Guest post: Pens for New Writers – What to Look for in a Vintage Pen

I'm delighted to share this post with you from Simon Gray of Battersea Pen Home on the history of fountain pens and what to look for in a vintage pen. You can find out more about vintage fountain pens and fountain pen repairs at Battersea Pen Home.

Battersea Pen Home have specialised in servicing and repairing pens, ballpens and pencils since the mid 1990s. They were originally based in Battersea before moving to Epping in 2000.

They look after most makes of fountain pen including those now classed as 'obsolete' by their manufacturers. They were trained by Parker and Waterman back in 2002 as service technicians for their writing instruments and are also recommended by Sheaffer UK.

Pens for New Writers – What to Look for in a Vintage Pen

Many people buy vintage fountain pens because they find them inspirational. In a similar way that driving a classic car can force you to drive differently, using a fountain pen forces you to write differently. Writing with a pen is more challenging than using a word-processor; you can’t easily edit what you have written and so you have to find creative ways to make it work.

When buying a vintage pen, most people are initially drawn to how it looks; although how comfortable it feels in the hand and how smoothly it writes are what ultimately determine how much it will be used. Often the most important consideration is sentimental. Owning and using a pen that brings back memories of loved ones gives a sense of connection to things past and present that a biro or keyboard can never achieve.

Most vintage pens are susceptible for wear and tear, but don’t be put off. Most of the important components can be replaced and repaired, and once refurbished, pens can continue to work for many years with very little further intervention. Here are some tips for selecting the perfect vintage pen.

The term ‘vintage pens’ covers just about every instrument produced for the purpose of making marks on slate, skin, parchment or paper. One of the first pens capable of holding its own supply of ink was described by Nicholas Bion, a French instrument maker and author who lived in Paris around the turn of the 18th century. Little progress was made until the early 19th century when the number of patents connected with fountain pen design began to increase as new materials and production processes were developed.

By the late 19th century much progress had been made with the development of hard rubber which was cheap, resistant to chemicals ink and could be easily turned on a lathe into caps, barrels and nib sections – the main components of a pen. At this time, virtually all fountain pens were ‘eyedroppers’ where the ink was contained directly in the barrel rather than in an ink sac. Ink was transferred from the barrel through the feed and onto the paper by capillary attraction; hence ink only flowed when the nib touched paper.

The 1900s saw the development of the feed (the part below the nib) in an effort to regulate ink flow. Once this had improved, designers were freed up to focus more on the portability of pens with the 1910s bringing pen caps which screwed securely onto the main body of the pen rather than just being a push or slip-on fit. Screw-on caps meant it was safer to carry a pen in your pocket so the next stage was a multitude of clip designs to ensure the pen didn’t fall out of your pocket. Everyone today takes clips for granted, but in the 1920s a fountain pen clip was quite a new idea and frequently an optional extra at additional cost.

At the same time, progress has been made with improving the method of holding ink. Rather than the hard rubber barrel being the only reservoir, latex rubber ink sacs became available and reduced the possibility of leakage. Research and design then turned to filling methods with Conklin leading the field with its Crescent filler in 1901 and Parker developing a button filling system in 1914 which was still being used on their Duofold models as late as the 1950s. Sheaffer, Waterman and others focussed on lever fillers which again lasted through to the 1960s with several companies.

So, we are almost there with what most people would recognise as a fountain pen in terms of controlled ink delivery, a variety of filling systems and a basic design which was secure enough for the pen to be carried around in a jacket pocket. The final step was in materials development. Up until the 1920s, pens were made from metal (either solid or plated gold, silver etc) and vulcanised hard rubber which restricted the colour of pens largely to black, red or a combination known as a rippled finish.

All this changed from around 1924 with major developments in the manufacture of plastics principally in the USA and led by DuPont. No longer restricted to hard rubber, pen makers went into overdrive with pens appearing for the first time in colours such as lapis blue, jade green, pearl and black and many other combinations.

So, in terms of choosing a ‘vintage pen’ to write with, the mid 1920s is really the starting point as choice of colour, style, filling system, nibs begin to expand almost exponentially.

Many thanks to Simon Grey for the post.

You can find out more about vintage fountain pens and fountain pen repairs at Battersea Pen Home.

Inky Fingers Currently Inked - Review

This is a notebook I should have bought years ago! I got it from Pocket Notebooks and this is how it's described in the listing:

Keep track of what pens you have inked, when you inked them, and with what you inked them. The Inky Fingers Currently Inked Log will allow you stay on top of your pen rotate and maintenance by providing a simple, unified place to keep track of how you use your collection.

Inky Fingers notebooks feature 44 sheets of environmentally-friendly and sustainable wheat straw paper, which is made from the agricultural byproducts of wheat farming. Our 80gsm paper has a bit more texture than other fountain pen friendly papers, for those who enjoy feeling the pen on the paper. It is also more absorbent, resulting in shorter dry times without feathering or bleeding through.

• Pocket Notebook Size
• 3.5″ wide by 5.5″ high. (89x140mm)
• 44 Pages
• Slots for keeping track of up to 132 inkings
• Fountain pen friendly and environmentally sustainable 80 gsm wheat straw paper
• Rounded corners
• Glossy cardstock cover

As you'll have seen from my notebook reviews, half the time when I do a pen test, I can't remember exactly what is inked in a pen and also, when I'm refilling pens, I can't quite remember what an ink looks like in writing (rather than in the bottle). Many inks dry to a very different colour than their wet colour!

Hence, I bought myself this logbook.

New purchases

Just because I've been working away at other stuff, doesn't mean I haven't been buying stationery. Oh no sir-ee! In fact, some (DH, for example) might call it a splurge!

I've recently become the owner of:

• a Nemosine Singularity Demonstrator with M nib
• a Jinhao X450 fountain pen with M nib
• a Leuchtturm package from Bureau Direct of A5 Leuchtturm notebook, pen loop and Palomino Blackwing pencil
• an A5 Life Noble notebook with squared paper
• a bottle of Diamine Ancient Copper ink

Today: the two new fountain pens. As ever, click on any image to enlarge.

1. The Nemosine Singularity Demonstrator with M nib

Box (front)

I bought this via eBay for the princely sum of just under £15 including shipping from the USA. It came in a box and the pen can take either short international standard cartridges or can be converted to use bottled ink. The converter came with the pen, as did 6 cartridges. The pen has a 3-year perfection warranty, though as you need to pay postage of the item to and from the USA plus $5, it's probably not worth it unless you are IN the USA.

Box (back)

As it's a demonstrator, the barrel is clear. The cap unscrews; the converter is a push-fit. The nib is quite long (approximately 23mm of it pokes out from the barrel; same as the Conklin Durograph) and the tip is glass smooth. The M nib is on the broader side of medium. If you prefer a finer line then this might be too thick for you.

Nemosine singularity demonstrator

Nemosine singularity demonstrator (cap removed)

Close up of the nib

In the hand, the pen is lightweight and nicely balanced. The large nib has sometimes made the pen feel like it's in a slightly different place in my hand, but I've quickly got used to it, presumably because I've got used to the Conklin. It's an acrylic barrel and so is pretty light. I've done pages and pages of notes with it (at least two refills of the converter) and have loved writing with it. It's not quite as nice in my hand as the Conklin Durograph (nor is it as pretty!) but it's a great pen and I can recommend it.

2. The Jinhao X450
This was also bought on a whim from eBay and was a mere £3.99 including shipping. No box, just a Jiffy bag, but then, it was £3.99. I went for the red and gold lacquer-effect and it's very attractive. Again, it came with a converter but could also take short international standard cartridges I think. I have used the converter.

Jinhao X450

The cap is a click-fit and feels very secure. The nib is comparable to both the Nemosine and the Conklin at 22mm. It too is very smooth and the line that it lays down is slightly finer than the Nemosine. There is a slightly moulded grip but it isn't as irritating or as pronounced as the Lamy pens.

Jinhao X450, cap removed

Jinhao X450, converter shown

Jinhao X450 close up of the nib

However... the thing weighs a tonne! The weight distribution in my hand feels all wrong and I find I'm gripping it tightly so my hand cramps up. It is not a pen I enjoy using! It is going to a new home.

Nib comparisons:
All three have large nibs! I'm getting used to that, but it's something to be aware of if you're used to a more petite nib. The measurements given in the image below are from the edge of the grip where the nib emerges, to the tip of the nib.

Top: Conklin Durograph (nib size = 23mm)
Middle: Jinhao X450 (nib size = 22mm)
Bottom: Nemosine singularity (nib size = 23mm)

Line comparisons

In summary, I would say that the Nemosine is a cracking good pen - light in the hand but not too thin (thin pens can make my hand cramp up too) with a fabulously smooth nib. The Jinhao X450 probably suits somebody but it doesn't suit me because it's too heavy. It's nicely made, attractive looking and has a smooth nib, but my hand feels horrible after writing with it and since my 'job' now is writing, I have to feel comfortable with my tools of the trade! The Nemosine is a keeper; the Jinhao is going to a new home.

Review of the Conklin Durograph in Forest Green

As a combination of a treat for my birthday and to commemorate me leaving work, I bought myself a Conklin Durograph in Forest Green.

Conklin Durograph in Forest Green

It arrived packaged in a card slip cover containing a navy box.

Box in slip cover

Inside the box was the pen and some instructions and two standard (short) cartridges and the converter. I prefer bottled ink (and have LOTS of bottles of ink) so I screwed the converter in. Yep, you read that right - the converter screws in, rather than pushes in. A couple of reviewers have said that they have found that screw-thread to be tricky and that it doesn't thread properly without being really careful, but I can't say that that was the case for me. It's threaded in okay every time I've used it, so far.

Box

Box open

The exterior of the pen is gorgeous. The body is made of resin with a good depth of colour and pearlescent flecks. At the base of the barrel is a solid black end piece, separated from the rest of the barrel with a chrome trim. The cap has a similar end piece, with Conklin Est. 1898 on it. I suspect that this writing will wear off in time as it is just painted on. Again, the black end piece is separated from the rest of the cap with a chrome trim which is part of a VERY sturdy clip. There is another chrome trim further down the cap which has Conklin Durograph etched on it. The cap screws on.

Cap removed, the body of the pen is black with a fairly substantial looking nib. The stub nib has entirely polished chrome finish; other nibs have a two-tone nib.

Beautiful!

Dismembered and still beautiful!

I'd thought, when I'd been using it, that it was a heavy pen, but when I compared how much each of my pens weigh, I was surprised to find that the Conklin wasn't much heavier than most of my pens at all! Both the TWSBI 540 and the Conklin (unposted) come in at 14g; a Sheaffer calligraphy pen is 12g and the Platinum PTL-5000 is 13g. It is chunkier in its girth though at 12mm for the barrel.

So, never mind what it looks like, how does it write?

Beautifully. There isn't much (if any) spring in the nib, but then, it's chromed steel so why would there be? It lays down a lot of ink (depending on the ink/paper combination, sometimes too much), giving great shading with inks. The nib is smooth and glides easily across paper, without skipping. It 'starts first time' - i.e. if it's not been written with for a few days, it writes immediately. The only disadvantage is that if I'm writing on some papers (like the Leuchtturm A4+ notebook, which seems to encourage LOTS of ink to flow), it can fairly rattle through the reservoir of ink! On other paper (such as Original Crown Mill vellum) it lays down much less ink.

Overall:
I love the pen. It's special because it marks a major change in my life (not just my birthday), it's drop-dead gorgeous (to me, anyway!) and it's also a great pen to write with. Which, after all, is what matters!

Review of the Platinum PTL-5000

I treated myself to this to celebrate something special, but I will tell you more about what that was in the future! For now, let me just review the Platinum PTL-5000.

Platinum PTL-5000

I got this because although I do own quite a lot of fountain pens, I didn't have one with a gold nib. I also don't have thousands of pounds to spend on gold-nibbed fountain pens but this one came in at a very decent price. I got mine from Cult Pens (no affiliation; I paid for it!) and as ever, it arrived the day after ordering. No, I'm not paid by Cult Pens but I have only ever had fantastic service from them and I can recommend them very highly.

The pen arrived with a card slip cover containing the pen box.

slip-cover

plastic box with pen and bits and bobs in

This is an entry level pen and the bulk of the costs have gone into the nib, so it was no great surprise that the box was slightly less than classy. But I don't keep my pens in their original boxes - the boxes go in a cupboard and the pens sit in a pen-tray on my desk, so I don't really care that the box wasn't too special.

Inside the box was the pen, a converter, a cartridge and an instruction booklet.

Contents

Contents with the converter out of its little box

The instruction manual was a little superfluous.

The body and barrel of the pen are glossy black plastic. It feels a little flimsy but that might be because I've been using the Conklin Durograph so much recently and that feels like a real chunky monkey. However, when I weighed the pens, the Conklin was 14g and this Platinum came in at 13g so barely any difference at all. With the cap posted, it weighs 17g, but I never post pens because it always feels as if the weight is too far back in my hand.

uncapped

I have bottles (and bottles!) of ink, so I put the converter in. It has a very positive click/feel when fully engaged. It took a couple of fill-empty-fill-empty routines to get it to fill fully but then it was all primed and ready to go. I filled it with Pelikan Topaz.

The nib I ordered was a medium, but it has to be noted that a Japanese medium is finer than a UK medium. I would describe it as closer to medium-fine. Interestingly, the feed is see-through!

Clear feed

The nib

The gold nib has a bit of  spring to it. Not too 'boingy' but there is a nice amount of give/flex. It felt a tiny bit toothy/scratchy but this may be because it's not a stub nib and that's what I've been writing with for yonks. It may also smooth up with writing. Ink flow was great and there was good shading with the lines. It felt light in my hand, but this may be because it's slimmer than the Conklin (and the TWSBI which are the two I've been using a lot recently).

Writing sample on Original Crown vellum

After doing the test on Original Crown vellum paper, I've used the pen in the Leuchtturm A4+ notebook (reviewed here) and can say that the pen feels much better - a lovely feel to it and nowhere near as toothy as on the Original Crown paper. It's fabulous.

The pen was bought as a work-horse pen -something I can write and write with and not have any issues. I'm sure that it will fulfil this role wonderfully. It wasn't bought as a drop-dead gorgeous, "ooh, isn't it pretty!" pen (and it meets that expectation too).

TWSBI Diamond 540

A zillion years ago, my very good friend Gerard sent me a lovely pen - a TWSBI Diamond 540 with a 1.1mm stub nib. After I got the Eau de Nil ink I thought I would (finally!) give the TWSBI a whirl.

The nib has more rounded edges than my Parker italic nibs (my 'go to' nib) and in many ways is more akin to the Lamy Joy calligraphy nib (a.k.a. the Lamy Joyless to me... see here for why!).

Clockwise from L: TWSBI, Parker italic, Lamy Joy(less)

TWSBI on left; Lamy Joy(less) on right

I absolutely LOVE the TWSBI and Eau de Nil combination!

The ink shading is especially nice.

Review: Platinum Plaisir fountain pen

I actually bought this a while ago, along with a second Tombow Object pen (in a different colour from the first one). I won’t review the Tombow, because my review of the first one I bought (you can read it here) still stands! It’s a great pen and I love it.

But, I’ve still to review the Platinum Plaisir, so here goes.
It’s actually the second version, as the first one refused to write so was returned. I bought from The Journal Shop (no affiliation, just regular, happy customer) and there was absolutely no fuss or bother about returning it and getting a replacement and the replacement works just fine.

I bought it in a pale lilac colour (on the site it is just described as ‘purple’ – listing is here).

The length (capped) is 143 mm and uncapped (but not posted) is 123 mm, Uncapped and posted, it is 153 mm (but I never post my pens – the weight always seems too far back in my hand). The cap closes with a very firm and satisfying click. You can get adaptors to use bottled ink with it, but I haven’t. There is a small plastic insert to allow standard cartridges to be used with it (which is what I have in it). The small downside is that you can’t pop a second cartridge into the barrel, ready for when the cartridge runs out, although as I tend to use my pens at home, at my desk, with all my inks to hand this isn’t a problem.

The cartridge slots in to the insert, which is connected to the nib through a plastic barrel (nib feed). The main downside with the pen (for me) is that the ink bleeds into the nib feed and is sitting in the space between the outer barrel and the inner part. I can’t see a way of getting it cleaned out and even if I did, I presume it would leak into it again. It’s not a major issue as I will probably only use poussier de lune in it (an ink I adore) so there won’t be any mixing of ink there, but it’s a shame it leaks into the space there at all.

Pen uncapped and unscrewed - you can see the ink leakage if you look closely

 The rest of the pen is aluminium, so the pen is incredibly light in my hand. There are a variety of colours available for the barrel. The clip is a darker purple than the barrel (in a very pleasant, complementary colour). The silver bit has Platimun Plaisir Japan on it.

The writing experience:
The nib is described as medium but is a finer nib than all my other medium nibs – maybe not quite a ‘fine’ but a ‘medium-fine’ I would say. The nib is smooth and the pen is light and comfortable in my hand. For £12, it would be hard to beat this as a pen! I have written a few long letters with it now and it has left my hand un-cramped. I think the combination of a reasonable sized barrel with a light pen works well for me.

Overall, I would recommend it as a good, lightweight, cheap pen. The only niggle is the leakage into the nib feed.

Review of Lamy Joy Calligraphy Fountain Pen

I have had a disappointing experience with Lamy before (see here) but I decided I would give the brand another go and get myself one of their calligraphy pens in the hope that I would get on okay with it and that it would fit in the pen loop of the leather covers (see here for my review of them).

Fail.

Fail.

I neither got on with it nor did it fit in the pen loop.

Am I the only person in the universe who hates Lamy pens? They seem to get rave reviews everywhere and people saying they would have a zillion of them, yet I find them designed for a hand that does not match mine.

The Lamy “Joy” (it was no joy for me...) Calligraphy came in a somewhat oversized box, with a blue cartridge. I also ordered the converter that allows you to use bottled ink as I have a lot of lovely ink and a dislike of most blue cartridge ink. Duly excited by a new pen, I loaded it up with some Poussière de Lune by J Herbin and had a go.

Pen and over-sized box

It was horrible. The moulded area near the nib was too far back for where I want to hold the pen and it dug uncomfortably into my fingertips. The weight was okay and the flow to the nib was good, but, the grip... I tried valiantly, writing a couple of sides of A4 with it and then gave up with sore fingers and scrappy-looking writing.

Anyway, for fullness of review, I’ll describe the pen. I ordered the black version, with an aluminium lid. The barrel has a ‘squared’ design, with two of the sides flat and the other two curved and the barrel tapers from tip to nib-holder. There is a firm screw connection between the nib-holder part and the rest of the barrel. There is an ink-viewer window in the barrel. The nib-holder is moulded and it was the end nearest the nib that did for me as the moulding is quite chunky and with quite sharp edges. I ordered the 1.1mm nib. The pictures below are taken from the Bureau Direct site to try and show the moulding.

Here is a comparison of my writing with a variety of nibs (both calligraphy/italic and normal). I vastly prefer my writing with an italic/calligraphy nib but given the choice between uncomfortable italic/calligraphy or comfortable non-italic/non-calligraphy, I would go for comfortable every time.

Overall:
No stars as I can’t use it. Maybe one star for the look of it, but that’s being generous.

Review of Sheaffer Calligraphy, fine nib

A while ago, I reviewed the Sheaffer Calligraphy pen with a medium (1.5 mm) nib. In that post I said that I would consider getting a fine nib for everyday writing (as the medium nib was too broad for my smallish handwriting).

Well, not long afterwards, I went ahead and bought one. They are fairly widely available, but I got mine for just under a fiver from Amazon, including P+P.

It comes in a card-backed blister pack and the pack contains the pen and two Sheaffer cartridges (which are different from both international standard and Parker cartridges) – one black and one blue. However, once I had opened the pack, I moved the cartridge I had in the medium-nibbed Sheaffer calligraphy pen (which had been filled with Diamine steel blue ink) and cleaned the medium nib (it is really too big for everyday writing. I will ressurect it if/when I start doing calligraphy again).

Blister pack

Unpacked. Top (L-R): black cartridge, blue cartridge, nib, cap
Bottom: barrel (showing cut-away)

The pen is lovely. Like the medium-nibbed version, it has a rubberised grip and is extremely light in the hand. There is a cut-away so that you can see how little/much ink is left in the cartridge. The nib is 0.8 mm wide which is a perfect width for my (admittedly quite small) writing. Here you can see a comparison of the medium nib and the fine nib:

Top: medium-nib (1.5 mm)
Bottom: fine nib (0.8 mm)

There's no denying it is a basic pen – plastic barrel and no presentation box (though sometimes, the presentation box is so not worth it! Yes, Ohto Tasche, I'm looking at you), but the nib lays down enough ink even with my fairly rapid writing (unlike the medium-nibbed version) and it is smooth and comfortable to write with. For less than a fiver, it is a great little pen!

[I have no affiliation to Amazon]

Reviews of the Ohto Tasche fountain pen and J Herbin Poussiere de Lune ink

More stationery reviews! This time it's the turn of the Ohto Tasche pen and the J Herbin Poussiere de Lune ink. Click on any picture to enlarge.

I got the Ohto Tasche pen from Cult Pens and the Poussiere de Lune arrived as a consequence of some of the most fantastic customer service!
In a previous post, I had described the J Herbin diabolo menthe ink, which I got from The Journal Shop. I posted my review and then Tweeted its emergence into the world. The Journal Shop saw the post and noticed that I had bought two tins of the diabolo menthe ink (and hadn't much liked it). They asked if I wanted to swap one of the tins for another colour. There followed some brilliant, late-Friday-night tweet-exchanges, discussing the pros and cons of different colours and The Journal Shop pointed me in the direction of some ink reviews. The upshot of all this was that I decided I would swap the diabolo menthe for a tin of poussiere de lune. They promptly sent me out a tin of the cartridges and a pre-paid return envelope for the return of the diabolo menthe. How fantastic is that!!??

So, now I had a new fountain pen (the Ohto Tasche) and a new colour of ink to play with. Happy, happy, happy.

The Ohto Tasche
The pen came in a plastic presentation box, which I have to say looks cheap and nasty. And it is also about twenty times the size of the pen. I won't use it.

Nasty plastic box (bottom); gorgeous pen (top)

The pen itself is small and narrow-barrelled. The barrel is made of aluminium with the lower barrel in a natural finish and the other parts in a lacquered, glossy finish in a range of colours. I bought the blue barrel, but it is also available (from Cult Pens) in silver, black or pink. Capped/closed, it is tiny (just under 10 cm). It takes international standard cartridges (small) and they disappear into the nib part.

The nib+cartridge part has a base which screws on, covering the end of the cartridge and which the cap of the pen gets posted onto, to make the posted pen the full height. Posted, it is actually a little long in my hand and I almost prefer it un-posted, but then, maybe I'm a bit odd! Or maybe it's because my first favourite fountain pen was a platignum petite and it's ruined me for life!

L-R: cap, screw-on bit, nib+cartridge

Top: cap; bottom nib+cartridge with screw-on bit screwed on

All together!

All together plus ruler for scale

Un-posted plus ruler for scale

The nib is made of polished steel and is very smooth. It lays down quite a wet line (at least, it does with J Herbin ink) so left-handers may find they end up smudging their writing (depending on the ink used). The pen is light in the hand and lovely and smooth to write with.

J Herbin Poussiere de Lune ink
I think I should just give up doing reviews of ink as I am rubbish at being able to describe the colours accurately! The poussiere de lune is grey-purple. Dusk-coloured (which, as a physiologist I know is cobblers as the colour-detecting bits of the retina don't work at dusk!). What I mean is, it's the 'colour' that things look at dusk. And so I suppose it is perfectly named (moon dust)!

Although the (white!) paper is showing as dark, the ink colour isn't far off

Trying to show 'colour' and shading

Pretty close (on my monitor). Sorry it's blurred!

Another close-up. This is SO hard to photograph!

The 'colour' is gorgeous and quite dense for a greyish ink, with just enough purple/mauve in there to make it not exactly grey. Very beautiful!

All in all, both of them are fabulous!

[I have no affiliation to either Cult Pens or The Journal Shop; I'm just a very happy customer]