Windows To The Soul

[Jadie]

Recently I've been thinking a lot about windows. No, not those windows....I mean ink windows.

 

When I first started my FP obsession, I never noticed them before---being too busy being awed by the wide array of nibs, finishes, and shapes of fountain pens. But now that things have calmed down (somewhat), I realize that I really like them.

 

They're simple, functional, pretty things that remind me of stained glass when you hold them up to the light. They're not as blatant as, say, demonstrators (a personal dislike of mine), but petite, light, and floaty. And so useful, too!

 

My MB 146 has a lovely blue striped window, and I'm currently hunting down a vintage Aurora 88 after seeing a picture of it (& its window) in someone's daily carry on FPGeeks. I know the modern 88 has a nice window too, as well as some Pelikans...(not talking about the tortoise ones, which have semi-transparent barrels...that's a rather different type of "window" than the ones I'm thinking of).

 

Anyways, the point of this thread is, what do you feel about ink windows? And can you recommend any more pen models with them so I can Google image for some eye candy?

[Matth13]

You could check out the Parker Vacumatic. These pens essentially have a bunch of ink windows.

[Jadie]

You could check out the Parker Vacumatic. These pens essentially have a bunch of ink windows.

 

Hmm, those remind me a bit of the Pelikan tortoise pens too----in that the "ink window" is essentially a semi-transparent barrel on the body of the pen. It's nice in its own way, but I like how ink windows have that contrast between the rest of the pen: see-through vs. opaque.

 

It makes it more interesting! ^^

[doggonecarl]

I'm partial to demonstrators...can't get more "ink window" than that!

[Matth13]

The Conkliln Nozac would fit your criteria then.

[Jadie]

Hi doggonecarl, nice to see you like demos as much as I like ink windows. But I still make a distinction between the two because demos are too clear and bright for my picky sensibilities. =p I remember having a clear Guanleming accountant pen once and going crazy trying to flush out 100% of the black ink that just. Would. Not. Leave. The. Section. Alas, demonstrator pens and I broke up permanently after that.

 

And Matth13, I looked up the Conklin Nozac on Google Images. What a snazzy pen! The "Word Gauge" models especially funky---the numbers remind me of a thermometer. XD Still, I imagine it must be very convenient for measuring the quantity of ink.

[jar]

Sheaffer had an ink window on some of thir pens, notably the vistulated section Balance and Triumph pens. There are also the Parker Douvac that followed the Vacuumatic.

[Matth13]

Waterman's ink-vue is another good specimen.

[BT-7274]

Certain vintage Sheaffers with visulated sections might fit the bill. They do have a tendency to amber though.

 

Edit: Jar beat me to it, quite quickly too.

Edited July 31, 2013 by White Expressions

[Ted A]

The vintage Kawecos have nice blue windows

[corniche]

Hello Jadie, et al,

 

Initially, for the first few years of using fps, I didn't like them. I thought they were unsightly and lowered the tone of an otherwise beautiful pen. However, I have to appreciate their practical value and like you, I have taken the time on occasion to enjoy looking through them in front of a sunlit window.

 

The only other pens that have them that I can think of right now that haven't been mentioned yet, are the Noodler's Nib Creeper and Konrad pens, (but they aren't vintage).

 

All the best,

 

Sean

Edited July 31, 2013 by S. P. Colfer

[pencils+pens]

Lamy Safari, AL-Star, Joy. Serwex 162, it can free with the FPR Dilli.

[Jadie]

Thanks for the tips! Let's see...

 

Sheaffer with visulated section: lovely green windows, from the pictures I saw on penhero.com. I assume ambering means they turn yellowish---huh, that doesn't sound too bad. Gives it character, like maple leaves turning yellow in fall...

 

Parker Duovac: looking at Google, this resembles the Vaccumatic quite a bit---as in, it's an "ink-barrel" pen to my eyes. One of the models looks almost purplish on parkerpens.net, though---quite attractive.

 

Waterman's ink-vue: whoa, more stripes. Like a zebra with camouflage paint!

 

Vintage Kawecos: Those are pretty ink windows. I especially like the ones on the V4---has that Aurora 88 vibe. Wonder why I don't hear more about them?

 

Noodler's: Great pens for experimenting with inks. The smell....not so great. XD But I concur, they do have nice ink windows.

 

Serwex 162: Ooo, this one reminds me of the Konrad. But I bet it's more...pleasing to the olfactory senses.

 

Lamys: my first reaction was: 'wait a sec, Lamy has ink windows?!' I've never seen people take pictures of the windows, so I always assumed that oval-thing in the middle of the pen was an empty space....some sort of futuristic design element of the pen. What a surprise. They remind me of those balance-measuring things used by construction companies...forgot what they were called, but they have 3 "ink windows" with bubbles in them to see if the ground is level...

 

Looks like you learn something new everyday, even if you think you know everything already.

[NedC]

Please consider the Stipula Vedo, and the TWSBI mini Classic - and the upcoming versions of the 580 which have fully transparent barrels but are not demonstrators as the section, cap and end cap/piston knob are solid coloured plastics. A very nice compromise I think.

[camoandconcrete]

My personal favorites are the old Montblanc 13x and 14x long ink windows as they are so great look at it with all the ink swirling around inside. I also love the LAMY 2000's understated ink window, though, its not the most practical.

[redbike]

A lot of the lower tier pens - Stratford and Ambassador for examples, have ink windows.

[warblerick]

Both the modern Aurora 88 and the Optima have ink windows, as well as ink reservoirs. I have both, and the windows look nice as well as serving a purpose.

[DrCodfish]

I too like windows in a pen, always surprized they don't account for more leaks. the Pelikan M805 (all blue version) is a nice looking pen with an ink window.

[owenj]

Gate City Pens Belmont sort of has an ink window, but it's more like the barrel is clear with a long, solid colored end cap. Some of the Delta piston fillers have ink windows too. The Bexley Corona has a small ink window, maybe a little smaller than the Aurora Optima but still functional. Imo, the Lamy 2000's ink window is so small & kind of opaque to be useless.

[Runnin_Ute]

The only pens I have with them are my Al Star and my Konrad....

I like the one in the Konrad better.. (size maybe?) But the one in the Al Star is a nice design element as well as functional.