Paper Review - Il Papiro of Italy

Just a quick note to announce a new paper review which I have posted at the Fountain Pen Network!

You can read it here: Il Papiro of Italy - Luxury Writing Paper and Envelopes.

OMAS Princess #5

Recently another long-awaited OMAS Princess fountain pen joined my collection - a 1997 Arco Green Princess with gold-filled trim!



This is the fifth Princess in my collection, and the sixth OMAS celluloid I have had the pleasure of owning. The diminutive Princess and Dama models were released along with the Paragon as the Classic Celluloid Collection in 1991. The Princess is as beautifully made as the 1930s ring top models which preceded it, and there is nothing like it amongst modern OMAS offerings.

A 5-Piece Scarlet Red Classic Celluloid Set: Dama Ballpoint #C2811, Princess Ring Top Fountain Pen with Tassel #8141, The Paragon Fountain Pen #8711, Dama (Lady) Fountain Pen #8811, and The Paragon Rollerball #5711. (Photo © Unknown)

The Classic Celluloid Collection was a high-quality OMAS range which featured their faceted, twelve-sided (dodecagonal) design turned out in four beautiful celluloid stocks: Scarlet Red, Saft Green, Pearl Grey and Arco Bronze. Later, three additional celluloids were added – Blue La Royale, Arco Green and Senape Blue:



The Classic Celluloid Collection was discontinued in ~2002. All subsequent releases in these celluloids feature different models, including several revisions of the Paragon. Models and sizes can be confusing in regard to these OMAS pens, but as a general guide:

• The Princess is a clipless ring top, and it is tiny. It is 4.3" / 110mm capped.
• The Dama is also known as the "1930" model. It is a very small pen, and sometimes incorrectly referred to as the "Mini Paragon". It is 4.6" / 118mm capped.
• The Milord is the model sized between the Dama/1930 and the Paragon. It was not part of the 1991 collection.
• The Paragon has been revised several times. When part of the 1991 collection, it was 5.5" / 142mm capped.

My Arco Green Princess has a 0.3mm Stub nib, and both pen and nib were courtesy of Dillon Ang, who like myself, has long appreciated what a exquisitely crafted little pen the Princess is. I have a couple of nibs from Dillon now, and have been very pleased with them. The pen is inked with Diamine Umber, which goes beautifully with the grey-green Arco Green celluloid.

The older OMAS nibs are of a very high, if slightly inconsistent quality, while the newer (2000 onward) Bock nibs are more uniformly produced and inconsistencies have largely been eliminated. However, this is of little concern to me... every one of my OMAS pens has a customised nib. ;)

If you have very deep pockets, only one store which I am aware of has any stock of the celluloid pens left - Pens in Asia. Be prepared to spend up for one, NOS.

Nakaya Piccolo III - Review

I have just posted the review for my third Nakaya :

• Piccolo Chinkin Palmet - Shu with Colored Powders

Nakaya Piccolo II

Earlier this week my spectacular Special Order Nakaya Piccolo arrived! It is gorgeous.

A full Review has been posted over at the Fountain Pen Network. :)

May Collection Updates

I've been somewhat slack about posting of late, so let us see what updates we have for May...

INK - I can't believe I didn't post about my new inks. I recently ordered Noodler's Nightshade, Private Reserve Gray Flannel, Rohrer & Klingner Sepia and Rohrer & Klingner Smaragdgrün from The Inked Nib, with wonderful service from Natalie as per usual.

• Noodler's Nightshade: This is a dark red-violet, almost like a mixture of Noodler's Red Black and J. Herbin Moondust. Moderate shading, very well behaved. (Thank you to Gary for getting me interested in this ink. :)


• Private Reserve Gray Flannel: This is a medium gray, quite neutral, with perhaps a hint of a green undertone. Moderate shading, very well behaved, perfect flow.


• R&K Sepia: I recently finished a half-bottle of this ink which I traded for last year, so when I ordered a fresh bottle, I wondered if the colour would differ at all. I was glad to find that it didn't, because this ink is the closest replacement for Parker Penman Mocha that I have found. It's very slightly lighter than Mocha, but the colour is so close... that completely neutral, true brown with no red, orange or yellow undertones. Lovely! Rather strong shading, no feathering, quite free-flowing.


• R&K Smaragdgrün (Viridian Green): Initially, this was an odd colour for me to buy, but my collection was lacking a pure blue-green (not to be confused with green-blue / turquoise). This ink colour has grown on me, and is very reminiscent of Sheaffer Emerald, though the colour is slightly deeper and more intense - a great ink. Moderate shading, very well behaved, perfect flow.

NIBS - I completed a more comprehensive review of my Richard Binder Needlepoint nibs! I uploaded several pages of writing samples on different papers, as well as some close-up shots of those beautiful nibs. Read on... XXXF and XXXXF Round and Italic Points.

PENS - I picked up two more Japanese fountain pens last week, both Platinum brand, and both 1970's Sterling Silver models. The first is a Riviere model with small inlaid red accents on the cap, while the second model is unknown, with red urushi accents on the cap. Both are high-quality pens, and from what I can gather, they were originally sold in the ~15,000 ¥en range.

The Platinums should arrive next week, and I will definitely be photographing them and preparing a write-up. Not much product information for older Platinum models exists out there on the WWW, so unfortunately I will be limited to discussing the design and showing off pretty pictures! :)

Nakaya Urushi Cigar

I took some good photos of my new Nakaya today, and have posted a comprehensive review over at the Fountain Pen Network: Nakaya Urushi - Cigar Piccolo

Enjoy!

Mini Optima!

It arrived yesterday and I love it! The colour is just gorgeous!

Happy, happy, happy!

See my FPN Review for more information.

Aurora Arrived!

This week has been an extremely good week, pen-wise. I went to the Post Office yesterday morning, and got a very pleasant surprise when I discovered that my Aurora Sole Minima from Oscar Braun had arrived - two days before it was expected!

After I opened the package, I set up a camera, took some photos and wrote a fairly comprehensive Review, which I have posted at the Fountain Pen Network. Lots of nice photos are included.

I'm very impressed with the Sole Mini, and very, very pleased that I bought it!


Some Small Pens: Orange Marble Montegrappa Micra, Green/Black Pelikan M300, Aurora Sole Minima LE.

Overview: Sailor 1911M (Colors)

In my continuing quest for fountain pens with truly extra-fine nibs, I put a Red Sailor 1911M on my wish list, having read many favourable things about 14K Sailor nibs. I purchased the 1911M from the Pear Tree Pen Company, in addition to a handy Write Fill kit. James was very helpful and pleasant to deal with, as well as happy to share his knowledge about fountain pens with fellow enthusiasts.


In the hand, the 1911M feel is comparable to my Pelikan 250, but the Sailor is heavier – a plus, as Pelikans always feel too light to me. I don’t think the 1911M feels cheap; indeed it feels no cheaper than the 250. I did notice that the threads on the Sailor grip feel smoother than the Pelikan grip threads - you don’t seem to notice them so much. The cap posts firmly, and the pen is the same length posted as a M400. Without the cap posted, the 1911M has a perfect balance for me and feels great.

One interesting thing which I don’t remember reading about, is that the conical end caps aren’t actually black, although they do look it – hold them up to the light and they are an incredibly dark, yet translucent red.

The 14K EF nib is the real star of the 1911M and definitely produces a fine line – this was the selling point for me, and it lived up to my expectations perfectly. I find the Sailor nib to be a little springier than the 14K EF nib on my M400. Upside down, the Sailor nib produces a line width almost identical to my Binder 0.2mm XXXF Needlepoint nib, but the Sailor line is marginally thicker, and the nib slightly smoother! Another plus!

The 1911M fills via a small piston-converter, which is included. This will be a downside for some, but I don’t mind – I go through the ink faster, and get to change colours way more often than with my Pelikan’s.

Overall I’m really happy with the 1911M, and would like to get a second one in Yellow. :)

Review: Montegrappa Micra

I wrote a little review today for the Montegrappa Micra, a wonderful little fountain pen I picked up in February. I have also posted this review (complete with many pictures) over at The Fountain Pen Network: Montegrappa Micra

Rohrer & Klingner Ink - Pt III

Six Rohrer & Klingner inks arrived yesterday! As expected, the colours are beautiful and unusual.


Alt-Bordeaux (Old Bordeaux)
I am currently using this ink in a Pelikan M200 with an EF (more like a Fine) nib. Alt-Bordeaux is a rather remarkable colour in my opinion - it simply looks old. This is due, from my observations, to a particular edge effect which I can best describe as 'edge darkening'.

Alt-Bordeaux shows very nice shading, and the muted red-purple hue is attractive yet subtle. On cheap office/printer paper, the ink feathers ever so slightly. (This is hardly concerning, as Pelikan's Brilliant Brown ink also feathered on this paper when I tested it.) Alt-Bordeaux is also a close match for Sheaffer's discontinued Burgundy ink.

Alt-Goldgrun (Old Golden Green)
I just filled my Pelikan M400 with Alt-Goldgrun, and find it to be a beautiful, rich and warm yellow-green colour. It shades very nicely with an EF nib, and displays the same pretty edge effect which Alt-Bordeaux does. As with Alt-Bordeaux, this ink feathers slightly on cheap paper.

Scabiosa (An Iron Gall Ink)
This ink has been loaded into my Duke 2009 with a Fine-ish nib. The Duke has a small volume piston-converter, so the ink should be used up fairly quickly. I'll probably keep Scabiosa in the pen for three or four weeks, and then rinse the pen out thoroughly.

Scabiosa is not as thin as the Alt-Bordeaux ink, and I say this only because it does not feather slightly on cheap paper. The flow of the ink from the pen is no different to any other ink the pen has held. I would have to say that so far, Scabiosa is my favourite R&K ink colour. I don't have any other ink like this colour, so it's understated and subtle lavender-grey hue seems especially unique and interesting to me.

Of my inks, all the Rohrer and Klingner colours were an instant favourite. I will likely buy the entire colour range over time. This is the first time I have ever felt inclined to own every colour from one manufacturer. I will also certainly be buying multiple bottles of Alt-Bordeaux, Alt-Goldgrun and Scabiosa.

Duke Mini Torpedo / 2007

My Duke Mini Torpedo / 2007 arrived from HisNibs today - and what a gorgeous little pen it is! I absolutely love it! The cap-posting method was easy, I got the cap posted first try - it's a push-on, tiny-twist, slight-pull motion which is quite quirky.

I filled its aerometric filler with Private Reserve's 'Fiesta Red' and it writes like a dream. The nib is finer than I expected - which is excellent; because I was worried a Medium would be a bit much for me. The nib is glorious! SO SMOOTH. This Duke nib completely put to shame the brand new Pelikan 14K EF I received recently and had to return for repair.

As described on the HisNibs site, the appointments are copper, and the pen looks black, but the cap and barrel actually shimmer with a fine deep red sparkle when the light catches it - beautiful!

Wow - for a total of $45 Australian Dollars, the Duke Mini Torpedo is the sweetest fountain pen I have bought for a long time. I had excellent service from HisNibs also - Norman wrote a lovely note to me using my pen (I had asked that he test the nib) and he so cheerfully answered all my e-mails - superb service for an inexpensive item, and that made the whole deal even sweeter.

Overview: Pelikan M300, M400

Introduction
Available in half a dozen different sizes, and a few classic colours, the Pelikan Souverän line of fountain pens is popular and well-regarded.

Construction
The M300 and the M400 are very light pens, much lighter than I expected. I don't particularly think *quality* when I pick either one up. The barrels are made from plastic and thin resin. The cap, nib section, and filler-cap are adorned with gold-plated accents. The pens feature a piston-filler mechanism, which is a very nice touch. I don't think the barrel and plastic cap would wear very well over time. The finish seems like it would easily scratch. Careless handling could likely result in some damage to the plastic and celluloid/resin finish. I don't think words like 'sturdy' come anywhere near this pen - I fear I will over-tighten something and hear something split.

The Nib
The pens come standard with a finely engraved, two-toned Rhodium-masked gold nib. My M400 features an Extra Fine 14K nib, and my M300 a F 14K nib. Both are very pleasant, smooth nibs to write with. However, they are thicker than expected.

Summary
Whilst I like the Souverän M300 and M400 fountain pens, I am very glad I did not buy them retail in Australia, as upon inspecting them closely, I don't think they are worth the AU asking price. To buy the M400 here in AU, you need to pay $370AU, I paid $195AU online - huge difference. To buy the M300, you need to pay $320AU, I paid $180AU. Each price includes shipping to my door.

Nice pens, but I may take the Pelikan M320 and M450 off my wish list. Don't get me wrong - the Souveräns are well-constructed, finely crafted pens. I personally just prefer something that feels a little more sturdy in the hand.

A New Lepine Attila

Well, I have put my Pelikan Souverän M400 (White Honey) fountain pen order on hold for a month or so. Firstly, the vendor I had hoped to use appears to have some issues shipping to Australia, and secondly, a new Jean-Pierre Lepine fountain pen unexpectedly came my way last week instead!

I love my Lepine pens - I have an Indigo Murano Fountain Pen and a Attila Classic Rollerball. The Indigo fountain pen has a steel nib, and is a beautiful writer. The latest Lepine fountain pen is the Attila Classic in 'Champagne'. The Attila is a thick and stout little pen, measuring just over 5" when capped. It feels great in the hand. I had been looking for the Champagne colour for some time, and it was a stroke of luck that I found it, and that it was also on special - $70 off!

On a whim, I had phoned my favourite pen store to check the price of something, and to inquire about any Jean Pierre Lepine Attila's in stock. The store had a marble burnt orange, blue, and solid black in stock, none of which appealed to me. I asked if they would phone the other branch of their store, to see if they had the Champagne colour I really wanted. (Champagne sold out quickly, and is hard to get.) Within a few minutes they phoned back to say they actually had a forgotten Champagne Attila fountain pen in their store which was on hold for a customer - but that customer had exceeded the hold period, so they could offer it to me. Yay!


When I do get around to ordering my Pelikan M400, I will be getting the following along with it:

• J. Herbin ink, bottle, Vert Olive.
• Private Reserve, bottle, Shoreline Gold.
• Private Reserve, bottle, Fiesta Red.
• Private Reserve, bottle, Copper Burst.

Jean Pierre Lepine

A bit of a mini-review today - Jean Pierre Lepine is a French manufacturer I don't see much written about, perhaps because they make other items such as watches as well as writing instruments, and their designs are quite modern, and wouldn't appeal to everyone. (Such as the strange 'Cactus' series.)

I have a Indigo Murano Fountain Pen and a Attila Classic Rollerball - two pens which are more than excellent in my opinion. The pens are constructed from bright resins with chrome trim. Many colour choices and styles are available.

A couple of nice touches - The inside thread of the caps are metal - my Montegrappa Micra, at double the price, has plastic threads inside the cap. The Lepine's also have a small rubber gasket inside the barrel - the resin is protected from cracking and being screwed too tight around the barrel, and no leaking can occur around the threads.

The pens are small in length - the Indigo is just shy of 4", while the Attila is just over 4". I dislike long pens, so for me, these are perfect. With the cap posted, the Indigo is just over 5", and the Attila is 5 1/2". The Indigo fountain pen nib is superb and smooth. There is immediate flow when the pen is put to paper, with no skipping or scratchiness. The nib is stainless steel, nicely engraved, and a No 4 width, which is roughly equivalent to a Medium.

The Attila is a much thicker pen - beautifully weighted and nice to hold in the hand. I desperately want an Attila fountain pen, but they are hard to find. While I don't love rollerballs, the Lepine is very good - smooth and non-skipping.

Overall, two very pleasing pens, and I'm on the lookout for more.