A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

[omasfan]

We all know that Pelikan is a very reliable but also a fairly traditional pen maker. Rafts of standard Pelikan M200s, M400s, M600s or, for those who love them big, M800s and M1000s bear witness to this. Ok, they come in an exciting array of colors that tickles the fancy of many a pen collector. But overall, if you got one M200 or M400 body you got them all. Nothing exciting about this quality-made but aesthetically humble evergreen pen.

 

These were (and are) my thoughts when I think of Pelikan. Don't get me wrong! I love my flock of avian German pens. They perform and are nice to behold! They never leave me in the lurch and they always take wing whenever their delicious nibs alight upon the paper. They are light and suffused by the beauty of consummate simplicity. These are no-frills pens that have stood and will stand the test of time.

 

BUT… even when considering all of the above, sometimes it is time for a change. I mean REAL change (not what you're hearing in stomp speeches for the presidency right now)!

 

I yearned for a Pelikan

 

1.) that was at first blush still a very simple and unassuming pen

 

2.) that would intrigue in terms of color

 

3.) that – once the cap was removed- would reveal itself as a wolf in sheep's clothing and make the onlooker stop dead in his or her tracks.

 

4.) whose nib would do something absolutely crazy.

 

 

In a nutshell, I wanted a camouflage Pelikan that would somehow betray a surprise factor and still be usable for a somewhat reasonable purpose.

 

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q313/wlueckel/DSC_0233-1.jpg

 

 

A few months back I acquired a Pelikan M200 "citreopers" (?) in lemon yellow. I was intrigued that this simple and yet well-rounded pen was available in this gaudy and rarely-seen color. I knew that this pen would be the base from which to form my special Pelikan.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q313/wlueckel/DSC_0242-2.jpg

It then dawned on me, that I had once acquired some Noodler's Firefly ink. Although I am not a Noodler's fan in general but rather somewhat of a detractor of Noodler's poor drying behavior (in my opinion! Others might have different experiences), I have to admit that the Firefly highlighter ink is pretty cool. It glows radiantly and it is a mesmerizing brew. Its drying behavior is also impeccable. Now, I had the pen and seemingly an ink that matched the pen perfectly. However, this ink seemed only be suitable for highlighting. Writing with Firefly was a senseless endeavor as one can barely see the writing. For highlighting, the ink's first and foremost purpose, I unfortunately lacked the proper nib. The broadest I had at the time was a Pelikan double broad nib. A nicer writer but a far cry from possessing the width of a true highlighter nib. Alas, there was no factory nib that would possibly slake my desire to do highlighting with a fountain pen.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q313/wlueckel/DSC_0240.jpg

One day I stumbled upon Richard Binder's blog and found an entry about a highlighter nib that he had created. I was so intrigued by the design that I needs wanted to have one as well. All of a sudden things fell into place: My yellow Pelikan, my yellow ink, and now this special nib would yoke pen and ink together. There it was, my very special camouflage Pelikan.

 

I therefore sent Richard my Pelikan M450 18k BB nib. He had the nib retipped as he needed more tipping material to create the very special 4mm highlighter nib. According to him, creating such a broad nib requires a lot of work until it lays down an even line.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q313/wlueckel/DSC_0239.jpg

Fast-forward to today, after a 17 weeks' wait: my nib arrives and I unpack it with rapt attention and with forceful jerks of my hands. Then there it is: a monster en miniature! Broad and beastly, a behemoth of nibdom and furthermore yet another of Richard's masterpieces.

 

I anon screwed the unit into my Pel. and filled it up with ink. Then I became witness to the most unusual velvety-flowing nib that I have ever held in my hands. This nib has only one slit but it supplies plenty of ink for the whole 4mm of its tip. It does not skip a stroke and it lays down a nice wet (but not too wet) line. It is the perfect highlighter. Furthermore, you can actually write with this thing. It is impractical to use it as a writer but you can if you like that option.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q313/wlueckel/DSC_0241-1.jpg

The most unusual thing about this nib is that Richard Binder transformed its shape below the breather hole into something unheard-of. He flattened the two tines to make them wider and then he magically worked the re-tipped area into shape. It puzzles me how he did it but the nib looks homogeneous and aesthetically pleasing. It nonetheless makes you do a double-take if you've never seen that kind of nib before. The tipped area of the nib is extremely carefully worked. From the outside, it looks as flawless as a brand-new factory nib could possibly look. Yet it is much better than that. It is silky smooth and catches on at all times.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q313/wlueckel/DSC_0230.jpg

The ink flow is just perfect, wet and solid but by no means flooding. When highlighting, the ink dries quickly in about 3-4 seconds which is perfect for highlighting.

 

For visual demonstration I have filled the pen with Pelikan turquoise instead of Noodler's Firefly. The yellow highlighter ink is just so hard to catch properly in a photograph.

 

This is by far the most unique gadget that I have in my collection of meistered nibs.

 

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q313/wlueckel/DSC_0236-2.jpg

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q313/wlueckel/DSC_0237.jpg

 

I just realized that my photography skills don't do this nib justice. There are some nasty shadows in some pictures that do not exist in real life. I apologize for the slight misrepresentation this might cause.

Edited January 8, 2008 by omasfan

[wdyasq]

Beautiful...

 

Thanks,

Ron

[greencobra]

Damn, some hilighter you have. I like your choice for the base pen. Congrats on owning this speciman and to Richard for the fine work.

[Chris]

Beautiful - and what a contrast to the "yellow plastic slug" that I read about elsewhere (lovely description).

Chris

[Rincewind]

Utterly insane! And yet, I love it...

[Keng]

What a wicked, wicked nib.......

 

and nice photography too..

 

Mike

 

 

edited for typo

Edited January 8, 2008 by Keng

[omasfan]

UPDATE: This thing goes a long way with a pistonful although one can see the ink supply shrink visibly as one keeps highlighting a lot. I cannot see this nib make a lot of sense without a piston-filled fountain pen, though, as it is truly a guzzler.

I've switched back to Noodler's Firefly for good after having cleaned the pen of the turqoise. The ink window now shows an eldritch yellow glow. Ghastly and yet godly!

Edited January 8, 2008 by omasfan

[jmkeuning]

It is beyond comprehension how the ink gets distributed across those "tines" - seriously, I am confused!

 

I think the nib looks great. I especially like the tapered "waist," I do not recall that the previous one had this shape but I really like it!

[Lloyd]

That looks more like a beaver than a pelican.

http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/970/90065972.JPG

Edited January 8, 2008 by Lloyd

[Leigh R]

I want one!!! Thank you for the review and the pictures.

[R.ticle One]

Holy Smokes! I can see what you mean by impractical for normal writing use - unless you're penning a small poster...Great and unusual nib, though!

 

R.ticle One

[Ghost Plane]

Drop in another notch of flap and ease the throttle forward, you'll be airborne! Yeow!

[Opus104]

That looks more like a beaver than a pelican.

 

Excellent. I think we have a new specialty nib name for Richard . . .

[Judybug]

Astounding! And in a pinch it could double as a shovel in the garden.

 

Judybug

[omasfan]

That looks more like a beaver than a pelican.

http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/970/90065972.JPG

 

 

:roflmho: Maybe, if we ask Richard nicely, he'll start listing this nib as one of the regular models on his web pages. The "beaver" sounds good as a moniker.

[omasfan]

It is beyond comprehension how the ink gets distributed across those "tines" - seriously, I am confused!

 

I think the nib looks great. I especially like the tapered "waist," I do not recall that the previous one had this shape but I really like it!

 

 

Believe me, I am confused too. But then we are just the users and can enjoy what Richard's imaginative mind and adroit hands have produced. The waist is truly sexy! It is hard to discern from Richards' blog photo, if this nib has the same waist or not. It doesn't seem so, but then pictures can be deceptive.

[michael_s]

Reminds me of a flathead screwdriver

 

-Mike

[FrankB]

omasfan wrote:

 

"A few months back I acquired a Pelikan M200 "citreopers" (?) in lemon yellow. I was intrigued that this simple and yet well-rounded pen was available in this gaudy and rarely-seen color. I knew that this pen would be the base from which to form my special Pelikan."

 

"Gaudy?!" Really? I like yellow pens a lot, and I consider them bright, but not gaudy. Especially when they come in the familiar conservative form of a Pelikan.

 

I, for one, do not overuse the word "awesome." That nib is absolutely awesome. I thought my 2.7mm Rotring ArtPen nib was something to behold. I think I want one of those 4mm nibs.

[WillSW]

Commenting on the proposed name of this nib, I don't know if we want the phrase "Nathan is gonna fill that sexy-waisted beaver with his special ink" to be repeated in any form. Though we are just discussing nibs...

[Rincewind]

 

Commenting on the proposed name of this nib, I don't know if we want the phrase "Nathan is gonna fill that sexy-waisted beaver with his special ink" to be repeated in any form. Though we are just discussing nibs...