Delta Turchese Meraviglia Stanuffo by Chatterley Pen

[AltecGreen]

So following on the heels of the Chatterley Chatsworth and Ripple Pens limited editions pens comes the new Chatterley Delta "Turchese Meraviglia Stantuffo" limited edition pen. I was first introduced to the concept of this pen at the LA Pen Show while Ethernautrix and I were bugging Bryant (our very own 'evil pen pusher'). Bryant calls me over and tells me he has something new and secret brewing. He shows me a Montegrappa Miya and tells me he's working on a pen with the beautiful turquoise celluloid found on this Miya. He then calls Ken Jones over and has Ken show us the then prototype Delta Dolce Vita Oro piston filler. He says imagine the new Delta piston filler with the Miya celluloid and no metal section. I say which numbers are still available and run off to find Deirdre. (pen enabling is evil but fun) That was in February and it's now April, and the Turchese Meraviglia Stantuffo has arrived.

 

1. Appearance and Design.

 

The Turchese Meraviglia Stantuffo is based on the Delta Dolce Vita piston filler pen so much of this review applies to that pen and the Dolce Vita Oro. The key differences in this pen is the use of the fantastically gorgeous Montegrappa celluloid. One of the great things about Bryant is that he listens to his clientele. If you ask FPN'ers to design their perfect pen, you'll get a gazillion ideas but a piston filler and celluloid are two of the most frequent requests. In addition, the lack of a metal section (celluloid all the way down) and silver trim were also very popular. So these are all elements that are incorporated into the Turchese Meraviglia Stantuffo. This pen is available with silver trim or the gold trim shown in my pictures.

 

This pen is a modern oversized pen and is comparable to a MB 149 is length and girth. The pen features a flat top (Yay!) with elegantly executed trim. There is a very ornate cap band that doesn't over power the aesthetic. The pen is a piston filler but has a blind cap rather than a captured piston knob. Under the blind cap is a beautifully machined brass piston mechanism. There is a transparent ink window that is partially revealed while the pen is capped and fully exposed when uncapped. I suppose this latter feature is a bit controversial. The ink window is very functional but does interrupt the flow of the celluloid. The ink window is less intrusive on the Dolce Vita Oro because the ink window is orange to match the color of the orange resin. There is no step down to the section; the barrel flows smoothly to the section with the exception of the threads. A nice touch in a modern pen.

 

The most striking thing about this pen is the beautiful turquoise pearlescent celluloid. This pen is really blue. The material is real nitrose celluloid and has the characteristic smell of camphor. If you ignore the bright color, ornate cap band, and the large size, this pen is very reminiscent of late 40's /50's Italian piston filling pens. The bright color is the main feature that sets this pen apart. While I collect vintage celluloid pens, very few if any of the vintage celluloid patterns feature such a brilliant color. Of course, if you are not into color, this pen is not for you.

 

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2. Weight and Dimensions.

 

The pen is 14 cm capped, 13 cm from back of pen to tip of nib, and 17.4 cm posted. The pen is 16 mm wide at the ink window. This pen is definitely wider than an old style Omas Paragon and probably functionally wider than a Stipula Etruria. I don't have the weight but this pen is not light. The balance of the pen without cap is towards the rear because of the brass in the piston mechanism. The pen can be posted but feels very unwieldy. In every respects this is an oversize pen and suits those who favor larger pens. This is at the limit of how wide I like my pens (similar to my Danitrios).

 

 

3. Construction and Quality.

 

This pen exhibits a high level of craftsmanship. The trim and furniture are gorgeous. The celluloid has a nice polish and the equal of modern celluloid pens. I do own a few vintage Italian pens with a bit nicer execution of the celluloid but not in the trim. There are nice touches like having brass threads for the blind cap. The seam between the barrel and section with the ink window is good. It is unclear how the window is joined. Many pens with such ink windows can fail at this junction especially if dropped. Only time will tell how good the joint is.

 

 

4. Nib and Performance.

 

The pen comes with a standard 18k Delta nib (probably Bock). Mine is a fine but other sizes are available. The nib is on the stiffer side and does seem a tad stiffer than the nibs on my other Delta pens. There will be no mistaking this nib as a flex nib. I've had good luck with Delta nibs (knocks on wood) with this pen being my fifth Delta. Every single one has been smooth and wet. On good paper, the fine nib writes a reasonably fine line comparable to a Nakaya/Platinum medium. With the fine nib, you get very little line variation. If you need more 'character' to your nib, a stub is available or you can get a medium or broad and have it reground into an italic nib. So far, the pen has performed flawlessly with no skipping, drying out, etc.

 

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5. Filling and Maintenance.

 

This pen is a true piston filler with Delta's own piston mechanism. The piston know is a knurled brass knob hidden under the blind cap. The knurling is a nice touch since it is easy to grip. The piston is fairly smooth. It is not the smoothest but does not give you a heart attack like the piston on say a Tibaldi Modello 60. The pen holds a good amount of ink. I would say it is comparable to an Aurora Optima or old style OMAS Paragon. One nice touch about the Delta mechanism is a clutch such that the knob gives a tactile and audible feedback when you have backed the piston up all the way. This prevents you from accidentally applying too much force and forcing the piston mechanism out of the pen. The cost of this mechanism is the added weight to the back of this pen.

 

 

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6. Cost and value.

 

This is a modern piston filling celluloid pen with a true piston mechanism. The comparable pens in this category include the Stipula Etruria, OMAS Paragon, and Milord. At $595 for the silver trim version and $695 for the gold trim version, the prices are less than the competition. For many this is still an expensive pen. Unfortunately, it seems celluloid prices are rather high based on Dante Vecchio's (Visconti owner) comments about celluloid pricing. For what this pen is, an Italian celluloid piston filler, the price is more than justified. In closing, I find this pen to be an interesting mix of vintage and modern. It has the design cues from 1950's Italian pens while having a bright modern color and large size. I have to thank Bryant for coming up with these kinds of pens.

Edited April 28, 2010 by AltecGreen

[Nero]

Thank you very much for the nice review. And I love this remark:

 

The piston is fairly smooth. It is not the smoothest but does not give you a heart attack like the piston on say a Tibaldi Modello 60.

[ethernautrix]

Fabulous photos and review, Ricky. Wow, that sure is BLUE! Very pretty!<br>

[AltecGreen]

Fabulous photos and review, Ricky. Wow, that sure is BLUE! Very pretty!<br>

 

I'm mesmerized by the blue. It's so blue!

[Brassai]

I received mine on Weds. along with two other pens from Bryant... haven't had a chance to ink it, the Visconti Homo Sapiens, or the Danitrio that all came together. Now I just have to decide which to ink first!!

 

As for the Delta... three things hit you when you open the packaging... 1 - the packaging is first class. 2 - Wow... is that Celluloid BLUE and DEEP!!! and 3: The Camphor smell is classic and timeless in a vintage celluloid... I wish it could be preserved!!!!

 

Enjoy Altec, I know I'll enjoy mine!!

 

#22 of 38 in the edition, silver furniture.

 

D.

[Ed Ronax]

Great review, thanks. Ive been looking at these regularly in Bry's post and I have to admit I do fancy one with the rhodium trim but have too much on the go at this particular time, isn't it always the case.

[ailleurs]

 

I'm mesmerized by the blue. It's so blue!

 

Me too. I'm obsessed with blue pens, and this one is one of the most lovely I have ever seen. Wishing I had the dough to cough up for one

[ethernautrix]

I'm calling it the Blue of Fables.

 

 

I haven't even seen one offscreen yet! At the next Pen Posse, I'll have to wear my sunglasses and shut one eye!

[reprieve]

This review tempted me. Badly. I was really trying to resist this pen (honestly!), but... in the end, I couldn't. It arrived today, and is just lovely. Inked it with Diamine Turquoise; the BB nib is luscious and wet and stubbish and perfect!

[ailleurs]

I saw these at Bryant's table at the Chicago pen show and was surprised by how turquoise the color looks in person compared to on the screen (even accounting for the lousy colors on my monitors). Don't get me wrong--these bad boys are indeed gorgeous--but the color live and in person is strikingly different to my eyes. YMMV.

[pmrogers]

I saw these at Bryant's table at the Chicago pen show and was surprised by how turquoise the color looks in person compared to on the screen (even accounting for the lousy colors on my monitors). Don't get me wrong--these bad boys are indeed gorgeous--but the color live and in person is strikingly different to my eyes. YMMV.

 

Agreed. I have a spectrophotometer calibrated monitor and the colors here are both darker and blue-er. They give the general idea of the pen, but it is strikingly more gorgeous in person! I don't know that it's possible to capture the depth or liveliness of the resin in a still photo. I'll say that if you like the pen as pictured here, or if you've seen in person the Montegrappa Miya Turquoise that shares the same resin then you will absolutely love this pen. I'm tempted to order one myself and we already have the Montegrappa with identical resin!

 

Cheers,

Paul

[AltecGreen]

It's somewhat a function of the lighting I used for the shots, a combination of diffused flash and normal room lighting. These shots were SOCC and not adjusted in any way. Also, my pen has one dark vein that runs down one side and that is the side I captured. The color is lighter in person but still very deep and rich.

 

I'll make some more shots tonight on a different part of the pen. I'll try to capture a bit more of brilliance. The shimmer and depth of celluloid is hard to capture. It's a fun challenge. Still, one has to see the pen in person to understand the beauty.

[dannzeman]

It's somewhat a function of the lighting I used for the shots, a combination of diffused flash and normal room lighting. These shots were SOCC and not adjusted in any way. Also, my pen has one dark vein that runs down one side and that is the side I captured. The color is lighter in person but still very deep and rich.

 

I'll make some more shots tonight on a different part of the pen. I'll try to capture a bit more of brilliance. The shimmer and depth of celluloid is hard to capture. It's a fun challenge. Still, one has to see the pen in person to understand the beauty.

 

You're last sentence says it all. You're photos are great but it's just not the same as seeing it in person. I was very interested in this pen when Bryant first posted it here but lost interest due to cost. But, once I saw it at the Chicago Show that "I HAVE TO HAVE IT!" feeling came over me. The color is just amazing. I sold two of my MB146's that weekend to pay for this pen (silver trim for me) and I couldn't be happier. Great review, btw.

[offbase]

Everything Altec says, but I'll add that I got mine in the stub, and was lucky enough to have Mike M. add just a touch more line variation to it at the Chicago show. It has already become my primary everyday writer. Well done, Bryant!!!

[georges zaslavsky]

looks like a nice pen but is this pen only a limited edition for the american market item???

[jakelogan]

Beautiful aesthetically balanced pen. Thanks for the review!

[dannzeman]

looks like a nice pen but is this pen only a limited edition for the american market item???

 

Well, it was commissioned by Bryant, who lives in the states, but I'm sure if you wanted to buy it and lived in a different country that he'd sell it to you...if he has any left.

[Twoodi]

There is one coming Down Under and I'm sure it won't be alone in the country I can't wait for my stub and silver trim to arrive

[Alphabet]

Just received mine today. It is a stunning pen and the OM nib was tuned to my liking. Good review and photos. Thanks for making me take a second look at the pen before it disappeared!

[lterry]

One of my all time favorite pens. I ordered mine with a stub nib and it's nice and smooth and lays down a nice wet trail of ink. I can't find faults with this pen. A job very well done by Bryant - plus he is great to do business with.