on saleConklin 1898 Gel Rollerball Pen - Stabilized Wood Matte Purple/Pink (Limited Edition)

This Conklin 1898 gel rollerball pen features a stunning matte purple/pink dyed wood design.

Stabilized wood is a remarkable material that merges the natural beauty of wood with enhanced durability, workability, and aesthetic appeal. The stabilization process involves infusing porous wood with a stabilizing solution—typically a resin or acrylic polymer—which is cured under vacuum or pressure. This allows the solution to deeply penetrate the wood fibers, filling pores and voids at the microscopic level. Once hardened, the resin reinforces the wood, making it far more resistant to warping, cracking, or wear, while allowing it to take on a high polish that enhances its natural figure. The resulting material retains the tactile warmth and intricate grain of wood but is significantly more stable and robust—ideal for fine woodworking applications such as pen making.

The Conklin® 1898 Stabilized Wood Collection exemplifies this transformation by combining natural artistry, heritage design, and advanced material science. At the heart of this collection lies maple burl, selected for its richly figured grain, swirling “eyes,” and tonal variation. Though visually stunning, woods like maple burl are naturally soft, porous, and prone to environmental damage. Without stabilization, such woods are unsuitable for everyday-use items like writing instruments.

Conklin addresses this with a professional multi-stage stabilization process. Each piece of raw wood is carefully selected based on density, figure, oil content, and structural integrity, then meticulously dried—often using slow, controlled kiln techniques—to eliminate internal moisture and stress. Once dried, the wood is placed in a vacuum chamber where an acrylic polymer resin, dissolved in solvent, is infused deep into the wood’s structure through alternating cycles of vacuum and pressure.

Following infusion, the wood is cured under heat, which hardens the resin and permanently integrates it with the wood’s cellular structure. This not only increases the wood’s hardness and density—sometimes doubling or tripling its weight in the case of very light species—but also enhances its resistance to wear, moisture, and environmental changes. The final product is a stabilized wood that retains its original grain and warmth while gaining a smooth, polished surface that resists scuffs, dents, and deformation.

The 1898 Stabilized Wood Collection channels Conklin’s legacy of craftsmanship through thoughtful design and material innovation. Each pen features a cigar-shaped silhouette for comfort, an engraved cap ring with the brand’s original ornamental motif, and a classic rocker-clip adds finishing look. Available in two striking variations—Pink-Purple, with rich violet and pink hues naturally intensified during stabilization, and Yellow-Green, featuring organic grain transitions—each piece is truly unique.

Limited to 1,898 pieces per color, the Conklin 1898 Stabilized Wood Collection is presented in a luxury gift box with a custom sleeve, underscoring its exclusivity and collector appeal. This pen comes with a Monteverde G4 Medium (0.7mm) black gel rollerball refill. 

Conklin 1898 is inspired by the rich heritage of the Conklin brand, designed with comfort and durability in mind. This collection is suited to individuals looking for a well-sized, cigar shaped pen that provides a larger surface area for a comfortable grip while writing. 

 Each Conklin brand writing instrument is housed in a luxury gift box. Conklin 1898 collection is an ideal gift for any person in your life or for yourself, whether it’s used in their professional lives, home offices, or daily journaling.

We do our best to photograph the pens to show how they will appear in person, but due to the nature of the material, there will be some variation in the pattern seen here. This adds an element of uniqueness to the pen, with no two patterns being exactly the same. We cannot honor special requests.