Hi all,
here is Ottorino from Florence, Italy.

I eventually stumble upon this forum, while seeking for some informations
on repairing a Sheaffer piston filler.

All of you guys, did a REALLY good job!!!!!!!!!!!

My passion for fountain pens started back in the 60-70's when someone gave me a FP as a gift, that I regurarly used at school0

I think (I'm not sure at all) it was a Pelikan, black, with a transparent framed window, golden exposed nib, a screw piston filler.
I'm still looking for that. Any idea of what model could it have been?

At the university, in the 80's my mother gifted me a Sheaffer, one of those with inlaid nib. I think it was an Imperial.
I suddenly lost it, and I did all my courses with a brown Nononsense that came together with the major pen.
Sort of a punishment for the lost beloved one

One year ago I went to a bookshop, and there was a book that was looking for me. A book on calligraphy. Then I discovered the stub nib, and from there I started to buy pens on e-bay and seeking for old pens to repair in every place.

I really enjoy to repair them, most of all because if you broke something there are no spare parts to trust upon. So you have to think about it before.

Welcome to our community!

The pen you describe could have been almost any model of Pelikan, or possibly a Reform. Can you remember anything else about it?

Ray

Glad you found us! Welcome to what has to be the premier FP enthusiast website, IMHO. You'll find many FP repair experts here, and the rest of us are looking forward to your contributions (and I'm sure the gurus are too). See you around the boards.

Ciao, Ottorino!

Welcome. Do you practise Italian calligraphy and illumination?


Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

http://www.algonet.se/~claesg

Hi Ottolino and welcome to FPN!

If you are looking for the Pelikan pen that you had in the 60s-70s, you might want to check out this very handy website of Werner Ruettinger's:

Werner's Info-Page Pelikan-Pens (<--click link to go to website)

As for Sheaffer "No Nonsense" pens, I love 'em.... They are reliable writers, and solidly-built fountain pens....but I can see why you missed your Imperial.

Hello Nottolino and welcome to the fountain pen nuthouse I am sure that you will love it here and gain a lot of knowledge about pens, and maybe even attend a few pen shows. Welcome aboard and...

Happy Holidays!!

Hi Nottolino,
Welcome to the our FPNfreak house .Fiorentina is a nice place and your football team is very good too.

Take Care and Welcome again,
Emrecan

Wow!!!
That's the very first time I receive a so warm and nice welcome in a forum.
Thanks to you all.
Sorry if I did not answered promptly.

I will try to answer to some questions
>The pen you describe could have been almost any model of Pelikan, or possibly a
> Reform. Can you remember anything else about it?

I went to the site
http://www.ruettinger-web.de/e-pelikan-modell-epoch.html
and seek for that. I seems that it was not a Pelikan, after all. Even if it was very similar to the 400, except it was all black. The twisting final part of the barrel was almost identical to the 400, perhaps sligthly more conical

Uhmm....
For sure it had the final part not conical (like the P51) but a flatted end. here my english is not good enough for an exaustive description, but I will tri nevertheless.
It was not flatted like the Nononsense, it was sort of
__*__
/ \
| |*
|______ | <-twisting
| | <- barrel
| |

with a sharp edge here (*) and dome shaped here(+)

The framed widow had black vertical lines like that

| |
|______|
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
----------
| |
| |
#####################################
As for Claes and Italian calligraphy and Illumination.
I'm not oriented to calligraphy, even if my new labels for jams and preserved foods look wonderful.
I really like to grind my nibs and write with them.
Forgive my ignorance, but........what is Illumination?

##############
As for my contributions.
I repaired and tuned up the sheaffer piston filler (rotating nib and with inexistent packing unit) with a simple workaround with an used european cartridge.
I did this by myself (with a suggestion from Frank Dubiel book.....), while the rotating nib was fixed using a link found in this site.
I will surely share my experience if new (I doubt....), but could you please tell me which part of the forum is the most appropriate for this?

Ciao!

One way of defining Illumination ("Illuminazione") is
"Painting or drawing included in a book (especially in
illuminated medieval manuscripts)."

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

http://www.algonet.se/~claesg

Hi Claes,
I went to wikipedia to look for the meaning you are talking about.

So Illumination is related to those wonderful letters/paintings that I saw many times in medieval books.

I think that in standard non-jargon italian we use the words "Codici Miniati".

I also took a look at the italian wikipedia, and there is not such a similar meaning for that. "Illuminazione" is normally intended as something related to light bulbs and fluorescent lanterns, photography and the reaching of a spiritual goal.
There is an evident shift of meaning.

Thanks for the answer. I learned a little more on English

PS
No, unfortunately I'm not an "illuminator" (would that be the right word?)

I was struck by the similarity of the word "illumination" with "miniatura" (could have been a previuos "illuminatura").
It seems that miniatura comes from Latin "minium", the orange-coloured lead oxide used to prevent rust on iron.

Ciao!

"Illumination" - oh, it is the same meaning! - imagine
you have a handwritten, painted page of a bible. Here
and there you have small patches of highly polished
gold (polished to a mirror finish!). What will happen when
you turn those pages? The gold will catch the light and
sparkle brightly, i.e. the pages are illuminated.

Latin 'minium' is the red lead oxide which was used
for painting red initials. During the ages, another
poisonous pigment was used for red initials as well: vermilion,
a.k.a. zinnabar, zinnabro, cinnober (mercuric sulphide). Both
are very, very beautiful pigments.

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

http://www.algonet.se/~claesg

Hi Nottolino,

You can post your repair techniques here (click link) in the "Repair Q & A" (question and answer) part of the FPN boards.
Fellow FPNer "fountainbel" had an interesting thread on Sheaffer vac-filler repairs here:
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...?showtopic=4887

As for your mystery pen...Sorry, I don't know what type it was. Maybe a Senator, an Osmia, a Tropen, a Schlicht, a Hansa, a Hema, a Luxor or a Rubidor?

Some photos here, here and here

Welcome to the FPNmadhouse!

So you fix pens!

welcome ottorino! your city is the most beautiful i have ever had the pleasure of visiting.

Hi,

Welcome!!

Dillon

Welcome!

I would wish you "Merry Christmas" in Italian, but even that phrase has escaped my meager grasp of your beautiful language. Your English, on the other hand, is excellent. I particularly liked your phrase "a book that was looking for me." I often feel that way in bookstores, and these days there's always a new pen that's looking for me.

Since they have to be easier for you to get, do you have a favorite Italian pen maker?

Bear