Search the Community

I find FPN a very friendly community and an excellent resource, and I like the idea of giving back. This year, I have two Stipula pens that I no longer want, and which I would like to give away via FPN, to two winners. WHAT CAN YOU WIN? One of two Stipula pens. WHO CAN ENTER? Anyone. But, if you already have a Stipula pen, please think twice before entering. HOW CAN YOU ENTER? Write a comment in this thread, containing two pieces of information: 1) Which pen you are going for; 2) Why you want that pen and not the other one. HOW DOES IT WORK? Enter by the end of Wednesday 21 December; that is, by 23:59 on that day, wherever you are.Shortly thereafter I shall assign all entrants a number and pick one winner for each pen using a random number generator.I shall then announce the winners on this thread and contact them via PM. I shall probably post off the prizes in the week commencing 26 December, though it may be a little later.Winners who do not respond to me VIA PM by the end of December forfeit their prize and I shall draw another winner.I will cover the cost of standard (non-tracked, non-insured) postage anywhere in the world; if you want registered mail, we can discuss the cost bilaterally. THE PRIZES Xalegrafica Alpha Thin plastic pen made to look like vintage black hard rubber, with a push-button filling-system on the side, the button being held in place by a flat band (in practice, a little like a crescent filler). The nib is steel and probably a Fine. The cap is the same material and has no clip. Elegant, classic styling. Posts well and is nicely-balanced. I’ve had it for a few years and have only ever used it once, as I didn’t really get on with it. I think it wrote OK, but it is too thin for my above-average-sized hands, and the button-filler sticking out of the side makes it impractical. As far as I know, the Alpha is one of a line of Xalegrafica models that Stipula made for the Italian market, to pay homage to various vintage designs. I Castoni, Tiger’s Eye (I think that's the model) Translucent brown-and-grey barrel (acrylic?), with a metal section and a steel medium italic/stub nib. The cap is metal and has what looks like a tiger’s eye stone in the clip. Cartridge filling system (standard international, no converter with pen). The pen does post, but the metal cap makes it ridiculously unbalanced. The barrel has no marking – the only identifier is the Stipula branding on the nib. I know I’ve used it at least twice, but not for a while and I don’t remember the writing experience: it probably wrote fine, but as I like posting my pens, my abiding memory of using it is its unbalanced nature. As far as I know, there are various colours in the Castoni range, and most use matching materials for the cap and barrel, making a metal cap a little unusual.

PIF: TWSBI Vac 700 in translucent blue - actually it's a frankenpen, as the nib is a smooth Jinhao medium. The new owner has to order replacement rubber seals (the two rubber thingies at the end of the plunger rod, which are essential for filling the pen and for the shutoff function, keep coming loose), which can be had at postage cost from TWSBI (whatever the problems with their pens, the customer service is exemplary in my experience). I'm going to send the pen on Tuesday, so please send a PM if you are interested by Monday, explaining in brief the reasons for your interest. Please remember to PIF too when you are done with it, not sell it.

It's time for me to reduce my ink sample collection. Since International Fountain Pen Day is next week, and because I've appreciated the PIFs on FPN in the past, I've decided to give away a bunch of ink samples. I have 29 samples picked out so far and I might add another one or two before a winner is chosen. Many of the samples have been tested; some are completely unused. They range from about 1ml to several ml. All should have enough for AT LEAST one fill; some will have enough for 5-6 fills. Brands included: Noodler's, KWZ, Pelikan, Private Reserve, J. Herbin, Faber-Castell, Akkerman, and Rohrer & Klinger. The details: List yourself in this thread to enter. I'll choose a winner by random number generator on Fountain Pen Day (Nov. 4) and consider all entries as of the time I get around to drawing a number. I'll post the screen name of the winner on here and PM the winner to get mailing information.Free postage within the US.International entrants agree to pay the difference between US postage cost and the actual international shipping cost (if it's noticeable--otherwise, I'll just cover it).

Recently I was looking at some of my pens, and realized I have a few I don't use a whole lot. After giving it some thought, I thought I would give a chance to some of the newer members here a chance to acquire this. This is for my Cross Aventura, with a Medium nib and converter. It is a very nice writer and looks good, it just doesn't get the use it deserves. Like I said, I want this to go to a newer member here. Requirements: Must be a Gold Member (minimum of 30 posts and here at least 30 days) but have less than 100 posts when it closes. However it will be open worldwide - CONUS gets free shipping, elsewhere pays the difference between the two. Entries will be open until 8:00 pm MDT July 15/2:00 am UTC/GMT July 16. I will use a random number generator to pick the winner and announce that weekend. http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/Runnin_Ute/Fountain%20Pens/Aventura_zpsbby00tm0.jpg (photo from Cross website)

Good afternoon, I have a lovely Jinhao pen that I would like to offer as a Pif. I purchased the pen for my mother but it is too heavy for her very frail hands. I inked it up twice and have written a few lines with it. It writes well and has the typical Jinhao medium nib. A converter is included. Since it was purchased with the intent of giving it away, I would love to Pif it to a fellow member FPNer. Rules: You must be a Gold member of FPN, with a mailing address within CONUS. If you are interested, please reply to this thread by telling me one of your favorite ink brands or colors. You will be assigned a number. Then, on Friday night, June 17, my mother will randomly pick the number of the winner. I will then notify the lucky winner on this thread and by PM. Please let me know if you have any questions.

First, I must ask that if you are interested to read this all carefully and in its entirety. Thanks. Hello there I recently got a nib block and made some burnishing tools so I can straighten nibs as I am a collector and recently got into vintage pens. I was hoping to be able to find good deals on vintage pens with bent nibs so I can save some money and fix them up to have some nice pens for myself. Well seems for some odd reason finding vintage pens with bent nibs for sale is much harder than I had thought it would be. Anyways I want to get some practice straightening nibs but that is a problem because I have no bent nibs to practice straightening and bending my own nibs just to straighten them just doesn't sit well with me haha. So that brings me to this post, if you have a pen with a bent nib that you would like fixed I am offering to do it for free, with some restrictions and warnings. Understand that I am no expert in this and cannot guarantee that the nib will come back much better condition than It was sent. This is for me to practice while also offering a service to the community for free. Please do NOT send me really expensive nibs! Don't have super high expectations, I will do my best and will try to get it as straight as I can but remember that I am learning as I go here. Don't send me anything that you wouldn't want to loose, while I am no idiot, things do happen and my fear is that with fragile vintage nibs or nibs with very small tipping that while straightening the tipping could snap off. That is why I ask that you only send nibs that are not worth much. I want to help and repair some nibs worth repairing so people could use them again but I also don't want anyone sending anything worth much in case something goes wrong. I will take the first few people that want nibs straightened, say maybe about 5 people? And then after that I will have to judge what my time schedule can afford to take and if I am able to I will take some more. I recently went back to college to get an associates degree in network administration and I work also so time is very limited. Which brings me to another point, please do NOT expect super fast return times as I am extremely busy between school and work. I will do my best to get it back to you a.s.a.p but I can only do so much at a time. You will have to pay shipping to me of course and then the cost to return it to you. I would really prefer US only just to keep shipping simple. Thanks, Jeff

RULES: Shipping to CON USA Paypal $6.75 Ends Sunday 8th for Studentsnewbiesseniorsexperimenterscreativesanything in betweenif you... are new to fountain penshave been in the forum for more that 3 monthshave more than 10 poststhis will be one of your first 5 pensYou.. have a better possibility of having this PIF sent to youwill be happy to use it if you winIf this is a first pen attempt, I would love to send both pens to the same person... http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i82/anangeli/JINHAO__%20450_zpstcjlkfh4.jpg

Hi everybody, I recently received a bottle of KWZ IG Mandarin Ink, but it is not getting much use. I am offering three 7ml samples with free shipping to members in the U.S. or without shipping to others countries. Just leave a comment here if you are interested and I will draw the winners in a week. Cheers, Daniel

Z bought me a Pilot Parallel Pen with a 1.5mm nib and a con-50 converter to try it out. It works pretty well, but neither of us really likes it, and so, gentle reader, our loss is your gain :-). If you live in the Continental United States (or you live on the Big Island of Hawaii, and are willing to wait for us to hand-deliver it to you when we visit in February), and desire a chance at trying one of these pens, now is your big chance. The lucky winner of this PIF will receive one (1) clean, barely used (one day, then converter and pen were emptied and thoroughly cleaned) Pilot Parallel Pen in 1.5mm "Red" (although this is a very Orange looking Red). Comes complete in its box, with instruction sheet, nib cleaning film, feed cleaning pipette, red and black ink cartridges, and as a special bonus a Pilot CON-50 Converter (inside the pen as the box has no special compartment for a conerter). To enter, simply respond to this thread, and your name will be entered to win. Next Saturday (The 30th of January 2016) at about noon Pacific Standard Time all of the names will be input into our specialised randomiser (or hat) and one lucky winner will be drawn. After we get your address the pen will be delivered by our special courier service (USPS) at no additional charge. Good luck, Irish & Zwack

After discovering a small local shop that carries vials and bottles, And receiving a few samples myself from a PiF friend I'm now offering a sample of each J.Herbin "Stormy Grey" and Lavenger "Amethyst" Samples are approx 3ml in a small glass vial. Recipients must be in the contiguous 48 US states. It would also be appreciated if the empty bottle could be returned after samples have been enjoyed. Please simply state which of the two samples you'd prefer or both, Ideally for new enthusiasts, or those wanting to try new colors but open to all. Will decide on Friday unless samples are already taken by then. First come first serve. One of each. Additional samples of other inks to come later.

Hello, As per request of some fellow members, I decided to give away a bottle of Parker Penman Sapphire in form of 2-3 ml sample vials, the problem is that sending to so many people is not possible for me, so contacted amberleadavis and she very kindly accepted to help with the postage, so I will send the bottle to her and she will work on the sample vials and posting them. Details: - 15 people will be selected, Anyone interested please leave a comment and we will pick the 15 people at our discretion. - This PIF is for people who have not used PPS before. - Preferences will be given to those people who have done one review. - Expect to pay about $2 in postage for CONUS. We will pay for the ink, the vials and the envelopes. - Your commitment would be to write a letter using PPS and post it in the Great PPS CRV: Join the fun - be part of the largest BLUE ink comparison. Your inky-put is appreciated. Best regards.

I have three pens available to give away in what is effectively three separate PiFs. WHAT? 1. Pilot Prera, F nib, clear with smoky ends 2. Cult Pens by Kaweco, 2B nib, black & shiny metal 3. Kaweco Sport, M nib, ice green finish (with clip) Each pen is small and writes well. The Prera is the largest (least small), and the CultPens the smallest. Reviews of each are readily available. Each pen has been lightly used. Photo: the three pens up for grabs (note that the caption for the Kaweco was not written by the Kaweco Sport: The Kaweco Sport has a standard Medium nib). HOW TO ENTER Respond via this thread, saying which one pen you are entering for. WHAT THE WINNERS GET Each winner will get the pen they have won, without a converter. I will cover the cost of postage to an address of your choice, securely packed but not in the original box. If you want me to send your pen insured and/or tracked, then you will need to pay for that, at cost. ELIGIBILITY Anyone may enter, EXCEPT for those who won something from me in last year's PiF. But you may enter for only one pen. For avoidance of doubt, there are effectively three different competitions, each with a different winner. CONDITION OF ENTRY * If you win a pen, you agree to not sell your prize. If you decide it's not for you, then please give it to someone who will appreciate it. PROCESS This PiF will run until the end of Monday 16 November (as long as you enter by 23:59:59 in your time-zone, you're fine). Thereafter, I will make three random draws and select three winners, announced on this thread. I reserve the right to take some time to make the draw and send the pens off (pressures of work, etc). NOTES * If you have more posts than me on FPN (282 at time of posting this), you're still very welcome to enter the competition; but please do not do so unless it's for a pen that's been on your list for a while. * Note that Cult Pens is a UK-based seller, and the Prera can be quite expensive in Europe - if you are unsure of which to enter for, I suggest you let your physical location guide you. * For the pernickety amongst us: The Prera most recently had blue ink in it, the CultPens, purple, and the Kaweco had green ink. I have cleaned each pen, but traces of ink may remain. Why am I doing this? Two-fold, First, I have received a lot from this forum over the previous year, and I want to give something back. Second, these are all good quality pens, and I'm not using them: they will hopefully make someone else happy (my experiment with small & pocket pens was a complete success: I have a clear answer to my question of whether I would use them).

Since I've entered a few PIFs I figured I should pay it forward-so here goes. Who- Open to International folks only-because it's really difficult for them to get this paper. I will pick two winners. What- Basically the amount of paper I think I can put in a legal sized envelope and mail to you with one airmail/international stamp. I will include at least 2-3 sheets of Tomoe River paper (cream or white), a sheet of the Staples Sugarcane paper, and 2-3 sheets of onion skin paper. When- PIF closes at 11:59 PST on Monday September 21st. I will post the names one Tuesday morning. How to enter-just post here. Why-Just because

It is Back-to-School Season! And I have an Esterbrook J-series pen available for a student. You are eligible if: -You are a student (at any level! of any topic!), and -You have not won a PIF from the Fountain Pen Network in the past 3 months, and -You have a US mailing address. You'll receive: -The pen, with a 1551 nib. -Three ink samples of your choice. Options are: Noodler's: Air Corp Blue-Black, Red Rattler, Blue, Diamine: Pumpkin, Onyx Waterman: Purple Pilot: Iroshizuku Yama-Budo This is a pen that I previously won as a PIF. I'm not using it as much as I'd like, primarily because I use a different Esterbrook SJ more frequently, so I'd like this to go to another good home. I'm going to the post office tomorrow. If you're eligible and interested, please PM me and include your name, mailing address, what 3 inks you'd like, and what you're studying.

I started to collect this by curiosity and I discovered that I don't have the patience for this. There are 8 dip holders with nibs on them, slightly used. Some are not even used. But there are a lot of them in a box and outside that are unused, just tested. Feel free, if in USA, to request to be awarded this gift. Send PM telling me. This is a great opportunity for someone curious about calligraphy, drawing, etc. I only request payment of $6.50 for shipment via Paypal, You have until Friday to make the request. The winner to be announced on Monday 3rd. Thanks. http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i82/anangeli/NIBS/DIP%20PIF_2412%20copy_zpskxmnh90l.jpg

Good afternoon, I have recently picked up my first copy of the Leuchtturm Whitelines with dot grid notebook (5.75x8.28 inch, A5?). While I have had a few of the original 1917 notebooks this is my first Whitelines edition. One of the features of these notebooks are perforated pages at the back of these notebooks that I never use as my work has to be on bound number pages. The question is would people be interested in me sending out some of these pages so that they can try out the paper? I will keep a couple so I can spare six, if people are interested I am thinking 3 interested random parties get 2 pages each? Thoughts?

As a number of members predicted better than I, I have not been able to give much time to FPN since I received my invitation to join the Peace Corps some months ago and subsequently began preparing for moving to Tanzania July 5th to be a Secondary Education Math Teacher. I no longer believe I am going to be able to get back to contributing much to FPN. As an effort to show my appreciation for this community and give back to it before I go, I am offering a PIF consisting of the following samples: Diamine Dark BrownDiamine Majestic BlueDiamine Monaco RedDiamine Steel BlueHere 231 (Red)Hero 232 (Blue Black)Hero 233 (Blue)Hero 234 (Carbon Black)Noodler's Apache SunsetNoodler's BlackNoodler's BlackeraseNoodler's BlueNoodler's Blue GhostNoodler's BlueraseNoodler's Borealis BlackNoodler's Bright GreenNoodler's RedNoodler's Saguaro WineOrganics Studio Foggy Bottom [sepia]Organics Studio Join Or Die [sepia]Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki-shikibuPrivate Reserve Black CherryToucan AquaToucan BlackToucan Bright BlueToucan CrimsonToucan GoldToucan MagentaToucan OrangeToucan PrimroseToucan Royal BlueToucan ScarletToucan SiennaToucan TurquoiseToucan UmberToucan VioletWaterman Serenity BlueSome may notice the list does include a number of inks I have been known to post about or offer on the sample exchange. My original plan had been to include a sample of every ink I have, but my surplus of empty ink vials ran out some time ago. The above list is everything ink that I still have on hand from my defunct practice of keeping filled ink samples on hand for the exchange program. Simply reply to this thread indicating your desire to enter. My only stipulation for entrants is that they believe they will put these samples to better use than if I were to keep them and they sat in a box for three years. I will cover shipping within CONUS. I will leave it open for individuals worldwide on the condition that the entrant pay the difference in shipping cost. The cutoff day is June 10th (2015-06-10 inclusive), giving one month to collect entries.

Ever wonder what ink from 1930s through 1960s was like? Ever want to try a vintage ink in your vintage pen? http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm186/webgecko1webgeckos/ink_zpspzwiimxb.jpg Many members could not take advantage of Johnboz's generous PIF of vintage inks because they aren't (lucky enough to live) in Colorado. I know folks were sad to miss out, as I would have been, because of geographic limits. To remedy this, I am offering sample vials of his vintage inks as a PIF. Care and feeding of Ink Bottles: Because two of the bottles had mold, which John had marked clearly, I will take the precaution of three washings, in 100% white vinegar, of the lids and bottle mouths/necks. This will be done before any bottle is opened. NB: I haven't finished disinfecting the bottles, hence I haven't opened them and smelled for molds etc. If I find anything iffy in ink it will be edited out of this post. This might also run longer than is traditional, but I am aware many people travel to celebrate Easter with family, or are on Spring Break, and I wanted to be sure everyone had a fair chance to see this post. All Vials of Vintage ink will be clearly labelled and numbered. I will ship them in ziplock baggies. For CONUS winners, they will go in USPS priority mail boxes, size small. For Internationals, I will be aiming for the padded 6 x 9 USPS international mailers, but I am not certain if all of the vials can fit. More on this below. PIF Rules of Engagement - read this carefully before signing up. This PIF is open to all members, CONUS and International! I will put together 8 packets of samples of John's Vintage Inks. These will include the following: QUINK with Solv-x: Permanent Black, Washable Black, Washable Violet, Washable Brown - MOST of the bottles state its one of 9 colors (4 perm, 5 washable.) One states 7 available colors with 2 being permanent Blue and Black. This sample is Permanent Black, and it has a purplish-brownish cast to it. QUINK (no Solv-x listed on label) Black (doesn't say if it is permanent or washable,) this bottle looks older than the Solv-x ones, label is black background on the sides with white text. Shaeffer's Chemopure - Permanent Red #16 Sanford Pen It Royal Blue #226 - on opening the boxes to clean found both bottles are empty. Sorry. Winners will be determined by Random Number Generator. This PIF will close on April 6th, 2015 at 5:59 pm MST or one minute before Midnight GMT/UTC. Winners will be announced later that night. I will try and send out the shipments within 48 hours -- but this depends on how crazy work is -- for International airmail winners I wouldn't ship until I received the shipping cost via Paypal. CONUS MEMBER NOTES: I will cover the cost of shipping USPS Priority small box costs to any CONUS address. You are welcome to chip in if you wish, but it isn't necessary. INTERNATIONAL MEMBER NOTES: This PIF is open for all members, International as well as CONUS members, with the following conditions: You must be in a country where I can legally send you mail to be eligible for this PIF. I'm sorry but I cannot mail to the following places: Libya, Lebanon, Somalia, Belarus, Sudan, North Korea, Iraq, Yemen, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Liberia, Zimbabwe, Balkans, the Cote D'Ivoire (formerly Ivory Coast) due to US Postal Restrictions. Also: As I don't have the material sheets for these inks, I probably cannot ship to Singapore. International Shipping Options/Details: 1. A 6" x 9" padded envelope will cost USD 24.50 to ship AIRMAIL and takes 7-10 days to most countries. It might not take all the sample vials, we'll have to work out a larger container or less samples. I leave this to the winner's discretion. 2. It is possible to send it normal first class mail for around USD $10.00. I have no idea how long it will take to get there. For Customs I will list the vials as a gift of fountain pen ink. I will hand write a note saying I had these and hoped you would enjoy them to celebrate the spring.. just so it is clear they are a legitimate gift. I will put a customs value on the form as USD $5.00. I am not responsible for any taxes at your end. No samples will be shipped internationally until I get the postage sent (AS A GIFT PLEASE, otherwise I eat 5% of the costs) to my paypal. To Enter: Post that you are IN. NOTE TO PEOPLE IN JOHNBOZ's INK PIF Thread: You'll need to post here, please. It just will make my life easier if everyone is in one thread. I apologize if it is inconvenient. And to entice you some more... look at this beautiful Violet ink, it is the washable QUINK with Solv-x: http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm186/webgecko1webgeckos/violet_zpspc6gbb7y.jpg This is my first at this, if I messed up rules or clarity, please be kind to a nervous newb ETA - Change/updates log: 1. That the Sanford bottles were empty, sorry. 2. That one bottle of the Quink Solv-x Black actually lists only 7 Colors - of which only Blue and Black are listed as Permanent Options. This might help you date the ink. It has a purplish-brownish tint to it. 3. The Quink Washable Brown looks kind of thick. I will still send it but you might want to only use it with a dip pen.

Happy February, everyone. I think most people know I sell ink in small quantities (link here). Sometimes people kick in a little extra, and half of that goes to PIF. This month the PIF pot is just enough to ship something in the US. I'm starting the PIF a little early, because the next week is going to be intense at work. I'm contributing a Leuchtturm 1917 notebook from my hoard stash collection bookcase, in the A5 size. While I love my Tomoe River journals, there's something really tactile and warm about Leuchtturm notebooks. Opinions on the paper vary, but I've always had very good luck on mine. They're a nice warm color, and there's a lot of detail that I like (i.e. page numbering, index pages, etc.) I put mine through a lot of abuse, and the spine/elastic have held fast. I have black dot ones, or you can have a red blank one, or a lined one in white, pink, green, brown, blue, light green, neon pink, neon yellow, or neon green. I have a lot, because they're great for color-coding discreet projects, and they're fun to put in little piles and good gifts. I'll also throw in 5 ml of ink of your choice (or mine, if you prefer!). To enter: PM me, or shoot me an email at davrosinside via yahoo.com, and let me know two inks you'd like to see me carry, or your favorite two inks at this very moment. Or, if you're new, what ink color(s) top(s) your list? I am accepting international submissions this month, if you're willing to pay the extra cost of international shipping. (This is probably only cost effective to Canada or Mexico, because international shipping is currently very high. It is likely cheaper to buy a notebook and ink anywhere else in the world.)

Hello lovely people, This is my first Pif, so excuse if I botch something up. Somehow somewhere I have found myself in the possession of a Reform Calligraph fountain pen with a BB nib (double broad?). As I cannot write comfortably with anything bigger than a fine and it also pains me to have a pen that I don't use in my tiny (newbie fp) collection I would like to give this one to someone else. As you can see from the pictures below it has seen some of the world before coming in my possession and the "gold" plating is beginning to flake of at some points. I have cleaned it as best I could (flushed it for about two Goulet Q&A episodes) and it seems to be ok now. If you would like this pen please raise your hand until sunday 22. feb. As I understand, I should then make a random draw and I contact you via private message and and post the result here. Cheers!

Hey all! Hope you are having a fantastic end to the year! I am celebrating 100 subs on my YouTube channel, and I am giving away 4 Jinhaos with samples of Organics Studios White Label inks to one winner. http://40.media.tumblr.com/5763b3daed526ed205eb6568d0430343/tumblr_ng0s9sb20f1rg83ymo1_500.jpg http://41.media.tumblr.com/c0295ff2132fcff1c267d0653ee1463a/tumblr_ng0shq94la1rg83ymo1_500.jpg I made a silly video with the full rules down below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmoGmudvobo However, there is a super secret bonus entry for FPN members: PM me with an email address, then comment on this thread so I can manually enter an extra entry for you! Also, if you would like to do the handwritten entry option, I can also PM you the postal address for that.

"Santa" was a little too hasty when he bought the clip for the new denim AL Sport he gave me for Christmas. He bought the clip for a Kaweco Special, not a Sport - and it's too small and won't fit a Sport. It's the retro-styled clip. Apparently Santa imported it from Japan and thus it's not worth trying to return. If anyone in the CONUS has a use for it, I will happily send it to you gratis. I doubt we'll ever need it, and I hate to just throw it away. Please PM if interested.

The Jinhao 321 is one of those common or garden hooded nib Chinese pens. In fact, looking back at RichardandTracy's 2011 review, I'm reminded that the 321 was the first hooded nib pen I ever used, and the one that set me on course to try the Hero 616 and eventually the Parker 51. It's been that long since I used this Jinhao, I almost feel like I'm looking at it with fresh eyes! Time to wheel out the Pelikan Royal Blue. http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/Jinhao%20321/Jinhao321capped.jpg LOOKS I think the hooded nibbed pens are among China's most restrained, and this one follows that convention. There's no steps or lines for the eye to follow, apart from a slim bright metal trim ring that separates the hood from the barrel. It's all very swoopy and tapered; the shape reminds me of a slimmed down zepellin. This is a slim & sleek pen, a nice shade of green, with a longer section and shorter barrel than the Parker 51. The design is heavily influenced by Parker's 61, though there's no arrow on the hood. In a further departure from the Parker 61, the barrel's attractive bright metal finial is an inverted cone. The cap is a trifle more ungainly than the pen. Its satin finish contrasts nicely with a polished arrow clip and coinstack flat-top metal jewel, but the clip is a bit of an ill match: too big, flat and imposing to suit the cap. http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/Jinhao%20321/Jinhao321bodyshot.jpg BUILD QUALITY The pen itself is pretty good! The nib and feed are flush with the hood, there are no uneven gaps at the trim ring or the barrel finial. The hood is still scratch and leak free. The cap is less impressive, as the clip is slightly loose in its slot. The cap construction overall is a little crude, I can see a rivet in there holding the inner cap in place, which itself holds a metal 4 finger open clutch in place. Nevertheless, this is still much more robust than the "inner cap as snap cap" design that proliferates nowadays. The pen will post, deeply and securely, if that's your thing. I did drop this Jinhao once, on a thickly carpetted surface. The pen landed horizontally, and the cap shot off! http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/Jinhao%20321/Jinhao321nibmacro.jpg FUNCTIONALITY It writes. I could always take that to the bank. Despite the rivetted inner cap, this has never been a pen to dry out overnight. Come to think of it, did I seal it up with shellac back in the day? Might well have done! Whenever the fine nib meets paper, I know ink will flow. The nib is very feedbacky, but doesn't drag or scratch on even the worst paper I have. Flow is 100% consistent and will match pace with my fastest scribbling. As well as being fine, it's also very rigid so there's no shading to speak of. The squeeze filler is not great, the squeeze bar on the sac guard just doesn't make much headway. The sac will fill well enough with the metal guard removed. Overall, it's certainly a very comfortable design, and sure to keep your fingers clean no matter what grip you favour. Very light and well balanced too, even posted. http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/Jinhao%20321/Jinhao321barrelfinial.jpg YAY/NAY Oh, that's a hard one. It's hard to avoid comparisons with the 616 Jumbo, which I have to admit a preference for. The Jinhao is slimmer, smaller, has a shorter and harder to fill ink sac, and no ink window. The cap is less servicable, the ringless open clutch retention system less to my tastes, and the inner cap is much thinner. And yet... this one Jinhao 321 has many of my 616's trumped, in that it didn't need any fettling. I received the pen, and used it without fuss. Sure it is small and thin, but a lot of people might prefer that. If you've reached the end of this review thinking the same thing, keep an eye on the Pay It Forward thread. I've got a couple of new pens winging their way to me, and to make room, will be passing this one on.

Before I say anything I think it is important that I set some background information. My mother has been going to the same hairdresser with my grandmother for the past forty years. When I turned seventeen this past year, my grandmother asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I replied asking her if my grandfather (who died when I was young) ever used fountain pens and that it would mean a lot to me to have one if he did. Unfortunately my grandfather did not use fountain pens and instead my grandmother gave me money to by myself a pen and some ink. Now back to the hairdresser; a little while ago my grandmother was talking to her and must have mentioned how I enjoy using fountain pens. At this point she told my grandmother something amazing, several years ago she was given a Mont Blanc fountain pen that she never used. She has felt that for years she has been the caretaker of this pen and would like to pass it on to someone who would really appreciate and care for it. Refusing to accept payment, she gave it to my grandmother to give to me to take on the role of its new caretaker. As a result of this incredible kindness I am now the new and proud owner of a New Old Stock Mont Blanc Meisterstuck LeGrand 147 Traveler. Being a seventeen year old, Mont Blancs are out of my price range and as a result I no very little about this pen and was hoping some of you would be kind enough to enlighten me about it and possibly date it using the photos below.