This is how I feel when I find the right pen. Just what I wanted. I’m sure you all feel the same way, complete with the elated expression and feeling. Now, it’s not just that gentleman in your life that will be delighted if you present him with a fountain pen, ladies have good taste, too! Celebrity-endorsed by Mrs. Grover Cleveland. Besides avid fountain pen users and connoisseurs, who endorses fountain pen usage nowadays? I …
From our home to yours: happy holidays to all our vintage pen fans, new fountain pen users, and those who have yet to discover the wonderful world of fountain pens. We wish you all the best for the new year with peace, blessings, and of course, vintage pens and inks!
This very interesting ad shows off the Parker Lucky Curve fountain pen, designed with a feed tube that was curved to touch the barrel wall. Where other fountain pens didn’t have this, when they were placed nib up in a pocket, there was a space with air, and the pooled ink at the bottom. If all the ink wasn’t drained from the feed before the body heated up the air space, the air would expand, …
This is a question that many fountain pen lovers have asked themselves at some point. Who invented these wonderful writing instruments? Many think it’s L.E Waterman, and why not? Waterman is a well-known company. It was a Romanian inventor, Petrache Poenaru, who received a patent from the French government on May 25, 1827. His fountain pen had a barrel made from a large swan quill, invented to help him save time while taking notes. It …
Myrna and I, here at gopens.com, are featured in the current edition of Pen World, Volume 28, #1. Pen World has been publishing for more than a quarter century, bringing together the writing culture and sharing new pens, vintage pens, paper, and more. Myrna and I talk about what we collect, how we started, and even suggest some hints as to which pens you may want to consider collecting. Let us know what you think …
The holidays are coming up fast! Need some help picking pens? The December 2014 Catalog #73 opens 11:00 am on December 2nd, for subscribers, and December 8th for non-subscribers. You can always browse the other active Catalogs #72, #71, #70, #69 and #68 (10% off Catalogs 68 through 70). Do you like 1930’s Pelikan 100’s and 100N’s? See the photo below. Click here for more information on becoming a subscriber and getting first dibs on the catalog goods.
A lot of the modern ink bottles in use today are reminiscent of vintage ink bottles. One in particular that gets a lot of attention are the ink bottles (and inks) produced by P.W Akkerman in The Netherlands. Jif-Waterman was a French subsidiary of Waterman who produced this long neck reservoir ink bottle we all love today. The neck reservoir is filling by tilting the bottle and the glass marble in the neck traps the …
The Signagraph machine is a unique and intriguing item. It was meant as an early office labor saving device because it allowed a user to sign from five, ten, or twenty checks at a time. The machine follows the motion of the hand of the user and all the other pens write as one. The Signagraph had eyedropper of lever-fill pens that were mounted into a wooden carrying case. There were some Signagraphs in which …
I recently posted about our Catalog #70 sale (10% off remaining items), which includes three Waterman Ink-Vue demonstrator fountain pens. There are a variety of filling mechanisms available on fountain pens and these Ink-Vue demonstrators are designed to show off Waterman’s vacuum-fill mechanism, their answer at the time to Parker’s Vacumatic-fill pens. The Ink-Vue employs a lever near the bottom of the pen which is unfolded and then pumped. Each stroke depresses a press-bar which in turn evacuates air from a diaphragm (aka …
As avid fountain pen lovers, we want to wish you a warm and inky Fountain Pen Day! We hope you are able to celebrate this fine day with a smooth nib and a nice bottle of your preferred ink! Warm regards, Gary & Myrna
