Take it to the Limit is the 36th collection in the David Oscarson™ series of Limited Edition writing instruments. Produced in six primary color variations, each will be limited to an aggregate production of 100 pieces (including fountain pens and rollerballs).
Hand-crafted in solid sterling silver, the Take It To The Limit collection captures elements of our favorite automobiles, the thrill of driving, and our love for the open road.
Take It To The Limit speaks to our drivers’ “need for speed,” which was considered, along with Pedal to the Metal, as a name for the collection. However, because this collection is for our fellow fossil fuel enthusiasts, Take It To The Limit was the only appropriate name choice as this decade may be our last chance to “Take it to the Limit” in our gas-powered vehicles “one more time…”
Car fans will appreciate the gear shift image in high relief on the top of the crown (where the T=M2/m2 is on Oscarson's Nikola Tesla pen). The clip is an elongated piston and the guilloche dials on the cap display speedometer, tachometer, oil, engine temperature, and fuel.
Similar to the Koi and Sea Turtle collections, which featured “Mock-i-e” techniques in guilloche and hot enamel, the TITTL collection (also crafted from solid Sterling Silver) displays a carbon fiber guilloche-engraved pattern underneath the various colors of hot enamel. Opposite the racing stripes on the barrel is a number 1, and the engraving on the gripping section reads “If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough”.
Hard Enamel
The Take It To The Limit collection continues in the spirit of artistic mastery and the tradition of Old World craftsmanship by combining the centuries-old technique of Guilloché with the art and expertise of Hard Enamel.
Using a mortar and pestle, a composition of glass, water and metal oxides is ground for hours by hand. When settled, the water is removed, leaving the fine paste that is the basis for hard enamel. A quill is then used to apply each coat of the mixture to the surface of the metal, ensuring that the entire guilloché area is completely covered in enamel. The components are then fired in a furnace at temperatures exceeding 1,000° F, fusing the enamel to the metal and forming a layer of glass.
After cooling, the pieces are manually ground with a diamond file, restoring their proper shape and surface. This tedious process is repeated at length until the level of enamel reaches the depth required to cover the peaks and fill the valleys of each intricate guilloché pattern. Each color of hot enamel requires multiple firings and a different firing temperature in the kiln. As many collection pieces feature multiple colors of enamel, many of these pieces are fired 15 to 20 times, after which each component is filed with a diamond file, re-enameled, re-fired and then filed again.
When the final stages of enameling, firing and filing are completed, each piece is polished and buffed, revealing the real glass finish of translucent hard enamel.
Production of translucent hard enamel demands the highest levels of patience, experience and skill. A five-year apprenticeship is required to ensure that the highest levels of quality will be met in each individual Collection piece.
