Looking For Lanyard/guard Information

[Cepasaccus]

I would like to make a lanyard/guard like the old pieces. I have found good in the Waterman catalogs of 1918 and 1925 which have been linked here recently. From this the overall length (24 inch) and possible rings for connecting to the pen are clear to me. What I do not fully (or at all) understand is:

 

- Were there movable and unmovable "sliders"? In 1925 the slide is named slide and hence probable slides. In 1918 the slide could also be unmovable and hence was just some sort of clamp.

- What width and material has the ribbon? I seems there were different materials. In https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/41879-ringtops/?p=391765 one seems to be cotton grosgrain ribbon, the other some sort of velvet. In the Waterman catalogs it is called silk, but the woodcut images look rather coarse.

- How and where is the ribbon sewn?

- And the geratest of all misteries: How works a guard with two spring-rings and two slides?

 

I would greatly appreciate any photos or hands-on information! Thanks!

[pen2paper]

I do have a ringtop with its original black grosgrain ribbon and metal slide.

May take me a few days to take a look and describe.

Let's see if I can pull up an old photo of a Wahl rt.

[chiaroscuro]

I use loops made of black silk cord (Griffin brand, No. 12) for my vintage ringtop pens and pencils. Inexpensive and works well

[Cepasaccus]

pen2paper, that would really be great! Yours looks like the type I would like to make.

Edited August 21, 2014 by Cepasaccus

[Cepasaccus]

I played around a bit with the lanyard lengths. The lengths of vintage lanyards seem to be around 22 - 24 inch folded. I am a man and not small, but a length in this range means that the pen haengs between my legs, when I sit down and it swings quite a bit. But it seems that a lanyard was used that way as I found three photos where women wore ribbons hanging down which where probably lanyards.

 

http://www.americanyawp.com/text/wp-content/uploads/3c02300v.jpg

http://www.shorpy.com/node/5120

http://www.shorpy.com/node/5819

 

Cepasaccus

[Vintagepens]

You could hang the pen from your watch chain, leaving your pocket watch in one side of your vest, and your pen on the other. Of course, this doesn't work so well if you don't usually wear a vest and a pocket watch . . . .

[Cepasaccus]

I don't have a vest and my favorite ring top are also to long (12.5-13cm) for a vest. (A 452 1/2V is 9.5cm long)

[Cepasaccus]

pen2paper, did you have by chance some time to look at your lanyard? (Or anybody else?)

[inkstainedruth]

I made a lanyard for my Morrison gf overlay ringtop out of black silk needlepoint thread that -- I tried several types of silk thread and yarn, and that turned out to be the best weight (and relatively inexpensive. I just did a piece of lucet cording that was about three feet long and tied it in a loop after threading it through an extra jump ring attached to a lobster claw clasp I picked up in a beading supply shop.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Cepasaccus]

It is not that I don't know how to make something to hang a pen around my neck. I have attached photos of a prototype with what I found out about old lanyards and what I think is practical for me. El cheapo plastic ribbon, small silver slide, watch carbine and for decoration a thrupence piece. This works, but I have found an old silk ribbon and would like to know more about the real old stuff.

[pen2paper]

The grosgrain in your photo above looks correct.

Richard Binder has a photo on his site under sautoir (lanyard) that looks like my Wahl photo above and your prototype.

[Cepasaccus]

I have seen his sautoire photos, but they are rather small and they are copies which might be like the originals or not.

[BamaPen]

I have a Moore's Midget safety pen which had a nice lanyard attached when I bought it. I can't say that the lanyard is original, but it certainly looks authentic. The lanyard is grosgrain ribbon about 5/16" wide and 24" long folded. The "slide" is simply folded around the ribbon, so could easily stay put in one location, but can slide somewhat on the ribbon- this seems to depend mainly on how tightly it is folded. The front of the "slide" features the seal of The Ohio State University, so if someone knows when that seal was adopted it might help in dating the slide and lanyard.

 

The ribbon is sewn right at the clasp. Both ends are doubled under, with one passing thru the loop of the clasp. They are not sewn across the ribbon, but rather by two loops of thread, one on each side. I can't seem to get this to show in my poor cell phone picture, and it is difficult even to see with a loupe.

 

I'm attaching two pictures. One shows the pen and lanyard and the clasp and slide can be seen. The other is a detail of the clasp itself.

 

Hope this helps. If you need more info/pictures, just ask and I'll try.

 

John

 

[Cepasaccus]

Great. Thanks! Interesting clasp. From your description I assume it is like in my drawing? (yellow clasp, blue sewing, black ribbon)

Edited October 22, 2014 by Cepasaccus

[BamaPen]

Great. Thanks! Interesting clasp. From your description I assume it is like in my drawing? (yellow clasp, blue sewing, black ribbon)

You got it exactly right! I was worried about my verbal description, but no more...

 

John

[sidthecat]

It's perhaps less exquisite than silk grosgrain, but I like the functionality of the modern breakaway lanyard with the little cord loops. It makes the pen easier to use, and you can always hang your ID from it if you work for that sort of company.

[Cepasaccus]

Here it is my Waterman's lanyard.

Length of the folded ribbon only: 57.7cm
Total length including spring ring: 59.0cm
Width of ribbon: 8mm

The ribbon is twisted once, just like modern lanyards. Because of this, the slider can't be removed.
The slider is rather easily movable, but so light, that it does not move due to gravity.
The end of the ribbon is sawn together near the ring. I have made a drawing in the second photo. Green is the ribbon with front at the bottom. With pink and red is the area marked, where all is sewn together. Maybe the upper layer is also tucked in. It would make sense, but I cannot really see it. I also can't see any stitches, at the end of the upper layer.

Cepasaccus

 

[DanDeM]

[Cepasaccus]

[fountainpenlady]