Review Of Ranga Model 8B In Blue, Red And Pale Yellow Ebonite

[bobje]

 

One of the great qualities of fountain pens is that they combine utility with beauty, in a tool we use daily. The material is a key factor in this formula, and a recent discussion on Fountain Pen Network gave people the chance to name the most beautiful materials they had ever seen. Italian celluloids topped the charts: Tibaldi Impero, Omas Arco, and Omas Burkina, for example.

 

This month I began writing with a Ranga Model 8b pen made from a blue, red, and pale yellow ebonite recently created for the company, based in Thiruvallur in southern India. Its a gorgeous ebonite, layered in rich combinations of colors revealed only as the material is turned. The pens appearance is not so much polished as excavated, like an Italian building with a foundation built in Roman times, modified over multiple centuries, and then peeled back to reveal bits and pieces from ancient and gothic and baroque periods that combine in an elegant and irregular way.

 

As a material, for me, this ebonite ranks in the Top 10. We can make a list: scarlet tanager from Parker and carmine from Sheaffer, in the United States; the three Italian celluloids above; ebonites from SEM in Hamburg and Nikko in Tokyo; just about anything from Mazzucchelli in Italy; and diffusion bonded acrylics from Carville in England. Thats pretty high cotton, as they said in the antebellum South.

 

I do not know what company makes this ebonite for Ranga, but I suspect someone on FPN will tell us. Fountain pen people live for arcane details. [EDITORS NOTE: the Kandan family who operates Ranga Pens also makes its own ebonite, through the Loyal Ebonites company.)

 

Beyond the material, the craftsmanship, finish, and threads on the pen are immaculate, and the proportions have been scaled up slightly from the Model 8. Its a form of sculpture for the hand, elegant and unpretentious, at prices more accessible than pens made from other Top 10 materials.

 

This clipless model is filled with a cartridge-converter and contains a Jowo no. 6 nib, in an 1.1 mm italic. Ranga Pens offer a handmade quality that lends itself to roll-stoppers made from wrap rings. Snakes work well, and lotus flowers, turtles, dolphins, peacocks, and lizards. I inked the pen for the first time with Sailor Jentle Souten, a blue that shades nicely for a K-pop lyric by Lee Ji-eun.

 

Pens write stories, and a pen from Ranga, created on a specific morning by people we can actually have conversations with, people with families and colds and shoes and favorite flavors of ice cream, offers its own human story. And in the meantime, between the work we are supposed to do and the letters we should have written, the snakes and peacocks and dolphins can keep us company.

 

 

 

 

Capped, the Ranga Model 8b is 155 mm long; uncapped, 141mm; the section diameter is about 11 mm; barrel diameter is 14 mm; and cap diameter is 16 mm. I dont know how much it weighs, but its ebonite, so its light.

[ashutoshthakur]

That is such a beauty

[Aditkamath26]

Out of the many premium ebonite that Ranga offers, this one is my absolute favorite. I really want to pull the trigger on a Ranga Model 4 with this ebonite. But after I saw many other photos online, the variation in this ebonite is putting me off. The opening photo of the recent group buy, that Model 5 in this ebonite looks so amazing. That's how I like it with the pale yellow dominating.

 

Enough about me now. I loved this review as usual. I think you really love stubs and cursive italics.

[gampupen]

Hello,

 

Pardon me for my ignorance, but does the roll-stopper scratch the ebonite when it is fixed firmly on the cap?

[mpkandan]

Ranga Model 8b hero.jpeg

 

One of the great qualities of fountain pens is that they combine utility with beauty, in a tool we use daily. The material is a key factor in this formula, and a recent discussion on Fountain Pen Network gave people the chance to name the most beautiful materials they had ever seen. Italian celluloids topped the charts: Tibaldi Impero, Omas Arco, and Omas Burkina, for example.

 

This month I began writing with a Ranga Model 8b pen made from a blue, red, and pale yellow ebonite recently created for the company, based in Thiruvallur in southern India. Its a gorgeous ebonite, layered in rich combinations of colors revealed only as the material is turned. The pens appearance is not so much polished as excavated, like an Italian building with a foundation built in Roman times, modified over multiple centuries, and then peeled back to reveal bits and pieces from ancient and gothic and baroque periods that combine in an elegant and irregular way.

 

As a material, for me, this ebonite ranks in the Top 10. We can make a list: scarlet tanager from Parker and carmine from Sheaffer, in the United States; the three Italian celluloids above; ebonites from SEM in Hamburg and Nikko in Tokyo; just about anything from Mazzucchelli in Italy; and diffusion bonded acrylics from Carville in England. Thats pretty high cotton, as they said in the antebellum South.

 

I do not know what company makes this ebonite for Ranga, but I suspect someone on FPN will tell us. Fountain pen people live for arcane details.

 

Beyond the material, the craftsmanship, finish, and threads on the pen are immaculate, and the proportions have been scaled up slightly from the Model 8. Its a form of sculpture for the hand, elegant and unpretentious, at prices more accessible than pens made from other Top 10 materials.

 

This clipless model is filled with a cartridge-converter and contains a Jowo no. 6 nib, in an 1.1 mm italic. Ranga Pens offer a handmade quality that lends itself to roll-stoppers made from wrap rings. Snakes work well, and lotus flowers, turtles, dolphins, peacocks, and lizards. I inked the pen for the first time with Sailor Jentle Souten, a blue that shades nicely for a K-pop lyric by Lee Ji-eun, also known as IU.

 

Pens write stories, and a pen from Ranga, created on a specific morning by people we can actually have conversations with, people with families and colds and shoes and favorite flavors of ice cream, offers its own human story. And in the meantime, between the work were supposed to do and the letters we should have written, the snakes and peacocks and dolphins can keep us company.

 

Ranga Model 8b cap and nib.jpeg

 

Ranga Model 8b writing sample and cap.jpeg

 

Ranga Model 8b hero-writing.jpeg

 

Capped, the Ranga Model 8b is 155 mm long; uncapped, 141mm; the section diameter is about 11 mm; barrel diameter is 14 mm; and cap diameter is 16 mm. I dont know how much it weighs, but its ebonite, so its light.

Dear Mr. Bob Sir,

 

Thanks a lot for your great review as always. We are thankful to your admiration of Ranga Pens

 

Regards,

Kandan.M.P

Ranga Pen Company

[dinuraj]

Nice review and awesome pictures. This is my favourite model from Ranga pens. How much bigger is this pen compared to regular model 8 ?

 

thanks,

Dinuraj

[bobje]

Dinuraj,

my rough measurements on the regular Model 8:

capped 150mm

uncapped 131mm

section diameter 10mm

barrel diameter 13mm

cap diameter 14.5mm

 

Gampupen,

rings made from bronze or silver are a little soft and flexible, and especially if they're an adjustable wrap ring, they spring enough to contour around the diameter of the cap without scratching. I wouldn't try it with plain copper or steel, which are kind of stiff.

 

Adit,

you might ask if it's possible to specify ebonite that falls more into the pale yellow end of the spectrum.

 

Ashu and MP,

thank you!

[sansenri]

thank you for a very passionate review of a lovely model from Ranga in a fantastic ebonite

[gampupen]

Thanks for the reply. Enjoy the wonderful pen in good health

[amberleadavis]

I like the little snake ring too. Thank you for the review.

[MBDostoevsky]

I do not know what company makes this ebonite for Ranga, but I suspect someone on FPN will tell us. Fountain pen people live for arcane details. [EDITORS NOTE: the Kandan family who operates Ranga Pens also makes its own ebonite, through the Loyal Ebonites company.)

 

Thank you for the information... looks like that Ranga is vertically integrated with their own ebonite manufacturing...

 

Interestingly, browsing on the internet i found the following Ebonite rods which are similar (not necessarily the same) to some of the special / premium ebonites used by Ranga Pens... This does not imply that Ranga buys from them... it is just that some colors are very much similar to what Ranga Offers...

 

https://www.exoticblanks.com/Longer-Length-Ebonite-Blanks/ (No Affiliation)...

[southpaw]

Wonderful review, pen, and company. I have an 8B in blue-black ripple that's a delight!

[bobje]

Thank you MBD, Amberlea, and Southpaw. I enjoy the red eyes on the snake, and the premium and regular ebonites. Do you have a favorite among the premiums, MBD?

[MBDostoevsky]

Do you have a favorite among the premiums, MBD?

 

Blue Green Orange... a bit tricky to find the right variant that has an equal proportion of the three hues... but is very pleasing to the eyes

[Ayami_109]

Blue Green Orange... a bit tricky to find the right variant that has an equal proportion of the three hues... but is very pleasing to the eyes

My model 5 pen in this ebonite ended up being just orange and blue. What bit of green there was ended up being covered when capped. I was dissapointed. There was zero green in the cap and body. Still a nicely made pen, but not what i expected.

Edited May 9, 2018 by Ayami_109

[amberleadavis]

We would love to see the photos.

[Aditkamath26]

AFAIK, Ranga only manufactures their regular ebonites. The premium ones are all exported.

[prashant.tikekar]

AFAIK, Ranga only manufactures their regular ebonites. The premium ones are all exported.

Have a look at this thread.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/334600-ebonite-companies-in-india/?do=findComment&comment=4029656

I have heard that all the ebonites (including premium) used by Ranga pens are manufactured by their family only. It is possible that they are exporting those ebonites too.

Edited May 21, 2018 by prashant.tikekar

[amberleadavis]

Have a look at this thread.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/334600-ebonite-companies-in-india/?do=findComment&comment=4029656

I have heard that all the ebonites (including premium) used by Ranga pens are manufactured by their family only. It is possible that they are exporting those ebonites too.

 

 

I had a conversation with Ranga, they are selling their ebonites and all of their ebonites are made in house.

[mehandiratta]

Ranga Model 8b hero.jpeg

 

One of the great qualities of fountain pens is that they combine utility with beauty, in a tool we use daily. The material is a key factor in this formula, and a recent discussion on Fountain Pen Network gave people the chance to name the most beautiful materials they had ever seen. Italian celluloids topped the charts: Tibaldi Impero, Omas Arco, and Omas Burkina, for example.

 

This month I began writing with a Ranga Model 8b pen made from a blue, red, and pale yellow ebonite recently created for the company, based in Thiruvallur in southern India. Its a gorgeous ebonite, layered in rich combinations of colors revealed only as the material is turned. The pens appearance is not so much polished as excavated, like an Italian building with a foundation built in Roman times, modified over multiple centuries, and then peeled back to reveal bits and pieces from ancient and gothic and baroque periods that combine in an elegant and irregular way.

 

As a material, for me, this ebonite ranks in the Top 10. We can make a list: scarlet tanager from Parker and carmine from Sheaffer, in the United States; the three Italian celluloids above; ebonites from SEM in Hamburg and Nikko in Tokyo; just about anything from Mazzucchelli in Italy; and diffusion bonded acrylics from Carville in England. Thats pretty high cotton, as they said in the antebellum South.

 

I do not know what company makes this ebonite for Ranga, but I suspect someone on FPN will tell us. Fountain pen people live for arcane details. [EDITORS NOTE: the Kandan family who operates Ranga Pens also makes its own ebonite, through the Loyal Ebonites company.)

 

Beyond the material, the craftsmanship, finish, and threads on the pen are immaculate, and the proportions have been scaled up slightly from the Model 8. Its a form of sculpture for the hand, elegant and unpretentious, at prices more accessible than pens made from other Top 10 materials.

 

This clipless model is filled with a cartridge-converter and contains a Jowo no. 6 nib, in an 1.1 mm italic. Ranga Pens offer a handmade quality that lends itself to roll-stoppers made from wrap rings. Snakes work well, and lotus flowers, turtles, dolphins, peacocks, and lizards. I inked the pen for the first time with Sailor Jentle Souten, a blue that shades nicely for a K-pop lyric by Lee Ji-eun.

 

Pens write stories, and a pen from Ranga, created on a specific morning by people we can actually have conversations with, people with families and colds and shoes and favorite flavors of ice cream, offers its own human story. And in the meantime, between the work we are supposed to do and the letters we should have written, the snakes and peacocks and dolphins can keep us company.

 

Ranga Model 8b cap and nib.jpeg

 

Ranga Model 8b writing sample and cap.jpeg

 

Ranga Model 8b hero-writing.jpeg

 

Capped, the Ranga Model 8b is 155 mm long; uncapped, 141mm; the section diameter is about 11 mm; barrel diameter is 14 mm; and cap diameter is 16 mm. I dont know how much it weighs, but its ebonite, so its light.

 

 

Your reviews make for a worthy reading...

Immaculate review... and yeah I agree with you this is the best ebonite that I have also in my stock...