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Ratnam Pens


s_t_e_v_e

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Hi!

 

Here are a few Indian ebonite hand made pens. All eyedroppers. The brown one has a hooded nib. The green one is of the size of a Pelikan M800 or maybe a M1000.

The first pic has a waterman Hemisphere for size reference.

 

http://i23.tinypic.com/i282o0.jpg

http://i23.tinypic.com/mkevy0.jpg

 

Regards,

Steve.

Edited by s_t_e_v_e
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Hi!

 

Here are a few Indian ebonite hand made pens. All eyedroppers. The brown one has a hooded nib. The green one is of the size of a Pelikan M800 or maybe a M1000.

The first pic has a waterman Hemisphere for size reference.

 

http://i23.tinypic.com/i282o0.jpg

http://i23.tinypic.com/mkevy0.jpg

 

Regards,

Steve.

 

 

Steve,

 

Just doing some research on the internet, I learnt that Ratnam Pens have a rich history. Where did you buy these pens in Bombay and how much did they cost in Indian Rupees?

 

Thanks

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Steve,

 

Just doing some research on the internet, I learnt that Ratnam Pens have a rich history. Where did you buy these pens in Bombay and how much did they cost in Indian Rupees?

 

Thanks

 

Hi,

 

I ordered these pens straight from the manufacturer. That's the only way to get them. You can order for steel nibs (not made by Ratnam) or for a 14k gold nib which are hand crafted by Ratnam. The green one in the pic is the 302 model, the black one is the 32 and the brown one is the 21.

Here's their price list:

http://i20.tinypic.com/b8tkx1.jpg

 

All the best!

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That works out to about US $45 for the 32 with a gold nib and US $38 for the 21. I wonder if they ship overseas.

 

John

Edited by Johnny Appleseed

So if you have a lot of ink,

You should get a Yink, I think.

 

- Dr Suess

 

Always looking for pens by Baird-North, Charles Ingersoll, and nibs marked "CHI"

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No! No! No! I have been doing so well, not buying pens willy nilly, not really buying any at all for a while. Then the Dallas Pen Show, and I bought a few, just a few. Now I find out about these ebonite pens with gold nibs for $32. :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: I almost hope they don't ship to the US, or at least not to my address in Texas.

Donnie

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

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Some more pics to make it more tempting :thumbup: !

 

The 302:

http://i21.tinypic.com/24oogpd.jpg

 

The 21 below has a smooth XF nib! I dont like XF though.....

http://i23.tinypic.com/11b2grp.jpg

 

The 32:

http://i24.tinypic.com/jutwso.jpg

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Steve,

 

Thanks for providing all the pics & info about these pens. I am curious - how would you rate these pens as compared to a Western 14k nibbed pen? How do you think the quality compares to a middle or high level Western name brand pen? (By Western, I mean pens made in Western countries)

Edited by sharkfin
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Steve,

Does the 21 come in any other size nib....

Also what is the filling system

Also can you post a link to the company website so we can see if we can order here in the US...

 

Thanks

Edited by OldGriz
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Steve,

 

Thanks for providing all the pics & info about these pens. I am curious - how would you rate these pens as compared to a Western 14k nibbed pen? How do you think the quality compares to a middle or high level Western name brand pen? (By Western, I mean pens made in Western countries)

 

Hi sharkfin,

 

What I have are all steel nibs. So I can't comment on the gold ones. The steel nibs are ok and come only in fine (the 21 puts lines of width equivalent to those put by a Japanese fine). However, the 14k gold nibs are made in-house as per your request but I don't think they make stubs. These gold nibs are quite famous among pen aficionados in India. In their catalogue the gold nibs look good. I guess they would be good to write with too.

 

Steve.

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Steve,

Does the 21 come in any other size nib....

Also what is the filling system

Also can you post a link to the company website so we can see if we can order here in the US...

 

Thanks

 

 

Hi OldGriz,

 

All pens are eyedrop fillers (so huge capacity :thumbup: ). The company is not on the net. I can give you their phone no and the contact person's name so that you can ask them directly as to what all they have and the shipping info too.

 

Regards,

Steve

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Hey I am in India!

 

How to get in touch with them?

 

Hi,

 

Their contact no is 91 0883 2498782 and the contact person is Mr. Ramanamurthy (pronounced as Ram-ana-moorty).

Their address is

Ratnam Pen Works,

10-7-18, Fort Gate,

Rajahmundry - 533101

Andhra Pradesh, India.

 

Regards,

Steve.

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Hey I am in India!

 

How to get in touch with them?

 

Hi,

 

Their contact no is 91 0883 2498782 and the contact person is Mr. Ramanamurthy (pronounced as Ram-ana-moorty).

Their address is

Ratnam Pen Works,

10-7-18, Fort Gate,

Rajahmundry - 533101

Andhra Pradesh, India.

 

Regards,

Steve.

 

Thanks Steve, but calling India is not cost effective from the US for me...

Do they by chance have an email address....

Or would you see what shipping would be and purchase a pen and ship to me....

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Hey I am in India!

 

How to get in touch with them?

 

Hi,

 

Their contact no is 91 0883 2498782 and the contact person is Mr. Ramanamurthy (pronounced as Ram-ana-moorty).

Their address is

Ratnam Pen Works,

10-7-18, Fort Gate,

Rajahmundry - 533101

Andhra Pradesh, India.

 

Regards,

Steve.

 

Noted.

 

Thanks S t e v e !

 

 

BTW I am from India, :D and I know the problem that Indian names are for ppl from abroad.

 

 

PS: How are the Wality/Airmail and Guider FPs?

Compared to Ratnam ... ?

 

 

 

Oh BTW, M.K. Gandhi was supposed to use this fountain pen ...

Edited by alpha1
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Hey I am in India!

 

How to get in touch with them?

 

Hi,

 

Their contact no is 91 0883 2498782 and the contact person is Mr. Ramanamurthy (pronounced as Ram-ana-moorty).

Their address is

Ratnam Pen Works,

10-7-18, Fort Gate,

Rajahmundry - 533101

Andhra Pradesh, India.

 

Regards,

Steve.

 

I will write them for a catalog and shipping info and share the results when I get them (though if anyone on FPN from India were to put together an order and ship it to us all - then count me in!)

 

Here is a thread on ebonite pens by Brahmin, which may be found on ebay sold by the seller Maplume. I have two of these, and I am very pleased, though I did stub one of the nibs and replaced another with a 1930s Waterman semi-flex nib. Be sure to follow the link Antonios includes to a huge double-ended version he has.

Brahman Ebonite, A Surprising Find

 

The Guider Pen Company is another company that makes ebonite pens in India. Guider Pen Company I have not seen any of their pens.

 

John

So if you have a lot of ink,

You should get a Yink, I think.

 

- Dr Suess

 

Always looking for pens by Baird-North, Charles Ingersoll, and nibs marked "CHI"

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If they are shipping/selling anything to the US in the near future, I'd be interested as well (provided it doesn't become overly expensive with shipping and all). I like that medium-sized all-black hard rubber pen with the gold trim.

 

 

 

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Hey I am in India!

 

How to get in touch with them?

 

Hi,

 

Their contact no is 91 0883 2498782 and the contact person is Mr. Ramanamurthy (pronounced as Ram-ana-moorty).

Their address is

Ratnam Pen Works,

10-7-18, Fort Gate,

Rajahmundry - 533101

Andhra Pradesh, India.

 

Regards,

Steve.

 

Thanks Steve, but calling India is not cost effective from the US for me...

Do they by chance have an email address....

Or would you see what shipping would be and purchase a pen and ship to me....

 

 

Hi Tom,

 

They can be contacted only by phone or by post. They haven't provided any e-mail id in any of their correspondence with me.

Regarding me shipping the pen to you guys in US, I can do that. But I would be moving to the US to do my graduation in fall 2008 i.e. August 2008. So I could get the ones you want and ship it locally from the US!!!

How do you want me to do it???

 

 

If someone else also wants these pens, let me know, so that I can get them with me when I come to the US.

 

Regards,

Steve.

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Fascinating. I like what I'm seeing. I also am a fan of eyedroppers so this is looking real good.

 

Some research turned up the fact that Gandhi was more than casually involved in the founding of this pen company:

 

 

Hyderabad: When entrepreneur M V Ratnam met Mahatma Gandhi at a public meeting in Vijaywada in 1922, Gandhi asked him to make something that would be of use to the people.

Once Ratnam came to know that Gandhi on principle did not write with foreign-made pens, he decided to manufacture swadeshi pens.

It took almost a decade for the first Indian pen to take shape, but it was worth the wait for the compliment came from the Mahatma himself.

Says, K V Proprietor, Ratnam & Sons, Ramana Murthy, "In 1933 when Mahatma Gandhi was given a pen he rejected it because it was a foreign one. Then in 1934 when Sri Kumarappa of All India Industries Association visited our unit and closely examined the manufacturing and took one for Gandhiji. The Mahatma surprised us by writing to us after using the pen for a while."

From then on, Ratnam pens became popular with a number of leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru.

Today the company boasts of users of all ages and from all walks of life, from fourth graders to working professionals to bureaucrats. They say once you hold a Ratnam pen, you'll never hold anything else.

Says Turab Hussain, who uses Ratnam Pens, "I have been using this pen for last 50 years. They are world quality pens and are equal to any imported pen. They can compete easily with Parker or Sheaffer pens."

M V Ratnam who was fondly called Pennula Tathayya (the grandfather of pens) designed ebonite, silver, gold and even diamond studded pens.

Unfortunately, Gen-X knows little about the very special history of Ratnam pens that will soon be celebrating its 75th year.

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