will be lecturing about his work and the history of pen making in Wisconsin on the first evening of the conference.