Stipula Passaporto

[bertramsinkwell]

All,

 

Wonderful to see that you guys are enjoying your pens that you got from Bertram's Inkwell. The Verde Liberta Passaporto was the second of our limited edition Stipula Passaporto series that we (Bertram's Inkwell) had made to commemorate pen shows. The Verde Liberta was for the Philadelphia pen show. We currently also have the Baltimore Blue Harbor Passaporto available at the bottom link here, also limited out of 100.

 

These are great little pens that I have received very few complaints over, and they are wonderful as eye-dropper pens, as I've never had one leak on me. Its good to see these limited edition Bertram's Inkwell specials made it on the FPN.

 

Enjoy guys and gals,

 

Bert

 

 

Stipula Passaporto Verde Liberta for Philadelphia Pen Show: Here

 

Stipula Passaporto Baltimore Harbor Blue for Baltimore Pen Show: Here

 

Hi Bert!

I have both pens and LOVE them!

 

Any plans for other special editions in the future?

 

 

We certainly do!

 

We no longer have the orange Miami Sunrise available, as that was the first one we did, and it is sold out. HOWEVER, to commemorate the Miami Pen Show that is taking place THIS WEEKEND, we have received the orange Stipula Passaporto in Miami Sunset orange. It is limited out a hundred as usual, and will be available once I return next Thursday. They were shipped directly to Miami, so they are first available at the show.

 

We also have plans to do a Hope Pink Stipula Passaporto that will honor breast cancer survivors and victims, and also raise awareness. That is in works to be available in October.

 

We love that you guys are enjoying these pens, and hope you keep collecting the Bertram's Inkwell exclusive limited editions!

 

Cheers,

[spinningtrees]

Oh so you are saying that they leaked previously at the barrel/section which would be much messier? I thought you were talking about dripping from the nib.

Good question. I can't be sure but I think the answer is both. The ink was all over the place. In any event --> so far, as I said, the one that I greased is just fine knocking daily around in my backpack. No leaking!

 

As an follow-up I got out my other leaky Passaporto yesterday morning, intending to clean it out (it had PR Velvet Black in it), silicone-grease the threads, and re-eyedropper load it. So, I was flushing it under the faucet and then poking around in the barrel with a wet Q-tip, trying to get out all the ink residue, when to my surprise out came the Q-tip with some brown granules on it. The brown of the granules matched the color of the barrel. More digging and swiping at the bottom of the barrel brought up more granules and then -- yikes! -- I brought up a big piece of what looks to me like tailings, left inside the barrel from the interior machining. I assume that all the rest of the brown granules were also residue from the machining. See photo below, showing the big piece.

 

So, another tidbit of Passaporto advice: before you eyedropper-load your barrel, be sure to aggressively clean it out.

 

Jan

 

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Thanks for the great advice! Silicon grease and a good cleaning when I get my FPN Passaporto.

[SamCapote]

Oh so you are saying that they leaked previously at the barrel/section which would be much messier? I thought you were talking about dripping from the nib.

Good question. I can't be sure but I think the answer is both. The ink was all over the place. In any event --> so far, as I said, the one that I greased is just fine knocking daily around in my backpack. No leaking!

 

As an follow-up I got out my other leaky Passaporto yesterday morning, intending to clean it out (it had PR Velvet Black in it), silicone-grease the threads, and re-eyedropper load it. So, I was flushing it under the faucet and then poking around in the barrel with a wet Q-tip, trying to get out all the ink residue, when to my surprise out came the Q-tip with some brown granules on it. The brown of the granules matched the color of the barrel. More digging and swiping at the bottom of the barrel brought up more granules and then -- yikes! -- I brought up a big piece of what looks to me like tailings, left inside the barrel from the interior machining. I assume that all the rest of the brown granules were also residue from the machining. See photo below, showing the big piece.

 

So, another tidbit of Passaporto advice: before you eyedropper-load your barrel, be sure to aggressively clean it out.

 

Jan

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Thanks for the great advice! Silicon grease and a good cleaning when I get my FPN Passaporto.

 

That is surprising to read that they didn't check and clean out the tailings. Hmmmm. That is a nice looking pen. Which model is it, and nib?

[inquisicorp]

That is surprising to read that they didn't check and clean out the tailings. Hmmmm. That is a nice looking pen. Which model is it, and nib?

Yep. You can bet your boots that I was sure surprised as well. [sigh]

 

I don't know which model it is -- there is no name etched on it, like my Miami Sunset has -- but this one does have a limited edition number on the side. Mine's 156/220. I think I got it from Fahrney's via Amazon. See this. The nib is the one shown, "Italic medim".

 

It's a very nice little pen! I really like these guys. Provided they don't leak into the cap, that is. So far, so good!

 

Jan

[nm4]

Really like this pen...I'm lucky that the FPN version wasn't an italic or else I'd have ordered 2 Stipulas!

Cheers,

NM

[empyrean]

Like your review! I've been thinking about this pen, too, but worry that it would "not" hold up to being on a plane in my travels. Although several mention that it seems not to leak.

[SamCapote]

That is surprising to read that they didn't check and clean out the tailings.  Hmmmm.    That is a nice looking pen.  Which model is it, and nib?

Yep. You can bet your boots that I was sure surprised as well. [sigh]

 

I don't know which model it is -- there is no name etched on it, like my Miami Sunset has -- but this one does have a limited edition number on the side. Mine's 156/220. I think I got it from Fahrney's via Amazon. See this. The nib is the one shown, "Italic medim".

 

It's a very nice little pen! I really like these guys. Provided they don't leak into the cap, that is. So far, so good!

 

Jan

 

Based upon how lovely that looks in your images, and all that Wim says about the brand, I ordered my first Stipula from Fahrney's apparently dwindling supply in that same nib.  You know what the first thing I'm going to look for after your last images.  LOL!  It looks like their image appears a bit darker than yours, so not sure if it is the same. Their listing at Amazon does say it is a run of 220, so maybe it is.

 

Edited July 15, 2011 by SamCapote

[SamCapote]

Fahrneys confirmed that they have two more left, and may be getting a few more in the fall.

[inquisicorp]

Based upon how lovely that looks in your images, and all that Wim says about the brand, I ordered my first Stipula from Fahrney's apparently dwindling supply in that same nib.  You know what the first thing I'm going to look for after your last images.  LOL!  It looks like their image appears a bit darker than yours, so not sure if it is the same. Their listing at Amazon does say it is a run of 220, so maybe it is.<br>

 

I'm betting it's the same pen. I am eager to hear what, if anything, you scoop out of your barrel.

 

On a related note, I scampered out to Bertram's on Friday and bought one of the Verde Liberta pens (did I say I loved these little pens? . . . sigh) and the threading on the Liberta "feels" a bit different from the threading on the older pen. The Liberta feels tighter and the barrel is a bit harder to screw in. Which I am delighted with.

 

I also noticed that the black rim around where the feed and the nib go in is a different design. There are notches cut into the older pen's rim. (You can kind of see them in my earlier picture.) There are no notches in the Liberta's rim. It's solid.

 

In any event ---> Thank you, Bert! (Will you be doing a new Passaporto edition for the DC Show?)

 

Jan

[nicholasyeo]

I was looking at the Clear Passaporto, indeed a lovely pen!

[SamCapote]

Based upon how lovely that looks in your images, and all that Wim says about the brand, I ordered my first Stipula from Fahrney's apparently dwindling supply in that same nib.  You know what the first thing I'm going to look for after your last images.  LOL!  It looks like their image appears a bit darker than yours, so not sure if it is the same. Their listing at Amazon does say it is a run of 220, so maybe it is.<br>

 

I'm betting it's the same pen. I am eager to hear what, if anything, you scoop out of your barrel.

 

On a related note, I scampered out to Bertram's on Friday and bought one of the Verde Liberta pens (did I say I loved these little pens? . . . sigh) and the threading on the Liberta "feels" a bit different from the threading on the older pen. The Liberta feels tighter and the barrel is a bit harder to screw in. Which I am delighted with.

 

I also noticed that the black rim around where the feed and the nib go in is a different design. There are notches cut into the older pen's rim. (You can kind of see them in my earlier picture.) There are no notches in the Liberta's rim. It's solid.

 

In any event ---> Thank you, Bert! (Will you be doing a new Passaporto edition for the DC Show?)

 

Jan

 

Jan, I got mine today from Fahrney's, and was impressed with how much more beautiful it was than I anticipated. However, as I began looking closely for any of the shavings like you had, I found a couple places where the electroplating came off, mainly on the inside edge of the cap, but also extending around to the outside as shown in thumbnails below. When I looked back in the box, I found two of the metal flakes that I retrieved and taped to the post-it note. I'll need to call them later today about an exchange.

 

I had just stuck one of the cartridges in to see how it wrote before finding this electroplate issue on the cap edge. I then noticed that their included cartridges did not stay on the feed post, as apparently it is too narrow to hold the hole after it pushes the "BB" sealer into the cartridge. I screwed on the back, thinking it must be a close enough fit that like other pens, it would hold the cartridge firmly seated into the feed. Nope ! Tilting the pen back and forth had the small cartridge flip back and forth. Lastly, I noticed the nib was not centered on the feed, as it was off about 1-2 mm to one side.

 

I figured at this point, I might as well see how this medium italic nib writes, and that aspect was great, but would likely be even better with a fully centered nib. All these little issues are not major, but I didn't expect to have any of these problems. I still look forward to a satisfactory replacement. Mine had the number: 079 engraved on the barrel, opposite of the Stipula logo, but not 079/220.

 

 

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/pens/Stip1s.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/pens/Stip2s.jpg

[inquisicorp]

Gee whiz! Despite the fact that you didn't find any tailings in yours, Sam, that's STILL quite a litany of flaws. Albeit minor. But still!

 

I am wondering if an entirely different workshop made these "Woody" limited edition Passaporto pens that Fahrney's has. Bert's 'Verde Liberta' hasn't any of these issues.

 

Did you see any of those slots around the edge of the nib collar on the Woody? I am imagining that those might have had something to do with the chronic leaking into the cap. Though those slots are a design feature rather than a manufacturing faux pas.

 

Hmmm!

 

Jan

[SamCapote]

Gee whiz! Despite the fact that you didn't find any tailings in yours, Sam, that's STILL quite a litany of flaws. Albeit minor. But still!

 

I am wondering if an entirely different workshop made these "Woody" limited edition Passaporto pens that Fahrney's has. Bert's 'Verde Liberta' hasn't any of these issues.

 

Did you see any of those slots around the edge of the nib collar on the Woody? I am imagining that those might have had something to do with the chronic leaking into the cap. Though those slots are a design feature rather than a manufacturing faux pas.

 

Hmmm!

 

Jan

 

I did see some irregular sides when I looked at where the nib/feed appeared to be press inserted into the section...looking with the nib tip pointed at my nose. In other words, the "female" inside diameter of the section was not perfectly round, and the nib/feed did not have a completely flush concentric, even surface. I didn't see anything down inside the feed cartridge holder. When I was flushing the ink before returning today, I did notice that blowing from the back of the feed required much more "cheek pressure" than most pens I have done this on. I only do it once or twice as an informal gauge of ink flow. There was no leaking into the cap for the short time I had it inked. The inability to anchor the cartridge having it flop back and forth (imagining the mess that would shortly make), and then seeing the electroplate defects, had me empty and clean pretty quickly. I was trying to figure out what I could have put in the back of the eyedropper barrel compartment that would have put enough pressure on the cartridge to hold it in place, but without leaving a powder/fiber residue (like Kleenex would) that would later interfere with true eyedropper use.

 

I believe I have the last one in stock is on its way to me, as I had to buy the additional replacement before returning this one--they would not hold the last one unless I bought it. I'm also kind of bummed that I have to pay $10.50 for Priority Mail return shipping for an obviously defective product....while I know it's not their fault, it's also not my fault. As a result this will be my last purchase from Fahrney's as a result.

 

I also just purchased Bert's 'Verde Liberta' when I saw they recently promoted it...so I'll have two Passaportos, plus the one from the FPN sale.

[inquisicorp]

I did see some irregular sides when I looked at where the nib/feed appeared to be press inserted into the section...looking with the nib tip pointed at my nose. In other words, the "female" inside diameter of the section was not perfectly round, and the nib/feed did not have a completely flush concentric, even surface.

Yep! Below is my Woody on the left and my Verde on the right, with the nibs pointed directly at the camera. I've circled the slots cut into the outer edge of the "female" inside collar on the Woody. The collar looks to be an entirely different material in the Verde. And a different design to boot: no slots!

 

Jan

 

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[AtomicLeo]

What a nice little pen. I love the Stipula stub./italic nibs. Wish the FPN model had a this nib option.

[SamCapote]

I did see some irregular sides when I looked at where the nib/feed appeared to be press inserted into the section...looking with the nib tip pointed at my nose. In other words, the "female" inside diameter of the section was not perfectly round, and the nib/feed did not have a completely flush concentric, even surface.

Yep! Below is my Woody on the left and my Verde on the right, with the nibs pointed directly at the camera. I've circled the slots cut into the outer edge of the "female" inside collar on the Woody. The collar looks to be an entirely different material in the Verde. And a different design to boot: no slots!

 

Jan

 

Jan, I got my replacement today and am now happy with it. No electroplate defects visible on outside of cap. If I look at the inside rim of the cap edge, I can see several places where the plating either did not adhere, or was scraped off perhaps from their inserting the white gripping gasket for posting the cap. This nib is centered. The "Stipula" cartridge still does not grip the post, so I put an extra cushion from my Etymotic ER-4P earbuds which holds it seated in place. This one is model #026, and still has some of that feed/section irregularity where it was pressed into the section, but not as noticeable as yours, or the earlier one I had. Thanks again for showing this model. I'm glad I was able to get one.

[Inknstuff]

Thanks for the review and all the great comments. I've been wanting a small fountain pen for my sketch kit and it looks like this is it. Just ordered it today from fpn

[Okami]

I'm a little confused by the comments that the FPN version doesn't have the italic option - Unless I'm reading it wrong : FPN LE Passaporto Azzurite, Chrome trim, F, M or Italic nib

[Delphideo]

I'm a little confused by the comments that the FPN version doesn't have the italic option - Unless I'm reading it wrong : FPN LE Passaporto Azzurite, Chrome trim, F, M or Italic nib

 

The thing is that the FPN Passaporto originally didn't have the italic option until recently, like last week, I believe.

[bertramsinkwell]

All,

 

The Miami Sunrise version of our Stipula Passaporto is NOW AVAILABLE in store, or online. We have 99 of the original 100 left. It is similar to the blue and green ones, but it is a transparent lime yellow. Pictures will be up shortly!

 

Cheers,

 

Bert