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  1. I have a Homo Sapiens Bronze Age with a broad nib that I love. Am now being tempted by a Magma and was considering the 1.3 stub nib - this would be recent production. What I am interested in are actual experiences (again more recent production) with the nib. How was it out of the box? How well does it write? Are the edges sharper and more prone to catch than other similar stub nibs? Any comparison to their broad nib would be appreciated as well. FYI - I own a number of stub nibs including many 1.1's and a 1.5. But these are steel nibs (Jowo & Bock). Many thanks in advance for your insight!
  2. Chatterley is offering the Visconti Opera Demo Carousel for $295. Its available in all four colors and 14K gold EF, F, or M nibs.
  3. Hi, I am relitivley new to fountain pens, owning only 3 at this point. Yesterday I purchased my first expensice vountain pen, the visconti homosapiens steel midi, and am having some issues with the ink flow. What happens is, I fill it and it writes beautifully, then it will suddenly stop. At this point, there seemes to be no ink left in the feed, yet there is definetly ink left in the piston filler as I turned the piston and watched the ink drop out. If I give the pen a bit of a flick, It will write again as I have flicked ink into the feed, but this only lasts about a paragraph. The same goes for thurning the piston, which saturates the feed enough to write maybe half a page. I did some reading on the site and fushed the pen with soapy water, then with non soapy water a number of times to remove the soap. I then flushed it with ink before inking it up again. This did not solve the problem. I also removed the nib and feed to see if there was a blockage, but the feed looked fine, albiet dry, and the hole that joins it to the resovoir of ink had no observable blockage, though it was very difficult so see far down it. Just out of curiosity, I turned the piston and watched as the vacated cylinder where the feed normally sits, filled up with ink. I really dont know what to do now, and thougth to post here where it seems there are many knowledgable, long time pen owners who may be able to help me. Any help that is offered will be much appreciated.
  4. Theroc

    Visconti Pens on Sale

    Several online luxury watch retailers are offering Visconti pens on sale. Most notably JomaShop and WorldofWatches. The embedded links send you directly to the relevant search results. Caveat: nib material is not specified and its probably steel or chromium in some cases. No affiliation whatsoever.
  5. I thought I should make my first real post something somewhat "exotic", or at least useful. I would have killed for this information a year ago when I was taking this pen apart without guidance! Maybe it will be beneficial to someone in my situation in the future! This is kind of a cross post from a post I made on another pen sub forum previously. I purchased a Visconti Pininfarina some time ago but the pen had some issues despite being new. I sent the first pen back due to the plating flaking off and some hacks in the carbon. This post is about the replacement pen. Let's get started! When I received the replacement pen, the stub nib I had ordered would not write. This is the chromium/steel tubular nib. I was bumping up on August for the Italian shutdown so I decided to work the nib myself. That was a success but took a few hours. The nib and feed on this pen just unscrews. There was a curvature to the nib so the tines did not really make contact on the paper in the middle by the feed channel. That means no ink flow. I ended up polishing and working the tines flat. Several months later I got the guts up to fix the other things that nagged me about the pen. The runout of the cap trim was never quite aligned to the body and that bugged me immensely. When you would twist the body of the pen, it would rotate eccentrically to the other half of the pen. I determined that the threaded trim was not bonded to the carbon tube aligned. 2 min hot water in the microwave, 1 min soak, and some pulling freed the trim from the carbon tube. I was able to align the threads and trim a little better to the other half of the pen and bond the trim with lacquer. I unfortunately dropped the pen a few weeks later from about 6 inches nose first on the bezel. There was a very small "flat" on the bezel from this. Again, small things bug me so I re profiled the brass bezel, polished, and Rhodium plated it. Looks like new but I did learn about how the bezel comes off and how the "door" seals the nib. There's two screws to hold this all together. One holds the assembly to the pen (rear screw) while the front holds the flat spring and the spot welded door. The nib retracting mechanism had an interesting problem were it would not stall out like it should in the open position and then downward pressure from writing would push the nib back into the pen slowly every so often. I thought I could grease my way out of this with tetra silicon grease. Once I got the assembly out of the pen, I thought better of it and just added grease where it rotated in the locking pins. This helped a little without disassembling the rotating assembly. One more fun issue was that the nib would randomly rotate as you wrote. This was corrected by applying a small amount of lacquer on the threads of the tubular nib to lock it down. It's like having an oblique nib at any angle you want actually. Kind of useful once you get it sorted and locked. The nib screws into a collar that can be rotated to suit your angle to paper. Overall this is an extremely unique pen. Much different than any of my pens I've worked on. It was emotional. It's not a cheap pen and there was zero information online about fixing it so every step was into uncharted territory. Luckily, the bonding Visconti used is easily defeated by hot water. Also equally bonded back with lacquer or shellac. Honestly I rarely use this pen despite the amount of work I had to do to get it right. I even ended up buying a Millennium Arc moonlight just for the medium tubular nib since it was on sale. I thought the medium nib would not dry out as fast as the stub. Still drys out after a day or so due to the trap door not sealing properly. Now that I read this in its entirety, it seems a little long winded and more or less a list of complaints. That's not my intent though. This is an amazing pen to look at. It just took more work than I thought to get it running and aligned to what I thought was possible of the design. I'm a little picky if I see an opportunity to make something better.
  6. truphae_inc

    New Member Introduction

    Hi, everyone! I wanted to introduce myself to this network. I have been a long-time pen enthusiast, and am the owner of luxury pen retailer Truphae, Inc. We specialize in high-end luxury pens from companies like Aurora, Montegrappa, ST Dupont, Visconti, etc...and have great relationships with them as well. We also carry brands such as Pelikan, Cartier, and many others. Our goal is to find the coolest pens around, particularly rare ones that many other people would have a hard time sourcing. We not only sell, but buy and consign as well. Looking forward to getting to know you all better! ~Chris
  7. Does anyone own a Visconti Rembrandt rollerball and fountain pen, and kindly tell me if the sections are interchangeable between them. I read somewhere that the fountain pen section is longer and it wont fit in a rollerball to close the cap. ..I have a rembrandt fp, a boring dark blue and I found a van gogh rollerball for sale in a nice color and I'm thinking of doing the conversion. I know the sections in those models are the same, but I don't know if the rollerballs have different cap lining.
  8. Hello, I posted previously about my Visconti Rembrandt and it also had this problem with hard starts and skips every line. I was able to exchange it for a Van Gogh starry night, and sadly it's no better. The starts are really bad. I have to apply more pressure than usual to get it started, and then 5 seconds off paper requires another hard start. Either im extremely unfortunate or visconti has the poorest nib QC here's a pic demonstrating the issue,. Visconti Van Gogh Starry Night B Nib http://i.imgur.com/nDeSjan.jpg?2 If theres any way to fix this without sending it to a nib mechanic let me know pleaseee
  9. To celebrate the store's 70th anniversary, Novelli had Visconti make a celluloid fountain pen with a 14kt gold nib in a limited edition of 70. I ordered one with a stub nib, pretty much as soon as Marco announced it. The pen arrived a couple days ago, and I am very happy with it. Appearance and Design The style of the pen is somewhat old-fashioned in a positive way. The length is the same as that of the Homo Sapiens. The clip is a style that predates the current arc of the Homo Sapiens, I think. The clip is quite springy. For me, the tension is about perfect. The celluloid is dark blue with islands of gold and is much more attractive than what you see in my photos. Manufacturing quality is superb. The pen has a very comfortable section. There is a clear ink window, which i happen to like. Nib and Performance The nib is a 14 kt stub and writes rather wet. It is my first Visconti with a gold nib. The others I own all have the palladium nibs Visconti used for a number of years. I first loaded it with Visconti Blue - a good ink with a good color match for the pen. I then loaded it with Pelikan 4001 Blue-black to see if a very dry ink with provide a crisper line. Both inks performed about the same. The nib is rather springy and smooth writing but with a bit of feed back. The only negative is that there is mild hesitancy in ink flow after a brief break in writing. Ink flows well after the nib is gently flexed. I may (or may not) eventually ask a nibmeister to make it a bit crisper for my italic handwriting. The engraving on the nib is different from Visconti's usual. It is quite simple. I don't know if it has a particular symbolic significance. Filling system The pen has Visconti's well-known power filler, and it works well. As stated above, there is a clear ink window which I find a positive feature. Cost and value This is not an inexpensive pen, but the price is less than that of most of the Homo Sapiens limited editions. For a celluloid pen of this quality, I think the price is almost a bargain. Conclusion This is a handsome pen that is a pleasure to see and use. The only negative is the slightly hesitant ink flow described above. Once you are writing, ink flow is excellent. Overall, I am happy with the pen and feel it is a good value for a high-end fountain pen. David
  10. Hello, The title says it all. I need some help identifying this visconti pen. Thanks!
  11. airline0

    Visconti Race Tech Limited Edition

    Visconti Race Tech Limited Edition The limited Edition Race Tech pen is an ode to racing and is packed full of racing themes: The lightening holes on the clip, the black and white checkered finishing flag enameled on the pen's band, the body is crafted from sturdy race ready carbon fiber and all parts are trimmed in racing red resin. The Race Tech is limited to 388 pieces worldwide and is available in fountain pen and Rollerball. The fountain pen accepts cartridges or converter and is outfitted with the Visconti tubular chromium nib. Each pen is packaged in a luxury box. This beautiful tribute to racing is composed of red resin and carbon fiber with chrome plated trims. https://www.airlineintl.com/search?keywords=race
  12. IN PRAISE OF THE OLD STYLE VISCONTI VAN GOGH “MAXI” FOUNTAIN PEN Visconti are a Florentine pen manufacturer founded on 20 October 1988 by two friends who decided to make a business of their passion for fountain pens. The two founders, Luigi Poli and Dante del Vecchio are stars of the long tradition of Italian pen manufacturing. They succeeded in remaining at the top of a highly competitive international market for over 30 years, which is an outstanding achievement when one considers the sad demise of OMAS or Delta. Throughout their history, Visconti have set new standards for imaginative and striking designs, ranging from the very expensive to cheaper “every day” pens, earning a well-deserved devoted following of fountain pen collectors and users. Their “Homo Sapiens” line of pens need no introduction, and most people reading this will own or have seen a “Van Gogh” or “Rembrandt” Visconti pen. Some of the leading online pen reviewers, SBRE BROWN (https://www.youtube.com/user/sbrebrown) and PENULTIMATE DAVE (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmPrXpKKggCrGTmAhhMmvBA) have produced many highly entertaining and informative reviews of Visconti pens. In this review, however, I wish to celebrate a now sadly discontinued range of Visconti pens, the “Van Gogh Maxi” which were in production in the first decade of the 2000s (along with their smaller cousins the Van Gogh “Midi” and Mini” versions). The series was also produced as roller ball pens. The larger “maxi” size is one of my favourite pens as it fits my hands beautifully, so I will only be discussing this “maxi” line of the Van Gogh production as this is the type I own. More recently, of course, Visconti have produced a modern line of Van Goghs that are very widely available. They are hugely popular with their bright, fun colours, easily swapped or cleaned steel nibs, filling mechanisms that will accommodate standard size cartridges or converters and general sturdiness. But these are not of the sophistication as their earlier relatives, and they have steel nibs rather than gold nibs, so I will not be covering them in this review. THE VISCONTI VAN GOGH MAXI FOUNTAIN PENS Revealing a collector’s mania side of my character, I have acquired seven Visconti Van Gogh Maxis (VGMs) over the years. They are one of the jewels in my pen collection and are in constant use. I was introduced to the VGMs by Ray Walters, (http://www.vintageandmodernpens.co.uk/http://www.vintageandmodernpens.co.uk/] who is a regular vendor at Pen Shows, on his website and elsewhere. As always, he is charming and persuasive and I think the first pen he sold me was the VGM “Tortoise”. This pen was a discovery and a revelation. I was writing with a pen of different design than the Pelikans and Japanese pens I was used to but with outstanding performance qualities. This purchase was quickly followed by the Musk version: And then, throwing financial discipline to the winds, I also bought the beautiful “Sandal Wood” coloured version from Ray: As I had the income to collect then, I quickly added (from eBay) a Demonstrator version: Later on came a “Starry Night” version: And a “Fantasia”: And finally, an Ivory version (sometime also called a Vanilla, but I think Ivory is more appropriate): There are other colours available, and these sometime turn up on eBay or at Pen Shows. From my online searches, I gather that the other VGM colours are Cappuccino (sometimes called Espresso), Black, plain Green, bright Yellow and Mint Blue. If there are other colours I would be interested to know from readers. Design These pens are in the “oversize” range. They are slightly larger than the Pelikan M800, but slightly girthier and heavier as the weight is increases with the metal central band. Personally I don’t like oversize or very large pens and have therefore never bought the more recent range of large Viscontis like the Homo Sapiens and similar, which I find simply too large and bulky. The VGMs are therefore, for me, at the size limit of what I enjoy writing with, especially as I prefer to post my pens. The pens fit comfortably into my hand while writing (either posted or unposted) As always beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but in my view, these pens are beautiful and very stylish. They have a happy, joyous range of colours with strikingly stylish bodies. Clips Their clips are the signature “Ponte Vecchio” arches and these are very flexible, making them easy to place in a pocket. One controversial aspect of the design is the screw on the top of the cap, which keeps the clip in place. For some this is a serious error in design, detracting from the overall aesthetics with a rather “industrial” and crude intrusion in colourful body. Personally I don’t really notice the screw as I have the cap posted with the clip showing on top, so that the screw always remains in the unseen underside of the pen, but I agree with the critics: Visconti could have produced something more visually pleasing (like the design of the Pineider clips which have a more discreet clip holder mechanism). Locking mechanism The Visconti locking system changed over time. Initially, Visconti used a “3K” twist fastener system, where the cap was secured with a twist locking it on three threads. The system is not really satisfactory: I found that it uncaps inside a pocket which is irritating as then the nib stains ink on a shirt through the inner jacket pocket’s lining. More concerning were reports by some users of cracking of the barrel through the pressure involved in locking the “3K” twist system. So it was discontinued and replaced with threaded locking: Filling system The VGMs have cartridge converter filling systems. The system allows international size cartridges which is helpful as one of the really irritating aspects of Japanese pens or some European pens like Aurora or Lamy is having to use proprietary cartridges! The converters are threaded which makes them secure. They do sometimes have a tendency to “rattle” unless the top section is tightened, which is the case in one of my seven VGMs. Nibs The nib is, of course, the soul of a pen. In this respect, Visconti excelled themselves in producing superlative writing nibs. My own preference is for fine nibs and Visconti’s nibs tend on the wetter side. From my research the VGM nibs ranged from EF, F, M, B and Stub. Generally, the VGMs have 14 carat nibs but I have one 23K Palladium fine nib. These have beautiful decoration as shown below These nibs are wonderful writers. The fine duo tone VGM 14K nibs glide smoothly on the page, with just enough feedback to make the writer conscious of the grain of the paper on which the nib writes. The 23K “Dreamtouch” fine nib is also a joy to write with, although it lacks the flexing quality of the 14K nibs. An added bonus is that these nibs can we swapped between different VGMs, rather like the way Pelikan nibs can be swapped between pens. OVERALL ASSESSMENT These Visconti pens are among the finest pens in my collection (which is mainly composed of Pelikans and Sailors). Their design, joyous range of colours and wonderfully expressive nibs make them a set of pens that give constant pleasure whenever used. Although I would, if pressed, prefer the Pelikan M800 or the Sailor 1911 Large range of pens, these old style Viscontis are a treasure that I cherish. These Viscontis are now sadly discontinued and, in my view, one of the worst decisions taken by the Florentine manufacturer was to produce the modern steel nib Van Gogh series. While these are perfectly decent writing pens, with attractive colouring, they simply cannot match the exquisite precision of the VGM gold nibs and style of their design. If only Visconti would revive them, just as Pelikan has begun to revive old discontinued models!
  13. Dear pen friends, I hope you are all doing well, I was wondering for my Canadian friends, where do you buy your Visconti pens? what is the cheapest place to buy Visconti in Canada? I want to buy the Orchards in blossoms pen which. Also, what is your experience with buying pens from the US? is it cheaper or since you have to pay customs its actually more or the same? Thanks
  14. Hello Everybody, Just wanted to make a quick announcement for a show coming up. The official Dallas Pen Show 2020 was cancelled, but we have decided the show must go on! The show will not be quite like the normal show due to Covid. We are taking many precautions in relation to this. The show will be in the same location as normal at the Doubletree by Hilton near the galleria in Dallas. It is in the same two ballrooms. Due to Covid the number of tables are greatly reduced, and meet all CDC guidelines and social distancing procedures. Hand sanitizer will be placed all around the show in addition to face coverings being required. We will have face shields available at no charge at the door. There will also be restrictions in place as far as number of people allowed in the show, so a line could form. We want to make this show as fun as possible, but we are doing everything we can to make it a safe show for all vendors and attendees. I hope everybody is as excited for the show as we are, and we hope to see you there! The event is Friday September 25th from 12pm-7pm, and Saturday September 26th from 10am-5pm! Flyer attached with all of our exciting vendors that will be in attendance! Hotel Address 4099 Valley View Ln, Dallas, TX 75244
  15. jchch1950

    Visconti Federico II

    Today I took out my Visconti Federico II set and notice that the clips are rusting. The pens have been in containers with dehumidifiers together with other pens many of them much older and they don't show any rust. Is any solution ? It is a problem with the Visconti plating? Thanks for your comments.Sorry I can not post photos.
  16. Hi! I am looking for an opinion about the new 14k nib, which is in the Visconti Voyager 2020 model. At the moment, I am considering the purchase of Visconti. I am thinking between Visconti Medici midi with a palladium FINE nib and the Voyager 2020 model with a new 14k FINE nib. This will be my first "expensive' Visconti (I have Van Gogh with steel fine nib now, I used to have Rembrandt and Pericle). I am curious about both the palladium and 14k nibs, because I do not have experience with them. I had an opportinity to tried to write with Visconti with palladium fine nib, pen from a friend. His fine nib turned out to be super wet, too wet for my taste, but it wrote really nice and I like it. But I'm a little worried about this wetness. I had not an opportunity to try this new 14k nib anywhere. I don't know what to expect... Does anyone have any experience with new 14k nib from Visconti an/or comparison 23palladium fine nib with 14k new nib? Thanks!
  17. First Impressions (9/10) I have had a long held interest in all things related to classical antiquity. This applies also to my pen collection. I have been drawn to models claiming some sort of connection to these distant times. So, when I heard of the Art Ellenic model by Visconti I was immediately attracted to it. The inspiration for this model is a Doric Greek column. This was part of an Art series by Visconti, all made in sterling silver: Art Nouveau, Art Renaissance and Art Ellenic. The asking price was a bit prohibitive for my pen budget, but when I found a decent second hand model I did not hesitate and bought it. Appearance (9/10) The pen comes in a nice Visconti cardboard box, but inside there is a nice faux leather clamshell box which contains the pen, a bottle of Visconti Black ink and several instructions and promotional materials, including a mini CD with the catalog of Visconti at the time. http://i.imgur.com/7Zl6qML.jpg http://i.imgur.com/iJ8t3Gw.jpg In the hand the pen has many positive points. First is the design , based in black and silver. Then the pen is light and pleasant to hold in the hand. It can be posted very securely but then it tends to be a bit top-heavy. http://i.imgur.com/W0TKwY3.jpg Design/Size/Weight (9/10) Pen measurements: Length capped 138 mm Length uncapped 126 mm Length posted 159 mm Weight 43.20 g http://i.imgur.com/9SxEaTT.jpg http://i.imgur.com/DqjkhCw.jpg The pen is quite lightweight. No doubt this is due to the main construction material, which is Lucite . Lucite is a plastic also known as plexiglass, which is lightweight and durable. On top of this plastic the thin sterling silver cover is applied in the form of a Greek column, with 12 parallel concave grooves. The bottom is a black knob that can be removed to leave the wheel for the piston filler mechanism. The section is also black, quite comfortable and the threads to hold the cap are very close to the nib. http://i.imgur.com/fJEBXMX.jpg The finial has a clear Visconti logo in silver . This finial can be removed to be personalized with initials or semiprecious stones. http://i.imgur.com/SgXrOWa.jpg The clip has the typical bridge shape typical of Visconti. the company name is inscribed in silver letters on a black background. It has some spring to it. Nib (8/10) The nib is a 14 K gold nib. The colour is chromed and it has the legend VISCONTI 14 k 585 FIRENZE M. it is then a medium nib, although to me is rather a broad one. It is an extremely juicy nib with some degree of line variation. As my hand writing is small I often used it in reverse to get a fine line that I am more comfortable with. But I bought it as a medium so I knew where I was going. http://i.imgur.com/9JY8uDm.jpg Filling System(7/10) The pen is a piston filler. However, to me it looks like a fixed converter, as the piston mechanism looks exactly like some other Visconti converters that I own. There is no window to see the ink level, which is a disappointment as it is impossible to gauge how much ink is left in the piston. To me this has all the disadvantages of a converter and none of its advantages. Cost and Value(7/10) The pen is actually retailed at 490 UK pounds. I got it second hand for half that price. I think that I bought a beautiful pen, but for the normal retail price I would have not bought it. I have used it mostly for signatures but when writing for long has an excellent performance and it is pleasant for use. http://i.imgur.com/lnNYytj.png Conclusion (8.2/10) This is a beautiful, understated pen from Visconti. My main criticism of this pen is the filling mechanism, without any way to know how full is the pen. The sterling silver is not signed so we have to believe that it is silver form the marketing materials. No information about the silver purity is provided. However I think that it is a classy pen with a superb nib in the tradition of the black filigree silver pens so in fashion during the first two decades of the 20th century. Thanks for reading!
  18. Hi everyone, I am a long time lurker on this forum but this is my first post. My first and only Visconti was a Homo Sapiens Bronze Age with a 23k Pd EF nib. It was my best nib but I found the pen slightly uncomfortable due to the slightly thicker section. However all the discomfort was counterbalanced by the really awesome nib. It made the pen worth it. It seemed I had won the Visconti nib lottery. Unfortunately, I dropped the pen and the nib developed some serious problems and I sold off the pen. However my awesome experience with the nib made me a Visconti fan. Recently, after selling a bunch of pens I ordered the new Visconti Opera Master Polynesia in 18k EF nib and am expecting this pen in the next 10 - 15 days. I bought this pen primarily because of three reasons: 1) First (or one of the first) Visconti pen with in house 18k nib 2) It seems the new Opera Master redesign has supposedly made the section thinner and the whole pen less top heavy 3) Demonstrator pen with the awesome double reservoir power filler (useful for large ink capacity as I do not change inks frequently) I am still worried about the metal section of the pen as I have oily hands (one of the other reasons I like the lava section on my Homo Sapiens). Can anyone who owns this pen or the new Visconti Opera Master Oceanic or Amber (the other two new design Opera Masters) let me know their experience regarding the nib, section slickness and the overall comfort with the pen? Just as an FYI, I have medium sized hands and am able to use pens of size comparable to Pelikan M800 comfortably. Thanks in advance!
  19. sansenri

    Visconti Id Early Model

    I recently acquired this Visconti pen but cannot identify the model name, if it does have a name... it is evidently an early model, it is made of wrapped celluloid, black-brown flake, and has a steel two tone nib with Visconti written vertically, top down, such as I have already seen on a Visconti Classic the nib is steel I assume as it has no gold markings the pen is approx 13.5 cm capped, short of 12 cm uncapped, and it is rather fat. It is a cartridge-converter pen. The material used is surely celluloid, you can smell the distictive odour of canfor as you open the barrel, and it is wrapped celloloid you can see the seam by looking closely, the dark colour however masks the seam almost completely, in normal lighting conditions. There is an earlier post by fabri00 in another thead about this pen https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/260584-can-you-identify-this-pen/ where this pen is mentioned but no model name mentioned since I do not know the model name googling to find info so far has proven useless the colour of the celluloid is really nice, the nib is rather stiff, and smallish, but the pen is not so big either, and writes, now, reasonably smooth with a fine to medium line (I had to slighly adjust the tines because under the loope they were evidently misaligned) any information is welcome (eric47??) thanks Enrico next to a sheaffer balance II for comparison the celluloid picks up the light in certain conditions
  20. First off, I wanted to give a big shout out for everybody that was able to attend the Dromgoole's Dallas Pen Show 2 weeks ago! We were extremely happy to put on an event like that, and you all helped make it a successful event. It was so great to get to see everybody! With that said we are doing a similar show in San Antonio November 6th-7th!. The show will be located at the Doubletree by Hilton San Antonio Northwest right off of Loop 1604 and I-10. 6809 N Loop 1604 W, San Antonio, TX 78249 There will be a special room rate of $82/night if signed up before the end of October, if you have any issues please reach out to us and we will be happy to assist. Copy & Paste this link in your browser to book your room! https://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/S/SATJRDT-DRM-20201105/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG The show hours will be as follows: Friday November 6th 10AM-7PM Saturday November 7th 9AM-4PM The show will not be quite like the normal show due to Covid. We are taking many precautions in relation to this. Due to Covid the number of tables are greatly reduced, and meet all CDC guidelines and social distancing procedures. Hand sanitizer will be placed all around the show in addition to face coverings being required. We will have face shields available at no charge at the door. There will also be restrictions in place as far as number of people allowed in the show, so a line could form. We want to make this show as fun as possible, but we are doing everything we can to make it a safe show for all vendors and attendees. Attached is a flyer we have created that has a list of current vendors that have committed to attend, we expect to have some more as time goes on. Kirk Speer (Penrealm) will be on site offering nib grinding/tuning services!
  21. Visconti Homo Sapiens Lava Bronze with 18k gold nib Many excellent reviews of the Visconti HS Lava series can be found here on FPN so there’s not much point in doing that again. Since I purchased a brand-new HS last week, I will limit this brief review mostly to the 18k gold nib that succeeded the 23k Pd nibs, on fit and finish and on writing characteristics. ^—The HS Midi and its new companion FIT AND FINISH When the Lava series originally came on the market there were some reports about poor quality control, such as loose cap bands. A few years ago I bought a HS Midi and found the quality of that pen to be excellent. The same is true for my new full-size pen. Every aspect of fit and finish appears to be absolutely perfect. The pen inspires total confidence. Unscrewing the blind cap and using the plunger feels like military-grade quality. We’ll see how well the pen holds up over longer periods of intensive use, but so far I would put the quality of this pen on par with other top-quality pens in this price range - and perhaps even better. When I bought it at Appelboom, I did a direct comparison with a MB 149 F, an Aurora 88 F and a Scribo Feel F and spent some time with each of these top-tier pens. All three of these have excellent nibs and are of very high quality, but the Aurora feels vulnerable in the hand (I was worried about breaking it from the moment I picked it up) and the Scribo’s material felt cheap to my hand (even though it is a truly top-notch pen). The 149 exudes quality but is too large for me. To the best of my judgement, the Visconti stood head and shoulders above these pens in terms of fit, finish and how the material feels in the hand. ^—The pen in all its glory. THE NIB Visconti switched from their in-house 23k Pd nibs to 18k gold nibs insourced from Bock. Ever since I bought my HS Midi with 23k Pd nib, I have been deeply impressed by it. When I heard about the switch to Bock nibs, my initial response wasn’t enthousiastic. So I tested the full-size HS very thoroughly before committing to it. ^—The nib Normally I would have picked the EF, but since I’m currently dealing with some issues which make writing difficult I chose the F. So, how good is it...? I find it to be an utterly brilliant nib. It eclipsed the nibs on MB 149 F and the Aurora 88 F that I A/B’d it with. The Scribo Feel F also had a very, very, very impressive nib, comparable in quality and refinement to the HS. Of course I also compared it to the 23k Pd ‘Dreamtouch’ F nib on my HS Midi. Both nibs have a pencil-like feel, which is much more pronounced on the 23k Pd nib. The 18k is smoother, more refined (dare I say exquisite?) and a little bit softer. Both nibs offer wonderful tactile response and hand control, which is very important to me. The 23k Pd F writes a significantly wider line than the 18k F, the former edging towards Western M and the latter edging towards Western EF (depending on ink choice, but more on that later). I’m delighted to find a Western F that truly is an F! To summarize, this is a very impressive nib and an utter joy to write with. ^—A word about nib exchange. I’m not sure if the nib collar can be unscrewed from the section without the use of a special tool. In this photo, you can see two notches that seem to be intended for such a tool. WETNESS Early HS pens tended to be absolute firehoses and frequently needed to be tamed. Thankfully, that’s not the case with my HS Midi nor with this brandnew full-size HS. Wetness can be generous with some ink, but read on... it can also be dry! I noticed that the wetness of this pen is independent of feed saturation. Visible ink between the fins doesn’t make the pen write any wetter. In other words, ink flow is regulated solely by the pressure between both tips of the tines. Contrary to most of my other modern pens, there usually is some visible ink between the fins, i.e. the feed is at least partially saturated most of the time. In terms of wetness on the page, this pen is all over the place depending on ink choice. It was quite wet with Edelstein Moonstone and Pelikan 4001 Turquoise yet remarkably dry with Montblanc Royal Blue. The difference in wetness between these last two inks was really striking - it’s not subtle! It’s interesting to combine these two observations. With every ink, the feed is at least partially saturated most of the time, so the nib always receives plenty of ink from the barrel. Therefore it is the nib itself which is sensitive to different inks, going from quite wet (P4001 Turquoise) to quite dry (MB Royal Blue). Whether or not this is an advantage or a disadvantage is up to you. Personally, I like it because it allows me to ‘tune’ the pen by changing inks. ^—Comparison between the HS F, the HS Midi F and a Lamy Dialog 3 F. Inks: MB Royal Blue, Edelstein Moonstone, Sailor Jentle Blue. CONCLUSION If you like the design of the HS but you’re worried about QC issues and/or the 23k Pd nibs, then give this pen a try. Both on my HS Midi and the new full-size HS, the quality of the pens is excellent. And the new 18k nib is fantastic. The combination of a unique material, a striking design, top quality fit and finish and a truly wonderful nib make it worth the price of admission.
  22. silverlifter

    Discontinued Visconti 23K Pd Nib

    So I recently acquired1 a Homo Sapiens Maxi with the two-tone 23k Pd nib. The nib is a broad and, typically for a palladium, writes wet and really broad. I'm not really a broadside dweller, so I am now faced with a quandary. Do I keep the pen and have someone grind it down to a medium cursive italic, or do I not vandalise a beautiful broad, now discontinued, nib and pass it on to someone who would actuall enjoy it? I'm also conscious that having a narrower grind on a nib clearly stamped 'B' would probably trigger my OCD every time I uncapped the pen, so there is that... What are your thoughts? Respect the nib, or grind away? 1. I won this unexpectedly in an auction, and am still sort of surprised I now own it: so it feels like a windfall...
  23. Just saw this on Instagram, posted by Visconti_Italy: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEUQ8P_KwLg/ "We are proud to present Visconti's new creation: the Homo Sapiens Lava Color pen. This vibrant and colourful writing instrument is a re-interpretation of our iconic Homo Sapiens collection. An absolute must-have for colour and nature lovers. The Homo Sapiens Lava Color is the first 2020 Visconti collection fitted with an entirely in-house produced 14kt gold nib." The things I gathered from the comments so far: - New magnetic closure for the cap, a departure from the previous Homo Sapiens models - New nib. I wish they didn't cost so much, because I do like these--didn't care for the twist lock mechanism of the original Homo Sapiens. But I don't care for the plating on the hardware--doesn't go with the rugged lava look and might not last well. I would have gone for some sandblasted steel look or oil rubbed bronze or something to that extent.
  24. eclectic2316

    Cheers From New Hampshire

    Hello from the "Live Free or Die" state (New Hampshire), Older professional guy who is a fountain pen user. Interested in pens that write immediately and smoothly. So far, Kaweco and platinum preppy, ( yes, I mean it), fit the bill. Am wondering if anyone has tried the Visconti Homo Sapiens Magma fountain pen , to which I am very attracted? Am willing to be convinced the pen is worth the seemingly high price. Am also wondering if anyone has written with both Noodler's legal blue and Noodler's legal lapis inks, and, whether and why one is preferred over the other Any thoughts you may have would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Kind regards, Henry
  25. SaintPat

    Visconti Rembrandt

    The Visconti Rembrandt fountain pen is appropriately named. It is truly a work of art. The variegated resin is a deep black with ominous swirls of silver. Every time I hold it in my hand, it reminds me of a dark and stormy night. The end caps, clip and center ring are all chrome plated metal. It came well presented in a rigid, two piece box with a carton board sleeve. Aside from the pen, the box also contained the warranty fold-out sheet and a single ink cartridge. The standard international converter needed to be purchased separately. The pen has some weight to it, over an ounce. The single-piece, spring loaded clip is a great design and holds firm. The cap is magnetic and fits well without any play. There is a metal insert in in the body to accept the nib assembly. Although I don't plan on dropping it, I'm sure it would be fine if I did, as long as it was capped. The pen is well made without a single visible flaw. The pen measures 5.50", 6.25" posted and is 0.625" in diameter. It fits well in my hand and it does not require posting. I choose pens that fit well enough in my hand that do not require posting. This pen lands somewhere in the medium size range. It isn't huge, but it isn't a toothpick either. The nib is a medium, stainless steel. It is decorated with intricate scroll work with the words "Visconti", "Firenze" and the "M" referencing the size. The nib writes as smooth as silk with no noticeable feedback on Rhodia paper. The feed looks like a standard plastic feed, nothing too special there. It isn't an overly wet nib, but it does lay a nice line of ink. It uses a standard international converter. Like other pens, it takes a few times to fill it completely. This pen was purchased at The Pen Place in Kansas City, MO. The online stores sell this pen for around $148. I didn't mind paying slightly more to support a brick & mortar pen store. When compared to my other pens in this price range, I would rate the Visconti Rembrandt as being less of a value for two different reasons: #1 At the nearly $150 price range, a gold nib would be appropriate. #2 No converter was included. However, I did not buy this pen for its value. I bought it because I've wanted a Visconti pen in my collection for quite a long time. And it was worth the wait! Although it will never be my everyday carry, it is a beautifully crafted addition to my addiction.





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