Jump to content

Which Oblique Pen Holder?

dragos.mocanu

By dragos.mocanu
in Calligraphy Discussions

 Share

Recommended Posts

dragos.mocanu Extremely Rare

dragos.mocanu

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Very useful information, thank you so much! However, I can't get any answer from PIA (sent a couple of e-mails a few days ago), so my only option may be at John Neal's...with a standard Century holder, just as Mr. Fraser suggested (I find the Zanerian to be too long for my taste...and with the cash difference I can also purchase some nibs).

 

As a side note for Mr. Christopher, those holders you make are just a whole different ball game...I'm really intrigued by the one you have as an avatar, are those real gears inside some sort of transparent resin? I'd sure like to get one of those one day...

Edited by Murky

"The truth may be puzzling. It may take some work to grapple with. It may be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true. But our preferences do not determine what's true..." (Carl Sagan)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 35
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • YokePenCo

    12

  • dragos.mocanu

    10

  • prasadvenkat

    4

  • Randal6393

    3

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Posted Images

dhnz Mint

dhnz

Posted
Posted

 

I think above when you mention Bullock, you mean Blackwell. Two very different flanges

 

You're absolutely right. Thanks for pointing that out. I'd correct the original, but there doesn't appear to be an edit option anymore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dhnz Mint

dhnz

Posted
Posted (edited)

I can't get any answer from PIA (sent a couple of e-mails a few days ago), ...

 

That has always been my experience with PIA, but I had hoped that they had improved. I don't know whether they're any better with US customers, but speaking as an overseas customer every time I've contacted PIA I've had to send multiple emails before they deigned to reply. As a result, I've not ordered from them in years, preferring John Neal, who couldn't be more helpful. Sadly, though, JN don't stock the hourglass holder. If I knew who makes the hourglass holders, I'd have tried to buy from him directly so that I didn't have to put up with PIA's poor customer service.

 

PS. Why don't you get one of Mr Yoke's holders with a PIA-style flange? Or even just one of his Excelsior style holders?

Edited by dhnz
Link to comment
Share on other sites
YokePenCo Dipped Only

YokePenCo

Posted
Posted

Very useful information, thank you so much! However, I can't get any answer from PIA (sent a couple of e-mails a few days ago), so my only option may be at John Neal's...with a standard Century holder, just as Mr. Fraser suggested (I find the Zanerian to be too long for my taste...and with the cash difference I can also purchase some nibs).

 

As a side note for Mr. Christopher, those holders you make are just a whole different ball game...I'm really intrigued by the one you have as an avatar, are those real gears inside some sort of transparent resin? I'd sure like to get one of those one day...

 

I've never emailed them and always called since I am in the US, sorry to hear there is a email delay :(

 

The pen I have as an avatar has real watch parts inlaid and encapsulated in resin. I diassemble a non-repairable watch, bend and shape the gears to fit and then cover them in a resin. Painstaking process but the result is cool! Image of that pen below.

 

post-112338-0-87586200-1422402397_thumb.jpg

 

post-112338-0-24857500-1422402434_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
YokePenCo Dipped Only

YokePenCo

Posted
Posted

 

If I knew who makes the hourglass holders, I'd have tried to buy from him directly so that I didn't have to put up with PIA's poor customer service.

 

PS. Why don't you get one of Mr Yoke's holders with a PIA-style flange? Or even just one of his Excelsior style holders?

The guy who makes them is so overwhelmed in trying to keep up with demand I doubt he would be able to make one and I would bet has an agreement with PIA to not sell them himself.

 

In regards to buying from me, I always try to suggest to those just beginning to try an "off-the-shelf" holder and see what they like. Once they have some experience with a pen holder and developed a personal taste, you can then make a better informed decision on the investment of a custom holder. There's no way with my setup that I can produce pens at the same price point as one of the stores. I've thought about buying a duplicator to be able to, but as it is now going to the shop in the evenings is a small labor of love. I want to keep it that way and not feel like I'm standing at an assembly line and cranking out numbers.

 

Another suggestion to experiment with grip sizes is to take a pencil (or your current pen holder) and wrap it with string to form a size and shape you enjoy. Get those dimensions and email me and I can suggest a stock holder you may enjoy.

 

-Christopher

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dragos.mocanu Extremely Rare

dragos.mocanu

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

The guy who makes them is so overwhelmed in trying to keep up with demand I doubt he would be able to make one and I would bet has an agreement with PIA to not sell them himself.

 

In regards to buying from me, I always try to suggest to those just beginning to try an "off-the-shelf" holder and see what they like. Once they have some experience with a pen holder and developed a personal taste, you can then make a better informed decision on the investment of a custom holder. There's no way with my setup that I can produce pens at the same price point as one of the stores. I've thought about buying a duplicator to be able to, but as it is now going to the shop in the evenings is a small labor of love. I want to keep it that way and not feel like I'm standing at an assembly line and cranking out numbers.

 

Another suggestion to experiment with grip sizes is to take a pencil (or your current pen holder) and wrap it with string to form a size and shape you enjoy. Get those dimensions and email me and I can suggest a stock holder you may enjoy.

 

-Christopher

 

That holder has a steampunk vibe going on...really awesome!

 

As for my first quality holder, that was exactly my thought...try out a "standard" holder so I can see what I like, regarding balance, grip size, flange type etc.

 

One last question and I promise I'm through :D Could you please tell me if the 5/8'' Century holder is as balanced as the standard one? From what I've read, the standard has the same grip diameter as the Speedball (which I own and find rather skinny). And also, is the gripping section 5/8'', or is that the largest diameter of the shaft? (I'm guessing it's the latter, since 5/8'' for the gripping section seems a bit too large).

Edited by Murky

"The truth may be puzzling. It may take some work to grapple with. It may be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true. But our preferences do not determine what's true..." (Carl Sagan)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
YokePenCo Dipped Only

YokePenCo

Posted
Posted

The 5/8" century doesn't even measure 5/8" anywhere on it, I've always thought that odd. The tail diameter is the same as the standard Century and the weight is so close the balance isn't affected much. Some have more mass to the tail and some less due to the randomness of the turning shapes on them.

 

Dimensions are as follows for the 5/8" Century...

 

A = 6-7/8"

B = 1/2"

C = 7/16"

D = 1-5/8"

E = 11/16"

Weight: 12.4g

 

And for the standard Turn of the Century

 

A = 6-7/8"

B = 7/16"

C = 3/8"

D = 1-5/8"

E = 3/4"

Weight: 8.6g

 

_________________________________________________________________________________

 

post-112338-0-31685000-1422456997_thumb.gif

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dragos.mocanu Extremely Rare

dragos.mocanu

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Wow Christopher, thank you so much for the comprehensive descriptions! I'll let you all know when my holder arrives and how I like it :D

"The truth may be puzzling. It may take some work to grapple with. It may be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true. But our preferences do not determine what's true..." (Carl Sagan)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
prasadvenkat Mint

prasadvenkat

Posted
Posted (edited)

Awesome, please do :) Btw, I just added a full spreadsheet of all these dimensions and more to my website under the links section which you can download.

 

http://www.yokepencompany.com/pages/links

Thanks Chris,

This is such a great piece of information. Specially for someone who wants to make their own holders. Perfect. Thanks again

 

You should put this up in FF as well :)

-Prasad

Edited by prasadvenkat
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dragos.mocanu Extremely Rare

dragos.mocanu

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Awesome, please do :) Btw, I just added a full spreadsheet of all these dimensions and more to my website under the links section which you can download.

 

http://www.yokepencompany.com/pages/links

 

That's great, thank you! I just now noticed that there actually is an oblique holder in Europe too...though it's about twice the price of an Hourglass adjustable...I now wonder how those holders are...it would be easier for me to get something from UK than from the USA.

Edited by Murky

"The truth may be puzzling. It may take some work to grapple with. It may be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true. But our preferences do not determine what's true..." (Carl Sagan)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
prasadvenkat Mint

prasadvenkat

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

That's great, thank you! I just now noticed that there actually is an oblique holder in Europe too...though it's about twice the price of an Hourglass adjustable...I now wonder how those holders are...it would be easier for me to get something from UK than from the USA.

HI Murky,

I think you are referring to the Scribbler's holder. This is a replica of the classic Zanerian Excelsior. It's a great design and this is also made by Mr. Chris himself for the UK market and sold by scribbler. Perhaps Chris could shed some light on which of the two would be a better option for you.

 

 

Also, if you are ordering from PIA, and are getting some nibs and ink as well (like the walnut crystals) you may be saving money despite the shipping costs and Import duties. You would have to calculate that and see what that costing could be.

 

-Prasad

Edited by prasadvenkat
Link to comment
Share on other sites
YokePenCo Dipped Only

YokePenCo

Posted
Posted

Murky,

 

The Scribbler's Classic Oblique is made by me in small batches. The price is higher due to primarily customs, shipping and also initial cost since there are finer details in the finishing technique. It's all handmade and you can watch me shape one by hand in my YouTube channel, search for Yoke Pen Co on YouTube. Feel free to ask any questions you may have regarding it. :)

 

Chris

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dragos.mocanu Extremely Rare

dragos.mocanu

Posted
  • Author
Posted

After many discussions and comparisons, I went ahead and finally ordered a holder, the Hourglass Adjustable! I want to thank all of you for the suggestions, and especially Christopher, for the support and unbiased advice. I will let you all know when it arrives with a nice writing sample :D Cheers!

"The truth may be puzzling. It may take some work to grapple with. It may be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true. But our preferences do not determine what's true..." (Carl Sagan)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33580
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26767
    5. jar
      jar
      26105

  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      Links to web pages or articles about Chinese typesetting, signwriting, etc.

      By Shanghai Knife Dude · Posted

      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By A Smug Dill · Posted

      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By adamselene · Posted

      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By A Smug Dill · Posted

      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By adamselene · Posted

      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o

  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More

  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...