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  1. Dan Carmell

    Pilot Custom and Capless (Photos)

    I was photographing pens this afternoon (getting ready to sell a slice of the collection) and took these two photos of my Customs and Capless pens. I like so many older Pilot models, but the Custom may be my favorite. If you squint, you can see I’ve added a black 18K nib to the stealth faceted VP. I am afraid to use that pen because I remember the stealth finish isn’t as tough as that used today. Please pardon the imposter that snuck in among the VPs.
  2. Rosendust

    Newton Pens?

    Hey everyone, I am thinking of purchasing a custom pen from Shawn Newton. But I am wondering about what the grip section is like? I am uncertain about which varieties in grip I actually like. Any Ideas\experiences with Shawn? Thanks all!
  3. Currently there are many excellent pens being made in Italy and modern Italian pens have captured my heart. I have been a fan of the beautiful Aurora pens for some time and lately the uniquely special offerings from Scrittura Bolognese have enthused me even more. I have a few Leonardos and even two (!) of the very first Radius 1934 pens. I have been delighted with them all because of their beauty, the quality of the nibs and overall manufacture, and most of all the pleasure of writing with them. I didn’t have a Montegrappa, however. Today I set that right and it is truly extraordinary and, I hope, worth sharing here. I am not personally enamoured of sterling silver - the feel and weight of it or the tarnishing - and I hesitated for a long time over the brand, even though the celluloids are very beautiful and the styles of the Extra 1930 and Extra Otto appeal to me very much. And of course the prices for these pens are extremely high, so you have to be sure the pen is for you. Finally I gave in to the temptation, but I ordered a custom design through their website in the Extra Otto model but with gold-plating and a celluloid section. It cost a little more but in my mind the changes to the pen would be more than worth it to me. It is an expensive pen anyway, so to pay a little more to have it exactly the way I prefer made sense rather than paying so much for a pen that may be great but with a few reservations. I chose the zebra celluloid for my pen, which is my favourite of their materials - although I also find the butterfly, lapis, and shiny lines celluloids very compelling too. The custom configurator offered fewer options for the Extra Otto than for the Extra 1930, but the zebra celluloid was available for all parts of the pen and it looked like it would work nicely with gold-coloured trim. Exactly ten days after I submitted the order (which was the quoted production time) I received an email saying that the pen was made and had shipped. The shipping box is marked “handle with love” and the pen arrived in the Extra Otto wooden presentation box along with a nice letter from the CEO telling of his early experience receiving a one-off customised pen as a gift from his father. Montegrappa also supplied a gift, for which I selected a pair of onyx cufflinks. It all made for a nice and special experience to receive this pen. I normally do not care for such fanfare or presentation boxes, but in this case it felt really nice. After such a preamble you want to see the pen, I assume... I chose an extra-fine nib. The pen writes absolutely wonderfully out of the box. It is a true extra-fine line and nicely smooth with just the right touch of feedback to make it feel good in writing. It writes really effortlessly, with good ink flow. You know how sometimes you see the way a really well-tuned fountain pen can put down ink and you are reminded why you love them so much? It is like that. The build quality appears to be perfect. The pen design and materials in real life are stunning to my eye and they surpass even my high hopes for this pen. The celluloid feels great - seriously high quality and unquestionably a premium material. Just as importantly the size of the pen, section width, weight and balance all absolutely match my preferences and it is superbly comfortable, natural and a true joy in-hand. It feels weighty and solid enough to feel special, but is still light enough to be nimble and effortless to control. Opting for a metal section would have front-weighted the pen and given a slightly different balance - but I like it very much the way it is and the slight back-weighting from the piston mechanism makes it rest on my hand very solidly as I write, and the pen is not long. I would not want to swap the feel of the celluloid section for metal and I think my choice was right for me. It is only my first day with the pen, of course, but everything augurs well so far. I am so, so pleased with this pen. I think it may be the most beautiful pen I have and the fact that everything about it also fits my hand so well and it writes so wonderfully is not only a great relief but even a pleasant surprise. Even acknowledging the price I would definitely consider a custom Montegrappa again some day. As Sir Henry Royce famously said, “the quality will remain long after the price is forgotten”.
  4. I was thinking of buyiing several nibs and housings straight from Kanwrite. Their range of nibs has convinced me that they are the best option for me given my budget. This still leaves me with pens in which these could be fitted. Kanwrite's pens don't interest me as much as their nibs do. I previously bought a Guider and was satisfied by it. It made me wonder if Guider is willing to make their standard models but for nibs sent by the customer. Has any poster tried doing this?
  5. The-Thinker

    Custom Nib

    Who would you recommend for nib customization ? Required would be stacking gold nibs, gridding and retipping them ?
  6. KingsCountyWriter

    Pilot Custom Sterling Silver Won't Write

    The pen arrived with a dried out cartridge that first signaled bad news. I waited for 2 months for this pen from Japan, and it won't write. I have soaked it for 3 evenings and run it under warm water. It's soaking as I write this now. When water is in the section, it will drain out through the nib. A fresh cartridge or a converter doesn't allow the ink to flow past a few scribbles. If this were a cheaper pen, I'd attempt to open it up, but I'm not well versed in repair and this was over $100 to acquire. Can someone make a recommendation as to who might be able to solve this issue? I'm in the NYC area but I don't mind shipping it.
  7. Hello! My name is Michael Benham and recent member to FPN. Since high school, through college and all these years past, I’ve always liked and carried nice pencils and pens. Now almost exclusively I prefer to carry and have fountain pens. In these latter few years, I’ve ramped up my collection of pens, mostly mid to low-end caliber pens, my most expensive being a Cross Century II gun metal/gold. In this time I came across a couple handmade pens on Etsy that I liked because of the nice wood and acrylic barrels. I then discovered that these were kit pens, Vertex pen kits from Penn State to be exact. I thought, because of my creative juices associated with being a graphic designer/photographer who is the son of an engineer, that I could make my own pens. To be quite honest, I didn’t, and still don’t, have the finances to commit to buying my own lathe, and even more so, don’t have the time and patience to commit to turning my own barrels and caps for these kits. I was not deterred though, and thought that there’s got to be some ready-made or easily customized materials out there that I could fashion my own pen barrels for these kits. So I bought a few of the kits that required only a barrel (Vertex, Presimo, and Raw) and went down to the local Ace hardware store and basically walked around looking for anything that I thought would work and look cool as a pen. I’ve now broaden my search to Amazon and various tubes, pipes, straws, etc. I believe I now have around 30+ unique pens made and have managed to even expand into pens that need cap material. Although, I’m not entirely sold on them yet. So basically, in a quite long-winded way, my post is in search of feedback of whether these pens would be of interest to buyers, general consumer to even fountain pen connoisseurs? If so, what would a fair price would possibly be? And furthermore, any advice, experience into how best to sell and get these out to potential consumers? Bearing in mind that this is completely something that would be on the side, and not a main source of income, on top of being a new father to twins! Thank you in advance for any help, thoughts, you may offer. Peace, Michael - Minneapolis, MN
  8. Greeting to everyone. This is my first post since taking up the hobby of collecting and using fountain pens. Recently, I acquired a pen at a local pen club meeting from an attendee and am unable to put it into use. Then pen in question is a Pilot 912 Custom Heritage. It has an “SF” nib. I have tried several inks and am getting the same result every time. Upon filling the pen, it works excellent until about 10-15 words are written, then goes dry and dies at the first letters in words sometimes continuing a few letters then back to dry. Using more pressure I get “railroad lines” and more ink low issues. Today while cleaning after trying another type of ink, I pulled very softly on the nib and the nib and feed Slid out. I have no idea how the feeder piece should be aligned to the part with two visible “teeth”. Something I do notice is that it takes very little pressure to put the nib and feed piece back in. Also it seams it is so loose it may rotate when writing. Inks I have tested in the 912 include: Herbin Pearl noire, Diamine Syrah, Namiki Blue, and a few others. I just bought a new Pilot 743 and it is on the way. I really hope it is without issues. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!
  9. Or not ~~ interesting, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. This custom "51" features the following: Four “quick change” threaded cap top jewels: 1) a Solid Gold Crown – ideal to have on the pen in your pocket when going to see the dentist – this one is also of course known as the Crown Jewel; 2) .45 solid lead – ideal for high caliber meetings; 3) 9mm Brass Jacket suitable for lower caliber meetings or casual writing; 4) 146/9 Mont Blanc White Star - ideal for highly pretentious meetings with status conscious individuals or groups… etc. The stainless steel cap has been bead blasted and strongly resembles titanium. The war time Vermeil Blue Diamond clip is bent in such a fashion that it would hard if not impossible to duplicate – it is definitely crooked… but, I have not ever found it to be dishonest in any respect. The hood or shell is dark blue and the barrel is black – reminiscent of two-tone cars in the ‘50s & 60’s. The filling unit and blind cap are oversized slightly. The longer than standard ink pump rod is brass and is housed in one excellent red anodized bushing. The added vacuum pressure sort of supercharges the filling system. The end of the rod contains a silver disc with the Parker Halo encased in translucent red plastic from the Parker Model Shop – the same exact red plastic used to make the Parker T-1 red jewels – it took way too long to make but that’s just hindsight. The nib is an 18k 61 nib which was made in the UK. Don’t know the reason why but 51 and 61 nibs made in the UK are just better writers and smoother than those made in the US – just a fact. Like it – Love it – or Hate it – you’ve got to at least agree it’s interesting…? Life’s too short to always take Pens too seriously. ralph prather
  10. Or not ~~ interesting, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. This custom "51" features the following: Four “quick change” threaded cap top jewels: 1) a Solid Gold Crown – ideal to have on the pen in your pocket when going to see the dentist – this one is also of course known as the Crown Jewel; 2) .45 solid lead – ideal for high caliber meetings; 3) 9mm Brass Jacket suitable for lower caliber meetings or casual writing; 4) 146/9 Mont Blanc White Star - ideal for highly pretentious meetings with status conscious individuals or groups… etc. The stainless steel cap has been bead blasted and strongly resembles titanium. The war time Vermeil Blue Diamond clip is bent in such a fashion that it would hard if not impossible to duplicate – it is definitely crooked… but, I have not ever found it to be dishonest in any respect. The hood or shell is dark blue and the barrel is black – reminiscent of two-tone cars in the ‘50s & 60’s. The filling unit and blind cap are oversized slightly. The longer than standard ink pump rod is brass and is housed in one excellent red anodized bushing. The added vacuum pressure sort of supercharges the filling system. The end of the rod contains a silver disc with the Parker Halo encased in translucent red plastic from the Parker Model Shop – the same exact red plastic used to make the Parker T-1 red jewels – it took way too long to make but that’s just hindsight. The nib is an 18k 61 nib which was made in the UK. Don’t know the reason why but 51 and 61 nibs made in the UK are just better writers and smoother than those made in the US – just a fact. Like it – Love it – or Hate it – you’ve got to at least agree it’s interesting…? Life’s too short to always take Pens too seriously. ralph prather
  11. Hi all. With reluctance I make this post about a little conundrum I have, as I do not wish to sound negative or to affect the good business of genuine makers. This is a personal experience and I would like some advice or thoughts on what best to do. I've been after a pen to use my two Bock 8 nibs, and when the last premium-acrylic group buy by Ranga came up, I was sold on it and made a purchace. I've bought a Ranga Model 5 clipless in premium acrylic from the latest group buy. It took a bit longer than others but it arrived in the end. I asked for a Bock 8 section and a Jowo 6 section so that I can also use my many other Jowo 6 nibs on it. The pen arrived eventually and is beautiful and good in the hand. I've had a couple particular issues on it. A. The Bock 8 threads slip on the last turn. Instead of holding the nib firm, they slip and make an extra turn, and so on. This makes me worry about ink seal if nothing else, or worried to actually lose the threads after a while. B. The included Schmidt converters are IMPOSSIBLE to push in and pull out. And this worries me this would either crack the acrylic eventually, or crack the cartridge/converters. Some of the corners of the inner round edge slightly cracked already (not cracked, more like pieces from the edge fell off, but this an indication of what is possible.) One result of the combination of the above two issues is that the Bock 8 can actually only be used in eyedropper mode as it does not seem to engage the converter well. The nib only seems to take ink "spilled" into the section. I've taken a video of it and showed it to Ranga, hoping for a solution or an easy suggestion. Maybe there is somehting I could do. Maybe they are all just like that, it was my first Ranga after all. They agree they are extra tight. The first suggestion they made was unreasonable. They said they would refund the price of the extra section. That would mean I bought a pen which is only reliable with Jowo6 nibs, which isn't what I spent my money for. Their second suggestion (also something which I suggested sadly) was to send it back and get a full refund. Now to give them credit, that is great professional customer care. But I worry what would happen in the future. If I send the pen back, this first Ranga would be my last Ranga ever. It would just be awkward to order another one of the same model afterwards to see if the threads and converter cylinders are good the next time around. Let alone I'd have lost the group-buy price point. The above exchange with them was last month because after that I travelled and was away and busy for so long. Today, I got an answer from a YouTuber who just reviewed one of these pens. They say their pen has good converter fit, not an extra tight one. Now I feel awkward and don't know what to do. All in all, I like the pen if it didn't have these two (important) issues. I'd have just kept it if it didn't have the issues. Do I keep the pen with issues because it is a one-off anyway and has nice acrylic (and only use it with Jowo 6 nibs)? Do I send it back now and lose it (if they still agree to take it back) and order another one, maybe from a different maker of pens that accommodate Bock 8's? Has anybody been in a situation like this? What is the best course of action. I know the answer is personal and will rest with me in the end, but some hive mind will help me get my head straight. Thanks for reading. Best regards
  12. What do you do with shimmer inks that you don't like? Try to make them into shimmer inks that you do like... I was aiming for a grey here, but I got a black instead. It's still nice. I haven't noticed anything funky settling on the bottom of my mixing jar in 24 hours, with the exception, obviously, of glitter particles. 2 parts Pelikan Edelstein Sapphire 1 part Diamine Golden Oasis 1 part Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Red 1 part Caran d'Ache Cosmic Black I'm fairly sure you could replace any of these colours with a generic enough royal blue, bright orangy-red, and black ink and get very similar results to this. The green has to be Diamine for the gold particles, though. Sparkle shows up just fine, most noticably on absorbant papers like Leuchtturm and Oxford. Does well on Clairefontaine. Looks very sparse on Tomoe River. Tested with a FPR Himalaya ultra flex nib (very wet writer). Images follow: Leuchtturm 1917: Tomoe River (the heavier one. 62gsm?): Left: Clairefontaine Triomphe 90gsm Right: Oxford Optik 90gsm Oxford Optik shimmer: Clairefontaine shimmer:
  13. Hello FPNers, I just received my pens from Fosfor Pens. Wanted to share my first impressions with all of you! This review will not have any ratings. All I can tell you is, I simply love these pieces of art and highly recommend Fosfor Pens... Pen #1: - Parker Duofold style flat top pen with roller clip - Material : Vintage Mazzucchelli Cebloplast - Length : 138 mm capped, 128 mm uncapped, about 170 mm posted - Width : 13.6 mm at the barrel-cap threads - Nib : Jowo steel, Extra Fine The pen is beautiful, just magnificent. You can keep staring at the material, the depth is so amazing. Pictures taken by Manoj- Well, this pen, in a matter of seconds, became one of my favorites. Manoj has cut very smooth triple start threads and the cap takes just 2 turns to disengage from the barrel. It's polished so well. I asked him for a Jowo Steel EF nib and it had feedback, not scratchy, but just feedback. I smoothed it out and it is a joy to write with. It's wet and smooth, but puts down a precise line on the paper. It's a cartridge/converter filling system, but can be used as an eyedropper too. I am not used to writing with Extra Fine and Fine nibs, so I find it a bit difficult to get used to. Pen #2: - Parker Duofold style flat top pen with roller clip - Material : SEM Black Ebonite with Himalayan Cedar inlays on the cap and barrel ends. - Length : 138 mm capped, 128 mm uncapped, about 170 mm posted - Width : 13.6 mm at the barrel-cap threads - Nib : Jowo steel, 1.1 Stub (my all-time favorite) Many may brush aside this beauty thinking this is just another boring black pen...but hold on! There is something interesting, the cap finial and the barrel end have Himalayan Cedar inlaid to them. And the wood looks beautiful, it's a very good contrast. I contemplated about the inlay work, looked at some plastics with interesting patterns, but nothing enticed me more than the organic feel of the wood. But picking the type of wood to use was a challenge, because we have a very small surface area to show the grain. Manoj suggested that we use Himalayan Cedar which has good grain, some yellows, browns, pinks and reds. I am glad to have followed his suggestion. The pen is very beautiful. This has the same triple start threads like the other one has, but the threads don't feel as smooth, may be because it's ebonite. I just put some silicone grease and it helped a bit. Filling system is the same as on the other pen. Pictures taken by Manoj- This pen has my favorite Jowo steel 1.1 Stub nib. Its a great nib, smoothing it a little bit only helped. Usually the 1.1s have a scratchy diagonal upstroke (at least my experience with many of them). So I used some micromesh and it now writes like a dream. Writing Sample: My thanks to Manoj...he is an awesome penmaker, and his patience is remarkable. A lot of care has been taken while polishing, attention to detail is excellent. All my requests to him till now take numerous phone calls and emails, but he has been very patient and is always open to suggestions and challenges. If I could change something, it would be to increase the length of the cap and barrel by a couple of mm, in all make it about 145 mm. Hanging around together- Will post a review of another pen soon. Thanks for reading! Regards, Raghuram.
  14. Hey guys! Normally post in the Japan pens forum but I picked up a TWSBI 580ALR from Mark Bacas with a special nib grind and I wanted to share some info about it. First off - the ALR is just like an AL except the cap band has a difference finish(?) and most importantly the grip section is 'ribbed.' The lines on the grip section feel amazing, really good to the touch. I consider it an upgrade from my AL, but you do have to be careful not to get ink in those lines because you would have to clean it out. Mark Bacas is a popular nibmeister. You can see his work at https://www.instagram.com/nibgrinder/ I got the 580ALR with a Blade Turk grind and if I had it to do over again I would send him my nicest pen because it's an amazing grind. The Blade Turk is a mini-architect grind with a gentle curve so you get a controlled gradation of line width from Platinum UEF to Japanese M. It's a really versatile tool. Anyone could just pick it up and write with it, but if you vary the angle up or down you can variation in width. An artist could probably build a whole career around this nib, as the more you use it the more you get to know what it can do and get the line widths you want without even thinking about it. Here's a video demo I made of the pen & nib: And here's an additional photoset: https://imgur.com/fpngallery/eXPLoO9 Mark Bacas deals TWSBI pens so I think you can just order a nib from him already ground to load into your TWSBI. This gives some additional options for nib types normally only found on Japanese pens, for example... or various architect grinds. Anyhow, I really love the pen and I'm considering sending him my King of Pen to work on next. This Blade Turk is just such an interesting and unique grind. I'd recommend it for any artist but also anyone who just wants an interesting fountain pen nib that is still appropriate for every day use.
  15. "Stub" nibs seem always (**) to be ground flat not only on the bottom and end, making the angle that contacts the paper and gives directional line variation, but also on the top which never (*) contacts paper. When customizing an ordinary ball-tipped nib to make a stub, why go through the extra step of grinding off the top? I know it is not necessary for writing to flatten the top/back of a round nib, nor of a CI: I have a cursive-italic nib, customized from a broad, that is an EF for writing upside-down, rather the opposite of flat. Yes, I know that a "stub" and a "cursive italic" are distinguished categories. If the distinction is relevant to my question, please elaborate on how. Otherwise not. And I also know that the "angle" I referred to above is eased or rounded on a stub nib. If that is relevant to my question, please elaborate on how. Otherwise not. I would rather not hear a bunch of guesswork answers. Those I can make up for myself. Please wait for someone who actually knows. Would it not be both less work to leave the backside of a stub round, and slightly beneficial in providing a (vey slight) extra bit of ink buffering very near the point of delivery? Why is it done? Thanks. (*) "never" in its regular use a a stub nib. The possibilities for using the reverse of a nib are interesting. That's a different set of questions I am not asking now. I just want to know why stubs have those possibilities ground off. (**) "seem always" because every stub nib I have examined, and every close-up photo of a stub nib I have seen, and the instructions I have read for grinding a stub, all show this feature. But I have not done a survey. If there are some stubs that do not have the back ground off, please show a picture. In any case my question remains for those that are ground off: Why? Thank you!
  16. Well, I did not know where to put it - nibs&tines, pen reviews or else So this seems a good forum. I pursue flex almost from the beginning of my fountain pen journey. I was fortunate enough not starting with modern flexes, but with a vintage one. I fancied a vintage pen, and bought one just because it was cheap, looked nice and I knew the brand. Parker Slimfold - in terms of size it was a disappointment (i didn check its size or asked the seller), - but the nib was fantastic. Right away i fell in love with "flex". Bought another vintage (Wyvern) - also great. Then started looking at moder ones - Conklin Omniflex, Ahab etc but nothing compared. Alter some time I learnt more, bought and used much more pens. Realised that flex is quite a wide idea. soft, semi, regular, wet noodle, modern, vintage. Waterman 52 flex vs vintage MB 146 flex vs flexible Pelikan nibs in 140, 400 etc. Soft nibs in M1000 vs japanise SF nibs. Pilot Custom 743 with FA nib is another part of this journey. I got to know and like Japanese nibs only recently. I knew about Pilot Falcon but did not like it, then "discovered" 912, 823, 742, 743 etc. And definitely wanted one with FA nib. So I ordered one. Pilot Custom 743 to be exact. In Europe they are not sold at all, so for the first time I took a risk and ordered from Japan. The price was incredible, good seller, but he sent it with the economy not expedited as I ordered, but any way 10 days later it was home I did not pay any duty or taxes (typically for import from Japan its est 28% total, but not this time - customs missed it?) . Pen is very nice, very well built but nothing especially interesting - just another cigar shaped, black rather large pen with gold trim. And 14k gold nib, in an unusual shape - with cutouts. It is not a vintage full flex but is much better in this area than any of modern so-called flex nibs I had a chance to try. I'm not a calligrapher, I'm still working on my handwriting. But I can appreciate a good nib. With a light touch, it puts a thin line, Japanese fine, and is smooth. but even slightly pressed it goes medium, broad and double broad quite easily, but at the same time, it becomes scratchy. I'm not sure it should work like that. The only problem I had was railroading then I flexed it too much or for too long, or was writing too fast. I investigated and wound aftermarket feed at flexiblenibs.com - 4 versions to be exact for my pen !!! Actually also for 823 and probably 845 pens too. Japanese ebonite, CNC cut, two colors (black and red) and two versions (2 slits, and 3 slits one for wet inks or not to aggressive flexing, the second one for dry inks and heavy pressing. I ordered both versions in black and several days later herre they are. Fixed the problem like a dream. The feeds are PERFECT. They are super high quality, shapes matches the original with 0,2mm precision. I really recomend one for any FA nib user on 743/823 (#15 nib) pen. Pictures and writing samples below. http://gakko.pl/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MG_3583.jpghttp://gakko.pl/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MG_3584.jpg http://gakko.pl/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MG_3585.jpg http://gakko.pl/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MG_3586.jpg http://gakko.pl/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MG_3590.jpg
  17. hello my fellow FP lovers, I am not sure if this topic has been posted earlier, but my question is if its possible to get a custom Pelikan M1000 body be made or if anyone has tried this experiment, or if there is someone out there who makes custom Pelikan m1000 bodies. I know it sounds adventurous to pursue such an endeavour but I can't seem to get this idea out of my mind. Currently own Pelikan M1000 Broad nib Pelikan m400 Tortoise Shell white Pelikan 140 Medium Thanks for reading Fez
  18. I fear I may already know the answer to this question, but I want to be sure that I'm not just missing something (my Google-Fu is notoriously weak)--does the Pilot Custom Heritage 91 in Tsukiyo (or any of the other colors) come in the soft fine or soft extra fine nibs (like the ones on the Pilot Falcon/Elabo)? I've only seen listings for the black CH91 with a soft fine nib, so I'm also kind of trying to make sure that's not a typo (and checking if the black comes in the soft extra fine)? Sorry if this should be obvious. For extra background, I'm considering making my first purchase of a non-cheap pen for potential everyday carry, and I like the idea of having a little flex (and was kindly allowed to try a SEF in a Falcon at my first pen show). I started with pointed dip pens and then fell into fountain pens by the happy happenstance of inheriting one, but I understand that fountain pen nibs are a slightly different animal in that arena, so I'm tempering my expectations. I have read that the FA nib can be more finicky than the SF/SEF, so I figure I'll start with the soft family of nibs and then perhaps consider the FA for next time. I was looking at the Falcon/Elabo and then came upon the suggestion that the same nib could be had in the CH91 for cheaper and the CH91 looks rather like the CH912 (which is what I'm hoping to get an FA nib in eventually), and I came to fancy the idea of potentially getting the CH91 in Tsukiyo. Leaning towards the SEF over the SF to maximize line width variation.
  19. Hi Everyone, I always use fpnibs.com as my source for JoWo nibs which they custom grind to whatever I want, but they don't offer Bock nibs. Is there anyone out that that not only sells Bock nibs but will also custom grind them for you? Thanks!
  20. gammada

    My New Parker 15 Custom Pen

    For some odd reason I've found myself liking the simple and plain lines of the Parker 15/ Jotter fountain pen family as of late. So after buying a couple of them, but not feeling entirely satisfied with the looks of any, I decided to create my own by combining the steel cap and clear section of the somewhat rare demostrator version, with the barrel of the Matte Black model. The result as you can attest, it's quite striking! The weight is still on par with that of the flighter since both -barrel and cap, are metal but the looks are more of my liking than that of the current Jotter, which has a shiny finish. Also, the clear section looks way less cheap than the black one -that shows moulding lines. What do you think?
  21. SpecTP

    Venvstas D'art

    This is my first formal fountain pen review. Today's subject is the Venvstas D'art. https://www.venvstas.com/dart This is a custom plastic lacquered fountain pen in an irregular geometric form. From the website, the description is; Hexagonal irregular section 12mm/15mm - 5mm ink feed, length 155mm closed, 143mm open. Cap do not post. Weight 15g loaded. Links to all photos are here https://photos.app.goo.gl/3ZjY3wF8wyvfP6pU8 The nib is a bit of a nail and feels a lot like using a ballpoint pen. You don't have to adjust the pressure too much so this makes it a very suitable beginner's fountain pen. I grip the pen normally and the irregular shapes aligns with my finger placement. I didn't have to contort or hold it any different. The pen was comfortable for long writing sessions. The nib and feed keeps the pen wet for fast writing without any issue. The ink also doesn't dry up for extended 4-5 days sitting idle in the pen cap. Overall, a solid fountain pen and a bit of a conversational starter with its unique shape. edit: trying to upload pictures, but it keeps failing will save this post as a place marker for now
  22. Hello, I saw an old post from Brian Gray saying that Edison Pens was hoping to have two 2018 LE Group Buy offers as a result of skipping 2017. Anyone know the status of these, or did I miss them already? I couldnt find anything on Google or FPN (or I just havent figured out the proper way to search on FPN yet-very likely). Thanks!
  23. Hi, I present you my last dip nib pen holder hand-made by Renée Meeks (Scriptorium Pens) and my first hand-engraved by myself using drypoint technique. Where it should be the ink holder (if it were a fountain pen), there's an empty space to hold other dip nibs :-D Here are two videos of it with my mobile :-) Sorry for the shaking video, but I've thalassemia and it's really hard to keep my hand steady (I had to place the phone against my chest to stabilize it). Let me know what you think of it ;-)
  24. Review of ASA Pens ebonite Nauka Purchased from: asapens.in Purchase date: Ordered mid-November, 2017. Arrived January 25, 2018. Cost: $55 USD for Jowo nib unit option (eyedropper and Schmidt units are cheaper), free testing and free shipping by registered mail Clicking on the photos below will take you to full-sized images. The Nauka from ASA Pens is an ebonite pen made to order by L. Subramaniam in Chennai, India. It has an elegant, streamlined shape inspired by the vintage Oldwin Classic from Mora Stylos. The placement of the cap threads right next to the nib permits a clean, uninterrupted "sectionless" line that, combined with the unique warmth and stability of ebonite, feels very comfortable in the hand. The pen is longer than average but not excessively long, and the grip diameter should be good for hands of all sizes. Although the cap can be forced to post, the pen is not intended to be used this way and becomes ungainly. Unposted, it's balanced perfectly, even in my small hands. L to R: Faber-Castell Loom, ASA Pens Nauka, Noodler's Ahab, Wing Sung 698, Platinum Century 3776, Pilot Custom Heritage 912 Size comparison with Pilot Metropolitan Size when writing, compared with Pilot Metropolitan I selected a red and tan rippled ebonite which turned out to be more beautiful than I had expected. As is usual for ebonite in this price range, there are some minor flaws in the material which are noticeable only upon very close inspection and which do not detract from my enjoyment of the pen. Likewise, a few very faint traces of tooling marks serve as an inoffensive reminder of the pen's handmade origins. I chose to forgo a clip, a decision which I feel enhances the clean beauty of the Nauka's lines. I usually grip my pens very close to the nib, so I was concerned that the location of the threads would be uncomfortable. At first, they did feel awkward, but I quickly adjusted to them. The cap threads are prominent and on the sharp side, though not painfully so. I chose the Jowo 3-in-1 option with a fine nib and requested that the pen be tested before shipping. It arrived very well-tuned: smooth but with a pleasant amount of feedback and moderate ink flow. I increased ink flow slightly to suit my personal preference, and the pen now writes perfectly for me. The cap opens in two turns, which produces a good seal without making it a chore to uncap and re-cap the pen. Unlike other ebonite-cap pens in my experience, my Nauka starts up without fail, even if I leave it unused for as long as a week (I have not left it inked but unused for a longer period that that). Inside of the cap Receipt took much longer than originally estimated. However, I did request a color option not listed on the website at the time, which Subramaniam graciously accommodated, and I made it clear that I wasn't in a hurry for the pen. We kept in communication regularly, and had no anxiety about my order. I've been using my Nauka for a little over a month now, and it has been a pleasure to have in my collection. I find myself reaching for it often, and it's one of the pens I always have inked. Excellent, tight barrel threads for secure eyedroppering. View of barrel thickness. The converter option with the 3-in-1 system is great for when I don't want to commit to a large fill of one ink.
  25. Hello again to all my FP friends! I just wanted to share some writing samples of the 4 nibs I had custom ground by fpnibs.com (no affiliation, just a satisfied customer). Their work is fantastic, reasonably priced, and with excellent service. These nibs all write wonderfully. The 1.1 Oblique Cursive Italic is especially dreamy and now a daily user for me.





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