Wahl-eversharp Doric In Green "shell"

[Zeroblade]

(cross-post from my pen blog)

 

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(feel free to tl;dr this paragraph if you want to skip some pen history)

 

Dorics were produced in the 1930s, where Art Deco was in. Now I don't really know much about the movement, but what I do know is that the era produced some damn fine looking pens, and the one pen that inspired Omas to create faceted pens. The first generation of Dorics didn't come in this pen's finish, however. They were produced in opaque finishes with swirls and cracked ice-like designs, as well as the mainstay of any line of pen - black. Taking a vein from Sheaffer, the pen had a little transparent ink window, though this was located in the barrel, rather than the section, which was made from hard rubber (unlike Sheaffer's Balances whose sections were plastic). Time passes, and Wahl-Eversharp comes out with a redesign of the pen. The cap band extends all the way to the end of the cap, changed the clip to a simple, rollerless one, and most importantly, changed the pen's filling system. Where a lever was located on the barrel, was now just celluloid, and the barrel's end could now screw out and be pulled out to operate a plunger mechanism. This new "One-Shot" vacuum filler was similar to Sheaffer's own Vac-Fill system, but had a slightly different design. Furthermore, the blind cap was designed to have the threads engaging inside the barrel, rather than outside, making it a touch more elegant. To shine the spotlight on this new system, the barrels themselves were made transparent (though it's not that obvious in these pictures because it's half-filled.

 

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After a bit of uh- well, let's just say the pen has a bit of a backstory to this (but let's not get into that) - I finally got my hands on a Wahl-Eversharp Doric. When I saw a Doric Oversize in Morocco, and another in the Green Shell finish in penmeets many moons ago, I knew I had to have one. And when someone at a penmeet earlier this month was selling one, fully restored, at a price of 4,000 Pesos (roughly 90 USD, as of this time of writing) - impossible to resist.

 

I absolutely love the depth and shimmer in the barrel's "shell" finish; by just looking at it, you can see the layers in the celluloid, which I think I've captured well in the photos. Just can't get enough of this pen's aesthetic - if only they'd made pens like these nowadays!

 

Clocking in at a hair shy of 12.5 cm long capped, 14.4 cm posted, and a diameter of 1.1 cm it is absolutely perfect for my hand (both of which are thin and girly). Celluloid is a relatively light material, which makes the Doric itself light. But because it's so full of ink once filled, the center of gravity shifts to slightly above the section of the pen, making it perfectly balanced. Being of faceted design, the smooth edges on the barrel almost feel like they're reassuring me the pen's still in my hand whenever they brush against me, and it almost reminds me of the cheap ballpoints I used to use as a grade school student. Except this one's exponentially better as a writing instrument.

 

 

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It fills through a Vac-Fill-like plunger system, which gives it massive ink capacity (maybe 2 ml or so!). The plunger's rather stiff, but application of a touch of silicone oil helped lube it up just a notch. Hopefully the seals will last a decade or so, or at least as long as they ought to last, as I hear getting these things serviced is quite a pain.

 

This particular one isn't in perfect shape. Lots of little ding marks, especially on one of the facets on its 12-sided barrel (the design of which pre-dated Omas's by a year or so) where it looks like someone took some birdshot to it, as well as some deterioration of the celluloid on the cap top, and the "Eversharp" engraving on the cap is also half-faded. Adding to that, its cap does not seem to be a second-generation cap (with the extended band), but a first generation cap, while the clip alone is second-generation. Of course, given the huge variety of Dorics produced, I may be wrong in my assumptions (feel free to correct me on this!). Overall though, it's still in exceedingly good condition for a Doric of this finish.

 

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The pen itself is fitted with a Wahl No. 5 nib. It originally had a somewhat inconsistent fine nib, but after grinding it a little to smoothen the nib, I ended up grinding it a little too much and turned it into a 0.4~5mm cursive italic. Of course, what I truly wish for on any Doric is an adjustable nib, with the "outline"-shaped slider (rather than the full-size one engraved "Eversharp"), but those aren't as hard to source as a Doric of this grade at this price, I suppose. However, the awesome thing about this is that it's in fact a flexible nib. And since the italic grade is pretty low, it does look like a round-tipped pen when you write. However, the flexy nature of the nib, combined with the slight italic grind, gives writing some great line variation. Using the pen as I would any other, even the mildest touch of pressure causes the tines to widen just slightly, producing a nice medium-ish line - a clean contrast to the fine hairlines it normally produces with zero pressure, and offering some really nice line variation and personality to the pen. And the flex isn't just partial - it's a great full flex, offering a width range from XF to a hair over BB.

 

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Overall, I think the Doric is a shining example of what draws many of us to fountain pens in the first place - functional art. It's a pleasure to write with, both in feel and in actual writing, it offers great fun and possibilities with its high capacity and flex capabilities, and it just looks so awesome from any angle.

 

(hi-res images can be found on my Flickr)

Edited December 24, 2010 by Zeroblade

[Pentangeli]

Hello Zeroblade,

 

That's a great review of the iconic Wahl Eversharp Doric pen. Did you get the pen from TOB at the December penmeet?

I also bought for myself a Wahl Eversharp Presentation Skyline pen with a black barrel and a 14K YGF cap but from DOB not TOB.

It has a very smooth and wet 14K gold nib with flex from M to BB since its an original B stub. I just love these Eversharp vintage pens.

Enjoy your lovely Doric and I'll show you my Eversharp Presentation Skyline at the our pen meet next month.

 

Cheers and have a very Merry Christmas,

 

Pentangeli

[whichwatch]

What a beauty! When I finally get up the nerve to try a vintage pen, I think Doric will be the model. Maybe in Philadelphia?

 

Thanks for the great photos.

[liapuyat]

I finally got my Green Marbled Doric (Kashmir, I think, according to Richard Binder), except mine's a lever-filler and has an adjustable No. 5 nib. I haven't inked it or tried the slider yet, am still at work, but I'll probably have a review up in a few days. It's my Christmas pen!

[breaker]

nice review and pics!

thanks!

[Malcy]

Very nice and a great price. Another Wahl Eversharp fan here.

[Mauricio]

Great review of a great pen. I have one of my Dorics inked at the moment. It is a "Morocco" (marbled burgundy color) lever filler with an adjustable #7 nib. They are great looking pens with amazing nibs, both for normal, fast writing or flexible writing.

[georges zaslavsky]

very cool pen and very nice celluloid thanks for sharing