Bohler Or Kaweco Pen?

[Marcwithac]

As I rummaged through some long-stored pens in my collection, I stumbled across this former beauty. It is a niello (tula) overlay safety pen. It is missing the nib and has no markings other than a hard-to-read name on top of the cap. I think it says BOHLER. The only other identifying feature is the threaded turning knob, which I know was common on many old Kaweco safety pens. I read that Bohler broke off from Kaweco, so maybe they copied the design.

 

My questions are: Can anyone provide any help identifying this pen? Does anyone know what kind of nib it might have had originally (maybe a Morton)? Any suggestions on who might be able to restore the niello (or whether it is worth doing)?

[markiv]

Very interesting pen and would have been beautiful in its heydays. Even now quite alluring.

Like you suggested, I too, am leaning toward KaWeCo based on the turning knob.

 

I am sure the experts will chime in.

[Azuniga]

What a beautiful pen !

 

I agree with markiv about the KaWeCo turning knob, either inspired on or simply the same K. used...

Böhler, a very important person in the world of pens early XX Century, was involved with any pens produced at the safeties period and even later.

I believe the nib could be a A. Morton (# 1 or 2 depending on the size of the pen, since no reference in the image I would think a # 1)

 

In relation to the restoration of the Niello (tula) I personally will try first a soft cleaning of the whole pen with a Silver polisher, since I believe a restoration is not really needed.

 

Now, as far as I know –I have a large collection of niello overlay pens–, it is very hard to restore it; the main reason being that very different formulas were used to produce it. I met a young guy at the Washington Pen show some years ago, producing new niello pens in Canada and he told me about those differences very difficult to determine without damaging the material. If interested let me know and I will look for the information about him so you can contact him.

 

Thanks for showing the pen, just as it is It looks great !

[Marcwithac]

What a beautiful pen !

 

I agree with markiv about the KaWeCo turning knob, either inspired on or simply the same K. used...

Böhler, a very important person in the world of pens early XX Century, was involved with any pens produced at the safeties period and even later.

I believe the nib could be a A. Morton (# 1 or 2 depending on the size of the pen, since no reference in the image I would think a # 1)

 

In relation to the restoration of the Niello (tula) I personally will try first a soft cleaning of the whole pen with a Silver polisher, since I believe a restoration is not really needed.

 

Now, as far as I know –I have a large collection of niello overlay pens–, it is very hard to restore it; the main reason being that very different formulas were used to produce it. I met a young guy at the Washington Pen show some years ago, producing new niello pens in Canada and he told me about those differences very difficult to determine without damaging the material. If interested let me know and I will look for the information about him so you can contact him.

 

Thanks for showing the pen, just as it is It looks great !

Thanks. I have one or two other niellos but find they are pretty rare. The photos I posted are after I polished with a sunshine cloth and then a soft, lint-free cloth, so I think it's the best it will be. Was not too hopeful about restoration but figured I would check. I think I will focus on finding a Morton nib for it and leaving it at that.

[Azuniga]

I have shown some Niello here :

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/307339-show-us-your-kaweco/page-8

[Marcwithac]

I have shown some Niello here :

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/307339-show-us-your-kaweco/page-8

Great collection. Thanks for sharing.

[Bo Bo Olson]

The Boehler brothers started Osmia in @ 1922. They bought the patent from a Heidelberg professor for Osmium, hence the name of the pen....the best tipping then available.

Osmia had no office supply company to support them, like Soennicken, MB and Pelikan so were always broke. They were bought up in 1929 by Parker and got a technology transfer. Parker's Duofold was way too expensive, there were many Duofold clones already being made....held too little ink....and the Depression hit hard so Parker sold Osmia back to the Boehler brothers in '30. Lamy had been the manager of Osmia/Parker.

1932 Osmia was again broke and sold it's nib factory to Degussa.....in the workers refused to move half way around the world ....the 75 km to Pfortzheim; Degussa made nibs in Osmia's factory....same great quality.

 

1936 Faber Castell started buying into Osmia. 1938 the Boehler brothers split the firm. I think Faber Castell started sticking it's nose too much into the business.

Boehler used the same model numbers as Osmia.

Osmia had a 'diamond' as a cap jewel marker, like MB's snowflake. Osmia also had four or five clips and cap jewels. (So workers could hide they had a better pen than the boss.... )

This is the top of the line cap for Boehler....like Osmia's top of the line was a Diamond.

 

 

 

So I don't think the pen is a Boehler.

 

Depending on where you read....Faber Castell bought out Osmia's remaining owner right after the war or as I favor 1951...........Faber Castell made only second tier fountain pens and needed a big name to up grade their pen line.........................The Graf von Faber Castell was a bought dukedom in the 1880/90's.....so they let their jumped up to noble ego get in the way and slowly erased all of Osmia from their pens.....last to go was the diamond of their grand semi-flex nib. By the late '50's Osmia was gone.

Boehler pens were made into the '70's when they were school pens competing vs Pelikan and Geha.

1938....Boehler 54 Gold full tortoise with a gold washed Italian nib....Hitler didn't allow Germans to have gold...the Italians still could.

Basic Osmia generic top and clip.

Edited December 18, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[Azuniga]

Just to clarify what I wrote a few days ago about the importance of Böhler with all the German pens from that period, here is an advertising for sale in e bay

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fountain-pen-Osmia-Germany-ad-1924-Bohler-Bohler-Dossenheim-advertising/401458622060?hash=item5d78cc6e6c:g:N98AAOSwAO9ZSSiy

[Bo Bo Olson]

I knew them as Osmia and later also as Böhler....that they were known as Böhler as a company also, I didn't know.

Edited December 20, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[Don Jr]

I agree, the turning knob looks very much like the ones on the early Kaweco safeties, but I just don't understand why the name "BÖHLER" is so prominent on the cap If there was some collusion between Böhler & Kaweco, you'd think it would be mentioned in Herr Gutberlet's new book --but I don't see any mention of Böhler in there.

[Kaweco]

Hello pen friends

Sorry, I do not post much at this message bord but sometimes it is necessary to make some things clear.

It is very hard to find direct informationes from the first and the beginning second decade of the last century, so we must be very careful in posting incorrect estimates.

The "Heidelberger Federhalterfabrik" was founded in 1883. It had been a very small establishment for pen holder making and trading. In the end of the 90th Heinrch Koch joined the firm and invested some money. In the beginning of the 20th century the salesman Rudolf Weber joined the firm and fom then on the factory`s name was "Heidelberger Federhalterfabrik Koch, Weber & Co" The names of their flagship fountainpens were KAWECO and KOMIO.

The company of co- workers in the managing bord was numerous. Georg and Hermann Böhler had been among them, they both had been working at the Federhalterfabrik as salesmen. Alas I never found a resident adress in Heidelberg.

Salesmen in these days means: travelling around the world with writing equipment. The sales seem to be endless and the Federhalterfabrik established stores and repair shops nearly everywhere in the world, exept USA.

It is possible that the Federhalterfabrik had some franchise departments, I know this from Heinrich Hebborn, wo had a store for KAWECO writing articles since 1921. 1925 he purchased his own store free from his further mother company. Hebborn began to produce his own fountainpens.

This tula fountainpen showed here ist very nice and very useful for the fountain pen history research! I also have one single BCHR safety with the short windings at the pen end and the imprint "BÖHLER".

So, now "possibly" sign on!!!: It is possible that one or two of the Böhler brothers also had one of these off- set stores in a country, where tremendous expensive gold and silver coated fountainpens had been sold easily, I spot on St Peterburg or Buenos Aires.

Now Faber comes on display, there was a long connection between the Böhlers and Faber: During the ages Faber had been only a pencil maker and took the post as general dealer of "Heidelberger Federhalterfabrik" fountainpens in South America!

Possibly the Böhlers purchased Kaweco safeties, made bling- bling coatings and gave them a "Böhler" imprint!

"possibly" sign off!

The Böhler brothers surely did not have the working equipment to produce fountainpens in the first decade of the century. The short winding at the barrels end had been patented by the "Heidelberger Federhalterfabrik" and the fees for patent use would have been high. The imprint "Böhler" looks exactly like the "Kaweco" imprint in the precious metal coated cap tops: Across, capial letters, serif. It would be very interesting where these tula silver fps had been sold originally.

1919 The Böhlers went off and established their own factory for propelling pencils and writing equipment in Dossenheim near Heidelberg/ Germany. The Patent for nib tips made of 80% Osmium and other precious metals like Platinium and Ruthenium had been holded by Dr Haagn from Heraeus in Hanau/ Germany. Until today all nib tips were made there. The Patent dates from 1919 so I think the Böhlers made nibs from 1920 on. The name of the factory had been "Böhler & Cie", not Osmia! This is the trade mark! ("is" ??? Yes, you read right, the trade mark exists until today) Ariel is right!!

The Böhler brothers split in 1938. Hermann Böhler founted his own factory. A "Hermann Böhler" (trade mark) is not !!! an Osmia.

My answer about the origin of the "Böhler" tula silver pen: Made by "Heidelberger Federhalterfabrik" (since 1930 "Kaweco"), later silver coated and sold as "Böhler"

Kind Regards

Thomas

[markiv]

Thomas,

Thanks for sharing your take on OPs pen which is quite insightful to me. I wonder if KaWeCo had any signature details, similar to Mabie Todd, on their safeties that would confirm it as such.

[Bo Bo Olson]

It's always good to get my half *ssed info cleared up...I'd not known the name of the Professor or he was from Hanau...a major silversmith town.

 

Got to remember to adjust my 1922 start up to 1919.

[Ryanlim]

Thanks everyone for sharing the piece of history about the Bohler/Osmia/Kaweco pens. Great stories to learn about the past and their pen manufacturing.