Do you use a fountain pen?

[C&C]

D-Angle said:

And can anyone recommend a nice dark green ink to go with it?

My favourite green at the moment is Graf von Faber Castell - Moss Green.

It's a really nice green and it also seems to have a good deal of what I think is termed "shading" (variance in colour depending on how much ink is on the page).

The Writing Desk have it available as a sample for £1.20, so useful to try out, or 75ml bottle for £22.80.
It's not cheap, but a bottle is going to last ages and it does look good.

GvFC Stone Grey is also excellent.

[Robbo 27]

[quote=C&C]

My favourite green at the moment is Graf von Faber Castell - Moss Green.

It's a really nice green and it also seems to have a good deal of what I think is termed "shading" (variance in colour depending on how much ink is on the page).

The Writing Desk have it available as a sample for £1.20, so useful to try out, or 75ml bottle for £22.80.
It's not cheap, but a bottle is going to last ages and it does look good.

GvFC Stone Grey is also excellent.
[/quote]

Thats a lovely colour and a good looking bottle which is going to be sellable on ebay when you are done, or to keep refilling with other inks.

I must stop thinking that a bottle of ink should be cheaper than the pen.

[Justayellowbadge]

Ordered one of these 159 jobbies to learn with:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Classic-Jinhao-159-M-Nib...

How the hell is it possible to manufacture and ship these for that???

How long do they tend to take?

[Robbo 27]

Justayellowbadge said:

Ordered one of these 159 jobbies to learn with:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Classic-Jinhao-159-M-Nib...

How the hell is it possible to manufacture and ship these for that???

How long do they tend to take?

Good choice, as big as the biggest Montblanc, good to use and has a prescence about it.

And on price I dont understand it either, to make these pens with lots of different processes, and I assume make a profit. I think the shipping is funded by the Chinese government, perhaps to fill up spare container space.

The bad news is that you may have to wait, 10-20 days is typical.

When it arrives, flush the pen through with warm water and a drop of detergent.

I have been asked about maintenance. I would flush out the pen after every other fill and give it a light buff with a traditional yellow duster or microfibre cloth. If it gets really mucky a light spray of multi surface polish, whatever is in the house but the best I have found is the W5 multisurface polishes from Lidl. There are many better and more specific polishes around for pens but for one pen that is fairly robust anyway, a household spray polish will do the job.

If the nib ever feels a bit scratchy have a look at the end to see if it lines up as OO, scratchiness can be removed by a very smooth stone such as flint, do figures of 8 for a minute with ink in the pen.

[Sway]

Robbo 27 said:

Justayellowbadge said:

Ordered one of these 159 jobbies to learn with:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Classic-Jinhao-159-M-Nib...

How the hell is it possible to manufacture and ship these for that???

How long do they tend to take?

Good choice, as big as the biggest Montblanc, good to use and has a prescence about it.

And on price I dont understand it either, to make these pens with lots of different processes, and I assume make a profit. I think the shipping is funded by the Chinese government, perhaps to fill up spare container space.

They won't be making a profit, indeed they will likely be making a loss.

However, this doesn't matter. It's about building the production lines and staff capabilities, and gaining market share. These effectively act as demonstrators of ability for more well known penmakers to outsource their production to. Those will make money.

Have to remember the Chinese think in multigenerational timescales, and are a communist state that has embraced capitalist international trading to support it, rather than becoming insular.

In some ways, the model is the same one that Amazon has taken. Sod making a profit, gain volume and market share and use the revenues to drive the operational development. Then, when appropriate, leverage those volumes to turn a massive profit at the right moment in time once the market would find it difficult to extract themselves.

[AlexC1981]

I come away from the thread for a couple of days and it's been busy!

Robbo 27 said:

I have just a had a look through my nibs and cannot find an osmiroid in case you wanted to replace it with an original, others may fit.

Impressed on the removal of the lever. This is often very fiddly work and turned away by some pen restorers. If ever you see a Conway Stewart Dinkie with a broken lever walk away however low theprice, they are nearly impossible to replace die to the thinness of the barrel and the fragility of the material.

Looking forward to the after pics.

Thanks Rob. The nib looks fine to me. It's the bite dents and the lever slot splay out that will be the biggest problems. I might put a post up about plastics in the Science sub-forum tomorrow. I've had a few more pens arrive that need a some work, but nothing as bad as the Osmiroid. I've had no time this week to spend on them so I had better not look for anything new for a while! Some of them just need a light clean and a new sac. First I need to do a bit of reading up on how to use shellac properly.

All my kit has arrived too and I forgot to mention that I bought section pliers from Pendragons. They have already proved their worth twice. The ultrasonic cleaner has also been a really good buy. When you think you have something perfectly clean it miraculously manages to get a bit more dirt out.

[AlexC1981]

Sway said:

Finally had a chance to catch up with colleague. He's brought me some goodies!

You had an excellent haul there! I like the Ellipse. Shame they are so rare!

[AlexC1981]

Robbo 27 said:

D-Angle said:

I have just ordered this Jinhao 699 for Mrs D-Angle, as she loves all things green and my 159 is a bit hefty for her:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/311321634090

Anyone got the 699 that can give me some feedback? And can anyone recommend a nice dark green ink to go with it?

I think that the 699 is the metal version on the 599, which is generally pretty good. The nib looks very fine, so would suit people with smaller handwriting.

Huge choice here from the Writing Desk, to my eyes the Writing Desk Umber looks good if you like a dark green.

100ml with a fine nib will last you an eternity.

https://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/showproduct.php?b...

Edited by Robbo 27 on Friday 21st April 18:42

The two hooded Jinhao's I bought have fine and extra fine nibs. They are not as pleasant to write with as a medium. The XF is 0.38mm and is almost like writing with a needle!

[Sway]

AlexC1981 said:

Sway said:

Finally had a chance to catch up with colleague. He's brought me some goodies!

You had an excellent haul there! I like the Ellipse. Shame they are so rare!

Cheers.

The Ellipse is quite unusual compared to any of the other Parkers I picked up. Quite chunky, with a metal barrel, it has more 'presence' and heft than any of the others.

The nib too is quite an unusual shape, being more of a 'squat' triangle, and gives much more feedback than the others, all of which have that smooth solid writing with very little feedback I've come to associate as 'the way Parker do it'. Expressive is perhaps the word.

Plus it looks great. Smooth, deep laque finish, modern looks, etc. Struggle to understand why it was a flop!

Still, the better half has claimed it. Ordered her some Pelikan edelstein Aquamarine to go with it, then a couple of bottles of montblanc to add to my desk drawer.

Now just need to find some nice notebooks for other half and kids, and some form of folio/midori for me at work...

[Robbo 27]

Sway said:

Cheers.

The Ellipse is quite unusual compared to any of the other Parkers I picked up. Quite chunky, with a metal barrel, it has more 'presence' and heft than any of the others.

The nib too is quite an unusual shape, being more of a 'squat' triangle, and gives much more feedback than the others, all of which have that smooth solid writing with very little feedback I've come to associate as 'the way Parker do it'. Expressive is perhaps the word.

Plus it looks great. Smooth, deep laque finish, modern looks, etc. Struggle to understand why it was a flop!

Still, the better half has claimed it. Ordered her some Pelikan edelstein Aquamarine to go with it, then a couple of bottles of montblanc to add to my desk drawer.

Now just need to find some nice notebooks for other half and kids, and some form of folio/midori for me at work...

They are a good looking pen which now sells for more money than when new.

Much impressed by your enjoyment of pens, inks and writing, particularly as the family have embraced it too, something for everyone.

[Sway]

Cheers Robbo, what sort of dosh do they sell for? This one came new in gift box with converter for £20...

I write a load at work, typically in a spiral bound a5 notebook. Currently work are supplying the 5Star one, which I get no feathering or bleedthrough on.

However, I'd like a folio that can hold my phone, pen and better quality notebook but am struggling to find something that fits the bill. Anyone know of any decent leatherworkers in the UK (on etsy or similar) that could do one to my design for a reasonable price?

[Robbo 27]

Sway said:

Cheers Robbo, what sort of dosh do they sell for? This one came new in gift box with converter for £20...

I write a load at work, typically in a spiral bound a5 notebook. Currently work are supplying the 5Star one, which I get no feathering or bleedthrough on.

However, I'd like a folio that can hold my phone, pen and better quality notebook but am struggling to find something that fits the bill. Anyone know of any decent leatherworkers in the UK (on etsy or similar) that could do one to my design for a reasonable price?

Last one I saw went for £115, they are on ebay for £175 right now.

http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Parker-Ellipse-Blue-Laque-F...


In terms of a notebook, I asked a leather workshop if they could make me a Midori style notebook, just the cover, he thought that the problem would be sourcing 3mm hide, and couldnt make it for the Midori retail price.

Edited by Robbo 27 on Saturday 22 April 11:51

[C&C]

I finished the refurb on the unknown little pink pen with the 14 carat Degussa nib.

Pictures below (not greatest quality as taken with the phone rather than DSLR:

Taking it apart:

before_1 by conradsphotos, on Flickr

before_3 by conradsphotos, on Flickr


The state of the sac explains why it wouldn’t fill!

before_2 by conradsphotos, on Flickr


Lining up the sac length:

sac_length by conradsphotos, on Flickr


All the bits ready to go together:

parts by conradsphotos, on Flickr


With the french chalk for the sac, silicone grease for the pressure rod and shellac (a tiny dab) to fix the section in:

parts2 by conradsphotos, on Flickr


Back together again:

done by conradsphotos, on Flickr


Indication of size (my hands are not especially large):

in_hand by conradsphotos, on Flickr



Final polish:

done_1 by conradsphotos, on Flickr

done_2 by conradsphotos, on Flickr


Sample writing with the flexible nib.
It’s not great and tends to scratch on the upstroke, so will need to have a go at sorting this, but definitely not until I’ve had a lot of practise with some cheap nibs I’m not bothered about!

writing by conradsphotos, on Flickr

[Robbo 27]

Very impressive job C&C, this looks like a typically well made German pen, the makers havent skimped on the threads or quality of the plastics.

You may never know the makers name for certain, not that this really matters.

[ClockworkCupcake]

Great work, C&C.

I wonder if, by the small size of the pen and the ring on the cap, if this might have been a ladies pen possibly to be hung from a chain or something?

It looks like a lovely little pen though, and you've done a fantastic job on the restoration.

[C&C]

ClockworkCupcake said:

I wonder if, by the small size of the pen and the ring on the cap, if this might have been a ladies pen possibly to be hung from a chain or something?

It looks like a lovely little pen though, and you've done a fantastic job on the restoration.

Thanks.

Yes, I'm pretty sure it is a ladies pen, that's why I've given it to Mrs C&C.

She now has 3 although won't be using this one until I've got round to sorting the nib.

The other 2 are a new Monteverde Intima in PInk

and the 1940s Pelikan 140 I cleaned up earlier:
140_full_after by conradsphotos, on Flickr

By the way, although the Pelikan says OM on the pen, the nib is actually a Pelikan medium non-oblique (which is actually better for her to use daily, and it writes really smoothly).

I actually have another 1940s Pelican 140 that doesn't say OM on the pen, but actually has a Pelikan OM nib which is fun to write with, but not for everyday note-taking etc.

[Robbo 27]

[quote=C&C]

Thanks.

Yes, I'm pretty sure it is a ladies pen, that's why I've given it to Mrs C&C.

She now has 3 although won't be using this one until I've got round to sorting the nib.

The other 2 are a new Monteverde Intima in PInk

and the 1940s Pelikan 140 I cleaned up earlier:

By the way, although the Pelikan says OM on the pen, the nib is actually a Pelikan medium non-oblique (which is actually better for her to use daily, and it writes really smoothly).

I actually have another 1940s Pelican 140 that doesn't say OM on the pen, but actually has a Pelikan OM nib which is fun to write with, but not for everyday note-taking etc.



[/quote]

The posh name for the small ring is a chatelaine, I suppose it dates from the time when women never wore a jacket and wanted to have a pen to hand, so instead of a pocket clip a ring was used to attach to a chain. Actually your pen looks like the black end might unscrew so that it could be fitted with a clip, if that was your choice.

Good looking Pelikan, still made today and as good as ever.

Monteverdes have a mixed press, some have tendancy to write very dry so I would avoid some drier inks such as Pelikan and go for something with good flow and lubrication like Herbin or MB, Parker inks fall someway between the two, I hope it isnt a problem.

[C&C]

Robbo 27 said:

The posh name for the small ring is a chatelaine, I suppose it dates from the time when women never wore a jacket and wanted to have a pen to hand, so instead of a pocket clip a ring was used to attach to a chain.

Thanks for that Rob - learn something new every day.

Robbo 27 said:

Monteverdes have a mixed press, some have tendancy to write very dry so I would avoid some drier inks such as Pelikan and go for something with good flow and lubrication like Herbin or MB, Parker inks fall someway between the two, I hope it isnt a problem.

The Monteverde is loaded currently with Rohrer and Klingner ink - colour "Solferino" which is an interesting pinky/purple. Looks better in real life than on the colour indication on ink suppliers' websites.
It actually writes well - no hint of dryness, hard starts, or skipping, so Mrs C&C is very happy with it (which is nice).
I'll keep in mind the avoidance of dry inks in future though. Thanks.

[AlexC1981]

You've brought it back from the dead and it looks great! I really like that type of plastic that appears as if it has metallic pieces inside. I have only seen that style on vintage pens, nothing modern comes close. You can't keep calling it the unknown little pink pen, you'll have to give it a nickname....little pinkie or something.

I've got some pics to get up of my Osmiroid 65 that I've been working on. It's been a mission I can tell you!

[AlexC1981]

This is what arrived. Loads of scratches, nibble marks and dents from biting, ink stains, loose clip, disintegrated sac, splaying out around the lever slot, seam weld around the barrel, slight bananaring of the barrel end and a gummed up nib and feed.

s-l16001 by 1891CxelA, on Flickr

DSC00977a by 1891CxelA, on Flickr

s-l1600 by 1891CxelA, on Flickr

It had to be soaked prior to disassembly. This pen isn't casein, so the soaking didn't cause any problems. You can see the filler bar and the retaining ring in the photo. The splaying out to the lever slot was where the retaining ring is fitted so there must have been some shrinkage of the plastic over the years.

DSC00985 by 1891CxelA, on Flickr

Into the ultrasonic cleaner with some err........other things.

DSC00989 by 1891CxelA, on Flickr

The barrel had a drill bit inserted and clamped between two pieces of wood and left overnight on a radiator and taken off and left to cool. This was to straighten it and squeeze in the splaying out. No effect on the bananaring, but definite improvement to the lever slot. I didn't expect this to work so I was really pleased about this. A pity I didn't do this for the Eclipse that I shrank with hot water.

The barrel and to a lesser extent the cap needed a lot of sanding to get the dents out. This also helped with the bananaring as I pretty much had to reshape the entire end of the barrel. I used a big emery board and micro-mesh. The polishing was done with fine grades of micro-mesh, micro-gloss and finished with Renaissance Wax.

The plastic at the end of the barrel was getting a bit thin, so I dribbled in some hot glue to strengthen it and provide a cushion for the end of the J-bar. This didn't go smoothly as I overfilled it and had to painstakingly "drill" it out by using a drill bit by hand to get out the excess.

DSC01001 by 1891CxelA, on Flickr

I had already fitted the new sac, so that had to be taken off and cut down a bit. Discovered that the first time I had either used too wide a sac or not enough shellac as it came off easily. That could have been messy! I also had to trim the J-bar down due to the glue in the end.

I couldn't get the section back in the barrel, probably due to the barrel shrinking over time, or maybe the section had expanded during its soaking? I had to sand down the threads a bit as I didn't want to risk something splitting. Anyway, this is how it ended up. All this work for a pen only worth about £15

DSC01005 by 1891CxelA, on Flickr

DSC01024 by 1891CxelA, on Flickr

DSC01021 by 1891CxelA, on Flickr

The third photo makes it look like there is a massive gap around the lever bar, but fear not, it's just the patten.

I haven't filled it yet because the shellac is still drying. The nib looks good, but the feed has deteriorated a bit, so I am not sure yet if it will drip. I brushed a little shellac round it yesterday to strengthen it and to fill in some small cracks. It's a quick change type nib and feed cartridge, so it is very easy to change. It just unscrews from the front of the section. I'm bidding on a set of calligraphy nib cartridges on ebay, which should fit.

Edited by AlexC1981 on Sunday 23 April 22:52

Edited by AlexC1981 on Sunday 23 April 22:53