Fountain Pen Desk Set

[Dean]

I'll be moving into my new office at my new practice late July/August 1st. I figure that I will need a fountain pen desk set for this office and as I've never purchased a desk set, I was hoping for some ideas. I'd like something that looks classic without scratches, brassing, etc. I'd prefer a desk set with both a rollerball or ballpoint and fountain pen for those multi-part forms. Fountain pen needs to be a smooth writer of course and hopefully a little wet.

 

I'm open for any ideas.

 

Dean

[sheafferkid]

Hi Dean! I don't have any for sale, but I strongly recommend you try and find a Sheaffer's Snorkel desk set. I know Roger W. knows a lot about Sheaffer's desk sets, so he should post here and tell us about good ones. Anyways, Esterbrook desk sets are pretty neat too. Simple, but elegant. I'm sure Brian Anderson could tell us about them. Hope this helps ya!

 

Evan

[rhk]

I have a black urushi desk set from Nakaya, that I really like. You can have it made just as fancy as you would like, see Nakaya desksets. Ruud

[Freeloader]

I have a black urushi desk set from Nakaya, that I really like. You can have it made just as fancy as you would like, see Nakaya desksets. Ruud

Wow! Those look sweet!

[JeffTL]

Look for a vintage Parker 51 desk set. The 51 was designed for carbon copies and might eliminate the need for a nice ballpen as well.

 

I believe a Sheaffer with the conical Triumph nib would also be well suited for this.

[jpolaski]

I've been drooling over this set since I first laid eyes on it:

 

http://www.yafa.com/deskset.jpg

 

That's MY vote

[sleek_lover]

Good Doctor, you have never indicated just WHERE in Ohio you are alighting...at least that I can remember, other than "a small town"...which could be places like Urbana, Xenia, Grand Lakes St. Mary, Middletown, Blanchester, or any number of little burgs that I have rambled through in my years growing up in Butler County, going to school in Hamilton County, and wenching wherever I could...

 

SOOOOO....I know the territory fairly well...ostentation don't go over too well so the Dolce Vita is off the books...

 

I would suggest forgetting about the ballpoint/rollerball entirely and going right for the best set...an Esterbrook 427 with one pen having an Estie 9460 Manifold nib and the other with a 9xxx to your liking. Classic and just so cool...

 

Bill...who has been there and personally is glad as hell he isn't there now...

[Dean]

Thanks to everyone for the ideas. The small town is Findlay, Ohio.

 

Dean

[Ghost Plane]

Congrats on the new practice

[sleek_lover]

Thanks to everyone for the ideas. The small town is Findlay, Ohio.

 

Dean

 

Go my son and sin no more...mostly because Findlay has few places to sin. I know from personal experience. I tried very hard to sin in Findlay. VERY HARD. On several consecutive nights. It was a complete loss. But then, I suppose I should have figured that wenching at a square dance AND a town square ice cream social would have brought be me up somewhat short in the conquest department..

 

And they said it was a good place to sow seed. I guess they were talking literally....

 

Bill...back in creative mode...the on-site contract gig is over. Money was great, but this day-to-day thing of getting up and getting prettified...argh...

[EventHorizon]

paircon01 beat me to it on the Esterbrook vote.

 

I will however also agree with Jpolaski. I like the colors.

[Dean]

I'm married with 2 kids (4 year old and 6 month old), so sinning is pretty much over. Besides, I'll go to Columbus or Toledo to meet those needs. Plus being a family physician in a small town does not lend itself to staying up and partying all night with the rest of the townfolk. Kinda hard to do that and then counsel them on healthy living the next day.

 

So why is the Esterbrook desk set the best?

 

Dean

[EventHorizon]

So why is the Esterbrook desk set the best?

 

Dean

 

I think paircon01 and coolpenz just fell over

 

Dean, the Esterbrook desk sets seem to have this apeal that is hard to describe but for me it's the clean simple designs. The 427 paircon01 mentioned is like that. Add to this the durability of the Esterbrook name and you have a great combination.

Edited May 20, 2007 by EventHorizon

[Ghost Plane]

Dean, I have a hunch you'll feel more like partying about the time your youngest turns 2 and begins giving your wife a break!

[Taki]

I agree with Estie recommendation, but if you really need rollerball I think Retro51 makes ones with RB or RB and MP. I don't think it was too expensive ($50-75), and in fact some of them look just like Esties.

Edited May 20, 2007 by Taki

[sleek_lover]

So why is the Esterbrook desk set the best?

 

Dean

 

I think paircon01 and coolpenz just fell over

 

Dean, the Esterbrook desk sets seem to have this apeal that is hard to describe but for me it's the clean simple designs. The 427 paircon01 mentioned is like that. Add to this the durability of the Esterbrook name and you have a great combination.

 

Trust me, falling over around Summer Breeze Dachshund Rescue at the Jersey Shore is not that hard. Between the house pack and fosters, we are at nine teckels...including Lola and Gracie...two sisters...11 weeks old. And mostly we are geriatric dachsie specialists...

 

Dean...EH mentions the most important reasons...and there are some others...

1. Cool factor. Whether you chose the 427 or the more Art Deco 484 set, the holders are among the best of breed for both looks and practicality
2. You do not have to worry about re-inking every day or whenever. I have had a 407 reservoir fully loaded last for several months of intensive use. (The 407 is the single pen version of the 427)
3. "Lack of fuss" factor. Esties, even now, do what they were meant to do. They write. They do not ask to be sent back to the factory or a nibmeister fourty-'leven times to be tweaked and played with until they are JUST RIGHT.
4. There will be no issue with the filling system...there ain't any.
5. Carrying along with the former comment, the lack of a filling system is not an issue. I will normally get half a page of a standard lined Gold Fibre tablet written before I need to reload. Don't worry, the pen will subtly let you know when it is time to dip.
6. You can try different nibs to your heart's content. There are so many Estie Renew nibs around...in qualities from the 1xxx to the 9XXX and even some very esoteric gold plated stuff. Check out Richard B.'s site. He has a good overview of the nib range.
7. The MANIFOLD nibs WILL work on the mulitforms. Actually, the multiforms are usually NCR "carbonless" forms and pressing hard will break the microencapsulated ink. The copies actually "develop" darkness over several minutes. A couple of years ago I did a half-assed "study" and found the Estie Rigid M Manifold nibs (X461) to be great. In fact, they were second to the Sheaffer steel Triumph nib for efficiency. (The test form was a 7-part NCR carbonless form)
8. There are supplies of the nibs and reservoirs around and they are not all that expensive.
9. You can select or build an ink color and stick with it for a long while.

Oh, yeah...

(bleep) I have to switch over to my Window computer for the images...(sorry, most of this was written on my Linux box, which I am using more and more.)

 

Okay..what are we talkin' 'bout...

 

First, the 427 (this is my "Accountant" set)

 

 

 

Next the 484

 

 

Either one would be just FINE on your new office desk...

 

 

Oh, yeah...the Long and Short Hounds are all giving you a HAPPY BARK in celebration of your new status...best of all to you and your family...

Edited May 20, 2007 by paircon01

[Dean]

Ok, you've convinced me. First I'm going to purchase an Estie J to see how I like the pen. Looks like I've already got one lined up. Next I'm going to purchase one of the manifold nibs from RB to make sure it will work on my multi-part forms. If this is truly the case, and I believe you that it will be, then I will be overjoyed that I will forever be rid of the rollerball and ballpoint pens.

 

So, when the time comes... hopefully in a week or so, where would one purchase one of the aforementioned Estie desk sets and desk pens (other than posting in the marketplace)?

 

Dean

[sleek_lover]

So, when the time comes... hopefully in a week or so, where would one purchase one of the aforementioned Estie desk sets and desk pens (other than posting in the marketplace)?

 

Dean

 

One could always email or call a certain former Ohioan to see if there is a spare one around...609 489 6265

 

Bill

[juhtolv]

I figure that I will need a fountain pen desk set for this office and as I've never purchased a desk set, I was hoping for some ideas.

 

How about Pelikan Celebry -fountain pen and then some suitable pen stand for it? Pelikan makes that pen stand for one and two pens of Celebry-series. First you must buy that base of pen stand, for one or two pens. Then you need to choose right socket(s) for pen(s). There are two kind of sockets: for fountain pens and ball point pens. So called ink ball pens fit into fountain pen socket and mechanical pencils fit into ball pen sockets.

 

Here is direct link to pens of Celebry -series:

 

http://www.pelikan.de/en/docs/pro_viewall....d=2&sid=120

 

I can not find that pen stand for Celebry pens from that website, but I have Pelikan -catalogue for year 2006 and it says they still manufacture such products.

 

Pelikan makes pen stand also for all pens of their Souverän -line:

 

http://www.hochwertige-schreibgeraete.de/e...aa957043b985d14

 

That stand looks just like that pen stand for Celebry -series. Maybe it is exactly the same product. Maybe that same pen stand is suitable for pens of both Celebry- and Souverän -line. I am not sure.

 

Also Lamy makes some pen stands for one or two pens, for series called 2000 and Accent:

 

http://www.lamy.com/en/endverbraucher/prod...r?shownavi=true

 

Pens of Lamy have just one drawback: Their ball point pens use their own proprietary refills. "Parker-style" refills do not fit. You may also have problems with their designs: They are not very classic but Bauhaus-style.

 

Edited May 20, 2007 by juhtolv

[jonro]

Levenger makes pen stands, too. They make one for their obsidian True Writer, and make a couple of other colors as well.