My first Stipula is on its way! It is the Stipula Saturno from Giardino Italiano. This is a lovely deep-green ebonite flat-top with sterling silver trim and a crescent fill mechanism. I ordered the 1.1 stub. When I first saw this pen for sale, I just could not believe it: It fits my taste in pens so well that it is almost too good to be true. I guess we will see!

In the meanwhile, I have some questions for Saturno owners:

One thing I am wondering, is how is the ebonite on these pens? Is it prone to discolouration and does it require special treatment? I have black modern ebonite pens and vintrage HRs, and they are all very durable. However, I have no experience with Stipula or with coloured ebonite. Should I be more concerned about water and direct light with this pen than with black ebonites?

I am also curious about the filling mechanism. How easy is the crescent filler to operate and rinse out? I have no experience with these as of yet. Are they more complicated than levers? What are some things to keep in mind or watch out for when filling or cleaning?

Anything else you want to tell me about your pen, would be much appreciated! I am particularly interested in whether you use it on a regular basis.

Many thanks!
QM2

I just ordered the same pen with the same nib and am awaiting its arrval!

This is one of my 'grail' pens, I although I want it in the yellow 'mustardy' color that most people think is ugly. I like it.

I have a Chromo, which is it's kin (more or less the same basic design with a sleeve filler instead, and back ebonite with yellow end caps instead of the same color ebonite through the body), and it is very nicely made. There are a few QC issues with it, however, like a clip that extends from the body. It is in Italy right now getting the clip corrected and a new nib.

Mine was new old stock and I'm not sure what will be coming from Pens.it. It did exhibit some tarnishing from sitting for several years. It almost sounds as if they have been making them right until the end at the factory, so yours may benefit from any newer manufacturing processes that Stipula has learned over the years.

As far as the sleeve filler goes, I do have a Visconti Copernicus, and it works perfectly. You just have to remember to let the sac have time to fill completely, but other than that, I love the mechanism.

I plan to get a Saturno soon, and have wanted one for a long time, but one thing to look out for that I remember with the older models: the locking ring on a number of the older ones would turn freely so it would move in and out of the locked position. The one on the Copernicus is very tight, but it is made of either plastic or celluloid (the body is celluloid) whereas the Saturno's is metal.

I'm sure others will add their comments as well (people that actually own the pen!).

Enjoy it, as it is one of the most distinctive pens around. I hope to soon as well.

Neat, maybe we can compare notes. Sounds like we may be of the same profession as well.

QM2

I was scared off from buying a Cromo, after someone quite casually posted a picture of their horribly discoloured pen (the ebonite turned an uneven brown-green), which I believe was less than a year old. I tried to find out how this happened to his pen (ie did the person leave it in front of a window for a month straight? Or was he careful with it, yet it happenbed nonetheless?), but he did not seem to have an answer. So I decided to pass. But the pen is so beautiful, that I really wish I could be sure about its stability. I do pine for it when I see it offered for sale. Did yours have any problems with the ebonite?



Thanks Doug. Yes, mine is from the latest batch, so hopefully the glitches have been straightened out by now. I also asked Giardino Italiano to test the pen for me before shipping. I am not so much concerned with the sterling tarnishing, as I am about the uncharted territory of this particular ebonite and the crescent filler.

Oh and I agree with you that the olive version is quite nice as well!

QM2

I look forward to it!

I owned a Saturno with a 1.3 stub nib. A delightful, but not perfect, pen.

The deep green ebonite faded where exposed to light. My office desk is next to a window, and I have a halogen desk lamp. So, the cap and the part of the barrel not covered by the cap faded.

The locking ring is not tight, which was not a problem for me. Some have complained that it spins too easily, theoretically allowing the crescent to depress and empty ink. The ring was also prone to tarnish.

Some complained the clip was too tight. With a slightly different pinching technique (easier than trying to one-hand a Lamy Persona clip) with thumb and forefinger the clip opened and firmly grasped a shirt pocket.

My 1.3 was a paintbrush, and I mean that in the best sense of the word. It always wrote first time, putting down a smooth line right up to the point the pen went dry. The pen was well balanced in the hand with the cap on. And, of course, there was the delightful smell of ebonite.

It was a very good pen that sacrificed itself so that I could buy another. Enjoy.

gary

I bought mine from Airline International in El Paso. They had had it for several years, but it was a new pen (as far as I know-the clip being pulled away from the body concerned me a little as far as QC), but I'm guessing it was just sitting in its box for all that time. The ebonite actually looked perfect, both on the black and mottled portions. The only discolorization was with the two silver bands on the cap, and I couldnt seem to get it to look perfect.
We'll see that that looks when I get it back.

Thanks gary, good to have this information. I usually store my pens out of the light when not in use, but will be extra sure to never leave the Saturno on top of my desk at the office accidentally.



Very glad to know that the ebonite on the Cromo showed no fading when kept in the box.
Now, I still need to go look up what a sleeve filler is : )

Top one has sleeve filler, bottom one doesn't. I had two (as you can see), but I've only got the one with the sleeve filler at the moment.

Oh, and if I didn't love my Saturnos, I wouldn't have multiples. Only other things I have multiples of: I Castoni, Ventidue, Novecento, Etruria, Vedo, Suprema, Ipsilon, Dot Com.

Basically, as Deirdre's photo clearly shows, it is a sac that is encased in a metal 'sleeve'. There is another metal piece on the open side that you press to compress the sac, just like a lever or crescent filler would do.


One odd thing is that it doesnt just slip out of the body. You have to unscrew it from the body to get it to come out completely.


You can also use a converter or cartridge with them.

Wait, so is "sleeve filler" basically a fancy name for a built-in (or, in this case, removable) squeeze-converter?...

Pretty much.

Oh!... And here I was, imagining a complex secret compartment that opens up like a sleeve...
Can't say that I am a fan of manual-squeeze-type filling systems. I know that levers basically do the same thing, but somehow it seems different with a lever.

Lovely pen, no problems, one of my best writers....but I swopped it for an Aurora Primavera with Deb McKinney-modified c.i. nib ...prettier, but not nearly as nice to write with.

(I may get another!)

UPDATE: I received my pen this morning! Here is a quick report:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The pen is beautiful, yet looks surprisingly practical and understated despite the rich green.

The ebonite is "wow"... very ebonite-like! Nice rubbery smell; lovely softness to the texture.

When the cap posts it is a very soft, smooth feeling; very pleasant to post the cap -- swoosh.

The crescent filler is wicked easy to use: You twist the ring then press, then let go. Nothing to it.

The crescent functions smoothly and the ring is pretty tight on my pen, so all good there.

One of the thin sterling cap bands has a tiny bit of tarnishing, but I don't mind.
May try to get rid of it later, or maybe not.

Giardino Italiano is one classy retailer. They sent a beautiful inkwell "with compliments" as part of my order!
And they tested the pen like I asked; the nib was still moist when I received the pen.

Now, the nib... I need to think how to describe it, because this nib is different from
other pens I own. Is "pillowy" a word? It is soft and seems to have shock absorbers built into it.
A "buttery stub"...

That is all for now, and I am very please with this purchase!

QM2

My very sentiments QM 2. I bought a Saturno from Susanna about six months ago purely on spec.; I wanted a crescent filler and an ebonite pen, but I knew nothing about the Saturno. In a nutshell, it's one fantastic pen. I store all my pens in a dark pen case all the time, so the ebonite of the Saturno is pristine. The sterling silver furnishings has tarnished, but that's what silver does and it's very easy to clean. The nib, as you have observed, is something else; I have a medium and it's a truly great writer. The only negative observation I have is that the crescent-filler rattles, but that is not an issue for. The Saturno has been one of my best finds in pendom.

You guys are upsetting me. I've exhausted my funds for the next few months, so I won't be able to take advantage of the pens.it offer.

I guess I'll have to live vicariously through you for now......................

(they sound great).

I've gotten really addicted to that pillowy feeling.

And yes, Susanna's wonderful. I just wish the exchange rate were a bit more favorable so I could buy a lot more from her.

I find the nib on my Visconti Van Gogh Maxi has a similar feel, but all-in-all I favour the Saturno nib.

My Montblanc Fitzgerald (but not my other MBs) has a similar feel to the nib. The best way to describe it, is that there is a lack of that feeling of impact which usually happens when nibs hit paper. So it' not just a matter of being a smooth writer, but something additional. As I said, padding, or shock absorption is what comes to mind. Maybe there is a special tipping method or material they use on these nibs. Writing with this pen certainly is an interesting and unique experience, ebonite and crescent aside.

Dear QM2

May I ask how you find the width of the nib? Apologies if I am confusing you with someone else, but I think I've read elsewhere that you normally only use XF nibs.

I have only used fine nibs before but I'm interesting in trying a broad(er) italic nib, without wanting something so broad that my small to average sized handwriting becomes a splodgy mess.

The pen you've chosen is truly gorgeous and has a real 1920s or 1930s feel to it. Like the poster above, I'm now tempted by it too. From what I've seen, here and in other threads, you appear to have a very elegant collection.

Regards

~Callida

Thank you for the compliment. Yes, I am attracted to the classic 1920's-30's look in pens; usually flat-tops in subdued colours but often extravagant detailing and luxurious materials.

You are correct about my nib preferences: for normal writing, I use XF-XXF round nibs (my ideal size is .3mm or so), .4mm cursive italic nibs, and .5mm stub nibs.

My Stipula Saturno has a 1.1mm stub. My reasoning for getting this nib, was knowing that even the "XF" would likely be too broad for me , and like most pens I would have to send it out for regrinding before using it anyway. So I thought, I may as well get the stub and at least use it for calligraohy a bit before sending it out. However, I now find that this is not practical either, because the stub nib is too rounded. It writes extremely well, but the line is far, far too wide for daily writing, and not crisp enough for calligraphy. So I will play with it for a bit longer and then send it out for regrinding.

Thank you, that's very helpful. All the pens I have (not many) are round nibs in the 0.3 - 0.4 mm range, making it difficult to conceptualise just how much wider a 1.1 stub would really be. I was looking at pictures of line width on Richard Binder's website thinking the 1.1 looked huge, yet wondering whether it was deceptive if someone who normally uses very fine nibbed pens could happily switch to that size.

I'm still a bit tempted to give the 0.9 mm stub a go just to see what it's like, even though I suspect "too wide" will be the answer!

Why not give it a go, as you can have it re-ground if it's too wide.

Nibs aside..(realizing that is very hard to do)

I have two Saturno's....one that is total backup...the other is on it's way back from Richard...(can't wait). It was misfiring and a bit too dry for my taste.

The Pen itself is incredible.....great line, antique look, warm ebonite feel. It is the #1 pen in my significantly pared down collection. The Novecento is #2.

If I had to own only one pen...this is it...followed closely by my Parker 51. The only wish is that I would KNOW how much ink it was accepting....maybe a Visonti Inkpot would allieviate the pain associated with THAT issue.

Enjoy your Saturno!

Now that I thought I had settle my choice upon getting an Arco Milords you guys all get me thinking again about getting a Stipula again!

Pillowy now that get me thinking...

Yeah Baby...JFT;

The AM looks very nice...but I do have to say the Saturno is special...and from the looks of it...about to be extinct...at least in it's most recent form.

I'm not going to go on and on about this pen...but it really is special. Heck Deirdre has three of them!!! Two of which are the last of breed!

Do yourself the favor...If you don't like it I'll probably buy it from you...
Peter

These are "cold dead fingers" pens for me.

Goodness! Well when you all put it like that, how could I possibly not get this pen? One with a 0.9mm stub is on its way ...

Congrats!!! Wise choice.....let us know what you think.

Peter

Dear all

My Saturno arrived today. Two days from Italy to Australia - so fast it's almost ridiculous.

First impression was definitely "wow". It's really a very elegant pen. However, my initial pleasure has been somewhat tempered by a bit of a problem: the pen doesn't write. Rather a significant problem really, as far as I'm concerned!

At first I thought I hadn't filled it correctly, but I've since emptied and re-filled it several times and found the ink was definitely being taken up. Given that the problem seemed to be with the nib (?) I tried very, very carefully inserting then removing a thread between the tines. This temporarily got it started, but it's still not working at least 70% of the time. I find if I hold the nib on the paper with slight pressure this gets it started (I think because the ink starts to pool) but it only writes for about half a word before stopping again.

Can anyone suggest anything else I might try? Bear in mind that I'm a newcomer to FPs and not up to any amateur grinding (and really hoping the thread wasn't a completely stupid thing to do).

Or is a trip to a nibmeister the price I have to pay to own a classically beautiful Italian pen? Bit disappointing if it is, as it's no small thing from Australia where (to my knowledge) there aren't any local nibmeisters - I'll probably need to send it to the US.

On the bright side, I've discovered I really like the 0.9 italic nib and when it does write, it seems very smooth. If I can get the problem sorted out, I'm sure I'll love it. Did I mention that it's a very beautiful pen?

I have another smaller question too, for those who own it: if you post the cap, do you find it scratches the ebonite?

Thanks

~Callida

QM2: I hope you don't mind this hijack. I thought about starting a new thread but thought this was relevant to your original request for feedback from owners, particularly for others who may read the thread in future.

Callida, did you buy it from me? Are you the order no. 509....?
I tested the pen as you required, before shipping! And it wrote perfectly! I used green ink, and washed it after use; it's strange it doesn't write, now. Maybe there are air bubbles in the sac...
Try filling and emptying the pen 3 or 4 times, keeping it always immersed in the ink with all the nib length; that way the air should go.

not a hijack at all -- Everyone feel free to direct the dialogue any way you wish, in the context of the Stipula Saturno.




This sounds like an issue that is related to mine, but in your case, much worse. The nib on my pen has a distinct preference to be held on an angle as high as possible off the paper, almost perpendicular. If I hold it at an angle higher than 45degrees, it writes perfectly, but if I hold it low to the paper, it doesn't want to write. Unfortunately, this conflicts with the way I tend to hold pens, which is as low to the paper as possible.

Try raising the angle of the pen and see what happens?

For me, the angle issue will soon be dealt with, because I will send the pen to have the nib altered into a finer and sharper italic. As long as I'll be doing that anyway, the person who handles it will adjust flow as part of the process. But yes, having to send the pen from Australia just for flow adjustment is unfortunate (but not atypical). If you do send it off, I'd suggest Greg Minuskin, who has a shorter waiting period.



On my pen, it does not seem like this would be an issue, as the cap and the bottom of the barrel are both very smooth. When I post the cap, it is a very nice feeling and there seems to be no danger of damage.

Thanks very much QM2 and Susanna (particular thanks to Susanna for the "behind the scenes" assistance).

Well, here is my take on the Saturno. First, let me emphasize this is my opinion about how this pens works for ME.

It is an attractive well made pen with an excellent nib, mine is a simple medium. I have not had any difficulty with with filling system, locking ring or the nib. I do NOT like the clip. IMHO it is too tight and poorly functional. It is usable but for me requires the use of a fingernail to open the clip for insertion into the pocket. The pen is more narrow than my tastes usually run but is very usable. The ebonite is okay as far as ebonite goes but I prefer celluloid. IIRC I got mine about 4 or 5 years ago and paid only around 160-175 USD for it. Even with today's prices, I would not give more than 200 USD for one, but that is me.

Bottom line to me is that it is a well made pen that functions the way it was intended to function. If the aesthetics appeal to you and the pen is the appropriate size for you usage patterns then go for it.