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Platignum General Rambling


ronlakin

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I'm not sure if this is the right place for such ramblings.

I recently bought a bottle of Noodler’s Baystate Blue ink and because of its was looking for a suitable in which to try it out. I selected a pen which I considered a piece of junk and which I would lose no sleep if it were ruined. The pen I selected from the bottom of a drawer was my Platignum No 1 and I thought I’d write a short story explaining how I came to own it.

 

A couple of years ago, time has a habit of going quicker than you think so it may be more, I was in a stationery store looking for some ruled notebooks when my attention was grabbed by a carousel of Platignum pens. I thought Platignum had gone bust years ago so I was intrigued by this blast from the past and had to investigate.

 

During my school days the most popular make of pen was Platignum. I certainly had a few and managed to damage and lose all of them. My favourite was the Platignum Pressmatic Gold Nib. It had a plastic barrel, metal cap and a genuine 14k gold nib. In the late 60’s I bought mine from the local newsagent where I did a paper round. They cost £1 and 1 shilling or one week’s wages. Yes it was pre decimal. At that time I guess that would have made them about $2. I liked the pen so much that I bought quite a few, I can’t remember how many but knowing my own habits as I do I hazard a guess at 10 to 15 during my secondary school years. I have fond memories of this pen so much so that when I saw the brand on sale again I just had to buy one.

 

I bought the Platignum No 1. Top of the range for £17. I was eager to get home and ink it up. And what a disappointment that was. The nib was as hard as a nail and bone dry. The section is brass but was rubber coated. In the few short weeks I used it I tried a number of different inks and none of them made any improvement. Also during that time the rubber coating wore off the section. I dumped it in a drawer never to be used again. That is until I bought the Baystate Blue. My comments on the Baystate Blue and the Platignum No 1 can be found here https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/232080-noodler-baystate-blue-ink-review/

 

Is there a lesson to be learned from this story. Probably not, after we all know it’s not wise to look at the past through rose coloured spectacles.

 

If anyone wonders what the Pressmatic looks like there is an image of one here https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/264407-platignum-pressmatic-14k-gold/

 

 

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