Happy birthday with Arco

[fpupulin]

Last week, on the occasion of my birthday, a new pen joined my collection, an OMAS Ogiva in the Arco celluloid livery.

 

Here are a couple of pics of the pen with the paraphernalia box etc. it came with.

 

 

 

And here a few pics more to appreciate the truly beautiful artisan work done on the details of the pen.

 

 

 

 

 

Arco is well known on this forum, and the Ogiva model by OMAS has been produced and commented so long and far that there is nothing more I can say more about them that has not been said already. I want, however, commenting a bit about the nib. 

I have long desired this pen in this finish, but my "spirit of collection" has somehow reached an impasse in the last couple of years. For some time I was able to buy pens to which I was attracted aesthetically, regardless of whether their nib - always functional - was identical to one I already own. Today, however, the writing experience has taken over my priority list on the visual and aesthetic component.

In the case of OMAS, it turns out I already have a small arsenal of modern nibs in various shades, including some extra-fine, various fine, a couple of mids and a fantastic broad. Apart from a few exotic truncated nibs, which it seems impossible to find, the only one missing from my collection of nibs, among the modern nibs, would be an Extra-flexible. But I had the luck of being able to try this nib, and honestly it is not for me. It is, from my point of view, a soft nib, almost without snap back, with a type of elasticity that I would define "lazy" and that does not fit either my ordinary writing or, even less, my calligraphic one. So, beside the steep price, there was also another obstacle to refrain me from buying an Ogiva Arco: in the few examples which surface on the net here and there, there were no nibs I was interested in.

 

Turns out that this specific pen is not part of the original batch produced by OMAS in limited edition a few years before the firm went down. The pen does not have a serial number, so I am pretty sure it was produced with some "remaining" that was acquired from OMAS employees in those sad days when the factory was living the last days of activity. What made this pen immediately interesting for me was its "old" nib, a Extra that was probably produced in the Thirties or Forties of the last century, most surely another remaining piece that sit abandoned into an OMAS' drawer for some seventy years.

 

I already had a OMAS "Extra" nib, fitted on a Gentlemen, no doubts my best calligraphic nib, closely followed by that of my Montblanc 149 Calligraphy. I also had already some "Extra Lucens" nibs, also extraordinary nibs buy not so so perfect as my Extra. Even though I know by experience that the nibs of the past, independently by their nomenclature, may behave in very different ways, a OMAS Ogiva Arco with a "Extra" nib was simply irresistible and wort a try...  

 

It results that the Extra nib fitted on the Ogiva is GREAT!

 

 

It is a very flexible nib, with a lot of snap back, a very narrow fine or a slightly abundant extra-fine, with a perfectly controlled flow. 

 

I tested the pen at some Copperplate, mixing the personal styles of writing of the two great calligraphers Ranieri Percossi and Claude Mediavilla, and I am really satisfied with the capabilities of my new nib:

 

 

 

It was great, for my birthday, adding another piece to my "dosis" of Arco pens. We have, in the family, another couple of OMAS Arco that belong to our daughters, a Princess and a Dama. However, looking only to my personal pens, I have the impression that I am already in the territory of the overdoses...

 

 

 

Thanks for reading.

[DvdRiet]

That looks like one very happy birthday!! Beautiful pen! Congratulations and a belated happy birthday!

 

Cheers,

Darla

[como]

@fpupulin Congratulations, Franco, on this stunning Arco with the classic Ogive shape, and a fantastic nib! Each of your Arcos is very unique, the old and new style Paragon, with different trim finishes, very distinctive Arco patterns and with nibs from different eras, different imprints and each with its own characters, a really beautiful selection! Beautiful calligraphy and as always photographic skills. Thank you very much for sharing! Happy Belated Birthday! Very well celebrated indeed 😍👍.

[christam]

Happy belated birthday and thank you for such a beautiful post.  The photos are stunning as, of course, are your new pen and your calligraphy skills.  The Arco has obviously gone to a perfect home.

[jmccarty3]

I can't resist belated congratulations on your Ogiva Arco. I believe it to be one of the most beautiful pens OMAS ever made. The nib is simply stunning.