What Was Your Last Impulsive Pen Acquisition?

[inkstainedruth]

Don't remember now -- it was a few years ago after all.  I think he just sort of rolled his eyes.  A lot....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[A Smug Dill]

A Diplomat Aero in champagne, with steel EF nib, directly from Diplomat in Germany, which is offering 30% off for that colourway (and two others) at the moment, and the discounted price qualifies for free international shipping. Also, it is not charging me GST for it; thus the effective price is as low as, or lower than, I recall ever seeing that pen offered on Amazon.com.au (inclusive of shipping charges, which is usually nil for Prime members) sold by Amazon UK or Amazon Germany.

[A. Peavey]

Pilot 912, SFM

[JonSzanto]

Sub-$30 Waterman Phileas, in box w converter. I always keep some of these on hand to introduce people to fountain pens.

[Misfit]

You are a good man @JonSzanto  

 

Okay, this is a circuitous impulsive pen purchase. It started on the Lamy 2024 thread. Someone posted about getting the Safari pens on endless pens. I looked there, and didn’t get the same price. Then I looked up the Kaweco AL Vibrant Violet. It was preorder, and I had a 10% off code. I decide to see the final price. Then it was time to price check. Mostly the pen is sold for $92. 
 

Walmart, I know, I know, but they had it with F nib for $81.94 shipping from Hyatt’s. There was $22.75 of Walmart Cash earned. So with tax, the pen costs $66.13. Yep, I ordered it. 

[PithyProlix]

Red Sailor 50th Anniversary Jubilee (1961), nib size to be determined when I receive it in a couple of days. Fairly rare (especially in red, I suspect) with an unusual shape and fairly funky looking inset nib. 

[AmandaW]

A blue Sheaffer 440. It looks a bit ratty in the photos, but might be OK with buffing or polishing or something. The nib looked alright.

 

It will be my first attempt at anything like that. So far my reading has been encouraging, but I'm not much wiser on what I will require and what will be available locally. I will admit that I'm hoping the lighting in the photos was making it look worse than it is...

 

[Claes]

g'day Sheila,

 

>I'm not much wiser on what I will require and what will be available locally.

 

I believe that Micro-Mesh is sold down under.

Use your browser to search for micro-mesh kit site:au

 

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

 

 

 

[Penguincollector]

  I just bought a Parker Monochrome IM in blue. If anyone else is interested, the price is  down to $33 and change on Amazon UK. 
 

@AmandaW, I actually have a blue 440 XF made in Australia, funny coincidence. What my penman says to do for grotty pens (he’s well known for his Sheaffer’s restoration work) is to buy auto headlight polish for the plastic parts and use a microfiber cloth. Use Sunshine cloth for the metal (mind any plated parts, as the cloth will remove any plating, cover it with painters tape). 

[AmandaW]

Thankyou. This the next and almost inevitable stage of the adventure, right?

[Penguincollector]

1 hour ago, AmandaW said:

Thankyou. This the next and almost inevitable stage of the adventure, right?

 
 Yep, pretty much.

[JonSzanto]

2 hours ago, AmandaW said:

Thankyou. This the next and almost inevitable stage of the adventure, right?

 

Quite possibly less expensive, and more appropriate for the task, is to check out the Novus 3-Step plastic polishes. They are likely less abrasive and more in line with the kind of material you are working with. I've found the 3 small bottles can last for many, many pens and in the US I've purchased for well under $10. As stated, Sunshine should do a nice job on hardware and nib. Have fun, nice basic Sheaffer goodness!

[A Smug Dill]

3 hours ago, JonSzanto said:

Quite possibly less expensive, and more appropriate for the task, is to check out the Novus 3-Step plastic polishes.

 

They aren't so easy or cheap to get here in Australia. That said, I can send @AmandaW some small amount of Novus #1 and #2 polishing fluids if she needs them, although I don't have any #3.

[AmandaW]

2 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

They aren't so easy or cheap to get here in Australia. That said, I can send @AmandaW some small amount of Novus #1 and #2 polishing fluids if she needs them, although I don't have any #3.

Yes, I saw the asking for the Novus set in store here is AU$95...

 

DH says we have some Autosol, an acrylic polish he got from Bunnings, and so long as I'm careful it would work.

 

I have ordered a pair of Sunshine cloths online. One blue, one yellow.

 

Microfibre cloths are on hand too. Ditto the tape for masking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ParramattaPaul]

24 minutes ago, AmandaW said:

Yes, I saw the asking for the Novus set in store here is AU$95...

 

DH says we have some Autosol, an acrylic polish he got from Bunnings, and so long as I'm careful it would work.

 

I have ordered a pair of Sunshine cloths online. One blue, one yellow.

 

Microfibre cloths are on hand too. Ditto the tape for masking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know if this would be useful for you, but I can tell you that they used toothpaste to polish the plexiglass windscreens on the helicopters that hauled us hither and yon when I was in Vietnam in the '60s.

[JonSzanto]

1 hour ago, AmandaW said:

Yes, I saw the asking for the Novus set in store here is AU$95...

 

I am so very sorry - I would never have suggested had I any inkling that it was that expensive for you. You do have some good suggestions already, so I know you will find a way. My path, with every vintage pen, is proceed from the least invasive method to progressively more aggressive tactics. First just buff with a soft dry cloth, then a cloth dampened with a bit of water that has a little dish detergent, wipe off with damp cloth and then dry/polish, and then you can try Sunshine cloth, as well. If those don't bring a satisfactory surface look, continue on. I leave micromesh pads/sheets for only the very worst cases, though if you restrict yourself to the finest grits, you do little abrasion but ALWAYS use micromesh wet, not dry.

 

Best of luck, and again, sorry for the crappy expensive recommendation!

[Misfit]

1 hour ago, ParramattaPaul said:

I don't know if this would be useful for you, but I can tell you that they used toothpaste to polish the plexiglass windscreens on the helicopters that hauled us hither and yon when I was in Vietnam in the '60s.

Toothpaste was mentioned somewhere to help with car headlights. But which one… that wasn’t mentioned.  Toothpaste has changed some since the 60s. 

[JonSzanto]

14 minutes ago, Misfit said:

Toothpaste was mentioned somewhere to help with car headlights. But which one… that wasn’t mentioned.  Toothpaste has changed some since the 60s. 

 

Most any toothpaste will work... not gel or anything else. If you have a white paste that feels a bit gritty, that is what you want, because the little grits are micro-abrasive. I don't usually use that for polishing pens but I *have* used it as a benign solution for threads that are tight or get stuck. Put a small dab of tp on the barrel threads, smooth it around the threads, and then start threading the cap on and off, on and off, etc. You should gradually take off just enough of the roughness to make the threading normal. Then just a damp cloth will remove the paste, and maybe a teeny touch of silicone grease, work the threads and then rub off, will make for a smoothly operating closure.

[ParramattaPaul]

I've been a good boy and resisted all pen buying temptations of the new year so far.  Now Onoto has released the Scholar in Evergreen. 

 

DRAT!!!!!   

 

Doomed as doomed can be.

 

I'll try to hold off until the beginning of March so it will arrive in time for St.Patrick's day.

[Misfit]

How unfortunate it’s a Leap Year. The wait is a day longer.