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Delike Alpha (Kaweco Brass Sport Clone) Modifications And Review


gmcalabr

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Hey all, I'm not sure if this is the right/only place this should be posted, but it's a start. I posed this yesterday on r/fountainpens on reddit, but I'd like to share it here too.

 

I own a Kaweco Sport and have looked at the Alsport and Brassports, but didn't decide they were worth the money. I just recently found the Delike Alpha, a clone of the Brassport but slightly longer to fit a standard converter. I couldn't stand, however, the awful fake aged brass paintjob with lots of clearcoat, and even worse, the words "War and Peace" engraved into the cap. So I fixed it, and then some. Here's the album of my modifications:

 

http://imgur.com/a/l3Agv

 

I've done most of my review in the album, but one thing I forgot to mention is that the pen cap wreaked of superglue. I'm sure this will go away in time or if I was willing to let the cap stay open for a couple of days. I'm impatient though.

 

Enjoy.

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The Kaweco Brass Sport is one of the pens I would like to have someday; I also lust after their FireBlue Liliput fountain pen. My wish list keeps growing but my income does not so it is unlikely that I will have either of these pens any time soon. :P

I had not heard of a pen manufacturer called Delike before seeing your thread, gmclabr. I did a search but it brings up nothing, even on eBay, where many Chinese pens can be found. Where did you get this pen and do you have any info about the manufacturer? Also, what was the cost of the pen, if you don’t mind sharing? I imagine it is quite a bit less than the approx. $100 you have to spend to get the Kaweco version.

Your clone pen turned out quite nicely; thank you for all the photos showing the process you went through to get a pen that you could write with. It seems odd that they would paint the brass – why not just leave the brass alone so can develop its own patina with use? And it seems even odder that they would etch "War and Peace" on it. A clone of a German pen with the title of a book written by a Russian nobleman I don’t get the connection…..

You did a lot of work to make the pen at least look right to you – and it looks quite nice to me, too - but in the end I think the Kaweco Brass Sport is worth saving up for, at least for me. From what you wrote, the finish on the Delike is awful, the pen is not well-balanced when posted, many of the edges were uncomfortably sharp and the nib is not all that nice out of the box, requiring smoothing and flow adjustment to get it to write. Sadly, this is not unusual for the nibs on some much more expensive pens these days, but I have read good things about Kaweco’s nibs so don’t think they would be a problem – plus they a very nice choice of nib sizes and there are readily available replacement units, too.

​I enjoyed reading about the pen and hope you can provide us with a bit more info on the manufacturer. Perhaps someday you will get the Kaweco Brass Sport and do a comparison of the two pens. :)

Holly

 

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I did a really good search of eBay apparently, DJNW, didn't I? :rolleyes:

 

Thank you for the link to the Delike "foundation pen" sale on eBay. (The seller's English is much better than my non-existent Chinese but I did have to chuckle over some of the wording in the item listing.) Slightly less than $19 for the pen so certainly inexpensive enough for one to experiment with as the OP did.

 

Holly

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Quick question: I have some classic sport nib nits from my calligraphy set. Would this pen fit a standard Kaweco Sport nib unit?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Matias

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  • 1 month later...

I think I will be giving this a try to my pen

 

I have already switched in the gold Kaweco clip and my broad Kaweco nib.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just posted a Youtube video of the pen, https://youtu.be/zxAsG_yuDn4. Bought on eBay. Not planning on removing lacquer. I like the pen as made. My threads are smooth & nib is OK. Found on taobao https://world.taobao.com/item/545689175629.htm?fromSite=main&spm=a312a.7700838.0.0.no0NB0&_u=h2l3kqecac5a for $8, Maybe get another & turn it into a raw brass pen.

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Looking over some Taobao listings it seems that there are two nib widths available: 0.38 and 0.5. Have a fine width is nice but looking at the photos it's a fude/calligraphy nib...

Hero #232 Blue-Black is my Waterman Florida Blue.

 

Your Kilometrage May Vary (#ykmv), a Philippine blawg about ink and fountain pens.

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  • 2 weeks later...

i had to use the pen posted,
its just too short without posting.

then it becomes very heavy
BUT give it time, and you will find a nice angle to hold the pen
and then its comfortable :)

yeah, it took me awhile.
it is the HEAVIEST pen that i ever held.

btw, i had EF nib

Edited by maximme
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Quick question: I have some classic sport nib nits from my calligraphy set. Would this pen fit a standard Kaweco Sport nib unit?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Matias

 

Yes they will, but Kaweco supply 2 types of nib unit. Nib and feed unit for metal Sport pens that are screw in replacements. Or nib units with grip as replacements for plastic Sport pens.

 

You could also pull the nib and feed out of the grip to change them over if you want. :)

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I have a friend who bought a few of these Delike pens. He didn't like the fact that the nibs were all EF. :(

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  • 3 weeks later...

Nice photography! I also disliked the lacquer and spent some time polishing it off. Much better now, IMHO. It's slowly developing a patina that I like a great deal. This is a tough pen that I'm happy to drag along with me when I'm out and about.

 

I've about given up hope of finding a broader nib so have set myself to appreciate the EF. For me, this is not a pen for long-form writing. But for quick notes - generally unposted - it's tons of fun.

 

http://i.imgur.com/SuHXqGgh.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have found out that threads placed in the cap are not on the body of the cap. They are on the plastic sleeve inserted in cap and can be easily slip up. Any comments? Am I right?

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I am still using it without any issues. Works perfectly. Hoping that will past test of time.

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  • 3 weeks later...

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