One Of Us - A Funny Story

[MarcShiman]

Great story & like the way you display the pens on the walls.

What is the material that is used for the shelves ?

I like that idea you have to use the walls for storing and displaying the pens.

 

Ken

 

This is what I use from Ikea. I take standard jewelry trays, and line them with Gary Lehrer's pen inserts. There's enough of a slant in the ledges that I don't have to worry about them falling, although I'd like to thread an elastic through them for a little extra safety. I'm going to work on that soon.

 

No protective glass - I'm debating between UV vs. airflow. They never received direct sunlight, too high on the walls.

 

That's about it, nothing fancy. Inspired by what I saw in a shop in Italy.

[MarcShiman]

Okay! Now I am doing some really serious drooling. Fantastic study. Way to go! I hope you have some Esterbrooks in there. The young lady owns at least one fountain pen by now if she is human.

 

-David.

No, Esties - at least not yet. My collection has swung to and fro, starting with modern pens, then modern Italian pens... then I got my first Wahl Doric and the moderns started to disappear in favor of vintage. First Wahls, then Conklins... then a trip to Italy and I fell in love with vintage Italians.

 

The reason I'm telling this story is that now I'm collecting pens made in NYC and its surrounds. I started with Camel, have a lot of Dunn, Waterman, Mabie Todd. Started collecting Chiltons. Found a couple of Eggins, then a few Marathons. Just found an Eclipse. Bought a Wearever (ugh - there are some really crappy pens that came out of NYC). So Ingersoll, Salz... all on the list. Same with Hutcheon, Schnell, Byers and Hayes, Harris... anyway, its all new territory for me. Lots of internet research, Binder's site and Nishimura's sites are invaluable.

 

Estie is NJ, so it fits (my birth state).

[MarcShiman]

 

 

Now, of course, I want close up photos of your pens. Oh, and you definitely need more inks to balance the display!

 

Holly

 

The inks are a story themselves. The end of the story is that I'm no longer fussy about ink, and I tend towards Pelikan 4001 or Lamy inks.

 

But I did the ink thing for a while with Noodlers and Private Reserve and Stipula and Sailor and... you get the idea. Had about 40 bottles or so. This was circa 2008, before and during I was posted to Iraq (thank goodness for APO!) I was collecting and experimenting. Even bought the Private Reserve mixing kits (made some lovely shades of dreck - ink design is not in my future). I came home with half a trunk full of inks, and three months later I was posted to South Sudan.

 

So I came back last October, and around May found this absolutely fabulous vintage Stanley tool chest (in the picture) with a rolltop cover (works fine, not shown). Someone repurposed it and put the shelves in and I thought it would be a perfect place to put all of my ink on display. Now... where did I put them all? I couldn't find them. Turns out I put them in a drawer of a workbench that I subsequently moved to another room, so I "discovered" them. That cabinet is full now.

 

But I don't use them - despite that 99% of my collection is vintage, I use a TWSBI 580 with a broad nib I modified with Pelikan 4001 blue ink. How boring. I think the ultimate purpose of that case will be to collect and display vintage ink bottles.

[Inkheart]

Validation is so sweet. Similar to the feeling which came over me when I first found this forum lol!

 

LOVE the room.

[MarcShiman]

 

Now, of course, I want close up photos of your pens.

 

Holly

 

It doesn't take much arm-twisting for me to show off

 

This is a favorite tray, very international:

 

 

 

1) "Salambo" - a French retailer of pens. Its hard to know who made it, but it really looks like a British Parker Duofold. Clip is probably a replacement.

2) Katab - a Palestinian fountain pen made by two Jewish brothers in a place that is now part of Israel. Decent quality, a little small for me. But probably has very cool history

3) Faber - German pen, I love the plastic. Nice substantial feel. It was the only German one in my collection, although I think I'm going to start again with Pelikans

4) Montblanc 246 in Brown Arco - gone, sold, chased... I don't like these pens, I think they are too expensive. I got a deal on it, then traded it for a Chilton plus some other things.

 

The next five are British

5) An Onoto Magna - possibly my favorite pen I own, although I haven't inked it yet. The barrel is completely transparent, and Dr. Oldfield (who literally wrote the book on Onoto restoration) restored the filling system

6), 7), and 8) - Conway Stewart's only vintage pistons - 6 and 7 are 700's, and 8 is an 800. Also very transparent barrels. Terribly difficult to find

9) A Valentine - Isn't that color amazing? That pen just jumps off the wall at you

 

The next 5 are miscellaneous NYC Pens

10) A crappy little Marathon I won in a pen show auction (Columbus?) - writes fabulously though

11) and 12) Diamond Points. Not great quality pens, but Diamond Point was totally willing to experiment with plastics, and i have some really nice weird celluloids. Most of them being repaired, replated, etc.

13) Eggins - Eggins of Eggins, Hambler and Company (EHCO not echo). Apparently Eggins started his own company after he and his partner broke up and he made some really nice quality pens for a very limited time.

14) A pretty Aiken Lambert

 

15) No name brand in a very nice Coral celluloid. I know nothing about this pen, although its shaped like a Carters

16) A Leboeuf in... what, lavender? Its got cracks in the barrel, as that plastic tended to shrink and the barrel is lined in metal. But its a cool color and... somehow I managed to find another one.

 

17) An O/S Conklin Symmetrik.

18) A Conklin Duragraph long cap - The "Duragraph" line was used briefly until Parker got all up in a twist about it sounding vaguely like Duofold, and they then changed it to Endura. So these are fairly uncommon.

 

So... a total eclectic mix, which sort of epitomizes my whole collection.

[OakIris]

lol - all of those beautiful vintage pens and all of that ink and you only use a TWSBI and one color of Pelikan ink. Not a criticism, I think it is pretty cool that you have narrowed your choices down to what you really like to use. I still have too many pens in rotation and keep getting - or at least wanting - more inks and pens, so I wish I was as settled as you are!

 

A display of vintage ink bottles would be a great addition to your collection. Something like this only different (photo from this site Antique Bottles ) :

 

http://www.antiquebottles.co.za/Pics/Categories/Inks/InkCollection.jpg

 

If only I had some free wall space in this tiny house of mine.... I will have to live vicariously and enjoy the displays you design instead!

 

Holly

 

Edit - I took so long to write my post (in between working, you see) that you had time to write yours and post the photos of your pens. WOW! Now I am even more envious than I was!

Edited August 29, 2014 by OakIris

[inkeverywhere]

If heaven exists, that photo must be of one the rooms there!

 

Greg

 

'may our fingers remain ink stained"

[Sasha Royale]

Nice story. Thanks.

If the boyfriend does not get her a fountain pen at Bert's, please let us know.

"FPN of Central Maryland" can act.

[JotterAddict62]

 

This is what I use from Ikea. I take standard jewelry trays, and line them with Gary Lehrer's pen inserts. There's enough of a slant in the ledges that I don't have to worry about them falling, although I'd like to thread an elastic through them for a little extra safety. I'm going to work on that soon.

 

No protective glass - I'm debating between UV vs. airflow. They never received direct sunlight, too high on the walls.

 

That's about it, nothing fancy. Inspired by what I saw in a shop in Italy.

Thanks for the information. My only concern is dust as I live out in the country where the corn grows and is very dusty when it is harvest time. I would have to put glass covers on then.

[Moshe ben David]

 

This is what I use from Ikea. I take standard jewelry trays, and line them with Gary Lehrer's pen inserts. There's enough of a slant in the ledges that I don't have to worry about them falling, although I'd like to thread an elastic through them for a little extra safety. I'm going to work on that soon.

 

No protective glass - I'm debating between UV vs. airflow. They never received direct sunlight, too high on the walls.

 

That's about it, nothing fancy. Inspired by what I saw in a shop in Italy.

 

Instead of the elastic, perhaps if you got some shoe molding (a wood trim for flooring) from say Home Depot, cut to length and mount with the rounded edge outwards it would serve the purpose and look great.

[MarcShiman]

 

Instead of the elastic, perhaps if you got some shoe molding (a wood trim for flooring) from say Home Depot, cut to length and mount with the rounded edge outwards it would serve the purpose and look great.

 

I do something similar with wallpaper corner protectors, allows me to see the whole pen.

[Bo Bo Olson]

My 2,000+ book library has 2/3s of my inkwells....some how my wife allowed me to steal some of the living room space for the others.

 

I have a glass topped and two drawer cherry wood pen case there. In my beer mug collection's glass doored book case (the only one with any class) is my inks.

I have other pens in a small burl humidor and a larger walnut one. Well, got a lot of pens in different colored cups, for what color ink is in them on my desk.

Basically, it's trying to find place in a book library-writing den, for my pens, instead of a pen-den, and or inkwell wall. That is nice also.

[william2001]

Everyone seems to agree, but it's a nice story.

Thanks for sharing.

-William S. Park

[ac12]

Now I don't feel so bad when I go into an office supply store.

[Christi0469]

One of us. One of us

Gooble Gobble, Gooble Gobble.

We accept her, we accept her.

One of us one of us.

 

(Sorry, I couldn't help tossing in the obscure film reference)

 

In a similar vein, my older daughter has a few of her friends very interested in her fountain pens. One borrows her Metropolitan every chance he gets. I guess I know what we'll be getting him for his birthday

[mallymal1]

 

It doesn't take much arm-twisting for me to show off

 

This is a favorite tray, very international:

 

Small file Misc pens.jpg

 

1) "Salambo" - a French retailer of pens. Its hard to know who made it, but it really looks like a British Parker Duofold. Clip is probably a replacement.

2) Katab - a Palestinian fountain pen made by two Jewish brothers in a place that is now part of Israel. Decent quality, a little small for me. But probably has very cool history

3) Faber - German pen, I love the plastic. Nice substantial feel. It was the only German one in my collection, although I think I'm going to start again with Pelikans

4) Montblanc 246 in Brown Arco - gone, sold, chased... I don't like these pens, I think they are too expensive. I got a deal on it, then traded it for a Chilton plus some other things.

 

The next five are British

5) An Onoto Magna - possibly my favorite pen I own, although I haven't inked it yet. The barrel is completely transparent, and Dr. Oldfield (who literally wrote the book on Onoto restoration) restored the filling system

6), 7), and 8) - Conway Stewart's only vintage pistons - 6 and 7 are 700's, and 8 is an 800. Also very transparent barrels. Terribly difficult to find

9) A Valentine - Isn't that color amazing? That pen just jumps off the wall at you

 

The next 5 are miscellaneous NYC Pens

10) A crappy little Marathon I won in a pen show auction (Columbus?) - writes fabulously though

11) and 12) Diamond Points. Not great quality pens, but Diamond Point was totally willing to experiment with plastics, and i have some really nice weird celluloids. Most of them being repaired, replated, etc.

13) Eggins - Eggins of Eggins, Hambler and Company (EHCO not echo). Apparently Eggins started his own company after he and his partner broke up and he made some really nice quality pens for a very limited time.

14) A pretty Aiken Lambert

 

15) No name brand in a very nice Coral celluloid. I know nothing about this pen, although its shaped like a Carters

16) A Leboeuf in... what, lavender? Its got cracks in the barrel, as that plastic tended to shrink and the barrel is lined in metal. But its a cool color and... somehow I managed to find another one.

 

17) An O/S Conklin Symmetrik.

18) A Conklin Duragraph long cap - The "Duragraph" line was used briefly until Parker got all up in a twist about it sounding vaguely like Duofold, and they then changed it to Endura. So these are fairly uncommon.

 

So... a total eclectic mix, which sort of epitomizes my whole collection.

 

 

The eclectic mix is wonderful.

 

Can we see more?

[MarcShiman]

 

 

The eclectic mix is wonderful.

 

Can we see more?

 

Here's a case of Wahl pens - I bought the case at the last pen show I went to in Raleigh, and I'd love to find another one for Watermans or Parkers or something. Wahl Personal Points were among the first I started collecting.

 

 

[mallymal1]

I'm sure that you'll find another display case, Marc...just keep looking.

 

It's nice to see old cases like this...filled with nice, old pens. Are you going to restore, or leave as is?

 

Another fine collection. Are they the Personal Points, on the bottom row?

[MarcShiman]

"Personal Points" as I understand it, referred to the interchangeable nib system that Wahl used - much like today's Pelikans. The top row are the "6" size pens, and the bottom row are the "7" size, or Deco bands. There are also a few larger Equipoise pens in there. The two pens to the farthest right on the top shelf are pre-personal point.

 

There are two pens on the bottom that are scarce, one more than they other.

[mallymal1]

Thanks for that.

 

Beautiful pens.