My Swan fountain pen has a weird black rod on top of the nib. What is that? Mabie Todd pens sometimes have an under over feed – in addition to the feed that the nib sits on, there is a feed on top to guarantee ink flow as the nib is flexed. There were also Gold top feeds – a thin gold channel on top of the nib, which served the same purpose, by moving …
I love this quote. I saw it while reading a fountain pen book and thought it was great, and very true. I don’t know what my dream nib is, because I like too many – sometimes I like really broad, crisp nibs, and sometimes I like fine, flexible nibs. I want them all! Do you have a dream nib?
Catalog #76 for September 2015 is open for viewing! I feel like this every time, but there are some truly outstanding and extraordinary pens to pick up, or just look at. Keep an eye out for some detailed posts of some of these extraordinary pens. Catalog #71, #72, and #73 have a 10% off sale on all remaining items, if you want to have a look there as well.
The clip broke on one of my vintage pens and I can’t find that clip as a spare. Will another clip fit? It’s possible another clip will fit, but it will depend on the clip. A lot of vintage pens are being sold as individual items or in lots as repair/spare parts, so if you keep looking, you might find the clip you need. You can still use your pen without a clip though! Some …
One of my favorite kinds of nibs: the music nib. I think they look great, they write so wonderfully, and that flex…! I know. It’s supposed to be for music nibs. One can do nifty things with an object, even if it is isn’t the intended use of that object, right?
Demonstrator pens were usually clear pen models used by sales clerks to show customers how the insides of a pen works, to show off the parts of a pen, how a particular filling mechanism worked, and more. Check out our post on Waterman’s Ink-Vue demonstrator pens. Some demonstrators weren’t clear, but were actually full pens with parts cut away so the inside could be seen. It wasn’t that long ago that this practice was stopped. …
What is an oblique nib? An oblique nib has a tip that is cut or ground at a slight angle, and the pen must be rotated slightly to achieve proper contact on the page. If you’re unfamiliar with this, it can look and feel funny, and it may take some practice to get the hang of it and become comfortable with using your oblique nib.
We have previously written about the Waterman 20S – a flask disguised as a pen. See the original post here! Visconti has just launched the Speakeasy – a modern take of that prohibition era pen, representing the Speakeasy establishments in the US. The back of the pen harbors a sanitized compartment for the beverage of your choice. This pen, like many other Visconti pens, is quite large.
If anything in Catalog #73 still remains and it has caught your eye, now is the time to have a second look. There are about 40 items in the Catalog, and all are 10% off. Have a look here. Catalog #71 and #72 are also on 10% off. Catalog #76 will open to the public at 11:00 am EST on Tuesday, September 1st. Subscribe here for early access.
