Manuscript Scribe Calligraphy Pens ( Similar to Rotring Art Pens )

[Wayland]

( I didn't think this article was rigorous enough to go into the reviews section but I thought it might be interesting to anyone who, like me, was looking for a replacement to the Rotring Art Pens which now sadly seem to have been discontinued.)

Recently, after renovating an old writing desk, I decided to get my hands back into doing a bit of calligraphy. I was never very good at it but found my efforts enjoyable and it improved my own abysmal handwriting a bit.

I have a selection of dip pens but my old favourite for small to medium scripts was a Rotring 1.5mm Art Pen. I dusted it off, gave it a good clean up and sure enough it was still a nice pen to work with.

 

I started to think I should get some more of these in different widths and my first searches came up with pens at silly prices. The more I looked the worse it got and it soon became apparent that Rotring had dropped the line and the last pens available were fetching premium prices. I was gutted...

However, during my searches, I came across a range of pens made by Manuscript which looked remarkably similar. They were available singly or in a set of three different nib units, 2.8mm, 2.3mm & 1.5mm, with a holder and cap. Since I wanted to be able to work with two colours without too much fuss I ordered a couple of sets and they arrived quite quickly.
 

 

I have to say I was not disappointed. If anything the nibs are a little flatter than the Art Pen which gave even better stroke variation. I have included a test sheet to give you some idea although I have used different inks so it's not a great test. The descriptions are my own, not Manuscript's designations but the Dimensions after the M. are those that the manufacturer's provide.

 

The pens arrived with shiny plastic bodies, not glamorous but functional.  I rubbed then down with a bit of wet and dry to make them a little less slippery but that is my taste. I also labelled them with my own descriptions to make them easier to select when capped.

I like the pens a lot. They have a nice balance, good ink flow and really smooth lines with lots of width variation. I was very pleased with my purchase. Not very expensive either, they punch well above their weight value wise. If you liked the Art Pens then these should feel very familiar to you.

My calligraphy still needs a lot of practice though...

Only one thing bothered me, I bought two sets, which worked well enough while working, but because there were only two caps, it meant four of the nib units needed to be flushed and cleaned at the end of each session to stop the ink drying out. Not ideal.

I visited the company's web sit to see if it might be possible to buy some extra caps but could find nothing online, so I hit the contact button and explained what I was looking for. Without any fuss or bother, Katie from the service department just asked me for my address and said she would see what she could do for me.

Next day, not only did a full set of caps arrive but barrels as well. What wonderful service! Now I can store the pens loaded with ink and ready to go. Brilliant. A great time saver and much more economical as well.

I actually went back after that and bought the other pens in the range that I hadn't purchased earlier, 1.9mm, 1.1mm and a round nibbed 0.85mm for drawing.

They arrive in a nice little tin with a flocked plastic insert. I binned the insert and lined the tins with felt. They now hold four of these pens comfortably.

One very happy customer and I would most heartily recommend both the company and it's products to anyone that cares to listen.

[Wayland]

Out of interest, I just scoped out the lines and my hunch that the variation is more pronounced than the Art Pen seems right.

 

The edge strokes on the Manuscript pens average 0.4mm while the Rotring averages 0.5mm.

 

( The edge strokes are the lines below the wide straight lines on the example sheet. )

 

That said, the stated nib widths vary considerably from the line widths on paper.

 

The 2.8mm nib gives a line of 2.3mm.

The 2.2mm nib gives a line of 2.0mm.

The 1.9mm nib gives a line of 1.5mm.

The 1.5mm nib gives a line of 1.1mm.

The 1.1mm nib gives a line of 0.9mm.

The 0.85mm nib gives a line of 0.5mm.

 

Compared to the 1.5mm Art pen which gives a 1.5mm line.

 

Not a problem if you are aware of the difference of course but If you are looking for a direct match you need to go up a nib size in most cases.

 

The paper was Smith's Plus Fabric and the inks were Manuscript Sepia for most of the Manuscript pens apart from the Filler which was Diamine Salamander and the Rotring Art Pen which was Diamine Writer's Blood.