Pens

[cardigankid]

Recently bought a Graf von Faber-Castell for Bentley, centenary fountain pen and roller pen set. I'm very pleased with them, anyone want to see a pic?

[8Ace]

Check out Pilot pens - brilliantly made and write really nicely.

The capless pens in the link below are a bit unusual as the nib disappears, so they click like a ball point but a nib slides out.

https://www.cultpens.com/c/q/brands/pilot/pilot-fo...

[Robbo 27]

Snubs said:

Holy thread revival Batman etc etc, but i was hoping fro some advice...

The OH is going back to University (Oxford University, no less) to undertake a second Masters. As such, i would like to buy her a fountain pen. She has a few already but rarely uses them as she has very small handwriting and typically finds that fountain pens don't write finely enough to make her tiny letters clear. So i have two queries:

1. Any suggestions as to a fountain pen that may write finely enough; or
2. Suggestions as to any particularly good shops to go to where i might be able to find one myself. I'm in Birmingham City Centre, Cheltenham and London (around Liverpool Street Station) fairly regularly so any recommendations in those areas would be great.

Thanks!

The nib is what dictates how finely the pen might write so you are looking for a pen maker that offers a range of nib sizes offering at least Fine and Extra Fine. Beware that German pen makers Fine nibs write much more like a Medium for everyone else.

Bricks and Mortar pen shops are getting few and far between with the loss of Pen Friend and the Pen Shop is not what it was.The Pen Shop has a branch in Great Western Arcade in Birmingham, Montblanc are in the Royal Exchange near Bank.

One company offering excellent service is the Writing Desk and they have a new range of pens called Esterbook, the nib range is excellent and something like this pen might fit the bill

https://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/pens/fountain-pen...

They would also offer a matching tan notebook by Midori.

https://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/notebooks-paper/n...


Completeing the picture would be some new ink, perhaps Graf von Faber Castell Cognac

https://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/ink-refills/fount...



Another maker to consider is Pelikan, they make a very good looking pen M400 in tortoiseshell and white

https://www.purepens.co.uk/collections/fountain-pe...

If you are selecting a nib for the Pelikan go for extra fine and buy some Pelikan Edelstein ink.

All this gets very expensive very quickly but if you have anything left I would buy a single pen leather case, there is a large range available to you, they keep the pen looking good and protected.

https://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/writing-accessori...


A pen to avoid that is readily available is the Parker Sonnet, some people have no problems but others report leaks of ink into the cap and poor quality control.

If anyone else is in the same position of wanting a very fine writing pen of good quality but at a much lower price then you would not go far far wrong with a Jinhao 911, amazingly cheap at £1.50 including postage, good looking pen in a classic design. This pen will last a lifetime for less than the price of a cup of coffee.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jinhao-911-Steel-Founta...




Hope this helps.

Edited by Robbo 27 on Saturday 24th August 06:25

[trando]

My pen collection for anyone that's interested. Ranges from v cheap to fairly expensive and includes some interesting examples:

[Robbo 27]

An interesting collection, thanks for posting. It looks like a couple Dunhills there and Montblancs, would you say that they are worth the cost. I have 149s and they work superbly but at £700 they take some justifying.

[trando]

Robbo 27 said:

An interesting collection, thanks for posting. It looks like a couple Dunhills there and Montblancs, would you say that they are worth the cost. I have 149s and they work superbly but at £700 they take some justifying.

Yes the Dunhills are both Sentrymans. One is a carbon fibre rollerball and the other is a smaller sized one, which I don't use! There's also an R De Cartier ballpoint in there and as you say a couple of Montblancs. To be honest, I bought them because I like them and a bit like cars, I do realise I'm never going to get back what I spent on them. The best one for writing I think is the Dunhill Carbon Fibre rollerball and I use that most of the time.

My favourite pen amongst all of them is the Pininfarina designed everlasting pencil. Beautifully designed and very cool to use...

|https://thumbsnap.com/VBQLPZcH[/url]

[url]

[Robbo 27]

First time I have seen one of those, thought it looked fantastic, especially when people say that there are no new designs in pens and pencils

There is also a pen made by Pininfarina, I think they look good

[trando]

Robbo 27 said:

First time I have seen one of those, thought it looked fantastic, especially when people say that there are no new designs in pens and pencils

There is also a pen made by Pininfarina, I think they look good

Yes, same as mine. It's an 'everlasting pencil'. No lead - the tip is made from ethergraf, which never wears out. Very clever stuff...

[SVS]

Snubs said:

The OH is going back to University (Oxford University, no less) to undertake a second Masters. As such, i would like to buy her a fountain pen.

How about an Oxford University pen. Google shows the University of Oxford online shop sells several, covering a wide price range.

[HotJambalaya]

Anyone know where’s best to sell now? Some of the auction houses used to have pen and/or lighter auctions but they seem to have dried up. Thinking of selling a few Mont Blanc limited editions

[Robbo 27]

HotJambalaya said:

Anyone know where’s best to sell now? Some of the auction houses used to have pen and/or lighter auctions but they seem to have dried up. Thinking of selling a few Mont Blanc limited editions

As you say, Bonhams used to do pen auctions but I havent seen any for a while.

Join Fountain Pen Network, you need to be a member for 3 months (I think) and post 30 qualifying posts and you can then sell on their Classified section without charge apart from paypal fees.

There are buyers of quality pens and MBs are always sought after, you will need to have all the documentation because these pens are often faked, people are nervous. There is one buyer who sells at pen shows throughout the country, and in the US, I dont think it is right to name him in open forum, i can see him on twitter and instagram, if you want his name send me a PM.

There is always ebay but I dont think I would risk selling a £1000 pen to half the scrotes on ebay.

[HotJambalaya]

Robbo 27 said:

As you say, Bonhams used to do pen auctions but I havent seen any for a while.

Join Fountain Pen Network, you need to be a member for 3 months (I think) and post 30 qualifying posts and you can then sell on their Classified section without charge apart from paypal fees.

There are buyers of quality pens and MBs are always sought after, you will need to have all the documentation because these pens are often faked, people are nervous. There is one buyer who sells at pen shows throughout the country, and in the US, I dont think it is right to name him in open forum, i can see him on twitter and instagram, if you want his name send me a PM.

There is always ebay but I dont think I would risk selling a £1000 pen to half the scrotes on ebay.

Thanks, I've got the pens in their original boxes, not even opened, in the plastic. Shame really because as you say, people are going to have to open them to verify!

[Robbo 27]

HotJambalaya said:

Thanks, I've got the pens in their original boxes, not even opened, in the plastic. Shame really because as you say, people are going to have to open them to verify!

If you send me an email I will give you the name of a man that i think will be interested, he will need some pics.

He is on instagram and twitter, I suggest you contact him that way, its good timing because there is a big show in London early October, I would have thought that he might want some fresh stock to sell.

Best of Luck.