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Hey all. I've recently been in contact with a pen maker in India. Communication has been great and I've selected several pens that I would like to purchase. However payment has been a problem. Apparently PayPal isn't an option, the maker doesn't want to give me the required information for a wire transfer, I've tried Paytm, but doesn't work from America, Google pay sends me to Western Union because it's international. Ergh!!! There has got to be some way to pay him. How do my fellow Americans pay pen makers in India?

Dear FPN'ers, Ranga Handmade Pens wishes you Very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!!!! This Offer is for RANGA Handmade Pens Bamboo, Thin Bamboo and Giant Bamboo Model in Classic Ebonites and alluring Acrylics .This is Japanese Style Pen with extensive craftsmanship. It is unique writing instrument with carrying lot of Art. Ebonite is highly beautiful , Durable, evergreen ,long lasting , Classic and favorite material for Pen lovers. It has Vintage Characteristics. Premium Acrylics are very attractive ,looks Gorgeous and appeals Visually very much. Bamboo and Giant Bamboo caps in less than 1 turn. Thin Bamboo Caps in 2-3 turns Bamboo Dimension: Capped Length - Approximately 6 Inches Cap Dia - 16mm, Barrel Dia - 16mm, Section Dia - 12.5mm at Thickest part and 11mm at thinnest part. Thin Bamboo Dimension: Capped Length - Approximately 5.75 Inches Cap Dia - 14.5mm, Barrel Dia - 14.5mm, Section Dia - 11mm at Thickest part and 10mm at thinnest part. Giant Bamboo Dimension: Capped Length - Approximately 7 Inches Cap Dia - 19mm /17.5mm dia based on availability, Barrel Dia - 19mm /17.5mm dia based on availability.Section Dia - 14.3mm at Thickest part and 12.5mm at thinnest part. Making Time : 2 -3 weeks Price: 1. Base Price for Ranga Regular Bamboo Pens with Ranga Screw in nibs and German Converters: Premium Ebonite & Premium Acrylic :85USD,Regular Ebonite & Regular Acrylic: 75USD, 2.Base Price for Ranga Giant Bamboo Pens with Ranga Screw in nibs and German Converters: Premium Ebonite & Premium Acrylic :105USD,Regular Ebonite & Regular Acylic : 85USD 3 Base Price for Ranga Thin Bamboo Pens with Ranga Screw in nibs and German Converters: Premium Ebonite & Premium Acrylic :80USD,Regular Ebonite & Regular Acrylic: 70USD, . You can upgrade it to plenty of nib choices with extra charge Shipping charges: Through Courier (Quicker delivery-4 to 9 days) .USA : 19USD, Central Europe : 15USD, Singapore/ Malaysia: 15USD. Rest of the world: It varies from country to country from 15USD -19USD. Kindly note that Shipping charges are very high, we bear the 50% of shipping charge and collecting the rest from customers. (Charges published above) Payment Details : Paypal id mpkandan@gmail.com .This offer Price is Valid till 31-January-22 To book your pen, Please fill the below form . all details are included in the form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc0o_xxc0vrLXV27Wvp1FRvnH-qDbBVl8_1WgD50g3xb4DsyA/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0 Take care Regards, Kandan.M.P Ranga Pen Company

Dear FPN'ers, We are happy to share the Video review by Mr. Douglas from Inkquiring minds channel for Ranga Model 3C Pen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zksTx23RPLw Regards, Kandan.M.P Ranga Pen Company

I am saving up for buying a Lamy 2000. But I needed a good work horse pen till I got the Lamy. So I thought of getting a Kanwrite Heritage because I was so impressed with the smooth writing performance of Kanwrite's much cheaper $10 pen called Desire (I use Desire for the Noodler's infamous Baystate Blue ink). Then I came to know about Kanwrite's latest product Legacy, which was launched just a few weeks ago and I changed the decision. I wasn't disappointed. I bought solid blue colour Legacy with a fine nib and ebonite feed. I ordered the pen directly on Kanwrite's website and it was delivered within a few days in spite of the COVID restrictions in my place. The pen came in a a beautiful box. Also, there was a spare extra-fine nib with plastic feed as a 'surprise gift'! First Impression: Legacy is a large pen. It is a moderately heavy pen weighing 26 grams capped and 18 grams uncapped. It is solidly built. The screw-on cap opens with about one and three quarter turns to reveal a No #6 (international standard size) nib. I had opted for a steel finish nib (Gold plated and dual tone options were also available). The cap threads doesn't interfere with writing grip. The nib was smooth out of the box. The barrel opens with six and a half turns. The pen comes with a piston pump filler (1 ml ink capacity). The threads are greased and has an O-ring. The pen can be converted into an eyedropper with a whopping 6.5 ml capacity. Threads of the cap, barrel and piston work smoothly with no glitch. Size comparison with other pens can be seen in the picture below (from left to right: Parker Vector CT, Noodler's Charlie, Sheaffer Gift 100, Kanwrite Desire, Camlin Elegante and Kanwrite Legacy). Legacy is 152 millimetres long (capped) and has a barrel diameter of 15.1 mm. Grip section is circular with 12.2 mm diameter. It doesn't post well and is too long and too top heavy to write when posted. Now the Pros and Cons. Pros: 1) Legacy has the smoothest nib I have used during my limited experience with the fountain pens. The pen writes smoother than my Lamy Safari and Sheaffer Gift 100. 2) The pen is a wet writer. The ebonite feed is never going to starve the nib. 3) The company offers seven nib options (including two flex-nib and a stub options), 3 nib finishes, two trim colours and 5 pen colours to choose from (that is 210 choices and all of those options are available!!) 4) Nibs are screw in type and nibs can be separately bought. So you don't have to buy several pens to get different nib options. I haven't tried to remove the nib, the procedure looks very simple in the 'how to' video sent by the company. 5) One free Extra-fine nib came along with the pen as a "surprise gift". 6) Jumbo 6.5 ml eye dropper option for those who write a lot. 7) Smooth piston pump filler. 8 ) Minimal, yet elegant design. Solid construction. 9) Excellent customer service. They respond to emails and Whatsapp messages within hours, often within minutes. Cons: 1) Lines are a bit thicker for a fine nib. It writes closer to a medium nib. (I have a Kanwrite Desire with Extra Fine nib and it writes like a Parker Vector fine nib). 2) Cap doesn't post well (I never post, so I am okay with it). 3) A bit top heavy even when unposted. So it took some time for me to adjust especially since I have small hands. Large grip section diameter also took some time to get adjusted to. Anyway I now use Legacy as my workhorse pen and I write 10 to 12 pages everyday with no fatigue, thanks to the wet smoothness. 4) Not really a con: the clip of the pen I got was defective and was catching on to the fabric while taking out from pocket. I removed the clip from the pen and corrected the issue using a small plier. It took less than two minutes. But Kanwrite sent me a new clip when I gave this feedback despite telling them that I had already corrected the issue on my own. Great gesture by the company - they really value customer satisfaction. Writing Sample: Final Verdict: Kanwrite Legacy is worth every penny and the cons I wrote are far outweighed by the pros. I have not seen many companies that offer the high quality customer care like Kanwrite. Just be aware that it is a wet writer and that the fine nib writes more like a medium. Legacy costs less than one fourth of the price of a Lamy 2000 and I am not sure if I still want to buy the Lamy for which I have been saving up. Legacy is a good pen. Note: I have no affiliation with Kanwrite. I just love their products and enjoy their excellent customer service.

Dear FPN'ers, Greetings!!!! This group buy is for RANGA Handmade Pens Model 3 in beautiful Premium Ebonites & Regular Ebonites. This Group Buy is Valid till 31-July-21 Model 3 is Flat shaped Pen. It is perfect Every day carry Pen. This is Popular Ranga Model Pen. It caps in less than 1 turn. The pens are completely handcrafted .Ebonite is Durable, evergreen ,long lasting , Classic and favorite material for Pen lovers. It has Vintage Characteristics Capped Length - Approximately 6 Inches Cap Dia - 16mm, Barrel Dia - 14.3mm, Section Dia - 12.5mm at Thickest part and 11mm at thinnest part. In order to purchase Ranga Model 3 Pen , Kindly fill the Google Form (Link Below) RANGA Model 3 - ORDER FORM https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc0dOye2rNfkIOq4R5JbySLCQTJp2DJw6ynYRpgnH275MVl7A/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0 Colours : Premium Ebonites: ------------------------ P1. Solid Blue P2. Black/Yellow P3. Blue/Pink P5. Blue/White P6. Black/Red P7. Green/Yellow P8. Solid Pink P9. Blue/Green/Orange P11. Blue/White/Green/Orange P12. Orange/ Black P13. Green/Pale Pink P14. Blue/Pink/Pale Yellow P18 PINK RED GREEN P19 Blue/Orange P20 GREY CREAM P21 Pink/ Pale Yellow P22 Orange/ Pale Yellow P23 GREY RED CREAM Regular Ebonites ----------------------- R4. Black S1. Solid Forest Green with Black Specs S6.Forest Green - Teal Blue Ripple with Black Specs S9. Mustard Yellow - Black Ripple S10. Khaki - Bluish Black Ripple S12. Rose Red - Black Ripple S15. Rose Red - Forest Green Ripple S17. Rose Red - Mustard Yellow Ripple with Black Specs S20. Teal Blue - Orange Ripple S22. Solid Red with Black Specs S28. Solid Grass Green with Black Specs Finish :Polished Finish or Matte Finish Clip Option - 1. Gold Clip 2. White Clip 3. Clipless Cap Turn: It takes less than 1 turn to cap and uncap For C/C mechanism (with Schmidt K5 Converter) #6 Nib Options Nib Option: Ranga Extra Fine Nib - Chrome Tone ,Gold Tone,Dual Tone Ranga Fine Nib- Chrome Tone ,Gold Tone,Dual Tone Ranga Medium Nib- Chrome Tone ,Gold Tone,Dual Tone Ranga Broad Nib- Chrome Tone ,Gold Tone,Dual Tone Ranga Double Broad Nib:Chrome Tone ,Gold Tone,Dual Tone Ranga Flex: Chrome Tone ,Gold Tone,Dual Tone Ranga 14K Nib # 6 Size Nibs:- Fine Point, Medium Point ,Broad Point, Flex Bock Titanium #6 nibs: Broad Point Bock 18K Nib # 6 Size Nibs:- Fine Point, Medium Point ,Broad Point, JoWo Fine Nib - Chrome Tone or Gold Tone JoWo Medium Nib - Chrome Tone or Gold Tone JoWo Broad Nib - Chrome Tone or Gold Tone JoWo 1.1 Calligraphy Nib - Chrome Tone or Gold Tone JoWo 1.5 Calligraphy Nib - Chrome Tone or Gold Tone Schmidt Fine Nib - Gold Tone or Chrome Tone Schmidt Medium Nib - Gold Tone or Chrome Tone Schmidt Broad Nib - Gold Tone or Chrome Tone No Nib - Threaded for Bock #6 No Nib - Threaded for JoWo #6 No Nib - Threaded for Schmidt #6 Price : RANGA Model 3 : Premium Ebonite with Ranga Nib and German Schmidt Converter: 69USD (Its Regular Price is 84USD). Regular Ebonite with Ranga Nib and German Schmidt Converter:54USD (Its Regular Price is 69USD).Kindly avail this Offer Price for this Excellent Pen Customer's can upgrade it to their favourite nibs with extra charge Making Time : 2-3 weeks from payment date Shipping: Via Courier . It takes 4 to 9 days.Via Courier- Kindly note that courier rates are very high now. We are happy to share that we are collecting only 50% of the courier charges and rest is incurred by us . Customer's need to pay 15USD for USA/Canada, 10USD for Central Europe /Singapore/ Malaysia and country specific rates for other countries. Payment Details: Paypal id: mpkandan@gmail.com Regards, Kandan.M.P Ranga Pen Company

Dear FPN'ers, This Grand Offer is for RANGA Handmade Pens Model 5 in Classic Ebonites and Premium Acrylics. The pens are completely handcrafted These are very Giant Size Pens. It is treat for Giant Pen lovers. .Ebonite is , highly beautiful , Durable, evergreen ,long lasting , Classic and favorite material for Pen lovers. It has Vintage Characteristics. Premium Acrylics are very attractive ,looks Gorgeous and appeals Visually very much. Model 5 is Cigar Shape Pen in seamless finish.It caps in less than 1 turn. It is clipless Pen. This Model is available in 120 colours now. Bock #8 Titanium nibs are available now in different line widths,. It is most sought after nibs among Fountain pen lovers. Ranga Model 5 and Bock #8 nibs brings the best of both the world to Fountain Pen lover's table. This offer is Valid till 15th December -21 Capped Length - Approximately 7 Inches Cap Dia - 19mm, Barrel Dia - 19mm, Section Dia - 14mm at Thickest part and 12mm at thinnest part. Making Time : 2 weeks Price: Base Price for Ranga Pens with Ranga Screw in nibs and German Converters: Premium Acrylic -89USD,Premium Ebonite :89USD, Regular Acrylic -69USD, Regular Ebonite -69USD You can upgrade it to plenty of nib choices with extra charge Shipping charges: Through Courier (Quicker delivery-4 to 9 days) .USA : 19USD, Central Europe : 15USD, Singapore/ Malaysia: 15USD. Rest of the world: It varies from country to country from 10USD -19USD. Kindly note that Shipping charges are very high, we bear the 50% of shipping charge and collecting the rest from customers. Payment: Paypal id mpkandan@gmail.com To book your pen, Please fill the below form . all details are included in the form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeQtPfXpJh9XnDqbJ7M3oIDlVWzQPM0hir9T26blec3RqdZYA/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0 Regards, Kandan.M.P Ranga Pen Company

Dear FPN'ers, We are happy to launch RANGA Handmade Pens in Limited Edition Ebonites in Model 4 , 4C, 9B, Designer. The Pens are limited to 1 piece in each colour. Ebonites are unique and attractive. Pens are sold in First come First Serve basis on payment. Total available pens are 44 pens .The pens are completely handcrafted . Model 4, 4c, 9B Pens caps in less than 1 turn. Designer caps in 3 turns. Capped Length - Approximately 6 Inches Cap Dia - 16mm, Barrel Dia - 16mm, Section Dia - 12.5mm at Thickest part and 10.5mm at thinnest part. Making Time : Available Immediately. Price: Base Price for Ranga Pens with Ranga Screw in nibs and German Converters: Model 4, 4C, 9B-69USD .Designer is 94USD each , You can upgrade it to plenty of nib choices with extra charge Shipping charges: Through Courier (Quicker delivery-4 to 9 days) .USA : 15USD, Central Europe : 10USD, Singapore/ Malaysia: 10USD. Rest of the world: It varies from country to country from 10USD -19USD. Kindly note that Shipping charges are very high, we bear the 50% of shipping charge and collecting the rest from customers. (Charges published above). To purchase the pen, FPN'ers are requested to fill the form . All details are included in the form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeIO8mFxzid_2Dz18q15gvywB6gTYc3ZCDQ7Pxe4zDsTlMERg/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0 Please reach us in mpkandan@yahoo.co.in for requirements Regards, Kandan.M.P Ranga Pen Company

Hi, I have accumulated more pens than I can write with. So I have decided to give away one of them. It's a Lamy nexx M. The pen is in near perfect shape with a medium nib. Ideally, I'd like to give it away to someone who is making a leap from lower end pens (sub Rs 1000) to Lamy for the first time. Please note: the pen does not come with a convertor. So you would either need to buy a convertor or use the cartridges. Of course, I am not looking for any form of monetary compensation or trade.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF WRITING MATERIALS AND INSTRUMENTS IN INDIA. PreVedic Age - According to historians there existed no written languages in India during the PreVedic period. This is confirmed by books like Vishnupurana also. But it is said that the Vedic knowledge existed during this period, which was transferred verbally from Master to the Disciple. Vedic age- This is the period were Vedas were written. Though there are many controversies regarding the age of Vedas, a period accepted by most of the historians is around 3000 BC. Most of the Hindu philosophers also accept this period as Vedic age. The Vedas are written and divided into 4 by Krishna Dwaipayana Vyaasa. Rig Veda is the first written Veda, also this is the oldest literature available to humans at present. Unfortunately there is no clue about the writing material or instrument used. Vyaasa - An Artist’s imagination. There are historians who conclude that writing was not started during this period as no manuscripts, writing materials or writing instruments have been discovered belonging to this period. But I may beg to differ as although there are no direct evidences, the following points may highlighted. Rig Veda itself is the evidence. It is a book consisting of more than 100,000 verses and 1000 hymns. Don’t you think that such a vast volume of information, unless written somewhere , we should n’t have these available at present. Another point, in Rigveda itself the words “Akshara” ( means Alphabet), Grandha ( means Book), Cows with the Numerical “8” written on them are present which clearly indicates that some form of writing was there. Also it has been written in Rig Veda that Shatapriya states – Vamanadeva by hearts Veda by “seeing” it and also Atreya saying about a Rishi reading it. Altough nothing about the word “write” is seen in Rig veda , Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda uses the word “ Likha” which means “to write”. All these indicates writing, though we do not know about where is it written or how is it written. So it should be concluded that some form of writing have been started in India during Vedic age itself. Indus valley Civilizations - This is the civilization which was developed along the River Indus and its tributaries developed around 2600 BC. Though many Stone and Rock carvings are obtained which belonged to this period, all of these are still undeciphered. Also nothing like manuscripts or writing instruments were able to be obtained and the mystery continues about writing in this period. The Epic ages - Roughly this age comes after the Vedic age, probably around 1000 – 500 BC. Many important literature works occurred during this period. Two great Epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata were written during this age. Mahabharata with more than 100,000 stanzas is the longest poem of the world. But the bad luck continues- still no manuscript was obtained, nor any writing utensils or materials. But in Mahabharata, there are various situations where some thing is writing on a leaf or cloth and send to be read by other people. Also the names of persons written on arrows. Yet another book written during this age was the “ Ashtadhyayi” by Panini and “ Dharmasutra “ by Vasishta. Though the exact period of Panini is not known, various historians put him from 8 th to 4th century BC. It is a grammar book on Sanskrit language. In various places he is asking the reader to “see” other rules as references indicating that the original form of this was a written thing. Also he uses a word “ Lipikara” Lipi = alphabet Lipikara = Writer. During this age, the usage of ink was there as evidenced by excavations from Takshila. Even a branch of science called ‘ Rasaratnakara’ developed where a recipe for ink was given. It was made from nuts and myrobalan. The word ‘ massi’ was used for ink. The word Massi stands for “ Crushed”. We Keralites still use the word “ Mashi” for ink. The word meaning shows that ink was made by crushing, may be plant or animal origin. The Rasaratnakara also tells us about mixing different types of plants and minerals to get different shades of ink. Some historians says that Wing feathers were used during this time for writing. This is the first time in Indian writing history where the usage of a writing instrument is indicated. There is also evidence about Indians using Wooden board as writing material. Writing was done with a material similar to chalk called Pandulekha. Nearchos ( 326 BC) admiral of Alexander, have mentioned about Cloth being used as a writing material in India. In Kerala ( where I live) cloth is used till recently by certain group of people as writing material. After this period, the next evidence of writing is identified in 250 BC in Emperor Ashoka’s inscriptions on pillars and stones, called as Ashoka pillars. Megasthanes, who was a Greek ambassador in Pataliputra,India,says about written horoscopes of Indian people. AROUND 1000 AD. ( Al beruni’s observations) During the later ages, the great Arab scholar Al beruni’s book gives some important informations about Indian writing. ‘ They use black tablets for children in school and write upon them with a white material from left to right’ (About Palm leaves) ‘ In Southern India they used a slender palm like leaves for writing’ (About Bhurj bark) In Northern and central, India, they used a wood called Bhurj for writing. They oil and polish it, to make it hard and smooth. So, what are the materials used in Ancient India for writing? Paper was hardly known in India before 11th century. Before that the main writing material in South India was Palm leaves.( My mothers horoscope was on palm leaves. It was written on 1950s.) For writing a sharp ended metal piece called Naarayam was used. A type of palm, which grow on coastal Malabar area was famous for this. The leaves are collected, boiled and dried before writing with the Naarayam, which is held with whole palm instead of a tripod grip. In Northern states, where good quality palm leaves were not available, the bark of a tree called Bhurja is used. After Chinese have found the technology of making paper in Ad 700s, it was introduced to India by Arabs. Though reference says that paper industry was already started in a limited amount in India, in Delhi or Lahore,it was probably insignificant. The first real paper industry was developed in Kashmir by Sulthan Sainul Khan, in 1400s. The real high quality paper soon became very famous, so that the demand from rest of India and other parts of the world were difficult to meet. Soon, with rapid demand, other centres also started developing making papers. Important among them were Punjab,Jaunpur, Bihar,Bengal, Ahmedabad,Gujarath and Mysore. Soon Gujarath developed as the largest producer and exporter. In medieval India there were atleast 20 paper making centres. This hand made paper making industry was going in full strength until the early part of 19th century and later started declining. So what writing instrument was used in these papers? In places where bamboo type plants grow, thin reeds about 5 mm diameter were made and tips were sharpened with knife. Bamboo with brushed tips can also be seen in museums. These were dipped in inks made of plant resins with soot or mineral colours for writing. It seems that the ink pot for these inks were made of Brass, which is kept as an antique item in homes and museums. These were called as Kalam Dams. In places were bamboos were not available bird feathers were used as a writing instruments. It seems that a wooden pen nib holder with attached metal nib was introduced in India British East India company, which may be in early part of 20th century. Cheap to obtain, it became a popular writing instrument. For writing different languages like English, Urdu and Hindi different types of nibs were available. Even after the introduction of fountain pen, because of high price , this was the writing instrument for a large mass of Indian people almost till independence. Ink pots were available in office and schools where premade depressions in furniture were made to keep the ink pots. It was during this period that East India Company made a decision not to use Hand made papers in government offices and started using imported machined papers from Britain. At the same time 2-3 paper mills already started functioning in India, which made cheaper paper available in the market. All on a sudden the glamorous profession till now went down to pathetic condition. Going became rough for both people and the industry. Gandhiji understanding the situation,tried to improve this. By this period the Swadeshi movement under his leader ship have already started. To help indigenous industries an All India village Industries Association have started, under the guidance of Sri.Kumarappa. So, what about fountain pens during this period? What I understand is that there were persons ( or agencies?) who bring foreign pens to India, either officially or unofficially. The Hyderabad native, SS Siddiqui, who went to Calcutta in 1920s for pen business, later became agent for Conway Stewart, and started the famous Deccan pens of Hyderabad. Gupta agencies, again based on Calcutta was also importing foreign pens even before this period. While examining the history of Pen hospital, Trissur, the founder KKP Abdulla, got his initial training ( in late 1920 or early 30s) again from Calcutta. So, Calcutta was the India’s major pen hub? In Madras, during late 1920s, MS Cunnan ( pronounced as Kannan), started the pen shop, Gem & Co,which later became authorized representatives of Parker and Waterman in India. After 1925,a few more paper mills started appearing - now there are more than 10 mills functioning in full swing in India with the combined annual production going more than 45000 tons. It seems that India’s writing industry is well responding to Gandhiji’s call for Swadeshi movement. In records, Krishnaveni Ink factory establishedin 1920,by Sambasiva Rao of Madras was the first brand came into life in response to Swadeshi call. So many ink brands, mostly very small units were established in the following years throughout the country. Demands were also raising. 1931- Dandedkar & Co establishes which later becomes Camlin. This company begins production of ink tablets and powders under Horse brand. The year 1932 – Probably the most important event in Indian writing history happened now- In Rajahmundry, “The grandfather of pens” Kosuri Venkat Ratnam makes the first fountain pen of India in silver. When Sri. Kumarappa of All India village Industries Association came to see the work in 1934, he takes one ebonite pen for Gandhiji. And the most important thing, Gandhiji appreciated it very much. What else a pen maker want in his whole life? The year 1933 – Probably this year is also may be very important in Indian writing- The birth of Mahtre pens. They were started as representatives of Eversharp pens in India. But they had no production facilities at present. 1934- Sulekha works Ltd start its operations in ink making. In late 1930s and early 1940s the ink and paper industry of India flourished exponentially due to increased demand during the war, this also resulted in birth of many new brands. 1940 – Yet another important year. The birth of Balkrishna pens and Dhiraj pens. There is a beautiful article written by Purvi Sanghvi, about these. This was a combined effort of two brothers- Sri. Dwarakadas Sanghvi and Sri. Vallabhdas sanghvi. So who made India’s second pen? I think that credit goes to these people, Sanghvi brothers. Mahtre have n’t started their own production facilities ( as far as my knowledge goes). Mahtre start first brand Plato, in 1950 only. During this period Swan and Black bird birds were very available as I interviewed my grand pa and ma. I had to go a little crazy over this and started interviewing neighbor hood grand pas and mas and later all the old people of the village started hiding them selves on seeing my face. The inference I got from different people goes like this- All of them started to write with dip pen which they call as steel pen. Most of them know two types of ink. One coming in bottle, other as tablets. Most of them were using tablets as other was expensive. As they upgraded to fountain pen, most of them started with a Black bird or a Swan pen. All of them have not heard about Ever sharp. One of them used a Parker as step up from dip pens. The bottled ink was a Swan or any “local” manufacturer. So when did Mahtre started representing Swan pens? This remains as a mystery. Any way the pens were marketed more aggressively than Eversharp. Continuing with Balkrishna and Dhiraj pens, initially they started with Wilson branded pens. They became huge success. Soon they started – around 1945- President brand, which also was a huge success. Then they started Olympic brand- but it seems that this brand was not that much heard about later. I think that this group had still some other “ unknown” brands. [ A Wilson 45 ( from 60s). Olympic Pen- A Vacumatic look alike – I do not have original cap – so using Vacumatic’s.. Though initially there was overlap, later Balkrishna pens started producing only Wilson brand and Dhiraj pens, produced President. 1946 – Guider pens started in this year by Mr. G.Subbarao, they still have antique celluloid rods for making pens. !947 – Everlast pens – an American brand was introduced in Madras by a local agency. Later this brand was introduced in Calcutta, Delhi and major cities. It seems that though initially pens were imported directly from USA, later local production started here either with the knowledge of original company or unknowingly. 1950s- By this time there are more than 100 ink brands in India. Also in early 1950s, may be in 1951 itself, the Japanese giant Pilot and the American giant Parker started their ink manufacturing plants in India. Gujarath Pen industry I am not sure when this have started. Having head office in Bombay, but I suspect that they started some where in Gujarath. Only thing I can say is that they have registered the trade mark of “Champion brand” in 1958- but that does not mean that the company have started in 1958. The company may have started may be around early 1950s- but correct me if I am wrong. They had at least 3 brands of pens. President, Ashok and Service. Of these President was the flag ship brand, but Ashok was immensely popular. But do not be confused, there is one more Ashoka ( Ashoka, not Ashok). This was a smaller company from Andhra Pradesh and only made hand made pens unlike Gujarath Ind. These Ashokas were more popular in Kerala. ( I can tell that there are people who still enquire about Ashoka, to whom we may make pen “ like Ashoka” ). 1950 – Kim& Co at Calicut came into existence. As detailed article already exists, readers are referred to there. Probably the first India’s first “manufactured” pen produced by Mahtre under the brand name Plato in this year – 1950. About Mahtre pens and plastics Started in the year 1933, this company made some important contributions to Indian pen industry. It represented Ever sharp in India for decades and later in 1958 it started the brand “ Doric” under Eversharp licence. This firm also had their own brands like “Writer” and “Clipper”. It have represented also companies like Swan and Waterman. During early 1960s they have started making pens for Waterman and Swan under their license for marketing in India. The original Mahtre company although wound up in 80s, the company exist as Ravlon pen company at present with Ravindra N Mhatre as Chairman & Managing Director They are the makers and exporters of ball pen tips. They are the largest makers of ball pen tips in India and also the only exporters of the same. 1951 – Airmail Wality company established. 1953 or earlier – Chelpark Ink company established. About Chelpark company. There is a well written article about Parker pen company and Chellaram family in India, for starting ink manufacturing. Though parker have started it operations early 1950s, the exact time of deal between Mr. Byford of Parker and Chellaram family is not clear. Chelpark Company came into life atleast in 1953. Mr. Byford of Parker joined parker company of Britain in 1946, working for overseas operations including Africa, and Chellaram had business in same region from 1943 onwards and bought Parker products from him for marketing there. Though Chelpark exists almost no more as a ink manufacturer, the group still exists as Chellsons exports and Chellsons Packaging Pvt ltd, exporting stationary items. Late 1950s - Deccan pens started making pens under their own brand. In 1960s, many companies came into existence- notable among them where Mercury pens, Ambitious pens, Ritesharp pens, Chandra pens, Sulekha pens, Matharu pens, Camlin pens , Artist pens and Wimco pens. 1963 - Artist pens, which started their operations in 1963, later became Luxor pens. 1964 – BRIL inks (Industrial Research Corporation) came into existence. In 1960s MS Pandurangan have started Ranga Pen company, producing hand made pens,which later developed in to the single brand having the most international collaborations than any other similar firm. 1965- Ambitious Gold Nib manufacturing company started. This company caters the OEM needs of many fountain pen brands of the world from at least 1980s onwards. From an article about Indian Pen industry in Times of India 1987- (“Ambitious Gold Nib manufacturing company,the Nib and Ballpen manufacturer which hawks nibs to Parker and Sheaffer in the US, is busy developing rollerball and micro-tipped pens”) The company is having ( or had) collaborations with Parker, Sheaffer, Pilot, FaberCastle, Zenith(Poland), Styb(Spain), Viva and many more. Camlin started making fountain pens from mid 1960s. Higher quality products with competitive pricing made them very popular for next 2 decades. This company also meets the OEM needs of major brands and export them to different countries. Nibs for higher models are made by Ambitious. PILOT pens in India On or before 1953 Pilot have established Pilot Pen Co ( India)LTD, and started ink manufacturing. During or after 1959, Pilot have started manufacturing pens. It became a huge success. It belonged to the Super series – though not exact copies of their Japanese counter part- Super 1,2 and 3. Also pilot G series with gold nib. During this period Calicut pen people have contacted the company for making hand made ebonite pens for them, they also made a few ebonite pens as samples using Pilot clips and nibs, but the venture did not worke out well. The models made by Pilot were very popular and affordable. Pen Industry after 70s/80s. Probably after 70 or 80s I would like to call writing instruments industry as modern. The industry pattern have changed. Companies have changed. And the customers requirements also changed. Now there is more demand for ball pens. Among the notable brands from the past, only Balkrishna ( Wilson)have survived the test of time. The hand made pen industry, though surviving, is going through a rough time.It is to be noted that Wilson branded jotter pens very popular now. From 1980s onwards the industry begins to shift from the hands of small unorganized players to bigger companies. Many companies wanted to make alliance with world’s leading brandsto conquer the market. Probably the first move in this direction was made by Luxor, by entering in to an agreement with Pilot to launch Pilot pens in India in 1982. Chandra pens have started marketing Cross ball pens. Cross ,already having a good brand image in India became a huge success, selling more than 100,000 units in the first year itself. Ambitious pen companies talks with Parker and Cross went unsuccessful for a joint venture. Parker began to look for other suitable partner which they found on Luxor.Meanwhile Flair bought Pierre Cardin, Senator and Pentel to Indian market and Linc pen bought Uniball, Lamy and Bensia. About Luxor pen company Started in 1963, Luxor started marketing Pilot pens in 1982. In 1996, Luxor group company and Gillete group entered into a 50:50 venture for production and marketing of Parker, Waterman and Papermate brands in India. This have helped Luxor to strengthen its market position. In late 2000, Gillete sold its Stationary product business to Newell Rubbermade, along with the 50% stake in this joint venture. Later Luxor group bought out the rest of the stake from Rubbermaid, retaining its right to manufacture, market and sell Parker, Waterman and Papermate products in India. ( Sanford does not have any stakes in Luxor now). Still there are companies I do not mention which includes Cello ( 40 % of stake is with BIC, I think Cello is the number 1 brand at present),Reynolds under GM pen International ( still under Sanfords) Today’s, Montex ( another company which concentrates in export market meeting the OEM demands of various brands)Lexi and Pik and probably numerous others. I know that many other small firms that make hand turned pens have been omitted. A place called Thiruvalloor, of Chennai , was just like a pen making centre where there were many small firms making ebonite rods and Ebonite pens. Most of them have closed, but still some exist. They do not want to brand themselves . When they get clips named Swarna, that batch of pens becomes “Swarna”. But the same batch of clips when supplied by the clip company to some other similar firm in Andhra Pradesh, that batch also becomes “ Swarna”!. Now we have 2 different pens with the same name! But most of the time get clips with out name- that’s our luck. In Chathoor,( Chennai state) nibs are still being made as hand made items. In Thanjavoor , specialist calligraphic nib grindrers were shut down, who used to custom modify nibs. Though the firm have been restarted, they have not come up yet. That on Left is made by makers at Chennai, while right by makers at Andhra. Original article written for the book “ Kozhikkodinte Charitram” ( History of Calicut) in Malayalam language. Briefed, translated and edited for FPN by my wife’s brother Nighil Mohan ( mohan in FPN). Thanks for reading. Sreekumar

Hello everyone. ASA pens from Chennai is making all the right noises these days, with their beautiful and unique Nauka and Trans-nauka making the rounds and getting praise from everyone. Today I am going to review the first ebonite pen that I bought from ASA, the ‘Writer’, which gets somewhat less attention than their other offerings. My concern before buying any pens from ASA was the size of their pens, most of which are pretty large for my preference. And so one fine day I messaged Mr. Subramanium and he suggested either ‘Writer’ or ‘Genius’ and I settled for the former. I chose ‘Writer’ because this pen has the cap flushed with the body of the pen. This particular design feature seemed appealing to me. The ASA Writer, note the cap flushed with the body and the name inscription lining with ASA branding I didn’t have any idea about ebonite pens before buying this pen and Mr. Subramanium helped a lot in deciding the particulars like the nib, the finish, filling system and the site of inscription. I bought a matte/bakul finish of black ebonite with a German made medium nib-feed unit branded as ‘Versace’. I was very impressed with the pen after I received it and since then it has been one of my most reliable writers. 1. Appearance & Design (9/10): ASA Writer is a beautiful traditional cigar shaped pen with gentle tapering towards the lower end of body. The section also tapers in a smooth fashion. The cap is flushed with the body. The clip is a standard ASA ball end clip with good fit and springiness. The design feature I don’t like is the cap taking almost three turns to open. For a person who continually caps and uncaps his pen, this pen requires much effort in this respect. I have my name inscribed on the cap and that name inscription is in line with the branding just at the top end of the body. That’s a nice little bit of detailing. There is a small ring like protrusion at the top of section, just beneath the nib which probably seals the section to the cap when closed. This doesn’t pose problem while gripping. The matte/bakul finish is very attractive over the body and cap. The section is glossy ebonite. I have been using this pen for long, but the glossy section has not got many scratches. This is a light weight and well balanced pen. No pungent smell from the pen. The Writer, note the glossy section and the ring like structure near the top end of section 2. Construction & Quality (9/10): The ebonite is of good quality. The nib and ebonite feed also feels very well built. I ordered the pen with a schmidt converter which again looks solid. The cap looks thin at the border, and there is no end ring to support it. But it seems very unlikely that the cap will break with regular usage. One negative point is that the threads over section is bound to accumulate some dirt over use. I don't know foe sure, but this may have to do with static electricity formed on ebonite. 3. Weight & Dimensions (7/10): It’s a light weight pen. The dimensions are as follows Pen Length Capped 145 mm Pen Length Uncapped 130 cm. Pen Length Posted 150 mm Average Barrel diameter 14 mm at the section base & 12 mm at taper end Average Section diameter 12 mm at Base and 11mm near Lip Average Cap diameter 15 mm This pen feels very comfortable and well balanced unposted, while it becomes too large and awkward after posting. I never use any of my pen posted except the miniature pens like Pilot petit mini, so that is not an issue for me. it slips easily into hand and writes right away. From left : Sheaffer No nonsense, Waterman Hemisphere deluxe, Waterman Harley Davidson free wheels, ASA writer (all capped) From left : Sheaffer No nonsense, Waterman Hemisphere deluxe, Waterman Harley Davidson free wheels, ASA writer (all posted) 4. Nib & Performance (9/10): The #5 versace nib-feed combo that came with this pen is amazing. It is smooth with very generous flow and good line consistency. I was so impressed with this nib that I ordered my ASA Rainbow Acrylic pen with the same nib and once again I was bowled over by its performance. Later I swapped the nib with a JoWo 1.1 stub nib bought from ASA. This JoWo nib is a beautiful writer as well with perfect smoothness and flow. No feathering or blotting or burping, ink and paper remaining the same as other pens. Both nibs have very little flex. Line variations with 1.1 nib is good. There is no edginess or catching the paper at turns while writing with this stub, even at a high speed. 5. Filling System & Maintenance (10/10): This pen is 3-in-1, which means one can use it as either eyedropper, with a schmidt converter or with standard international cartridges. I have always used this pen with converter as it offers quick hassle free filling and keeps the barrel clean. No burping or any leakage noted when I tried it as an eyedropper. As mentioned earlier, the converter is of very good quality, can be disassembled and cleaned easily and fits perfectly with the body. The cap and clip 6. Cost & Value (9/10): This pen is valued at INR 1500 (38$ ). It’s a pretty impressive considering the beautiful features and 3-in-1 filling system. This has the potential to become one of the daily workhorse of any fountain pen user with little maintenance. Conclusion (Final score, 53/60): I ordered this pen as my first ebonite pen and it turned out pretty good. This pen from ASA has got little recognition, when by all standards it is one of the best pens they have to offer. You can order this pen from their website. Be sure to discuss any doubts with Mr. Subramanium before placing an order. Writing sample Have a nice day. Good bye.

Are fountain pens now considered "contraband" in India? Does one need an import licence to order FPs for personal use? I recently had a very singular experience. I ordered a Pilot 823 and a couple of bottles of Iroshizuku ink from a Japanese online retailer, paid through PayPal and the package was shipped. As the package seemed stuck at the Japanese end beyond a reasonable time, I contacted the retailer again and was shocked with this response: "I confirm your parcel and found that the parcel is on hold in Japan. The reason is that a fountain pen is a contraband in India. However, a fountain pen is conditional contraband. I heard that if you can get the import permit from "Chief Controller of Imports and Exports New Delhi", you can import it. We are sorry we did not know that a fountain pen is a contraband in India. Would it be possible to get the import permit?" I replied as below: "I was not aware that a fountain pen is "conditional contraband" in India. I have ordered online from several retailers including one other retailer in Japan; but I have never had this issue before. As far as I understand, an import permit is required only when items are being imported for commercial use and sale - and not required when ordered for personal use. So, I request you to please check if the pen can be shipped without the licence." And the response was as below: "I confirmed details to the post office, but it is not allowed without distinction of the commercial or personal use. So the license is needed in both cases. They told me that they are obeying with the contraband list of customs of India. And Regarding the past case that you purchased the fountain pen from Japan, the clerk of the post office is guessing it was by chance. In addition, even if the parcel can pass through the departure process in Japan like in that way, it has a risk of confiscation at Indian customs. We really regret to say that we cannot help you. We are sorry." Thereafter, on my request, the retailer canceled the transaction and issued an immediate refund through PayPal. So I have to clarify that the entire transaction was very smooth and the interaction with the retailer was very pleasant, with frequent mail updates about the order. My question is to FPNers from India and even other countries: I have heard of parcels being held up in customs - even experienced it myself. But never has the office of origin held back a package. Has anyone had a similar experience while ordering from Japan - or any other country - for that matter? Would love to hear your thoughts/comments/opinions as this will have a big impact on me ordering from other countries. Thanks and appreciate your patience in reading this somewhat long post. Cheers Sudhir

I have wanted a snorkel filler pen but poorly maintained vintage pens have made me wary of purchasing them online. Does anyone know reputable sellers ( in India ) who offer vintage pens? If so please share your experiences along with their contact details.

Dear FPN'ers, This Group Buy is for RANGA Handmade Pens- Model 5 and Giant 9B in beautiful Classic Premium Ebonites. This Group Buy is Valid till 30-June-21. These are Giant Size pens. It is treat for Giant Pen lovers Model 5 is Cigar Shape Pen in seamless finish. Giant 9B is Torpedo shaped pen in seamless finish. Section is Hourglass Shape. These are the Popular Ranga Model Pen . It caps in less than 1 turn. The pens are completely handcrafted .Ebonite is Durable, evergreen ,long lasting , Classic and favorite material for Pen lovers. It has Vintage Characteristics. These are clipless pens Capped Length - Approximately 7 Inches Cap Dia - 19mm, Barrel Dia - 19mm, Section Dia - 14mm at Thickest part and 12mm at thinnest part. In order to purchase Ranga Model 5 / Giant 9B Pen , Kindly fill the Google Form (Link Below) .All details are included in the form .Lot of nib options are present https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3ao8fgaFCziU4MHlN_svdB57KgNJKobNGcyLZ2k2PPCePZw/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0 Premium Ebonites: ------------------------ P2. Black/Yellow P3. Blue/Pink P4. Solid Green P5. Blue/White P6. Black/Red P11. Blue/White/Green/Orange P12. Orange/ Black P13. Green/Pale Pink P14. Blue/Pink/Pale Yellow P18 PINK RED GREEN P19 Blue/Orange P20 GREY CREAM P21 Pink/ Pale Yellow P22 Orange/ Pale Yellow P23 GREY RED CREAM Regular Ebonites ----------------------- S1. Solid Forest Green with Black Specs S22. Solid Red with Black Specs S27 .Solid Teal with Black Specs S29. Solid Military Green with Black Specs Price: Base Price for Ranga Pens with Ranga Screw in nibs and German Converters: Premium Ebonite & -89USD, Regular Ebonite -69USD.. You can upgrade it to plenty of nib choices with extra charge Shipping charges: Through Courier (Quicker delivery-4 to 9 days) .USA : 15USD, Central Europe : 10USD, Singapore/ Malaysia: 10USD. Rest of the world: It varies from country to country from 10USD -19USD. Making time : 5 Weeks Payment: To Paypal id mpkandan@gmail.com Regards, Kandan.M.P Ranga Pen Company

Those of us who make a habit of checking out products on the Fountain Pen Revolution (FPR) website (fountainpenrevolution.com) will know that things have been fairly quiet there for a while – pens for sale as per usual, but no new updates of their product line. All of that changed in late July when they announced on their Facebook page that they were launching a new, US-based website (fprevolutionusa.com), and a brand new pen – the ‘Himalaya’. I don’t know how I missed this announcement, but when a newsletter arrived in my inbox, advising that the website was now up and running – and offering a 15% discount on all purchases – I was off the mark and running. At the time of writing this review, the Himalaya is only available from the US site, not the India-based site (which still offers cheaper postage to international customers), but I didn’t want to wait, so I ordered – and the pen arrived on 5 September 2016, a little over a week ago. Disclaimer: though I have received free review pens from FPR in the past, this pen was purchased with my own money – in either case, the views expressed in this review are entirely my own. ______________________________________________________________________ 1. Appearance & Design The Himalaya is available in four colours (and two materials): Saffron Acrylic, Taj Mahal White Acrylic, Green Ebonite or Brown Ebonite. I liked the look of the Saffron Acrylic, and ordered a Medium nib with monochrome (stainless steel) finish. Colour aside, the Himalaya is a fairly ‘standard’ looking fountain pen - not too dissimilar in shape and size from the FPR Jaipur, although the cap ‘finial’ is more curved, and the pen body is missing the ‘step-down’ effect produced on the Jaipur by the piston knob. The clip and centre band on the cap look much the same on these two pen models, too. There’s nothing ‘original’ about the Himalaya’s appearance – but (to my eyes) it’s an attractive pen. http://i.imgur.com/LDbrKrM.jpg Can I put in a word here also for the material this pen is made from? I don’t own a lot of acrylic pens (just this one, and two FPR Trivenis), but I find the combination of translucence and pearlescence quite mesmerising. The ‘Saffron’ acrylic used for this pen, especially, is beautiful – I can’t believe it only cost me $29 (plus postage, minus 15% discount…)! … 2. Construction & Quality Despite the delicate appearance of the acrylic material, the pen feels quite sturdy in the hand – as far as I can tell (thus far), it’s neither brittle nor likely to crack any time soon. Everything seems well-finished; the tolerances on the threads are excellent; the finish on the acrylic and chrome accents are all well-finished – no rough edges or discolouration. The clip seems sturdy, and is tight enough to hold the pen firmly in a pocket, but springy enough to be flexible. All in all, a very well made pen. http://i.imgur.com/L6ggXtr.jpg … 3. Weight & Dimensions I think I’d classify the Himalaya as a ‘Medium’ sized pen – longer than my pocket pens (the TWSBI Diamond Mini, Kaweco Sports etc), but a little shorter than a “full-length” pen like the TWSBI Diamond 580 or Eco, the Lamy 2000 or Diplomat Excellence A. It’s very comfortable in the hand, though, and long enough to write with either posted or unposted. http://i.imgur.com/sOWnwq9.jpg Lengthwise, the pen is 134mm long capped, 121mm uncapped, and extends to 152mm when posted. It weighs in at 16g (10.3g uncapped), which makes it one of my lightest pens. The cap diameter (not including clip) is 14.5mm at its widest point, the barrel diameter sits around 12mm, while the grip section (18mm long) tapers down from 11mm diameter near the cap threads, to 9mm at its narrowest… before flaring out at the end to 11mm at the lip. This again compares very favourably with the Jaipur (though the latter’s grip section is less tapered), and sits very well within my ‘comfort zone’. … 4. Nib & Performance Like almost every other pen made by FPR, the Himalaya takes a #5.5 nib, available either in stainless steel or ‘two-tone’ finish, paired with a 5.1mm ebonite feed. This makes the Himalaya extremely versatile – nibs can be easily swapped between FPR pens, and/or you can buy extras. http://i.imgur.com/s9b1KeO.jpg I ordered this pen with a stainless steel M nib, and inked it up with Diamine Pumpkin. The writing experience was fantastic – beautifully smooth, laying down a fairly wet line on the page, with no skipping or other problems. I’ve almost always been happy with the nibs on my FPR pens (the EF and flex nibs occasionally need a little smoothing), and this nib was an absolute dream. If I was allocating points out of 10, I’d give this a 10. http://i.imgur.com/1rNzDmS.jpg … 5. Filling System & Maintenance The Himalaya’s filling system is the main ‘point of difference’ that sets it apart from other FPR pens. Most previous designs either used a screw-type piston filler mechanism (Dilli, Guru, Indus, Jaipur) or were cartridge/converter pens that could be eyedroppered (Triveni and Trivine Junior). On opening the body of the Himalaya I found a push-type piston filling mechanism, similar to (but smaller than) the system Nathan Tardif uses in his Noodler’s Ahab. As with the Ahab, this can be removed to convert the pen to an eyedropper – but as far as I’m aware, it’s not possible to use standard international (or other) cartridges with the pen. http://i.imgur.com/3T8Ghld.jpg The push-piston mechanism is simple but highly functional, and worked well to get a full fill. I haven’t measured this, but would guess it can hold somewhere around 1ml. I expect the mechanism will prove to be more durable than for the Indus and Jaipur – though I understand the design of these has improved since I had a problem with the piston seal in an early model Jaipur. … 6. Cost & Value At US$29 (plus postage), the Himalaya is one of FPR’s more expensive pens – it sits between the Jaipur and Indus (~$18-19) and the Triveni ($39-45) – but for the price, it’s excellent value. I have trouble thinking of any other brand that would sell an acrylic pen of this quality for under $50. … 7. Conclusion In my books, the FPR people have hardly put a foot wrong with their product line. This is not their largest pen (that honour goes to the full-sized Triveni), but it’s a beauty to look at, and *extremely* pleasant to write with. I feel like I could be tempted to order another in the Taj Mahal White Acrylic – but am going to try and resist this temptation. Congratulations again to Kevin and the FPR team for another fantastic product!

I'll just get right to it, starting with the hard facts: The Acriv Ebowrite Master is an oversized ebonite eyedropper with a crimped titanium nib. It measures 167mm capped, and 149mm uncapped. It posts, but... 149mm uncapped. Here it is next to a Lamy Al-Star: Brimful with ink it weighs 33gm. I paid $40 for the pen, it shipped for free, and was delivered to the US in about 5 weeks from the day I placed the order. It came with a genuine leather, zipper case, that struggles to contain the pen. I'm not a fan of zippered cases, but this one is actually rather nice and well made. Just a bit too small. The pen itself, is also well made. It's straight, no unevenness in the profile and the cap screws on straight. It has a matte, almost stealth-like, brushed finish. The matte effect is mostly due to very fine ebonite dust, however. After rubbing it clean with a paper towel and a dab of No-Oxi-Oil, it looks more like fine wood grain. Not glossy, but not stealthy either. I find it looks better, now. Lamy 2000-like. The section, like the rest of the pen, is made of ebonite. I'm a bit disappointed that it has a smooth finish. I also wish it had a slightly concave profile, rather than the straight taper. The cap takes 1 1/4 turns to unscrew, the barrel requires 8 turns. Both screw on tight. After several weeks of use I have yet to experience dry-outs or leaks. The barrel interior was full of ebonite dust and flakes, and required a thorough cleaning. I used No-Oxi-Oil and paper towels, and followed up with a thin coat of silicone grease. Pay attention to all threads as they tend to trap ebonite dust. The pen works only as an eyedropper. I did not try to measure ink capacity, but I'd say it's 4ml or more. The pen does have some other minor quality issues. The etching on the clip is not dead center, and the section lip has a rough edge. Also, after cleaning the exterior some flaws in the ebonite became visible; one orange spot and a few dings. They are all pinpoint sized (see 5th photo from the top) and barely noticeable. The crimped nib is somewhat scratchy. It's not awful, you can live with it, but it is scratchy. Nothing some 6000 grade Micromesh can't fix. Don't overdo it, though. Titanium, though hard, is much softer than Iridium. The feed is very wet. Too wet for anything other than Tomoe River, Clairefontaine, or similar. Too wet for the Fine this nib is supposed to be. It would have been just right if the nib was flexy. However, even though the nib seems to have some bounce, in practice it can't be called anything other than stiff. Verdict: This pen is worthy of a much better nib than the one that came with it. I have a vintage flex #8 nib from a parted-out Good Service that might fit. A #6 Jowo or Bock also might do the trick.

Dear fellow members I was using matrix spiral notebook earlier and currently iam using soft bound classmate notebooks... I was certainly liked classmate notebooks better than the matrix spiral notebooks... However i would like to know from all 1. What notepad you are using? 2. How much it costs? 3. Purchased from? 4. Will you recommend it?

Hi All We are glad to be here, and we are the new e-store based out of Delhi, India focussing on fountain pen and related items. Hope to gain some knowledge here and benefit the community in any possible manner

Thought of creating a thread for Bril ink from India. Perhaps the cheapest ink in the world at $0.3 for 60ml bottle; $3.2 for 1L. Yes. Official Website: http://www.brilindia.com/search/ink I would rate 7/10 in almost all categories and a 10/10 in value, if I were to give 8/10 to Pelikan Edelstein series. Dye-based. Free flow. Just a little feathering on cheap paper. Detailed review soon. A few pics of my beloved bottle below. One writing sample using Montblanc 144 Jungle Eyes, M. Canon 5D Mark-II. Canon 28-135mm.

There isn't any good information on the internet on Indian brands which sell paper / notebooks which are fountain pen friendly, and so I wanted to start this thread. Please add your views / reviews. I am starting with Bilt Matrix Ledger (90 GSM) paper that I bought yesterday at an arts supply store. A ream of 500 pages cost me Rs. 275. (which the seller told me is the wholesale price) The paper is light greenish. Bilt Matrix 90 GSM Ledger Paper (21.5 CM X 34.5 CM) Bilt says the paper has good archival qualities Other uses. Finally, writing sample. Ink is Bril Royal Blue. Best Regards Rakshit

Problem in India with starting with fountain. I won't tell why one should try and use fountain pens, there are enough content on this point. I am assuming one knows why you want to start and are on very tight budget and can't really afford the starter pens (as was in my case) cos lets be honest in India a student is dependent on family and he can't really say that I want 2000 Rs for pen and Ink. No family I know will allow this. I mean one can get 3 Rs dot pen and 5 Rs gel pen, who in sane mind will allow their kid to get something expensive which might be lost, broken or worst stolen on day 1 of school. Just see the number gap one can get literally 1000 dot pens for 1 Metropolitan and 1 bottle of Lamy Ink. Then is the famous reputation of leaky piles. ( false one but still exists). My past experience. My starting with fountains began with goal of improving my non-legible writing to at least legible one. Fountain pens do help in improving writing and if you have any goal of trying to improve it do try them. Back in the day fountains were readily available for cheap 30 to 40 Rs which were worst at best they leaked all over, concept of convertor and cartridge was non existing and nib width and feed was kinder joy surprise. And this is what makes the reputation of fountain pens as leaky mess which should not be used and I too started to think the same. Until a shopkeeper gave me Camlin trinity and said that if this leaks he will change it for free. The pen then was 70 Rs and this was the turning point. Trinity never leaked and I used Trinity and for next 5 years eventually switching to dot for various reasons for next 5 or so years. Ink pens never really got out of my life though and was always used from time to time until in my university where I shifted to full time fountain and ditched dots. mainly cos I felt my writing degrading to bad and more flexibility with work which allowed me to use the pens to full. This was also time when I was exposed to "starter pens" namely Metropolitan and Lamy safari. they were big investments for me but I decided to go ahead and take the plunge and it was totally worth plunge. Main point of cheap fountains and which to choose and which to avoid and why. First a disclaimer I have no Intention of hurting any brand or maker I am just writing my personal experience with the pens I used. Now lets divide Budgets- Cheapest I can suggest- Pen- Camlin Trinity ( Price around 100 Rs)/ Camlin Trinity Elegante (Rs 200 around).This is the cheapest I can suggest to anyone with a fact that it won't have the issues of leaks and will have solid body and OK to good flow. My first trinity is still with me abid with broken nib. Then pen is plastic and metal at cap. The pen is small in hand and very narrow and will be perfect for kids and people with small fingers. Trinity Elegante is larger pen with better look and finish and comes in larger nib size then tiny nib of Trinity. This also writes a bit better. Both have convertor with them. Ink- Parker quink (around 60-80 Rs) / camlin ink there is issue with both of them. Last time I used parker it was too light and got lighter still with time. My 5 year old writings are now quite faded. Not disappeared but fading is there. Camlin on other hand has issue of not being available everywhere and I can't say much about fading as I did not have much experience with it. total cost 180-300. what to avoid here My experience with Pierre Cardin's cheapest fountain of 100Rs has been worst of all. The nib was good and flow was nice with fine lines but body was so flimsy that it actually broke when I tried to remove the snap cap which it comes with....how can I write with a pen which breaks in process of removing the cap. 2nd one did survive the opening of cap (wow what a criteria) but broke eventually and I could bend the body with 2 fingers. So no this is no from me. Other one is classmate octane fountain pen. As good is octane gel and dot the Rs 40 octane is very poor flow pen with paper scratching action. Don't go for this. 3rd Parker Beta, again too scratchy on paper to point one can hear it scratching on paper. 3rd are assortment of who knows what pens of 20 to 50 Rs. got too tired of them in my starting days to ever look at them. for those with a bit budget (under 1000Rs) Pens- Parker Vector GT ( around 400Rs) / Parker Frontier (around 500 Rs) and Kanwrite Desire (around Rs 700) Parker's have same same story as camlin here Vector GT is smaller pen best for small hands and comes with tiny nib while Frontier is larger pen with larger nib size. Both will come with convertor. This will be first proper smooth fountain pen experience and these both don't scratch or give much feedback. they will be good for anyone. Kanwrite is different cup of tea and is proper fountain pen and is all a fountain should. The pen will come with convertor and separate nib sizes of #5 and #6 with options of width. These were absent until now you were stuck with whatever nib you have but here is where things will change. the pen is not without flaws abid need for silicon grease if one wants to convert eyedropper and even for feed when pre coated grease is over else it will leak from convertor. (at least in my case it did). Still this is best I can say to start with fountains under 1000Rs. others one can look at --- ASA Pens have great reputation for making good pens. Never got to try one personally but rarely have I seen bad writing experience (this matters most to me) from anyone who has used them. (will get myself a ebonite pen from them after this lockdown, my First ebonite). Jinhao personally never got to try one so can't say but again they have good reputation for the price point. Ink- Waterman serenity blue (around 450 Rs) this is non-waterproof ink but will work perfectly with any pen and will not bleed or feather on any paper ( never tested on that brown rough registers) and is easy to clean both on cloths and in pens ( you will understand this properties worth after ruining a couple of your shirts). this is my first attempt here so I hope this helps to those who are struggling with starting and are wondering how to get 2000Rs for starting the hobby or as normal pens. pls put any questions You have I will answer them to best of my ability and will try my best to push you in this rabbit hole. PS do point things that I missed or your own experiences would love to hear them.

Dear FPN'ers After going through huge success for Ranga Abhimanyu Model. We are happy to extend Ranga Abhimanyu in visually stunning 11 more new Premium Acrylic colours. As name Indicates, Ranga Abhimanyu is short ,cute but very strong and great workhorse.. These are completely Handmade Pen .This is Clipless pen . Section is Classic vintage styled Section .It is comfortable for long use. We are using this section for first time in our production line RANGA ABHIMANYU - ORDER FORM In order to purchase Ranga Abhimanyu Pen , Kindly fill the Google Form (Link Below) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeKyyC4TUds9tSdBsxka7nX_M3_qGSAZ3UyjwwI-WVeUBbkoA/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0 Prices are as follows: RANGA Abhimanyu with Ranga Nib and German Schmidt Converter:74USD for Premium Acrylic till 15th April . (Its Regular Price is 93USD . Kindly avail this Offer Price for this Excellent Pen (Thickness-Cap Dia: 16mm, Barrel Dia : 16mm , Capped Length - App 5.25 Inches ) You can upgrade it with German Bock/Jowo/Schmidt Screw in Nib and German Schmidt Converter. Up-gradation charges are mentioned in Google order form Colours : Premium Acrylic: ------------------------ P1.Red Cracked Ice P2.Black Cracked Ice P3.Red Gold Cracked Ice P4.Blue Red Cracked Ice P5.Aqua Cracked Ice P6.Orange Cracked Ice P7.Brown Cracked Ice P8.Green Cracked Ice P9.White Cracked Ice P10.Blue Cracked Ice P11.Red-on-red cracked ice P12.Carnival P13.Turquoise cracked ice P14.Rust red cracked ice P15.Fuschia cracked ice P16.Rainbow cracked ice P17.Diwali P18. Purple Cracked Ice P19. Purple Peach Cracked Ice P20. Red Gold Blue Cracked Ice P21 Purple Blue Cracked Ice P22.Green Stripes P23.Blue Stripes P24.Golden Stripes P25.Blue Pink Stripes P26.Olive Black Stripes P27.White Black Stripes P28.Brown Stripes P29 – Turquoise Green Parfait P30 – Blue Purple Parfait P31 – Yellow Blue Parfait P32 – Iced Mocha P33 – Green Orange Parfait P34 – Bengal Tiger P35 – Kaleidoscope Weave P36 – Classic Tigress P37 – Vegas Nights P38 – Tortuga P39 – Cardinal Tetra Finish :Polished Finish or Matte Finish Clip Option - Clipless Cap Turn: It takes less than 1 turn to cap and uncap For C/C mechanism (with Schmidt K5 Converter) #6 Nib Options Nib Option: Ranga Extra Fine Nib - Chrome Tone ,Gold Tone,Dual Tone Ranga Fine Nib- Chrome Tone ,Gold Tone,Dual Tone Ranga Medium Nib- Chrome Tone ,Gold Tone,Dual Tone Ranga Broad Nib- Chrome Tone ,Gold Tone,Dual Tone Ranga Double Broad Nib:Chrome Tone ,Gold Tone,Dual Tone Ranga Flex: Chrome Tone ,Gold Tone,Dual Tone Ranga 14K Nib # 6 Size Nibs:- Extra Fine, Fine Point, Medium Point ,Broad Point, Flex Bock Titanium #6 nibs: Fine Point, Broad Point, Bock 18K Nib # 6 Size Nibs:- Fine Point, Medium Point ,Broad Point, JoWo Extra Fine Nib - Chrome Tone or Gold Tone JoWo Fine Nib - Chrome Tone or Gold Tone JoWo Medium Nib - Chrome Tone or Gold Tone JoWo Broad Nib - Chrome Tone or Gold Tone JoWo 1.1 Calligraphy Nib - Chrome Tone or Gold Tone JoWo 1.5 Calligraphy Nib - Chrome Tone or Gold Tone Schmidt Fine Nib - Gold Tone or Chrome Tone Schmidt Medium Nib - Gold Tone or Chrome Tone Schmidt Broad Nib - Gold Tone or Chrome Tone No Nib - Threaded for Bock #6 No Nib - Threaded for JoWo #6 No Nib - Threaded for Schmidt #6 Price : Base price for Ranga Abhimanyu with Ranga Screw in nib and German Schmidt Converter is 74USD (Premium Acrylic ) Customer's can upgrade it to their favourite nibs with extra charge Shipping: Via Courier . It takes 4 to 9 days.Via Courier- Kindly note that courier rates are very high now. We are happy to share that we are collecting only 50% of the courier charges and rest is incurred by us . Customer's need to pay 15USD for USA/Canada, 10USD for Central Europe /Singapore/ Malaysia and country specific rates for other countries. Making Time: 2 Weeks after payment Payment Details: Paypal id: mpkandan@gmail.com Regards, Kandan.M.P Ranga Pen Company

Bril is a company based in South India known for producing very good inks. They generally do not produce pens(Somebody can correct me if this is wrong). So, I was pleasantly surprised when I had an opportunity to buy a Bril Pen and immediately grabbed it. I bought it from Sreekumar, who is a nibmeister with a bunch of other pens. The price of this pen is just 50 INR(<1$). At this price range, I was blown away at how smooth the nib performs and how pleasantly it writes. The Bril pen is a all plastic body pen and the plastic is sort of cheap looking. It comes with 2 Bril catridges filled with Bril Royal Blue. It does not fit an international converter, but a parker piston converter fits rather well. The pen is rather small at 12cm capped and 15cm posted. The weight of the pen must be less than 20gms. The nib is a steel nib, rather plain looking with just F written on it. It draws a fairly dry western F line. But the nib is very smooth with no feedback and worked well outside the box with no tweaking. The pen cannot be eyedropper converted as there is a hole in the bottom. Some more pictures: [url=https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/uploads/imgs/fpn_1430210527__img_20150428_133429584.jpg][/url] Verdict: For 50 Rs, the pen has performed beyond my expectations. I do not know whether it is still available or not. I am very happy with this pen. If you want this pen, you have to contact Sreekumar(he goes by S-K on FPN) [EDIT: Bril does produce a lot of office stationaries. The pen is mentioned here:http://www.brilindia.com/school_product_list.php

Continuing my quest for fountain pens from Andhra Pradesh & Telangana… I had heard about Hema fountain pens or rather, I had seen the name of Hema Pen Company on the net while browsing for information on fountain pens in Hyderabad, but I understood that they no longer manufacture fountain pens and there is Hema Pen Stores, also in Hyderabad, and when I called them to find out about fountain pens, they told me that they don’t sell fountain pens anymore and only sell general stationery… But I instinctively felt that there are Hema fountain pens out there and it is only a matter of time before luck smiled on me…and luck did indeed smile on me and in the most unexpected of places … right in my neighbourhood, in a small stationery shop… I go with the intention of asking in small stationery shops about fountain pens but most of the times, I stop short and come back without asking…and most of the times that I have stopped and asked, I have been rewarded and how!! I had found a whole set of Misak Pens in a dusty folder in a small shop in Hyderabad when I had stopped and asked… and again when I stopped and asked in this stationery shop near my house, the owner rummaged around in the bottom of his cupboard and came up with an old cardboard box which contained two Hema ebonite fountain pens…I only have to overcome my diffidence…!! Here are the pictures of these two lovely looking ebonite fountain pens… http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/1-HEMA_zps42a20fa4.jpg Hema FPs capped…the pens have nice flat ends… http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/2-HEMA1_zps6ba6a762.jpg Caps & Clips…nice flat clips… http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/3-HEMA_zpsfdaed840.jpg Brand name on the barrel… http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/4-HEMA_zpsa33ae118.jpg Hema FPs uncapped… http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/5-HEMA_zps6f0357a2.jpg Hema FPs posted…posts well… http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/6-HEMA_zps89894c43.jpg The nibs…I feel these are nibs customized for the Hema brand…in one, you can see the brand name HEMA with SWISS POINT along with some decorative etchings…and when I pulled out the nib, below all these, I saw the letters H.P.C. etched inside an oval …the letters presumably standing for Hema Pen Company…the other nib doesn’t have the brand name, and instead of SWISS POINT, we have SWISS ELECTRO POINT along with a kind of three point star and two small circles etched on the face of the nib…and again, below all these, I saw the letters B.P.D. etched inside an oval…I wonder what the letters stand for…and it was kind of refreshing to see SWISS instead of the ubiquitous GERMANY that one sees very often on Indian ebonite pens… http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/7-HEMA_zps0db36cbe.jpg The feeders…plain ones… http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/bambli_mass/8-HEMA_zpseb095e39.jpg At present I don’t have any information about the manufacturer/s as such, which would have added some history to the brand…for the time being, we have to make do with pictures…!!! As in the case of so many small fountain pen making units in Andhra Pradesh & Telangana that have closed shop, Hema pens too are no longer being made… so, for me finding these two Hema Fountain Pens was delightful and added to my collection of fountain pens from Andhra Pradesh & Telangana… These are simple no-frills pens, but they form a part of the history of fountain pens in Andhra Pradesh & Telangana…and India… And the search continues… Shrujaya

Dear fellow FP users Over the years We have successfully organized many group buys. The main motive is to facilitate all members to get Our pens at a lower price. We have recently launched a Model 8B which has created great interest among our Customer's . So we decided to do Group buy for this Model 8B. The specialty of this Group Buy is 1. Less waiting time (2-3 weeks only) 2. Lot of Ebonite colours (Beautiful 39 colours) and unlimited Nib Choices (Bock/Jowo/Schmidt/Indian nib) than ever before 3. We have worked very hard for last few weeks to make pens in all Specs for this Group Buy and take pictures for our customer's . Therefore it gives good visualization of all Specs. Model 8B is bigger version of Model 8. It is torpedo shape pen in classic style. Cap -16mm, Barrel-14mm. Section is hour glass section. All our pens are completely handmade. This Group Buy is Valid till 10th July-18 In order to participate in the group buy just fill the Google Form (Link Below) and Reply in the thread with "Form Submitted or just repost the choices in thread https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5sNeR4SKNXKqoY43SX5Iarv04fV--TAcp7Ecemh8Lb0OTQA/viewform?c=0&w=1 Please find few reviews of Model 8B by fellow FPN'ers https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/334585-review-of-ranga-model-8b-in-blue-red-and-pale-yellow-ebonite/ https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/331862-ranga-model-8b/ http://https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/334885-ranga-8b-in-pictures-mini-review/ Available Colours are as follows: A. SpecialRegular Ebonite Colours (SE Series) Solid Forest Green (S1)Forest Green - Black Ripple(S2)Forest Green - Honey Ripple(S3)Forest Green - Khaki Ripple(S4)Forest Green - Mustard Yellow Ripple(S5)Forest Green - Teal Blue Ripple(S6)Teal Blue - Black Ripple(S7)Teal Blue - Khaki Ripple(S8)Mustard Yellow - Black Ripple(S9)Solid Maroon(S11)Rose Red - Black Ripple(S12)Rose Red - Mauve Ripple(S13)Rose Red - Forest Green Ripple(S15)Rose Red -Bottle Green Ripple (S16)Rose Red - Mustard Yellow Ripple(S17)Brick Red - Khaki Ripple(S18)Brick Red - Black Ripple(S19)Teal Blue - Orange Ripple(S20)Solid Olive Green (S23) B. Regular Colours (RE Series) Brown Ripple (R1)Green Ripple(R2) Olive Ripple (R3)Solid Black(R4)Mottled Brown(R5)Mottled Green(R6)Mottled Olive Brown(R7)C. Premium Ebonite Colours (PE Series) Solid Blue(P1)Black Yellow Swirl (P2)Blue Pink Swirl(P3)Solid Pale Green(P4)Blue White Swirl (P5)Pale Pink/ Red Black Swirl (P6)Green Yellow Swirl (P7)Solid Pink(P8)Blue Green Orange Swirl(P9)Solid Orange(P10)Blue/White /Green /Orange Swirl (P11)Green/Pale Pink(P13)Blue/ Pink/Pale Yellow Swirl (P14)Prices are as follows: RANGA Model 8B (ED Version)REGULAR or SPECIAL EBONITE: US $33 (Regular Price : 40$)PREMIUM EBONITE: US $47 (Regular Price : 55$)RANGA Model 8B (CC Mechanism)REGULAR or SPECIAL EBONITE: US $64 (Regular Price : 78$)PREMIUM EBONITE: US $77 (Regular Price : 93$)Finish - Polished or Matte (Bakul)Clip Option - Clip-less or Gold Clip or Silver ClipNib Option: For Eyedropper Kanwrite 35 mm Fine Nib - Gold Tone or Chrome Tone or Dual ToneKanwrite 35 mm Medium Nib - Gold Tone or Chrome Tone or Dual ToneKanwrite 35 mm Broad Nib - Gold Tone or Chrome Tone or Dual ToneKanwrite Nib 35 mm Flex - Chrome Tone Nib Option: For C/C mechanism (with Schmidt K5 Converter) #6 Nib Options (included in price)Bock Extra Fine Nib - Gold Tone or Chrome Tone or Dual Tone or Black Tone (7$ Extra)Bock Fine Nib- Gold Tone or Chrome Tone or Dual Tone or Black Tone(7$ Extra)Bock Medium Nib- Chrome Tone or Black Tone(7$ Extra)Bock Broad Nib- Gold Tone or Chrome Tone or Dual Tone or Black Tone(7$ Extra)Bock Calligraphy 1.1 Nib- Black Tone(7$ Extra)Bock Calligraphy 1.5 Nib- Gold Tone or Chrome Tone or Black Tone(7$ Extra)Bock 18K Broad Nib (185$ Extra)JoWo Extra Fine Nib -Dual Tone or Black ToneJoWo Fine Nib - Gold Tone or Chrome Tone or Dual Tone or Black Tone JoWo Medium Nib - Chrome Tone or Dual Tone or Black ToneJoWo Broad Nib - Chrome Tone or Dual Tone or Black ToneJoWo 1.1 Calligraphy Nib - Dual Tone or Black ToneJoWo 1.5 Calligraphy Nib - Dual Tone Or Black toneSchmidt Broad Nib - Gold Tone or Chrome ToneSchmidt Medium Nib - Gold Tone or Chrome Tone Schmidt Fine Nib - Gold Tone or Chrome ToneNo Nib - Threaded for Bock #6 (less USD -14)No Nib - Threaded for JoWo #6 (less USD -14)No Nib - Threaded for Schmidt #6 (less USD -14)Shipping: Via Registered Post which is included in Price and takes 2 -4 Weeks.Making Time: 2-3 Weeks after paymentPayment: Paypal id- mpkandan@gmail.com In order to participate in the group buy just fill the Google Form (Link Below) and Reply in the thread with "Form Submitted or just repost the choices in thread https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5sNeR4SKNXKqoY43SX5Iarv04fV--TAcp7Ecemh8Lb0OTQA/viewform?c=0&w=1 Regards, Kandan.M.P Ranga Pen Company

Can anyone give me some idea which particular example of the Gama pens I have just bought? Two of them obviously have their OE nib. I do not know about the pen with the two-tone nib. Is it a replacement for the original Gama branded item?