bauhaus/teutonic looking pen; choices?

[gyasko]

I don't know who else is also into cooking on this forum, but Makrilon, the material used to construct the Lamy 2000, is also the material used to make the bowls for my Bosch mixers. It's amazing stuff, withstanding all sorts of cooking stresses, going through the hot dishwasher, and looking new! One of my bowls is 30+ years old and still looks like the day it was bought.

 

I was riding the train through the Adirondacks a couple months ago. I was staring off into the snowscape, but when the train passed some trees, the white lettering in the corner of the window caught my eye. "Makrolon" it said.

 

As for Bauhaus in pens, i'd say the Lamy pens, especially the 2000 and the Pilot Myu. Pelikans are not very Bauhaus at all, especially the striped ones with the trim rings here and there. I do agree that some of the Lamy 2000's 1960s competitors could be considered Bauhaus-inspired. I'm thinking of the MBs mentioned above and the various Pelikan 20 & 30 pens.

Edited April 5, 2009 by gyasko

[theblackpen]

My vote goes to the Rotring 600.

[oberon]

Two pens spring to mind immediately, first the always fine Lamy 2000 and second the Rotring 600 old style with the knurled section.

I have both and love them. Either pen has proved a flawless performer for me. Always a joy to use and look at their unadorned utility. Beautiful in their simplicity.

Oberon

[Robert Alan]

I like something straightforward but with a touch of artistic class. I've considered the Lamy 2000 which I really like, but what others fall in to this category?

 

thanks for any help!

 

 

Doogy

 

Hello! I'm kind of surprised at this association, as would be, I think, a few of the original teachers/artists at the Bauhaus school/workshop, including Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy.

Although one could present an argument regarding a pre-requisite or foundation to the style and philosophy, I feel that Teutonic does not equate with Bauhaus. The idea that form follows function is the basic premise of a Bauhaus design, but, I believe, the object can certainly have an "elegant-decorative" appeal and be considered beautiful. However, Bauhaus is also not Art-Deco. Walter Gropius (Bauhaus founder) would take issue, I think, with that relationship.

 

Lamy is the only pen manufacturer, as far as I know, that has, in fact, clearly stated that its designs follow Bauhaus principles. Please, correct me if I'm wrong. I love the look and feel of most of the Lamy fountain pens. The nib size inconsistencies sometimes gives me fits, but, otherwise, one of my all-time favorites as a great "user-pen" and a subtle thing of beauty, is my West German-made Lamy 2000 with medium nib. I also own a newer L2K with extra-fine nib (which seems more like a "fine" to me). I think the Makrolon/brushed stainless steel texture is clever, practical and beautiful--along with the spring-loaded, solid steel clip. My older L2K has taken on a kind of "patina" over the years that gives it a special beauty that only happens if the pen is used. The newer, extra-fine model still has that fresh, clean, unexperienced-look.

 

The Lamy Studio is also functional, beaatiful and isn't over-priced, but I do not like the fine 14K nib. I suggest you try any of these pens before using, if possible. One of my steel-nibbed Studios is a daily favorite (fine steel nib--a different size, it seems to me, compared to the 14K version).

 

A part of the design that may want to be considered is cartridge volume. The Lamy fountain pen cartridge holds more ink than several competing manufacturers (1.11 cc--more than any international/MB-sized cartridge; more than Sheaffer & Pilot, too; Aurora holds more), and the ink quality is excellent.

 

My other favorite Lamy is the CP1 in silver guilloche. The nibs on the CP1 series are identical to Studio and Accent nibs, and, in shape, with the Safari series, too (the steel nibs for the Studio seem to be a different tone from the Safari un-plated steel nibs, and they seem thicker).

 

I would consider Pelikan fountain pens to be very practical and certainly beautiful. I'm not quite sure if they are "Bauhaus-like." I know, for certain, that they are German, and I love my Pelikan pens, too! My favorite, basic, beautiful, and practical Pelikan is my little black & gold M250 with easily interchageable nibs--like all of the Souveran models.

 

What have you chosen?

 

Cheers, Robert Alan

 

[Frits B]

I would have to add a vote for the Lamy 2000 as well. I don't know much about them, but some of the Porsche design pens from Graf von Faber Castell would definitely qualify as being in that Bauhaus "industrial" style as surely as an Audi TT is.

 

I've been writing with this Porsche Design P3150 "made by Faber-Castell" for some months now and feel that it also qualifies. Looks and feels rather Japanese. And cheap? No, definitely not.

 

 

[gyasko]

I would say that the cap on that Faber-Castell is too complicated to be really Bauhaus -- or Japanese. What is the function of that black sleeve thingy on the cap?

 

 

[Frits B]

I would say that the cap on that Faber-Castell is too complicated to be really Bauhaus -- or Japanese. What is the function of that black sleeve thingy on the cap?

The cap itself is really simple, almost the counterpiece to the barrel. The sleeve consists of two pieces of thin leather, black or brown, and is just ornamental I suppose. It's glued onto the steel and I hope it will one day become unstuck. The pen will then look like a steel Nakaya, with cap and barrel fitting flush.

 

The long section is very practical. It is slightly tapered, like the Pelikan Epoch's, so allows a variety of grips.

[rogerb]

"Pelikan Epoch P361 Silver Fountain Pen Fine Nib

 

The Epoch 361 pen impresses customers with technological refinement and pure esthetics. It features extraordinary spiral grooves with fine furrows for a special touch sensation. The barrel is made of eloxated aluminum. The clip and grip are made of matte eloxated aluminum."

 

"ELOXATED"???????

[Frits B]

"Pelikan Epoch P361 Silver Fountain Pen Fine Nib

 

The Epoch 361 pen impresses customers with technological refinement and pure esthetics. It features extraordinary spiral grooves with fine furrows for a special touch sensation. The barrel is made of eloxated aluminum. The clip and grip are made of matte eloxated aluminum."

 

"ELOXATED"???????

This stems from a treatment that in German is called Eloxal = ELectrolytical OXydation of ALuminum. The proper English term is anodized, which is described as follows by our good friends at Wikipedia: anodising, or anodizing, is a technique used to coat the surface of a metal with an oxide layer. It may be used to increase corrosion resistance, increase wear resistance, allow dying or prepare the surface for other processes and coatings including paint. Anodization changes the microscopic texture of the surface and can change the crystal structure of the metal near the surface. The process derives its name from the fact that the part to be treated forms the anode portion of an electrical circuit in this electrolytic process.

 

Anodisation is frequently used to protect aluminium and titanium from abrasion and corrosion and to allow it to be dyed in a wide range of colors.