Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'twsbi'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • FPN Community
    • FPN News
    • Introductions
    • Clubs, Meetings and Events
    • Pay It Forward, Loaner Programs & Group Buys
  • The Market Place
    • The Mall
    • Market Watch
    • Historical Sales Forums
  • Writing Instruments
    • Fountain & Dip Pens - First Stop
    • Fountain Pen Reviews
    • Of Nibs & Tines
    • It Writes, But It Is Not A Fountain Pen ....
    • Pen History
    • Repair Q&A
  • Brand Focus
    • Cross
    • Esterbrook
    • Lamy
    • Mabie Todd Research/Special Interest Forum/Group
    • Montblanc
    • Parker
    • Pelikan
    • Sheaffer
    • TWSBI
    • Wahl-Eversharp
    • Waterman
  • Regional Focus
    • China, Korea and Others (Far East, Asia)
    • Great Britain & Ireland - Europe
    • India & Subcontinent (Asia)
    • Italy - Europe
    • Japan - Asia
    • USA - North America
    • Other Brands - Europe
  • Inks, Inc.
    • Inky Thoughts
    • Ink Reviews
    • Ink Comparisons
    • Co-Razy-Views
    • Th-INKing Outside the Bottle
    • Inky Recipes
  • Paper, and Pen Accessories
    • Paper and Pen Paraphernalia
    • Paper & Pen Paraphernalia Reviews and Articles
  • Creative Expressions
    • Pen Turning and Making
    • Pictures & Pen Photography
    • The Write Stuff
    • Handwriting & Handwriting Improvement
    • Calligraphy Discussions
    • Pointed Pen Calligraphy
    • Broad (or Edged) Pen Calligraphy

Blogs

  • FPN Board Talk
  • Incoherent Ramblings from Murphy Towers
  • The Blogg of Me
  • FPN Admin Column
  • Rules, Guidelines, FAQs, Guides
  • Musings on matters pen
  • Marketing & Sales
  • Iguana Sell Pens Blog
  • Newton Pens' Blog
  • Peyton Street Pens Blog
  • holygrail's Blog
  • A Gift For Words
  • I Don't Have a Name; So This Will Do
  • Karas Kustoms' Blog
  • Debbie Ohi's Inky Journal
  • Sus Minervam docet
  • Crud!
  • Clut and Clutter
  • Federalist Pens

Calendars

  • Pen Events Calendar

Product Groups

  • FPN Pens
  • FPN Inks
  • FPN Donations
  • Premium/Trading/Retailer Accounts

Categories

  • Fonts
  • Tools & Software
  • Rules for Notepads & Paper

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

  1. Aditkamath26

    Twsbi Eco Help

    Hello and greetings I have a TWSBI Eco which is my favourite pen currently in my collection. But there seems to be a problem. The piston knob when screwed all the way in, rotates freely for maybe a quarter or a turn. Is this common or something that I have to worry about? Thanks and regards, Adit
  2. Aida

    Twsbi Micarta

    Hello I'm new to this group. I love my TWSBI Micarta but I've had some problems with it. I discovered today that the collar? you know, the piece that keeps the nib and feed in place is cracked. Does anybody know where I can get a replacement collar? I might try to super glue it and see if that works. Thank you in advance. Aida
  3. He used Polarizers to see stresses in the TWSBI's plastic which may cause cracking. I remember using this technique on clear plastic items when studying photography: http://daverea.com/2015/09/twsbi-eco-won I'll have to break out a couple of my Polarizers and try this myself.
  4. As the title says. I realised that my nib was running a little dry and, as with a lot of vacuum fillers, I went to unscrew the piston knob at the top to break the seal so more ink could flow through. However, upon trying I literally could not move this piston knob no matter how hard I try. Granted, I don't go to the gym every single day, but damn. This is ridiculous. I've never had this problem before. Any help? Edit - I used it yesterday with absolutely no problems and I have had the pen for ~2 weeks. I unscrewed the piston knob yesterday and I didn't screw it on with a stupid amount of force. Edit 2 - Even with silicon grease this thing won't budge.
  5. pacyhdermprincess

    Mini Or Vac Mini

    I just got a TWSBI 580. I love everything about it except the length when posted. I do not love it unposted as its too short for me. I'm looking at a Mini or Vac Mini to replace the 580. Which do you prefer? The Vac Mini is a bit longer posted so right now that's leading the race.
  6. Hi guys, I have a TWSBI Eco. It's a good, competent pen, smooth, with a large ink capacity,I like screw caps, and it's inexpensive. On the other hand I'm not in love with the pen. I borrowed a lot of Ecos (probably a dozen or more) from friends before and I was never struck by how good they were. They were nice, and I knew I was going to try one eventually—if a good deal came my way—but it wasn't high on my list. I just felt that it lacked a bit of character, a bit of a quirkiness. From that and from your own experiences, should I get a Wing Sung 698? What does the 698 have that an Eco does not, why do you like one over the other? For additional context I have a 659 I bought last year. Again, a good pen, but I don't find myself reaching for it. There was also a problem with the feed (ink would not come down) that I eventually fixed. From what I understand, the 698 and the 659 have the same writing end (I also have a couple of 78G pens from <F> to <B>). Besides the piston filler capacity, what does the 698 bring to the table that those two don't? Does it feel better in the hand, is it better made? Lastly, I got the 659 because I like demonstrators and I love clear feeds. However, the feed on mine has stained. I don't recall what ink I had in the pen, but I don't think it was any problematic ink because it's only the feed that got stained and not the section or the converter although it is also possible that I had the pen inked much more than usual (didn't reach for it much), but did you get your 698 feed stained? With what ink?
  7. OTrizy

    Twsbi Eco Dry In A Way?

    I don't think it just me or my Ecos but I have and issue with my eco. I need to prime the feed about every 2-4 pages I write. For example first time in the morning I do is to write essays/text in general and after 2 pages my shading ink is not shading anything and is a lot lighter then my letters are missing some parts like T letters the '-' part or something like that then I screw my piston for a little bit so I forced some more ink to my feed and after a while I have the same problem. I know some others have the same issues but did you guys find a solution to this or just try to deal with it. Btw I write in Rhodia paper with Noodler's Blue-Black Air-Corp. Twsbi Eco M and F nib.
  8. Hey there! I am looking to buy my first fountain and I am looking at these three options. However, I do not know which is best for me. I am a student in high school that will take notes, and will be ordering from either jetpens or amazon. Also, should I buy two fountain pens? p.s. feel free to add other suggestions for a first fountain pen
  9. With the latest Twsbi Eco making news, I decided to give my old 580 another shot just to make sure whether I should go for another. Find one is good enough for me (personal opinion). Here is also a link to my blog: TWSBI Diamond 580 Review Here goes my review of the 580: My sole motivation behind getting a TWSBI was to disassemble the pen and have all the fun, which I missed. And I got a clear demonstrator, packaged with a nice-looking wrench. THE TWSBI STORY TWSBI (called Twiz-Bee) refers to San Wen Tong, i.e when TWS is spelled backwards and it means ‘Hall of Three Cultures’ according to their website. BI at the end refers to writing instruments. Ta Shin Precision manufactured everything from toy lego parts to high-end writing instruments for several luxury brands (both American & Japanese) for well over 40 years. So that’s plastic, metal & precision, precisely what’s required to make and sell a nice writing instrument, under your own brand name. Which luxury brands? They don’t reveal those due to privacy agreements. I have reasonable doubt from various reviews that one of them is Levenger. And TWSBI Nibs are said to be sourced from JoWo (earlier it was Bock & Schimdt), Germany (same as for Faber-Castell Design Pens). THE FPN CONNECTION An FPN member by the name of speedy started a post with a prototype development for an inexpensive piston filling fountain pen somewhere around late October, 2009. He clarified that he was a pen-maker and shared pictures of TWSBI 530 prototypes in this post. It showed a metallic piston system. And it became a popular brand within a short period of time. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aXanzzgVZpc/Vb2tFd_RXXI/AAAAAAAAFAc/VMOIxx7069c/s1600/Prototype.jpg PRESENTATION That’s probably one of the great aspects of marketing. Inside a brown cardboard box, you will find the pen residing within a clear plastic case. You will instantly fall in love with the presentation part of it. For the lack of a better word, I call it The Apple packaging. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2v-U9j8mEdg/Vb2r5a2wXVI/AAAAAAAAE_Q/PCrDoboa4xw/s1600/DSC_4802.jpg There is an instruction sheet on disassembly of the pen, highlighting the pen parts. Below the white pen-holding shelf, you will find the 7mm TWSBI wrench and a vial of silicone grease in two slots. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1wEqgLBfRVA/Vb2tSxNRwAI/AAAAAAAAFA0/8dvHgT0DmhA/s1600/box.jpg DESIGN - THE GEOMETRICAL TRANSPARENCY (4/6) The build looks sturdy without adding much weight. Plastic economizes both cost and weight of fittings. This pen endorses practical utility rather than art with which you will probably associate a Pelikan or a Visconti. I do find an element of industrial look with the pen. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-COLWtQyBr-o/Vb2rvkWHSqI/AAAAAAAAE_I/_C5pGu7HVTk/s1600/DSC_4833.jpg Most of it is visible engineering, while use of plastic is quite evident in its piston-system. The barrel and cap are made of thick polycarbonate, with a protective heat treated layer for increased resistance to scratches, along with the crystal transparence. The overall fitment is still an area of improvement. One of my experiences is with the piston knob, which does not tighten itself well, as the piston head is pulled back in. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vVlXAJhf34U/Vb2r7Unlx0I/AAAAAAAAE_Y/A6R6VKiUpMQ/s1600/DSC_4829.jpg The cap feels substantial and unscrews with a single turn, revealing a rather dagger-like nib. There is a metallic insert for the nib unit, supplying necessary chrome accents for the aesthetics. The piston knob has a rather broad ring making the mark for disassembly. Multiple polygonal planes orchestrate light effectively within, dazzling both the pen and the ink inside the barrel. The decagonal geometry also prevents an open pen from rolling away. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5lnoYSQczHQ/Vb2sO5WHmuI/AAAAAAAAE_w/coWF8V-uyck/s1600/DSC_4837.jpg The cap has a wide chrome band carrying a laser engraved TWSBI on one side of it and DIAMOND 580 TAIWAN on the other, in three separate lines. Two concentric circles run on this band in the form of imprints. The finial carries a vibrant red & silver TWSBI logo of three pillars within a dome of transparent acrylic. The clip is spring-loaded within a visible system having a chrome tassie and it has a geometrical pyramid-like cut. The cap is heavy and has a smooth circular cross section which can roll the entire pen easily with its weight, until the clip restricts it. You can also observe the relatively greyish inner cap, which prevents the nib from drying out. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hvFDb1IoLBQ/Vb2tS3yDViI/AAAAAAAAFA4/O1cIkYuxahU/s1600/cap.jpg FILLING SYSTEM (5/6) As a piston filler, it does have a good ink capacity around 1.8~2mL. The knob unscrews with three complete turns and manages to draw ink quite efficiently from the bottle. The feeder hole is rather a channel to enable efficient ink suction. One of the improvements could be with the piston knob, which should increasingly tighten itself, as the piston head is pulled back in. Mine stays loosely fastened (after I applied some silicone grease on the piston head) and is directly proportional to the friction at the piston head. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zyu-R2d4OIY/Vb2tEOw3cII/AAAAAAAAFAY/b53TOE9_aQc/s1600/Filler.jpg DISASSEMBLY For this phase, rather than learning from the manual, you can have a look at a 580 disassembly video. I like the one with gouletpens or srebrown. Make sure you thoroughly flush the pen with water before disassembling it. 1. Rotating the piston end-cap counter-clockwise, the piston seal is lowered to a hinged stop inside the barrel. 2. Fit the wrench just below the piston-end-cap, which can unscrewed in a clockwise direction from the piston-knob. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NUkTmOyn-1U/Vb2sxi3fPxI/AAAAAAAAFAI/7YzC3qXppfM/s1600/DSC_4903.jpg 3. The piston mechanism has five different parts as you can see in the picture, though it’s not necessary to remove the rubber piston seal (or head) from the piston rod (spindle). The fittings of the mechanism can be made from higher grade material. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I1IdSoPmNms/Vb2sps-rsbI/AAAAAAAAFAA/LSsSEwOPHFE/s1600/DSC_4913%2Bcopy.jpg 4. The nib unit can be easily removed by first unscrewing the grip section from the barrel. 5. Since, nib is friction fit, you may remove the nib and feed from the unit, in case there is some heavy cleaning required (in case of a bad flow, sometimes the feed is coated with grease which restricts ink-flow). 6. Make sure you apply an adequate amount of silicone grease to the sides of the rubber piston seal (you may ignore the bottom surface) before reassembly. NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS (4/6) The nib/feed unit can be taken out or apart for cleaning purposes. The nib is stainless steel and has a rather small dagger-like design. It comes with four stock widths - EF, F, M, B and two special widths of Stub 1.1 & Stub 1.5. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pUw5Vdlnev4/Vb2sIzRr7-I/AAAAAAAAE_k/h6rOBMIZtfQ/s1600/DSC_4877.jpg The tail end specifies carries the nib width while the name TWSBI along with the logo rest above the tail. There are some curves adorning the inside symmetry of the tines. To be honest it’s kind of a plain design with limited nib leverage. A black plastic feed with a feed channel for ink suction and the thin fins on the other side ensures a good buffer capacity and prevents hard-starts. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vdkLuAmZ2NI/Vb2sJai3UzI/AAAAAAAAE_o/fZXFoCmyeW8/s1600/DSC_4893.jpg Earlier, TWSBI used to source its nibs from Schmidt and then Bock, which is incidentally the nib-supplier for Faber-Castell too. But it’s the alloys and then post-processing that can make a lot of difference even in steel-nibs. PHYSICS OF IT (6/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING The pen filled with ink, does have a good balance in terms of both weight and length. The pen is not meant to be posted. The grip is quite comfortable with a section around 1 cm thick. Uncapped Length ~ 13 cm Capped Length ~ 14 cm Nib Leverage ~ 2 cm Overall Weight ~ 28 g (Cap Weight ~ 14 g) Capped and uncapped and posted with a pelikan m805 runs below for your reference. A capped 580 looks similar to a m805. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NlHUezEy6vA/Vb2soSwhyvI/AAAAAAAAE_4/yewH-68smxg/s1600/DSC_4929.jpg Uncapped it obviously lacks the nib of a m805, although the lengths are well-matched. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zIo52iiZJXE/Vb2tCnSS2lI/AAAAAAAAFAQ/0xh7oZmbYUU/s1600/DSC_4937.jpg ECONOMIC VALUE (4/6) It retails at around Rs 5,500 ($ 86) here and I got it from a local store at around $ 70. The problem with ordering it from TWSBI’s website directly is that apart from heavy shipping charges, there are unseen duties to be paid for. Given the fact that you could get one of the usual butter-smooth and more responsive steel-nibbed Faber-Castell pens at a similar or even lesser price, it’s rather a decision of piston vs converter. I hope that the retail prices will get evened out with demand. OVERALL (4.6/6) This nib is wet with a hint of feedback which is expected of fine nibs. I purposely used a less wet ink, since the pen runs smooth with wet inks. There is some line variation which is evident with thicker vertical lines. A complete absence of any perceptible softness in this nib, kills the responsiveness part. The fine nib lays a line which runs between Japanese Fines and European Fines. Being a wet writer out of the box, the Fine nib puts a line which takes around 16-17 seconds to dry on MD Paper with Pelikan 4001 ink. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CwXFByod9IE/Vb2tIszp84I/AAAAAAAAFAo/K60KSx721a8/s1600/DSC_4943.jpg INNER CAP - INK RESIDUE In case you find any ink trapped between the inner cap and the cap, a wooden pencil fitted with attached eraser, can help clean it. I have experienced this kind of leakage during air-travel. 1. Take the wooden pencil (Standard #2) and insert the eraser-end into the cap. 2. Bend the cap in one direction, while putting pressure on the eraser in the opposite direction. 3. Slowly use the friction created by the eraser to pull out the inner cap. 4. Wash the ink out (Plain water is fine). 5. Re-insert the inner cap, and screw the pen back in, and it should friction-fit back into its original position. REFERENCES FPN TWSBI Bock Clientele Ink Residue Disassembly - gouletpens, srebrown Thank you for going through the review. You can find some more pen and paraphernalia reviews here.
  10. Aditkamath26

    Twsbi Eco Dripping Ink-2

    Seems like I spoke too soone in my previous topic. My TWSBI Eco is just the same-dripping ink. I cleaned it out again and filled it with water to see what exactly was happening. -When the pen is in writing position, air bubbles from the nipple of the feed rise towards the top of the ink reservoir one by one. -This is followed by water rushing into the section and filling it completely. -And after that, it drips ink or water. Anyone had this? I love the pen but it has given me problems unlike many of my pens. Thanks and regards, Adit
  11. Today on TWSBI's FB & Instagram pages they announced a Lime green Eco will be available from mid October. Looks pretty nice, although I'll believe it when I see it, considering how long the clear caps took to come to market....
  12. spaceink

    Nibs For The Twsbi Eco

    My first TWSBI is supposedly on its way and in anticipation am already thinking of playing around with nibs. The question is, which nibs will fit the ECO? The other TWSBI nibs might fit? Also, what size non-TWSBI nibs will fit? How does one remove the ECO nib: screw off, pull off, or knock out? And if you've switched in some other nib, feel free to post your results.
  13. mehandiratta

    Anybody Buying & Using Twsbi In India?

    Hello FPN Members Trying to get hold of TWSBI DIAMOND 580 at the prices comparable to international market.... can any one guide... what is your opinion about using these pens.... Looking forward to hear from Indian friends especially
  14. Just received these two pens in the mail so I thought I would quickly give my thoughts in case anyone might be debating between buying one of these. I did get the 1.5 nib on both of them. As you can probably tell from the picture, the Eco writes a touch thinner than the Vista. The Vista also writes a bit wetter but the Eco is not dry by any means. As TWSBI has stopped selling the 1.5 nibs, I wanted to get one while I could. It is tame enough that it will easily work its way into my EDC rotation. Writing Both write great. The Eco 1.5 can be an everyday pen whereas I think the Lamy 1.5 is a little too wide to be used for everyday stuff. Comfort As I said, I just got both of these so I can't say which would be better for long writing sessions. The Lamy obviously has the triangle grip, I don't mind it at all but some people do. I'll call this a tie. Looks You can judge by the pictures what you think is better looking but I think without a doubt the Eco with the massive ink in view is much sexier looking. I'll give Eco the win here. Value Once you buy the converter for the Vista, the prices are quite similar. Again with the piston filler technology you're getting with the Eco, I'll give the win to it. Side note though. Lamy nibs are much cheaper so big edge to Lamy for that. If the 1.5 is too big for EDC, a different nib can easily be bought and viola, now you have an EDC. Bottom Line The Vista is basically a clear Safari. Amazing pens. Been around for decades. The safe choice. Choose this if you want one pen with multiple nibs. The TWSBI Eco Clear is the sexy new kid on the block. If I had to choose just one, I would take the Eco for the looks, piston technology and the fact the 1.5 nib can be used everyday both at work and at home.
  15. Driften

    Vac 700R Or Vac Mini?

    With the Vac 700r being released soon I am wondering if I should get that or the Vac Mini. I expect the nibs for the Vac Mini to be more like what I am used to with the ECO. The larger nib on the 700 from all reports would write a little wider. I expect getting a F or EF in the 700 would be fine, but the 1.1 stub might be too wide for my writing style. If I get the Mini I think I will order the 1.1 stub. I like it a lot on my ECO. Other then line width. I wonder if one is more comfortable to write with then the other. The step down on the 700 seems to be bigger. The grip/section diameter is almost the same 10.0mm vs 10.1mm. I am not sure I would the difference. I normally don't post my pens. I expect I could use the Vac Mini unposted and could always post if I had to. Its not that much shorter then my Pelikan M215. The 700r would be just fine unposted. I like the looks of the 700. It seems to have a nice gradual taper in the body from the section to the tail. The size of the Vac Mini would be a better pocket fit of the two. But that would only matter for a shirt pocket. I guess the biggest decider would be knowing how comfortable people think the two are in hand. I have medium size hands.
  16. DaveT

    Twsbi Mini Al Blue

    We just got our shipment of the TWSBI Mini AL Blue at A&D Penworx. See it at http://adpenworx.com/store/index.php/fountain-pens.html?cat=48&twsbi_pen_model=93 Orders placed tonight will be shipped Saturday morning,
  17. Driften

    Got My First Twsbi's

    i got my first TWSBI's. I ordered an ECO F off Amazon and while waiting for that to come in I ordered a second one in the 1.1 Stub from Goulet. That one actually showed up a day before the one TWSBI shipped. For me the 1.1 seems like it goes from fine to medium. I can see using it as a daily pen, not just the special use type I thought it might end up being. The fine nib works well just as well as some of my other pens with fine nibs. Both are nice smooth writing pens. My favorite ink in general is Kon-Peki so I got samples of two other inks. I used samples of Iroshizuku Murasaki-shikibu and Shin-Ryoku inks in the two new pens. One issue I had filling from the samples was lots of bubbles in the ink fill. That kept me from getting good fills. I expect filling from a real bottle would be different but it would be good to know if that is other people experience. I look forward to the new 700s Vac coming out. Here is a pic of the new pens. http://driften.dragonsightsoftware.com/images/TWSBI-pair.jpg
  18. oberyn

    Twsbi Eco Leaking

    As the title says my Eco's nib/feed is leaking. :'( I accidentally dropped it onto the floor (thankfully with the cap on) then after a day or so I used the pen and noticed that the cap had a lot of ink in it because it dripped onto the car seat. I tried pushing the feed in and it worked for some time but it started leaking again. How do you suppose I go about fixing it?
  19. Oldtimer

    Twsbi Mini Problem With O-Ring: Help!

    I had cleaned my TWSBI mini but when the water was clear after a few flushings, I still saw some black specs and threads hanging from the piston. So I disassembled it completely and made sure everything was out. The piston looked good, perfect. On the next water flushing after assembling there was still some of this debris. I removed the nib and the section and looked into the empty barrel from the side of the nib and found this. The small o-ring is dissolving, kaput. The ink was Black Swan in Australian Roses. Since the nib is EF I guess I think it was too long on the barrel? Was it another of the previous inks that did it? I will never know, but the area where it is right now makes it impossible to be replaced by me. I suppose I can send it back to have this o-ring replaced... Just wanted to know who else has exhibited this kind of defect. I will get better photos, but surely, I think I have to return to TWSBI.
  20. DaveT

    Twsbi Pens Now At A-D Penworx

    A&D Penworx is excited to now offer TWSBI pens on our website. TWSBI is one of my personal favorites! If you are in the market for a new TWSBI please take a look. http://adpenworx.com/store/index.php/fountain-pens/twsbi-fountain-pens.html?
  21. I bought a Twsbi Vac mini recently, but the stiff steel nib (F) did not quite work for me. So, I decided to purchase a couple of #5.5 flex nibs from Fountain Pen Revolution (FPR). I am aware that these nibs may not be considered true flex, but as the owner of an FPR Indus Demo, I have noticed that its two-tone nib adds a bit of character to my writing. I bought a single- and a two-tone nib, as I was curious to see whether there would be any differences between them. I eagerly waited for their arrival. And waited and waited and waited. Canada Post has been slow lately, and they were taking their sweet time in delivering the goods. After a month of waiting, I decided to go ahead and dismantle my Indus pen to see if its nib would fit the Vac mini. It did fit and wrote wonderfully. The nib does give some feedback when writing but it does not feel scratchy. It lays down a fine wet line that shows variation sometimes. I'm a lefty, so keep this in mind as you read on. Today, six weeks after the happy little Gandharvas and Apsaras from India had shipped them, the nibs finally arrived. They came in a small cardboard envelope that was padded inside. The nibs were placed inside a small plastic baggie, as shown in the following image: I decided to test all three nibs. In the following image, samples A and B were written with the Indus flex nib. I wrote Sample A with Liberty's Elysium. I wrote sample B with a diluted (4:1) version of Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses (old formulation). The results of the single-tone nib are shown on Sample C. The last sample (D) was written with the two-tone nib. My impressions Indus Demo two-tone nib: Wet, flexy, and gives feedback. It writes with a fine line that sometimes borders on the extra fine. Single-tone nib: Stiff and wet. It was much smoother than the Indus nib. I got the impression that it lay down a broader line. Two-tone nib: Flexier than the single tone but slightly less wet. It gave feedback when writing, similar to the Indus pen nib, but it felt more "scratchy". I've been using my Indus pen consistently so perhaps that's why it feels smoother than the new two-tone nib. Summary I would say that there is a difference between the single-tone and the two-tone nibs. The single-tone is smoother and perhaps slightly wetter. The two-tone nib is flexier but it gives feedback, which you may or may not like. Overall, I'm glad that I decided to make the switch. Now I have three beauties to play with. The Twsbi Vac mini has become my favourite pen.
  22. Hello all, I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on a new pen purchase but am having difficulty with choosing what to get. I think I've got my mind on a TWSBI 580AL EF nib, but the problems I hear about from TWSBI got me worried a bit. I've considered going for a more expensive demonstrator like the Custom Heritage 92, but I'm not sure if I want to go and spend that much at the moment. Same goes for the Vanishing Point, I really want one, but thought that I should wait a bit for it as well. My goal for the pen is for it to be something I can carry with me to work, coffee shop, or just use at home. I'm probably going to put a new black ink or blue black into my Lamy 2k and then turn this new pen into the one that carries fun colors (looking for suggestions on a good dark purple or deep blue)
  23. Aditkamath26

    Twsbi Eco Help

    Hello and greeting to all I recently bought a TWSBI Eco fountain pen from The Goulet Pen Company and I absolutely love it. Except for a problem. The piston is quite stiff and sticks to the barrel and sometimes gets stuck. This wasn't into action before cleaning the pen and removing the piston from the body to wipe out the water of the barrel. Can anyone help me out here?
  24. Hey guys, I just got a TWSBI Al today in Pink (looks lovely!). I twisted the piston to flush the pen with some water and noticed a lot of scratching on the piston rod. Pictures here Is this normal? It seems like it should be lubed and will eventually wear down the rod. This was a pricey purchase for me, so is causing me some stress. Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks!
  25. This is my Vac 700 with a custom section sporting a vintage 14kt Mabie Todd “Swan” no.6 flex italic nib. The Pen Holder: I am sure many of you here have already seen quite a few reviews of the TWSBI Vac 700. Like many others out there I was impressed with the looks and quality of this pen. The clear EF nibed pen I received directly from TWSBI wrote perfectly out of the box, but my personal preference is for flexi nibs so I immediately began searching for an adequate replacement. The Custom Section: After a long tedious search I was unable to source an appropriate nib that could be easily transplanted to the TWSBI section. As such I decided to go custom. I had a fantastic Mabie Todd Swan no.6 nib and feed without a matching body so I thought they would be a great match for this pen. Our own Appleman here on FPN was the gentleman who did the wonderful work shown in the attached photos. The custom section is made out of black ebonite. Appleman did a great job creating a girthy section with a nice curvature which is extremely comfortable to hold. As you can see in the images, there is also less of a step from the barrel to the section when compared to an unmodified Vac 700. This was a huge plus as well! The ebonite feels warm to the touch and due to its solid construction moves the balance of the pen toward the front of the pen which I prefer. I find that if I remove the clip to the pen from the cap then the pen is actually quite reasonably balanced when posted. I am sure the very large chunk of gold at the front end helps as well Although I do not have a Vac 20 yet, I hope that this pen will still be compatible with TWSBI’s Vac inkwell. The Nib: Before this project I had the nib in a Noodler’s Konrad which wrote well. However a nib of this quality needs a pen holder which offers the sense of luxury. So I was not happy with that set up. When it was in this pen body, I had the tip customized to a rather sharp cursive italic by Mr. Pendelton Brown. He did fabulous work. In the TWSBI pen holder the Swan writes an amazing M (western) cursive italic that can easy flex to a glorious 3+mm downstroke. Whether or not this is a “superflex”, “wet noodle” or otherwise is beyond my experience as I have only used a handful of flex nibs. I will say that the force required to flex this pen is small enough that flexing on every letter can be done without fatigue. The cross strokes can be hairline thin when a light hand is used. The nib is very responsive, but the flood of ink that comes with the flexing can sometimes puddle up if the stroke is not followed through on. None-the-less, the full flex writing experience is smooth and quite enjoyable on higher quality papers. The matching vintage Swan ladder feed manages to keep up very well considering how much ink is laid down. After long sessions of flexing the flow does require some time to catch up (as you can see by the time I get to “jumps”), but honestly I am surprised these vintage feeds can supply as much ink as they do. The Rhodia dotpad paper crinkles under the stream of ink… Of full flex writing the pen only manages to write about 5 pages of text (single stroke fill-60%ish full). This is quite surprising considering the Vac 700’s large ink capacity. However I do not anticipate writing pages of flex writing so this is not an issue. Under normal writing conditions the ink supply will last a long time. When writing with a light hand the nib handles with ease. The pen is smooth and flow is generous but not uncontrollable. I would be comfortable using this pen on cheaper printer paper for unflexed writing. On some 30% recycled copier paper the pen writes without feathering, but the line is a more stubish M-B line. Most of my inks are of the Iroshizuku line which to my understanding are quite wet. I will need to try some dryer inks. (any recommendations?). I have been considering some iron-gal inks but am unsure if R&K Salix or Scabiosa will react with the steel plunger rod. If anyone has some experience with these inks and Vac 700’s please let me know. Conclusions: This pen has blown away all my expectations and it is truly going to be my prized pen for many years to come. This mix of vintage and modern has created a sweet spot for me personally. I am left wondering if I will ever need another pen again. The balance of the pen leans toward my preferences, the looks are stunning and eye catching and most importantly the writing experience is heavenly. Thank you all for looking! ~Hanryy





×
×
  • Create New...