Hi

I am relatively new to the Fountain Pen Network and this is my first posting. I have always loved fountain pens and got bitten by the bug several months ago while looking for models I used in my youth! Anyway, I saw what looked like an interesting pen on E-Bay (where else?) and obtained it. It was listed as "This is a vintage English-made Hughes fountain pen in chased hard black rubber. It features a steel clip that reads, “Try Hughes’ Pleasure Pen” and has a gold-plated George Hughes nib that looks like a medium or fine italic. It’s a twist filler that needs some TLC. Crisp chasing. Odd brand! Measures 5 1/8” capped, 6” posted." I do know whether this is correct - the clip is removable and so could have the name of an old pen shop or something on it, and the nib is marked "Geo W H...." and "AJU...." and "No. ...." (the lettering on each line disappears under the front lip of tye section). Now for what intrigues me - the feed is unlike anything I have seen before - a curved, tapered tube ending under the slit of the nib. I have included photos that do my best to show this (at least, I hope I have - as I said, this is my first post!).
Finally, on the rear end of the pen is a knurled piece that tightens when rotated clockwise, but just rotates when rotated anti-clockwise. I assume it could be a sac filling mechanism of the type that twists the sac, but am not sure. In my few months in the hobby, I have stripped down quite a few pens and repaired a lesser number. I am, however, wary of attempting to strip this one down until I know more. Does anyone have any information on it?
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Osmaroid

Hi Os,

The pen is a model that I have seen under several brand names, the one that I have seen more of than any other is 'The Victoria', I think you will find that it has no sac and is in fact an eyedropper but has an ink valve that allows the ink flow to be shut off for carrying and/or adjusted for flow in use. It is often a problem to get them apart as the material of which they are made seems to have a tendency to deform and can become brittle.

There is another very similar pen that is a plunger filler in the same vein as the Onoto, this is a little thicker than the Victoria.

They are not a pen I have had much to do with as they fall outside my usual interests but funnily enough I saw another at the Midland Show over the weekend.

Cheers, John

I have seen Manos pens and a few other pens from Austria that have a similar feed. It is a piston filler, but as far as I can tell it does not work by capillary action - you have to actually turn the piston to deposit a drop of ink into the feed and then do it again when that drop gets used up. A step above dipping, but not much.

John

Thanks for the replies. You have got me looking at it further. This type of pen is not my main interest either, but I am fascinated by unusual pen mechanisms. I also have a (much newer than this pen) Speedball wherein ink is loaded almost as in any lever fill fountain pen but it is then fed, by pressing a button on the section, to the small resevoir on a dip-pen nib, the resevoir being replenished in this manner whenever needed. I did not think that the current pen would be a "turn to replenish the nib" type of design as the nib is more like a plain dip pen nib with no resevoir. However, on carefully turning the knob on the rear of the barrel, it turns counter-clockwise for several turns and then stops - it does seem that this may be a piston filler!

I just now tried filling it with water and, miracle of miracles, it is a piston filler and it works (as far as filling goes). However, the ink will not flow down the slit of the nib to paper, whether I fill it with ink or not - I will try flossing etc. and then, if I can get flow, see if I have to keep replenishing the nib. Any suggestions will be gladly received.

Tim

It seems to be an interesting pen, as you've said. I can tell you the nib is a GEO W HUGHES from England. Standard 'relief' stub that was the most popular style pen in England as well as being popular in the US.