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Varuna Vishal in the Bakul finish


chumpowie

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Shown is the Varuna pen in raw black ebonite, bought from http://www.allwritenow.net with the stub nib option. Very simple design, vaguely reminiscent of a Danitrio raw ebonite.

 

General Build:

 

This is a handcrafted pen and the evidence of handwork is apparent throughout. General quality is high. Appearance-wise, the pen is an understated handsome matte black with a touch of texture. The clip is clean and simple in silver tone metal. The size is mighty, around 15 cm capped but the weight is not a problem; less than my Sheaffer Sentinal. It's well balanced and a pleasure to hold.

 

I am not sure why but the number/ length of treads holding the cap to the barrel are longer than avereage. It takes a while to get the cap off. SPeaking as someone who used to have caps come off in his pocket, this is a boon. Others might not like it.

 

The Nib/ writing:

 

Iridium tipped steel with a little gold decoration. My expectations were not high for this nib. They should have been. I am a fan of italic/stub nibs. Ground by Richard Binder, John Mottishaw, Greg M> and even (with some success), little old me. This nib is buttery smooth, crisp without cutting the paper and an overall pleasure.

 

It was the nib that saved the pen from a dark fate. The pen is an eyedropper filler and when I filled it up just a little to test, it blobbed badly about every three lines. Again and again. I was going to figuratively toss it but the nib kept me coming back. Steve B., the seller, gave me some useful advice about the nature of ID pens and especially in Florida, the expansion is inevitable. What I did to fix the pen into one of my best writers was this:

 

Fill it all the way up (yes, I know, duh)

I had to tweak the nib/feeder relationship. Trial and error until the flow was better controlled.

Finally and what i THINK did the most good: lightly heating the feed/nib and making a more even fit between them.

 

In addition to a feeling of accomplishment, I got a great writing pen out of the effort.

 

I forgot to mention. The pen cost less than sales tax on an OMAS.

 

You might not have the issues I had but you'd be hard pressed to find a better pen for the $$

 

A scan of my poor writing shows the nice quality of line the pen produces.

 

David Morriss

 

 

 

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Looks a beautiful pen. I must confess eyedroppers scare me a bit, but the looks of this one are almost classic modern ( it reminds me of Edison pen designs at first glance). Thank you for the review.

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Just wanted to let you know that

we are now installing Cross screw in converters for these larger pens.

The Rajan and Vishal

Additional cost is only $8.00

Completely eliminates any 'blob' issues.

 

Thanks

 

Steve

 

 

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Looks a beautiful pen. I must confess eyedroppers scare me a bit, but the looks of this one are almost classic modern ( it reminds me of Edison pen designs at first glance). Thank you for the review.

 

I have a couple eyedropper pens... They require a little more attention (keep them full) but they hold a TON of ink.

 

Steve added a response that a converter is available so it could become a moot point.

 

Regards,

 

Dave

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  • 3 weeks later...
I have a couple eyedropper pens... They require a little more attention (keep them full) but they hold a TON of ink.

Why does it matter how much ink they hold, if you have to keep filling them anyway?

“As we leave the Moon at Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came, and God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.”Gene Cernan, 14 December 1972

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I have a couple eyedropper pens... They require a little more attention (keep them full) but they hold a TON of ink.

Why does it matter how much ink they hold, if you have to keep filling them anyway?

 

 

The issue is the airspace in the barrell. The more air, the more air pressure to force ink out when it't not convenient. Liquid doesn't expand as much as air when exposed to heat (body heat, sunlight, etc.)

 

 

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I have a couple eyedropper pens... They require a little more attention (keep them full) but they hold a TON of ink.

Why does it matter how much ink they hold, if you have to keep filling them anyway?

 

It is a fair question about ED pens. Their capacity is sometimes over-rated, as you have to keep them above 50% full.

 

On the other hand, 1/2 of 3.5 ml is still way more ink than you would ever get in a cartridge.

 

One solution is to add a modern feed, as from a Sheaffer NN or an IPG kit pen, which fits some Indian ED pens (not sure about this one, but there may be other modern feeds that would work).

 

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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The Varuna Pens all have modern multi-finned and 3-channel Ebonite feeds installed.

It isn't necessary to keep them nearly full or even half full.

They might have an issue when ink level reaches 1/4 full.

The Rajan and Vishal models hold nearly 4.5mls of ink.

 

Steve

 

 

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The Varuna Pens all have modern multi-finned and 3-channel Ebonite feeds installed.

It isn't necessary to keep them nearly full or even half full.

They might have an issue when ink level reaches 1/4 full.

The Rajan and Vishal models hold nearly 4.5mls of ink.

 

Steve

 

 

Hi There,

 

I got the same one from Steve 2 months ago. First of all it was an extremely pleasant buying experience with fast delivery in Europe.

I never had an ED before, and wanted to test it, and in this context why not do it with a beautiful pen.

I've bought over the years a +100 pens and this in all price classes.

I have to admit for a real nice price, you get a piece of handwork which is close to perfection, color and finish are fascinating.

Different Nibs were proposed, and as I wanted something at the broader side, Steve proposed me a nice goldplated steel nib. It is basically perfectly smooth and I can only praise Steve for his excellent advise.

About the ED, well you've got a pen with a giant ink content and that's nice. The negative side, at least in my opinion, is that it is a desk pen, on several occasion when I carried the pen, ink was to be found on the writing section all over. This is something I really cannot afford when wearing suits (or anything else by the way).

I had a few blurps when writing but have to admit that there were avoidable as you can see it arrive as the line is getting wetter and wetter.

All in all, the pen is extremely nice and a great writer and I really love the design. EDs are pens from the past with their charms, advantages and weaknesses, but I believe you have to take it all to appreciate it.

To conclude, if you never had an ED and you consider one at a nice price, go for it, I am looking to get my next one from Steve.

Cheers,

 

 

Daniel

 

 

 

My comments may seems extremely positive, but I am honest and charmed by the pen, so I have to clearly state that I have absolutely no affiliation with Steve, his product mix is just perfect to me.

Edited by Daniel7
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