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New Armando Simoni Club Brown Arco (Banded Armadillo Version)


jmccarty3

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So curiosity got the best of me, and I just went to test out the fill volume of two different pens. I tested with water. Each pen was fully evacuated and in the same state.

 

Pen 1 pen feels very precise, as if it's really compressing the sac inside with pressure. It's fit is solid. Pen 2 feels looser, as if it is not compressing the sack as much. And the small sound it makes when I pull my finger off the hole is not as loud.

 

But they both appear to fill the same volume. The more precise pen "might" be very very slightly more, but I'm eyeballing this and it's not significant at all. So they are the same in terms of volumetric draw.

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My ASC bronze Arco fills just fine, and I have had no problems with it. It's a beautiful pen, and has no defects. The nib is too wet for me, though, and I have been told by several nibmeisters at the DC show that there is no way to regulate it, so I'm considering selling it. If I decide to, I'll list it in the appropriate forum.

I love Wet nibs! Let me know if you decide to sell. I also have pens to trade and cash to throw in.

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The nib is too wet for me, though, and I have been told by several nibmeisters at the DC show that there is no way to regulate it, so I'm considering selling it.

 

Have you met the guy running ASC? They were supposed to be at the DC show. Any feedback?

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What inks have you all tried? I've used Montblanc inks exclusively in these pens.

 

Montblanc and Pelikan only.

 

So curiosity got the best of me, and I just went to test out the fill volume of two different pens. I tested with water. Each pen was fully evacuated and in the same state.

 

Pen 1 pen feels very precise, as if it's really compressing the sac inside with pressure. It's fit is solid. Pen 2 feels looser, as if it is not compressing the sack as much. And the small sound it makes when I pull my finger off the hole is not as loud.

 

But they both appear to fill the same volume. The more precise pen "might" be very very slightly more, but I'm eyeballing this and it's not significant at all. So they are the same in terms of volumetric draw.

 

I also had doubt in the filling mechanism when I received mine. I had a feeling that its only 70% filled everytime I refill it, so I did some test and measurement.

 

To my surprise, the ink capacity is something around 1 to 1.2 ml only despite the big size of the pen. Maybe my expectation of ink capacity is too high for this pen, but i was expecting 1.5 to 1.7 ml.

 

 

 

The nib - Typical gold nib, not that flex as it marketing, no skipping and soft, VERY wet writer.....I dont know....nothing special to me....

 

The ink capacity - Not much for its size, but enough for general usage i think.

 

The filling system - um.......I dont like it at all.....

 

The arco - Stunning, the reason for my purchase, it do lineup, but not perfectly, maybe off a bit....

 

Overall QC - Acceptable.....

 

Customer Service - Bad......Even my dealer who sold 30+ this pen had difficulty contacting ASC.............

 

As you can tell, I dont have great passion about this pen. ASC once had the opportunity to produce a wonderful product, but they just did a okay job.

 

The celluloid from OMAS is Excellent, all other things from ASC are......acceptable, they are not bad.....but also not great. I dont see myself buying from ASC in any foreseeable future.

Visconti Homo Sapiens London Fog 2016 Limited Edition 888 - M -> EF -> B

 

Armando Simoni Club Bologna Extra Arco Brown - MagicFlex

 

Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 - F, BB, OBB

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Have you met the guy running ASC? They were supposed to be at the DC show. Any feedback?

 

No, I didn't meet Manu, but did have a visit with Syd, who uses the same nibs in his Decoband pens. The nib apparently is what it is. I might try a really dry ink in it, like Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black, but I was told that wouldn't help either.

Rationalizing pen and ink purchases since 1967.

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No, I didn't meet Manu, but did have a visit with Syd, who uses the same nibs in his Decoband pens. The nib apparently is what it is. I might try a really dry ink in it, like Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black, but I was told that wouldn't help either.

How odd. My Bologna is loaded with Waterman serenity blue right now (reasonably wet ink), and it certainly is not a very wet writer. It is less wet than my other Bock #8 nibs, and is a very pleasant (but boring) nib to write with. Therefore, I suspect yours could be adjusted. I've not had good luck with making pens drier, but MikeM took my river of an Omas and made it just about perfect.

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How odd. My Bologna is loaded with Waterman serenity blue right now (reasonably wet ink), and it certainly is not a very wet writer. It is less wet than my other Bock #8 nibs, and is a very pleasant (but boring) nib to write with. Therefore, I suspect yours could be adjusted. I've not had good luck with making pens drier, but MikeM took my river of an Omas and made it just about perfect.

 

I use Waterman Serenity Blue to test all my new pens and the ASC is probably my wettest writer (~70 pens). A few others come close (e.g., Pelikan M1000) but the line put down by the ASC is clearly the deepest/darkest.

I have a few inks that are really dry, so I'm fine having a super wet pen, but those inks are typically harder to clean. This is where ASC's filling system really falls flat for me.

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I use Waterman Serenity Blue to test all my new pens and the ASC is probably my wettest writer (~70 pens). A few others come close (e.g., Pelikan M1000) but the line put down by the ASC is clearly the deepest/darkest.

I have a few inks that are really dry, so I'm fine having a super wet pen, but those inks are typically harder to clean. This is where ASC's filling system really falls flat for me.

I am fussy about flow, because I like to see fine lines and shading. My Bologna is no wetter than a KOP (M), Pilot CH92 (stub), Conid (M italic), or any number of other pens. It is a bit wetter than an XF steel Bock in an Indian eyedropper, but it should be. I am confident that the Bologna is just not an abnormally wet writer. At least, mine isn't, and that tells us something. It tells us that this pen and nib system can be made to have just about perfect flow. From the comments here, I suspect we are seeing variation in how they are put together. If ASC were a normal company you could contact them and have someone there tell you how to improve the flow. Sadly, that is not possible.

 

One thing to check. This pen has a feed that is supposed to move with the tines - to allow a high degree of flexing. That level of flexing would just bend the ASC nib, but the two-part feed is there anyway. I wonder if it has come away from the nib a bit. In my experience, that leads to very wet writing.

 

If you like your Bologna, it is probably worth sending to MikeM with instructions to reduce the flow. I wouldn't give up without trying that,

 

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Re: Quality Control - There is a relevant post which was just made by sub_bluesy up above in the "Fountain & Dip Pens - First Stop" section.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/337636-armando-simoni-club-arco-verde-speciale/?do=findComment&comment=4095879

 

Next, we will look forward to his report on post sales customer service. Hopefully all will go well.

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The super wet nib is less of an issue for me than the filling system. I have a few really dry inks that I otherwise enjoy so I plan on using the ASC with those. I am much more interested in finding someone to replace the filling system with a piston or c/c or any other filling system thats easier to clean.

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The super wet nib is less of an issue for me than the filling system. I have a few really dry inks that I otherwise enjoy so I plan on using the ASC with those. I am much more interested in finding someone to replace the filling system with a piston or c/c or any other filling system thats easier to clean.

I agree. Ink sacs are harder to clean and replace comparing to converters. And some ink may have reactions with the sac.

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I had a CS Nelson II which had an awful "captured converter" problem.

(Maybe I should have left it with "awful captured converter," I hate them!)

 

Anyway, after a former US based authorized CS repair person declared my pen dead, I got it to an independent repair person who performed a miracle on it. He got out all the vestiges of the internal filling system and reconfigured the section such that the pen could be used with a simple ink converter or cartridge. Simply amazing. I'm not sure if the same could work with the ASC internal system but it is worth considering if you are unhappy with the status quo.

Edited by Seney724
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And some ink may have reactions with the sac.

 

I've seen people recommend to avoid alkaline inks in sac fillers like this, specifically including popular Japanese choices like Iroshizuku and Sailor. What is the groups opinion or experience here?

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I've seen people recommend to avoid alkaline inks in sac fillers like this, specifically including popular Japanese choices like Iroshizuku and Sailor. What is the groups opinion or experience here?

Ive had sacs on Sheaffer snorkels and diaphragms on Parker 51s go gooey when used with some saturated inks, not Iroshizuku or Sailor though. Whether there was some reaction perhaps with remnants of the previous ink in the pens I cant be totally sure, although I do flush as well as I can.

 

What I am interested in, if there are issues with the sac on the ASC Brown Arco, are they easy to change yourself?

Edited by adyf
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Ive had sacs on Sheaffer snorkels and diaphragms on Parker 51s go gooey when used with some saturated inks, not Iroshizuku or Sailor though. Whether there was some reaction perhaps with remnants of the previous ink in the pens I cant be totally sure, although I do flush as well as I can.

 

What I am interested in, if there are issues with the sac on the ASC Brown Arco, are they easy to change yourself?

It looks to be the same as others, easy disassembly.

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What I am interested in, if there are issues with the sac on the ASC Brown Arco, are they easy to change yourself?

The nib and feed fit inside a holder. The holder screws into the section. If you grasp the nib and feed, and then rotate them anti-clockwise, the holder should turn anti-clockwise as well. When the holder is taken out of the section, the sac comes out as well, because it is attached to the holder. Edited by Blorgy
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What I am interested in, if there are issues with the sac on the ASC Brown Arco, are they easy to change yourself?

 

The sac would be very easy to replace.  This video from sbrebrown on YouTube shows the sac pulled out of the pen starting at 4:41.

 

https://youtu.be/yGadqIHLAjg?t=4m41s

 

Edited by luxseeker
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I would really like to feel comfortable using the Pilot and Sailor inks in these pens. I simply dread the idea of having an unplanned problem while I am traveling.

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The sac would be very easy to replace. This video from sbrebrown on YouTube shows the sac pulled out of the pen starting at 4:41.

 

https://youtu.be/yGadqIHLAjg?t=4m41s

 

In Stephens video, he pressed the plunger and said: That creates a vacuum.

Instead, he should have said: That creates positive pressure.

The sac is compressed by raising the pressure of air outside the sac.

Edited by Blorgy
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  • 4 months later...

Thank you for sharing your experience with ASC pens. I have an ASC Bologna Extra Wild Side. Celluloid is beautiful, no doubt. Nib is very wet, perhaps too wet to have meaningful difference when flexing. Ink capacity is about 1.5ml. I measured twice with syringe and both times it was about the same. Nib has no skipping issues but sounds tidy click sound, which I think over time will go away. If not, I can run micro mesh in between the tines. There tends to accumulate blobs of ink around breather hole, but seems that it does that whenever I open and close the cap. I cannot be sure if the ink is from breather hole, or seeped through the rough laser engraved area of the nib. Really cannot tell despite looking under 40x loupe. Heavy pen, not too comfortable for long writing session but very lovely to hold in hand and feels substantial and solid. The ink sac I am not too worried as I can change sacs without problems. I think mostly I bought this pen for its beautiful Omas celluloid :-) Hope it holds well.

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