Retro 1951 - Postmaster

[ccajackson]

As I was flipping through a catalog from a big mail order pen company, I was struck by the Retro 51 Postmaster pen. Something about the uniqueness of hand-applied cancelled stamps, in a reasonably-priced pen, resonated with me. I hit my local pen shop to test drive the pen, but they did not have the Postmaster in stock. I tried out the similar Big Shots (in F, M & B ), but I now realize that I erred slightly in my choice of tester pens. The Big Shots are resin-bodied pens, while the Postmaster is a brass-bodied pen; a better substitute to trial is the Cioppino, if a Postmaster is unavailable. Fortunately, this was not a fatal error. As I have several F and M nibbed pens, and I really liked the flow of the B in the Big Shot, a B nib was my choice.

 

The pen arrived in a unique and, it appears, recycle-able box. This is a plus for me, as I find the fancy presentation boxes simply require me to find a spot for them in the closet.

 

Out of the box, the pen has a very nice and solid feel to it, courtesy of the brass body, and comes to about 35 grams. The cap unscrews from the body, dropping the weight down to about 20 grams. For comparison, a Namiki VP comes in at about 30 grams on my scale.

 

Upon writing, I felt the difference between the Big Shots I tested and the Postmaster I received. The Big Shots, with their resin bodies, were a bit too light for me unposted, but were quite well-balanced when posted. The Postmaster is a tad top-heavy posted, but has a light and "nimble" feel unposted. If you have big hands, though, you may find the Postmaster too short. It is just long enough for my size 7 hand. I find the cap is fussy when I do post it. If you don't push it on snugly, the cap easily works free - you find yourself trying to balance/catch the cap before it clatters to the ground. With a little gusto, it stays in place; as I have only been playing with it for a day, I can't speak to any marking of the lacquer at the back of the barrel due to posting. I notice some "grinding" as I screw and unscrew the cap, due to some burrs on the chrome-covered brass. This is slowly improving as I play with the pen. The same goes for the threads between the section and the body.

 

The nib, however, is what truly sold me on the pen. The Postmaster uses an iridium-tipped stainless steel nib, which is pretty firm. If you look at the pen in catalogs, they show it with a "Retro" branded, partially gold-plated nib. Mine is all stainless steel, but with scroll work on the nib. I think both are pleasing.

 

Despite the firmness of the nib, the pen truly flows across the page. Without any tweaking (which I would be uncomfortable doing on my own anyway), you see a nice even line of light between the tines before you ink it. This results in a very free flow of ink out of the cartridge. According to the company, the Postmaster (and the Big Shots) only takes international cartridges. I have not tried sneaking a converter into the pen, but I have a feeling that the barrel length may preclude it. As an aside, my brief impression of the nibs from the test drive were a very smooth flow from the B (confirmed now), smooth flow from the M, and the F was a bit scratchy. Further, the M put down a line on the fine side of medium. I think I would have been quite happy with the M nib as well.

 

As testing the pen offered a great way to avoid work for a few moments, I tried the stock ink on 3 grades of paper: 100% cotton bond, 25% cotton bond, and office paper. With the supplied black ink, the pen left a finer line on the 100% cotton paper, which doesn't fully come through on the scan. I also found that it was not quite as smooth. On both the 25% and the cheap-o paper, the Postmaster really shined. As the scan suggests, the line is a bit heavier and more saturated on the 25% bond than the office paper. On a Clairfontaine Triomphe tablet, the nib flies across the page. Despite the wetness of the nib, I have not appreciated any bleed through, however I have not tried reloading the cartridge with any of my usual inks (I tend toward Noodler's).

 

My summary is that this is a comfortable pen when unposted, but for some it may be too short in this confirguration. If you prefer to write with the pen posted, I would definitely recommend trying it yourself before committing...particularly if you are fussy about balance. The stainless steel nib is stiff, but lays down a very smooth line. As for aesthetics..I'm sold! Each pen is unique in it's collection of real, cancelled stamps, so you truly have a one-of-a-kind pen. The "pride" of my collection is a Lou Gehrig stamp, which I think comes across in the photos. The best part is that it arrived in time for signing holiday cards! As I get a chance to play with other inks, I will provide updates as necessary.

 

Happy Holidays to all!

 

C-C

Edited December 19, 2008 by ccajackson

[Peter from Sherwood Park]

Thank you for the review -- this pen looks like a definite possibility.

 

[lovemy51]

thanx for the review, CC. i have a black one with a very smooth nib. the only issue i have with mine is that won't post and i do see your point about the pen being too short w/o posting the cap. how's yours? does it post ok?

 

[ccajackson]

thanx for the review, CC. i have a black one with a very smooth nib. the only issue i have with mine is that won't post and i do see your point about the pen being too short w/o posting the cap. how's yours? does it post ok?

 

The posting is a problem for me, too. I can get it to stay if a give it a little extra oomph, but I wonder if it will wear down the lacquer over time. From what little I know about lacquering, it should be pretty robust, but we will see.

 

With the brass body and cap, I prefer the balance when the pen is unposted, and it is just long enough to still be comfortable. If I held the pen any further back, it would be too short. Given how pleasantly the Postmaster writes, I am tempted to get one of the Big Shots (with the lighter resin body) which seemed to have a very nice balance when posted, and therefore a better working length. From your experience, though, I am guessing that it will have the same problem with the cap staying put.

 

What nib do you have on yours? I am interested to know if your experience is the same as mine.

 

Cheers!

C-C

[lovemy51]

hi ccajackson. sorry i took so long to post. i found out that the newer resin bodies do post better!!! my nib is different than yours; it's gold plated on the edges and it has the name retro "m" (for medium) engraved vertically on the nib. the nib is quite smooth, but i don't put this pen into rotation much cos' i find it uncomfortable to write with w/o the cap posted!!!

regards,

[freewheelingvagabond]

so can you fit a converter into this pen? i hate using cartridges.

[Ed Ronax]

Excellent review, thanks.

[QM2]

so can you fit a converter into this pen? i hate using cartridges.

 

Unfortunately not a standard size one. I use mini converters or cartridges in mine.