What does a ”special edition” pen mean? Unlike limited edition pens that are only produced in a certain quantity, special editions are often produced by a company for a set period of time – such as a year. It could also be that there is no specified number of pens to be produced, but the company will manufacture pens based on how many they can produce out of the raw material they may have.
What is Superchrome ink? Superchrome was a special ink created exclusively for the Parker 51. Parker made several claims about this ink: it dried three times faster than ordinary ink of the time (such as Waterman), it had a dye content three to ten times greater, and was said to have eleven times more resistance to fading than government standards.
Why is there always ink in the cap of my pen? This can happen for a number of reasons, which generally involve ink on the nib and feed: ink left on the nib after filling, then being capped, ink left in the feed after filling (and not expelling the excess that saturated the feed), then being capped, the pen being tossed around in your bag/pocket/case and splattering ink from the nib and feed into the cap. It’s …
How do I fill my eyedropper pen? The great thing about eyedropper-filled pens is they’re so simple! Uncap the pen and unscrew the section. Hold the open barrel upright to do this, of course. You can use a glass pipette if your pen was supplied with one, a plastic pipette, a syringe, or you can even pour ink in directly from a small container (if you’re careful). Fill the barrel nearly to full. Try to keep …
I sometimes see vintage inks for sale – are these safe to put in my pens? Do they expire? Quite a few people still use vintage inks in their pens. There are antimicrobials added to inks to preserve them, such as fungicides. ”Contamination” can occur, and your ink can spoil, slime can develop in the bottle, as well as mold. If you see any such contamination, the ink needs to be disposed of …
If I plan on selling my pen later, should I keep the box and papers? If you already know you want to sell a pen, you should certainly keep the original box and papers, as this will add to or raise its value, depending on the pen. Some collectors will only purchase a pen that comes with its original box, and others are more interested in owning the pen itself. It depends on what you …
What’s the difference between an ebonite feed and a plastic feed? Ebonite is a hard rubber, which can typically be molded to the shape of the nib using heat. This is beneficial if you have nib work done, or if your nib is damaged and needs repair. Both can provide optimal ink flow, so long as they are properly coupled/set to the nib. Ebonite can saturate with an ink, whereas plastic feeds tend to …
Do all vintage pens have flexible nibs? No, and just because a nib is 14KT gold doesn’t guarantee it will be a flexible nib either, so unless you know what kind of nib you have, it’s not always a good idea to test it with pressure! Some vintage nibs were made to be quite rigid intentionally, such as Accountant nibs/Manifold nibs.
What is Urushi lacquer? Urushi lacquer, often used on Japanese pens by Nakaya, Danitrio, Platinum, and more, is made from the sap of the urushi tree. It’s thick and takes a lot of care and patience to work with this substance when making an Urushi lacquered pen. You often find pens that are Urushi lacquered are costly – we must consider the hours of time a pen maker has spent on these pens!
My boss told me I can only use work-appropriate colors. What qualifies as work-appropriate? Although it may seem boring, work-appropriate is usually black, washable blues, blue-black, and red if you really need to highlight something.
