Pelikan 140- Handwritten Review

[KellyMcJ]

I have had this pen for a while, but just now got around to reviewing it! It took some time, and tweaking, to get it writing the way I wanted, however, now that it is, it's such a fun little pen I can hardly put it down!!

 

It's vintage, so obviously has all the signs of wear (which I don't mind at all). It is functionally in perfect working order and when I received it, all there was to do was grease the piston.

 

It flexes more than I thought, that 2-3x spread is so easy that when trying to flex, it's really hard not to go that far- it just wants to. And it snaps back into place with a beautiful spring!

 

I have probably my wettest ink paired with what's got to be my wettest pen...not an ideal match but I love it so much I can't bear to put any other ink in it lol!

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2017 by KellyMcJ

[Nick T]

She is a beauty. Congrats:)

[KellyMcJ]

She is a beauty. Congrats:)

 

Thanks!!! This is the pen some may remember took a long trek around the country for some reason courtesy of USPS. It's my second vintage pen...the first had been worn into the perfect angle by someone who writes just like I do and wrote like a dream from the second it was resacced and inked. This one was scratchy despite tine alignment etc and it took some time with it to get it writing like I want. Now that I have it right though, it's one of my favorite pens!

[Honeybadgers]

I was really sad when I missed out by SECONDS on grabbing a needlepoint wet noodle pelikan 14 from Greg Minusken.

 

Wound up with a 52 1/2 v with a needlepoint noodle. I love the nib, but am less than enthused with the feel of the pen in the hand. Have the nib in a noodlers charlie /w nib creaper feed ATM, and as soon as Nathan Tardiff comes out with the safety pen, it's going in that.

[mana]

Those 140s really are jolly little pens that hit way above their perceived size. Thanks for the review.

[Jebus]

Nice review, lovely pen!

[mitto]

I am a lover of the Pelikan 140. I have a few and all have semi flex stubbish nibs. Thank you for the review.

[LanceSaintPaul]

Add one more to my list....

[Runnin_Ute]

Absolutely adore mine.

[Powree]

Yours looks very nice. I also obtained a Pelikan 140 last year but mine has a very weird sweet spot. a change in angle makes the line becomes thinner/thicker. While the flex is amazing, the sweet spot is baffling. I wonder if this is the characteristic of the Pelikan 140?

[mana]

...a change in angle...

So... few options.

 

Does the line get thinner if you lift the end of the pen up so that it writes at a steeper angle? That is most likely due to wear from consistent use, as in, the originally more round tipping has flattened to form a "sweet spot" because it has been used at a particular angle for a long time so it now produces a wider line than it originally did. When you change the writing angle it reverts back to the original width (thinner line) because you are using a part of the tipping that hasn't worn down in that fashion.

 

This has been known to happen with pens that have been used quite a bit. Iridium, while being rather very hard and wear resistant does eventually wear. If the pen is used a lot by a single writer who most of the time holds the pen at the same angle the wear produced will be more apparent.

 

This is a big part of what folks usually refer to as the pen conforming to the users hand (alongside of the other changes in nib geometry produced by consistent use).

 

I have a bunch of vintage pens that exhibit similar wear patterns so it is not just your 140 (Parker 51s, early Lamy 2000 etc.). If it bothers you you can always send the pen to a nibmeister for re-tipping/adjustment or buy a NOS/less worn nib as a replacement.

 

Ok, if it is not that then it could be an oblique nib. The tips of the oblique nibs are not cut "straight" but at an angle instead (usually 15° or 30°). The most common of them are left foot obliques, which, as the name suggests, are cut slanting to the left. Those are meant primarily for right handed users who do not favor keeping the pen pointing straight forward but hold it pointing more to the side/left.

 

To use a left foot oblique nib properly you must rotate the pen around it's longitudinal axis so that the top of the pen is not facing "up" but more towards you (provided you are right handed). The angle is dependent on how you hold the pen but for the 15° angle obliques it is less steep than with the 30° obliques. Anyway, doing so allows the tipping to meet the paper at a right angle. Any deviation from this angle will mean that the tip of the pen will not meet the paper as intended and thus, will produce a thinner line. This can also create additional friction and drag (scratchiness) when writing.

 

Right foot obliques are usually used by left handed writers.

 

Hope this was of help.

Edited May 26, 2018 by mana

[Powree]

So... few options.

 

Does the line get thinner if you lift the end of the pen up so that it writes at a steeper angle? That is most likely due to wear from consistent use, as in, the originally more round tipping has flattened to form a "sweet spot" because it has been used at a particular angle for a long time so it now produces a wider line than it originally did. When you change the writing angle it reverts back to the original width (thinner line) because you are using a part of the tipping that hasn't worn down in that fashion.

 

.....

 

To use a left foot oblique nib properly you must rotate the pen around it's longitudinal axis so that the top of the pen is not facing "up" but more towards you (provided you are right handed). The angle is dependent on how you hold the pen but for the 15° angle obliques it is less steep than with the 30° obliques. Anyway, doing so allows the tipping to meet the paper at a right angle. Any deviation from this angle will mean that the tip of the pen will not meet the paper as intended and thus, will produce a thinner line. This can also create additional friction and drag (scratchiness) when writing.

 

Right foot obliques are usually used by left handed writers.

 

Hope this was of help.

Oh, thank you very much for the thorough explanation! Theyre very useful.

 

When I use my usual writing style, (the top of the nib faces up) I have a hard time of writing with consistent amount of ink, so the line sometimes comes out wet and thick, sometimes it's thick but dry. Happens every time I write a new line or raise my nib...

 

Just now I tried your suggestion of rotating 15 degrees, it writes more consistently and also feels smooth. Much more pleasant to use!

 

Maybe it is an Oblique...the seller only mentioned the nib being gold, never described the size of nib. When zoomed with loupe I cant really tell the difference from a straight nib. It might also be the case of nib tipping wearing out on its right side and bottom, but at least now I got an angle that can write consistently.

 

Again thanks for the tip, I can finally write better with it.

Edited May 26, 2018 by Powree

[AL01]

The 140 is an excellent pen!

 

I love mine.

 

It has an OF.

 

But they can be slightly prone to cracking, so I'd recommend you ONLY clip the pen to a suit pocket and keep it in a pouch. It makes for a great EDC.

 

Another cool thing about this pen is that the inside of the barrel is acrylic.

 

SO you can get away with using inks like Iroshizuku or Sailor for this pen. (I've heard they can be a little but unsafe for celluloid.)

 

I tend to use my driest inks with this pen... (Lamy Blue and Pelikan Blue/Black)

 

 

EDIT:

 

Vintage Pelikan nibs are stubby by default. If you want an Oblique nib, (I had to get mine reground), you can PM me 'cause I don't wanna advertise the person who does a killer job at it....

 

 

Edited May 26, 2018 by AL01

[Powree]

Wha-, so Iroshizukus aren't always safe for vintage pens? I didn't even think about that and filled mine with Ina-Ho when I first got it haha .... I really need to read up on vintage maintenance lol. Currently it's loaded with Diamine Chocolate...

 

Thanks for the oblique tip. I never use that kind of nib before , so not sure if I'd do it with this 140. I had considered retipping it, but will need to gather some money =_=

 

 

[AL01]

Mist likely it WON'T need a retipping.

 

My nib got damaged so I had to get the nib worked on.

 

It was an OF before and after the work....

 

And Iroshizuku is by NO MEANS the Baystate Blue for vintage pens....

 

..... But it's not a Waterman either.

 

But no worries, it won't damage your pen....

 

(Just don't use red and/or super saturated inks. Some Iroshizukus are saturated while others are not.)

[ENewton]

I just acquired one of these, and it is a very cute little pen but not nearly as wet as I expected.

 

Right now I am using Rohrer & Klingner Sepia. Maybe I'll try Waterman next.

[KellyMcJ]

Wow, this review came back from the dead! I was just thinking about this pen today. Once I empty out another pen (I currently have 4 pens inked besides my "always inked" set) I'll fill it up. I still love this pen! It's a firehose, not practical for anything but journalling and signing cards, but it's great!

[ENewton]

It's a firehose, not practical for anything but journalling and signing cards, but it's great!

 

That's kind of what I anticipated--i.e., that I'd learn what people mean by "firehouse"--but at least with the ink I'm using, I can write annotations in a paperback book with minimal show-through. I look forward to exhausting this fill and switching to a different ink for long-term use.

[mitto]

The Pel 140 is a sweet small pen. I fell in love with these 1950-1965 pens (140,400 and 400NN) and have been collecting them for quite some times. It is truly a joy to write with these pens.

Edited October 2, 2018 by mitto

[ENewton]

It is a nice size and provides a pleasant writing experience, with a touch of feedback. I have switched to Waterman ink, which is a better match for the pen, at least in my hand and on the papers I use.