As this looks like a sales pitch, I feel that I should state that I have no connection whatsoever with Manuscript pens or D. Leonardt & Co. - I just think that the pens are good value and would like to recommend them to anyone who would like to try their hand at italic writing at minimal expense. http://www.calligraphy.co.uk
Besides writing well, they look good - which is a bit of a bonus!
caliken

Nice. Thanks for passing this along.

Thanks for your thoughts on the Manuscript pens, Caliken, and the writing sample, which is as beautiful as always. Here's a question about the Manuscript pens: do you find them at all prone to leaking? They look very much like the old Osmiroids to me; I cut my italic teeth on an Osmiroid fine & extra fine (with coaching from Fairbank's Handwriting Manual) and I've always liked the crisp clarity of the lines that they lay down. I still use the Osmiroids a fair bit, but they've always leaked all over my hands, so much so that I finally plugged up the "cartridge-end" of the nib with putty and used them as dip pens only. Would I be likely to be driven to the same measures with a Manuscript pen? If not, I think that I'd buy one of those deluxe sets in a moment.

I just ordered some of these, I'm looking forward to them!

I have a question though, are these "tipped" like fountain pens or bare/plated steel more like dip pens?

Italicist, my daughter has been using two for almost a year--- no leaks.

kiolden, the nibs, while gold-toned are "just" steel afaict.

William

Italicist :
Like William, I have had no trouble with leaking Manuscript pens - unlike my Osmiroids.
caliken

Two reports of multiple Manuscript pens that suffer no incontinence is encouraging, indeed! Thanks, Caliken & WillAdams.

-Christopher

I have one calligraphy fountain pen by Manuscript and I do not like it at all: It has outrageous starting problems. When I try to write with it, it is always scratchy. It uses international cartridges, but it do not take normal international converter, only that slide converter that came with that pen. Piston of that converter leaks a little bit. If I want to write with calligraphy pens, I use some Rotring ArtPen.

I'm going to stick in an oar in favour of the Manuscript as well-- the one I've got works at least as well as my 1980s Osmiroid did new, and (here's the central feature) cost a great deal less than a Rotring. Perhaps they send to bum ones to Finland to give the folks there YET ANOTHER thing to be depressed about.

That's not meant as a dig, by the way. A nation that far north gets nothing but sympathy from me.

Caliken - I picked up a Deluxe set today, just to humour you. I was waiting until I saw one of the blue mottled ones (at the top in your picture), as I didn't quite like the other finishes. If it doesn't come up to scratch, you will forfeit your commission.

Col : Unlike juhtolv, 'scratch' is not a word I would use in relation to Manuscript nibs!
I have several nib units and they are all as smooth as butter. To be fair, I may have been lucky, but I think that my 'commission' is safe!

caliken

Ernst :
I bought my first Osmiroids in the 1950's and took them with me when I was conscripted into the army in 1960. I used them throughout my national service as a means of extra income - seating plans, name cards, menus etc. - and continued using them with up-to-date model replacements for many years. The only faults I could find with them, was the tendency for the caps to split, and leaking quite frequently, which was a real pain. However, they wrote very well and I'd still be using them today if they hadn't gone out of business. That's not strictly true - the range of nib widths is much greater than Manuscript, so I still dig them out for the occasional job. However, I think that Manuscript make a superior product. They feel stronger in construction than Osmiroid and, in the few years I've been using them, I have never once had a leak ( if you'll excuse the expression!)
I like Rotring Artpens and have the full set of six italic nib sizes. However, as you say, they are more expensive and I find them a little dry - to the extent that my hand gets tired more quickly. If you have to apply any excess pressure at all, the quality of writing inevitably suffers.

Keep writing !

caliken

Mine arrived today. I have the plain black "Deluxe" sort with the gold colored nibs. I couldn't find any place that had the nifty marbled ones in stock. They look good but I'm not crazy about the bulky plastic clips. They write very nicely as far as I can tell. The feed on the fine nib is a bit off center and I wonder if that's not connected to the starting problem I had with it, but now everything seems smooth. Maybe I should mention that I don't own any real fountain pens (I just ordered a couple inexpensive ones though ) and I haven't used other cartridge calligraphy pens, so I didn't really have any expectations. Regardless, I'm very pleased.

Kiolden, keep an eye out for the Manuscript Italic pen --- it has a less bulky gold-toned metal clip.

William

Hmm.. I'm having writing problems still. The fine nib is the only one with this problem. All of a sudden, while writing, it runs dry. The only way to get it to write again is forcibly shaking the pen so that a bit of ink squirts out the nib. Then it will write for a while, before requiring the whole process again. It is as if the ink isn't flowing naturally from the cartridge at all...

Any suggestions on how to fix this?

The fine nib is likely more sensitive to the presence of manufacturing oils / residue --- I'd pull the cartridge, put in a converter and run some soapy water through it. If that doesn't work you may have to ``floss'' the nib (w/ a bit of fine wire or thin plastic acetate) or you may have a defective nib, but I think it will work w/ just cleaning.

William

I went today to Paradise Pens in Dallas with my Manuscript pen. I bought a Waterman ink coverter, and it fits well.

My purchase of a set of these Inexpensive pens is what started me on the path that lead me into the FP obsession. Perhaps I shouldn't praise them after all.

I found them fun and a terrific value. My son and I have had hours of fun with them.

I bought my first set at Michael's Crafts, but bought more pens, inks, and accessories at RexArt online.

Those are gorgeous writing examples! None of mine looked like that.