Jump to content

Bruno Corsini Pen


Dan Carmell

Recommended Posts

Earlier this year, I started seeing some of the members of my pen club with pens made by one of our pen club members. I knew Bruno was making pens, but I didn't get really excited about them until I saw that he was now making his pens in hard rubber. Well, I couldn't restrain myself and asked him to make one.

 

I'm not the most original guy--I pointed to my friend Lex's pen and asked him to make me one just like that. The only difference is that I supplied a different nib. That's the beauty and genius of Bruno's pens, I think--he uses vintage nibs and since the pen is custom made, the section is made to fit the nib you select. I had an oversized Waterman Emblem nib available and that's what is in this pen.

 

First, here's a peek at the Corsini Studio:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bcstudio-1.jpg

It's a little cramped when both cars are in the garage, but this is where the miracles happen.

 

I did get to see my pen as a work in progress at our June club meeting:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bcpen-1.jpg

 

And a few weeks after the Portland show, Bruno invited me over to see his workshop, pick up the pen, and to have lunch with his wife (who is an artist of another type, a weaver) and himself. How many pens come with a great lunch, huh?

 

So here it is:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bca1.jpg

 

And uncapped:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bca1a.jpg

 

Before I go on the the detail photos, let me say that this is a big pen, as you can see from this comparison shot with a Tibaldi Modello 60:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bctib-1.jpg

 

Bruno makes these pens with threading on the outside of the blind cap so that the cap can be posted. This is a wise precaution, as a hard rubber cap is vulnerable to splitting from friction posting. But in truth, no one would write with this pen posted, unless perhaps you wanted to conduct a symphony at the same time!

 

How big is this pen? Well, it's 5 7/8" capped and about 9/16" wide at the cap lip. And it's eight inches long, posted! I'm not a big pen person, especially, so to me this pen is big. It's made in the style of a flat top, although the cap top has a subtle dome to it. The pen barrel is tapered down to the blind cap, as well as toward the section, but more about that in a moment. As I said, the material is hard rubber, a modern mottled hard rubber. This is a very dark material, in a woodgrain pattern, which may be too dark for many but I love the subdued, almost hidden color.

 

When I was at Bruno's workshop, I saw pens in various states of completeness, including ripple HR pens and a large variety of pens in both bright and subtle acrylics.

 

The cap is threaded and very simple, a perfect counterpoint to the snake.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bca3capnib.jpg

 

Bruno sources the sterling silver snake from a local metal craftsman. Bruno had a snake clip he used on one of the first pens he sold, but he didn't like the design, so Bruno and his wife Deborah and the metal caster sat down a designed a snake from scratch, with the great results you see here:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bca2snake.jpg

 

Here's the section and nib. This OS Waterman nib is, I think, the perfect match for this pen and Bruno must think so as well, since he has recommended this nib to others. One Pentracer bought one from John Mottishaw and had John re-tip it as a BB. John usually prefers to set his own nibs, but I can tell you that Bruno is excellent at getting the right flow for the nib and user.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bcnib.jpg

Notice what I would call the vintage styling of this section, with the lip. This isn't easy to do, but it's a nice example of the subtle details that Bruno builds into his work. I looked a a half dozen of these pens and not one had exactly the same section! Oh, I should mention here that he made one section made with internal threading to fit a Pelikan 800 nib unit, so there's hope here for those of you lacking a spare vintage nib about!

 

The filling system is a pneumatic system, like that used on early Chilton pens. The rubber sac is a #20 and holds a lot of ink. To fill, the writer unscrews the blind cap, extends the plunger and then depresses it with the nib in the ink bottle. When despressing it, your finger has to be over the vent in the center of blind cap. This creates a vacuum in the barrel and collapses the ink sac. When you take your finger off the hole (with nib still in the bottle), the release of pressure allows the ink sac to fill with ink. It's an interesting feature of this system that, once filled, the plunger can be extended and retracted and--unless you put your finger over the vent hole--it doesn't effect the filled ink sac.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bca9pnue.jpg

 

If the pneumatic filler sounds a little too complex, Bruno also makes these pens as button fillers, with a traditonal pressure bar system but with a very nice button rather than those little ones that poke your finger. Bruno was careful to point out to me that he does not glue any part of the pen; everything is threaded (with the exception of the friction fitted nib) and indeed he disassembled my entire pen in front of me!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bca9bcap.jpg

 

This is the part of the review that is always most subjective, but in this case, since each of these pens have a unique nib, it is perhaps more important to focus how the pen fits in my hand, how it balances, and so on. But I will say, even though I knew my nib was a wonderful nib, Bruno set it to allow for the perfect ink flow for me and I hope the writing sample shows how nicely it fits my writing style.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bca99writing.jpg

 

The balance, unposted of course, is perfect. While the HR is quite light, the brass tube that makes the plunger adds a bit of weight. I grip a pen fairly low and the tapered section is very comfortable for me, but gripping it higher is possible and I don't find that the threads bite my fingers much at all.

 

As for carrying the pen, it is not too big for a pocket, since it is about the size of a Dani Trio Densho. The sterling snake clip grips fabric nicely and has just enough play to make it easy to work with, while still feeling secure.

 

"Modern classic" is an over-used term, but one that fits this Bruno Corsini model. Bruno is a vintage pen lover and those influences are very clear in this pen's design. By the way, I don't think it has a model name, which could get tricky, since Bruno had previous made a few pens and now has a Tuckaway pen with its own base (I've ordered one!). Maybe it will get a name retrospectively. Actually, let me propose one: the Big B!

 

To wrap up an overlong review, the fit and finish of this custom pen is outstanding. It offers several great advantages: a choice of two time-tested filling systems, a classic sterling clip that accents an elegantly simple pen, and nib options that are almost unlimited. And let's not forget a wide array of choices for the pen material itself, from modern acrylics to hard rubber and who knows what else Bruno has in stock. This is a great pen and a heirloom that I will be using until they pry my hands off it!

 

Thanks for looking, Dan

 

[Edited 08/10/06 to clarify clip design.]

Edited by dcarmell
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 12
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Dan Carmell

    2

  • Titivillus

    1

  • Maja

    1

  • grasshopper

    1

Thank you so much for the superb review, Dan!

 

I love the colour of the material....*very* nice...and the craftsmanship is marvelous. I had the opportunity to handle an early Bruno Corsini pen (a prototype??) at the 2004 Portland Pen Show and was suitably impressed. It is a large pen though, so even I (She-Who-Posts-Almost-All-Pens :lol: ) would not need to post it....but it's nice to see that Bruno has come up with an elegant solution to those wishing to post his pens.

 

May you have many, many happy years with your Bruno Corsini pen! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, that's an excellent review, Dan! B) That pneumatic filler sounds very interesting indeed. And the only pen of its kind in the world too? Now that's special indeed (definitely an heirloom item!).

 

Thanks for sharing, Dan.

 

 

Cheers,

raf.

You can't always get what you want... but if you try sometimes... you just might find... you'll get what you need...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...

I do and I've sent it to you. I'd be happy to put any who asks in touch with Bruno--just email me!

 

Dan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Bruno Corsini Pens is one of the best kept secrets of the pen world.

 

The thing that impresses me the most about Bruno's pens is the fit and finish. I consider them Rolls Royce quality. Everything fits precisely so. His threads are so perfect and so smooth. I especially like that he usually uses 4 start threads for the cap so one does not need to turn and turn and turn to get the cap off and on.

 

I really suggest to everyone who sees a Bruno Corsini pen to ask the owner of the pen to let you take a very close look and feel of it. Words can not do his pens justice, you must feel for yourself.

 

Another very nice thing about a BC pen is you can always use your favorite vintage nib.

 

Bruno also makes a very cool long-short.

 

smile.gif

Jeff Boschert

Edited by Jeff Boschert
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I ever get into making pens (there is a pretty good chance that I might) I will try and stock up on that material. It is stunning. I love Red Hard Rubber and really love Mottled RHR.

 

Very nice pen, the clip is wonderful.

 

Congrats,

SG

PenRx is no longer in business.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

I love Bruno's idea of using a vintage nib. I am not a big fan of modern (stiff) nibs and there are just a ton of great flexible vintage nibs like Waterman. Heck, I have a dozen pens with cracked caps etc. Bruno's amazing pens are a great idea. I have seen them in person and want one too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Dan, I admire your pen. Tried to find some link to Bruno on the net - failed. Would be grateful if you could help me to trace him, I`d like to order a pen from him. Many thanks and kind regards Simon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earlier this year, I started seeing some of the members of my pen club with pens made by one of our pen club members. I knew Bruno was making pens, but I didn't get really excited about them until I saw that he was now making his pens in hard rubber. Well, I couldn't restrain myself and asked him to make one.

 

I'm not the most original guy--I pointed to my friend Lex's pen and asked him to make me one just like that. The only difference is that I supplied a different nib. That's the beauty and genius of Bruno's pens, I think--he uses vintage nibs and since the pen is custom made, the section is made to fit the nib you select. I had an oversized Waterman Emblem nib available and that's what is in this pen.

 

First, here's a peek at the Corsini Studio:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bcstudio-1.jpg

It's a little cramped when both cars are in the garage, but this is where the miracles happen.

 

I did get to see my pen as a work in progress at our June club meeting:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bcpen-1.jpg

 

And a few weeks after the Portland show, Bruno invited me over to see his workshop, pick up the pen, and to have lunch with his wife (who is an artist of another type, a weaver) and himself. How many pens come with a great lunch, huh?

 

So here it is:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bca1.jpg

 

And uncapped:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bca1a.jpg

 

Before I go on the the detail photos, let me say that this is a big pen, as you can see from this comparison shot with a Tibaldi Modello 60:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bctib-1.jpg

 

Bruno makes these pens with threading on the outside of the blind cap so that the cap can be posted. This is a wise precaution, as a hard rubber cap is vulnerable to splitting from friction posting. But in truth, no one would write with this pen posted, unless perhaps you wanted to conduct a symphony at the same time!

 

How big is this pen? Well, it's 5 7/8" capped and about 9/16" wide at the cap lip. And it's eight inches long, posted! I'm not a big pen person, especially, so to me this pen is big. It's made in the style of a flat top, although the cap top has a subtle dome to it. The pen barrel is tapered down to the blind cap, as well as toward the section, but more about that in a moment. As I said, the material is hard rubber, a modern mottled hard rubber. This is a very dark material, in a woodgrain pattern, which may be too dark for many but I love the subdued, almost hidden color.

 

When I was at Bruno's workshop, I saw pens in various states of completeness, including ripple HR pens and a large variety of pens in both bright and subtle acrylics.

 

The cap is threaded and very simple, a perfect counterpoint to the snake.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bca3capnib.jpg

 

Bruno sources the sterling silver snake from a local metal craftsman. Bruno had a snake clip he used on one of the first pens he sold, but he didn't like the design, so Bruno and his wife Deborah and the metal caster sat down a designed a snake from scratch, with the great results you see here:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bca2snake.jpg

 

Here's the section and nib. This OS Waterman nib is, I think, the perfect match for this pen and Bruno must think so as well, since he has recommended this nib to others. One Pentracer bought one from John Mottishaw and had John re-tip it as a BB. John usually prefers to set his own nibs, but I can tell you that Bruno is excellent at getting the right flow for the nib and user.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bcnib.jpg

Notice what I would call the vintage styling of this section, with the lip. This isn't easy to do, but it's a nice example of the subtle details that Bruno builds into his work. I looked a a half dozen of these pens and not one had exactly the same section! Oh, I should mention here that he made one section made with internal threading to fit a Pelikan 800 nib unit, so there's hope here for those of you lacking a spare vintage nib about!

 

The filling system is a pneumatic system, like that used on early Chilton pens. The rubber sac is a #20 and holds a lot of ink. To fill, the writer unscrews the blind cap, extends the plunger and then depresses it with the nib in the ink bottle. When despressing it, your finger has to be over the vent in the center of blind cap. This creates a vacuum in the barrel and collapses the ink sac. When you take your finger off the hole (with nib still in the bottle), the release of pressure allows the ink sac to fill with ink. It's an interesting feature of this system that, once filled, the plunger can be extended and retracted and--unless you put your finger over the vent hole--it doesn't effect the filled ink sac.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bca9pnue.jpg

 

If the pneumatic filler sounds a little too complex, Bruno also makes these pens as button fillers, with a traditonal pressure bar system but with a very nice button rather than those little ones that poke your finger. Bruno was careful to point out to me that he does not glue any part of the pen; everything is threaded (with the exception of the friction fitted nib) and indeed he disassembled my entire pen in front of me!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bca9bcap.jpg

 

This is the part of the review that is always most subjective, but in this case, since each of these pens have a unique nib, it is perhaps more important to focus how the pen fits in my hand, how it balances, and so on. But I will say, even though I knew my nib was a wonderful nib, Bruno set it to allow for the perfect ink flow for me and I hope the writing sample shows how nicely it fits my writing style.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/dcarmell/bca99writing.jpg

 

The balance, unposted of course, is perfect. While the HR is quite light, the brass tube that makes the plunger adds a bit of weight. I grip a pen fairly low and the tapered section is very comfortable for me, but gripping it higher is possible and I don't find that the threads bite my fingers much at all.

 

As for carrying the pen, it is not too big for a pocket, since it is about the size of a Dani Trio Densho. The sterling snake clip grips fabric nicely and has just enough play to make it easy to work with, while still feeling secure.

 

"Modern classic" is an over-used term, but one that fits this Bruno Corsini model. Bruno is a vintage pen lover and those influences are very clear in this pen's design. By the way, I don't think it has a model name, which could get tricky, since Bruno had previous made a few pens and now has a Tuckaway pen with its own base (I've ordered one!). Maybe it will get a name retrospectively. Actually, let me propose one: the Big B!

 

To wrap up an overlong review, the fit and finish of this custom pen is outstanding. It offers several great advantages: a choice of two time-tested filling systems, a classic sterling clip that accents an elegantly simple pen, and nib options that are almost unlimited. And let's not forget a wide array of choices for the pen material itself, from modern acrylics to hard rubber and who knows what else Bruno has in stock. This is a great pen and a heirloom that I will be using until they pry my hands off it!

 

Thanks for looking, Dan

 

[Edited 08/10/06 to clarify clip design.]

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Hi Dan, I admire your pen. Tried to find some link to Bruno on the net - failed. Would be grateful if you could help me to trace him, I`d like to order a pen from him. Many thanks and kind regards Simon

 

I have no web site, but can easily be reached by email... bruno-corsini at pacbell.net

 

-Bruno

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26627
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...