I love the look of fountain pens, but don’t they always leak? A leaking fountain pen is a sign that something is either broken, misaligned, or you’re throwing it around too roughly. A fountain pen with a nib and feed that are properly aligned and fitted into the section properly should not leak if carried with care. If you drop your fountain pen, it’s possible some ink will splatter into the cap and then …
Waterman has been around for a long time, being one of the first companies to produce fountain pens (arguably even the first!). That’s one of the reasons I love vintage Waterman pens: they’ve been around for so long! My Watermans are definitely the oldest pens in my pouch.
The 1945 Omas Colorado double-barreled vacuum filler qualifies as an extraordinary pen! It is a double-nibbed pen with a scissor barrel configuration (below: pictured open). Each section is marked with a red dot or a white dot to identify your inks and tell them apart. The pen is black with nickel-plated trim. Closed, it certainly looks like a pen but in its open configuration, it’s tricky. The nibs are medium/fine. Orlando Quadretti has been credited as the …
I’m interested in buying a vintage pen, but I want a pen with the easiest filling system to use and take care of. What would you recommend? The eye dropper filling system was the first found on fountain pens. They are easy to use in that they are easy to fill – you simply fill the barrel with ink and screw it closed, and they are easy to clean – open the barrel up and …
Ink shading is something a lot of people look for when they are using a flex nib. Flex nibs tend to highlight shading because of the line variation – the variation in wetness and line size changes the saturation of the ink, resulting in shading. Personally, I love it. I know some people who hate it and want a solid line. If you are looking for an ink that will shade well with your flex …
Pen #5 – 1950s Montblanc Meisterstück 144 piston-filler in light green straight striped celluloid. To match the body’s beauty, the nib is a broad, oblique italic. Overall condition is near mint. Note the difference in the green striped celluloid between pen #5 and pen #7 – the light green straight striped celluloid compared to green striped (also lovely, but quite different). We sometimes find great vintage pens, but discover the celluloid has discolored (perhaps through UV exposure/celluloid disease). This …
Why are some nibs smoother than other nibs? A great question – many people seek smooth nibs, whereas others like nibs with a little feedback. The tipping on the end of the tines are finely polished – the more polished they are, the smoother the writing experience tends to be. Nibs that offer feedback feel a little more ‘toothy’ than smooth nibs, because they are not as polished. There is the risk of over polishing …
Maybe you’re not interested in flexible nibs. That’s okay. I can look past that and still like you. However, vintage pens offer much more than just flex nibs! You can also fine hard nibs as well, like this Pelikan below with a hard extra-fine – it’s precise and crisp, much like the modern Pilot PO nib. The best of both worlds, of course, is having one of each.
Montblanc still makes beautiful pens today, but if you want a truly stunning, unique celluloid Montblanc specimen, this 1930s L30 Meisterstück is a great one. The push-knob-fill set is in rare black and pearl celluloid in near mint condition, with matching pencil. Aside from the gorgeous celluloid, the pen is fitted with the original broad, oblique italic nib – excellent for signatures and expressive writing. While celluloid can discolor and fade, this particular pen is …
What is a good nib for signatures? A nib that is expressive and offers a lot of character can make your signature look outstanding. If you don’t already have a nib preference, try out a stub/italic nib on the broader side, perhaps with a little flexibility to it. The natural line variation will highlight the variation in the ink saturation, and with some flex, you can push that even further. Of course, any fountain …
