Fwi Ebonite Pens Unveiled

[mchenart]

FWI stands for Fine Writing International, the firm set up by Rudy Lee to design and manufacture fountain pens and to import such brands as J. Herbin, Rohrer and Klingner, G. Lalo, Amatruda and Fabriano into the Taiwanese market. Although just slightly more than a year old, FWI has proved to be a formidable player in the field of high-end stationery here. Just like T.Y. Lee’s shop, the FWI store near the National University in Taipei is a warm and welcoming place for stylophiles of all ages.

 

As an avid collector of fountain pens, Rudy Lee has applied his vast knowledge of writing instrument as well as different materials to his own creations. So far he has designed pens in urushi, Maki-e, indigenous woods, antique bamboo, Damascus steel and other precious materials. Such is the flexibility of a small operation in an increasingly specialised (cornered?) market. His latest offerings of ebonite pens in three designs and 14 different colours are so good that I feel compelled to introduce them to members of FPN. Since his website is still in Chinese only and he is trying his best to satisfy demands from Taiwan’s pen circle, it is not sure when he will start selling to the rest of the world. We’ll see how things develope.

 

The ebonite rods are sourced from Germany because of their consistently high quality. One can select from a roster of monochromatic or marbled hard rubber, including a few colours that I did not know existed- Sand, Jaguar and Strawberry. Only black is not available as an option. One can also order a pen shape that suits his/her hand. There is a flat-top tubular model, a rounded top model with similar straight lines, and a cigar shape. While the flat-top and cigar models might resemble certain pen designs from Japan, yet they have been further refined in size and section to barrel transition to produce a writing instrument that is eminently usable. All the ebonite pens are clipless with capped lengths ranging from 15 to 15.5 cm, a barrel diameter of 15 mm and a cap diameter of 17 mm. Weigh is around 27-28 g, and they carry a price tag of US$500 to US$566 each.

 

Ebonite is such a sweet material to use on fountain pens; it is hard, tough, and feels warm in the hand. No wonder it has been used continuously since the early days of fountain pen history. Rudy realises that to extract the ultimate quality from a rod of raw ebonite, he would need to turn and polish it with extreme care. This is one area where the FWI pens really excell. According to Rudy, special ingredients have been added during polishing to make the pen body shine. All I can say is that they are finished to perfection. It is a pure joy to hold one of these pens in the hand and glide on the flawlessly smooth surface.

 

Onto the pictures, here is a lineup of some of the FWI pens being produced.

 

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/Ebonitegroup.jpg

 

The cigar shape is a tried and accepted design that balances well in one’s hand. Here are some of the cigar ebonite pens. Note that the marbled ebonite comes in swirls or ripple patterns.

 

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/EboniteCigar.jpg

 

A ‘Denim Blue’ cigar pen with same colour ebonite section installed.

 

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/Ebonitebluecigar.jpg

 

A rounded top design in ‘Strawberry’ colour for people who want more heft at the top.

 

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/Eboniterounded.jpg

 

The flat-top tubular pens are minimalist jewels. Clipless and straight-bodied, one cannot find a simpler form. I like it so much that I bought one in ‘Jaguar’ green. Here are the 'Sand' and 'Honey' colours with black ebonite section.

 

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/EboniteFlatSand.jpg

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/EboniteSand2.jpg

 

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/EboniteRedFlat.jpg

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/EboniteRedFlat2.jpg

 

The nib is a German made single tone one in 18 kt gold, imprinted with the initials of the firm’s name- F W. It is very smooth with consistent ink flow having been adjusted by the nib specialist, Lin Chien Chin. Only F and M widths are available at present.

 

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae33/mchenart/EboniteNib.jpg

 

I am not involved with FWI in any way, however one can safely deduce that I am a very happy customer who would like to make the brand known to a wider public. For more info on the company and their products, have a look at their website (in Chinese) :

Fine Writing Int.

[hari317]

Thank you for sharing his work with FPNers.

 

hari

[rao00010]

Thanks for sharing. The website is interesting to read after Google Translate.

 

sunil

[floydee1]

Interesting pens. What filling system is used in the pens?

[mchenart]

Interesting pens. What filling system is used in the pens?

 

Hi floydee1, the pens are all C/C filled. Since there is a metal sleeve that screws onto the barrel, I doubt if the pens could be converted into eyedroppers.

 

Oh, the feather on the nib is FWI's logo.

[jjlax10]

Am I correct that the pens are around $500 US?

[watch_art]

Those are beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

[PenandDesign]

Wow! If he could get a cheaper model of one of the solid ebonite colors for sale - even if it were with a steel nib - for sale internationally, I think they'd become immediate cult classics!

[mchenart]

Am I correct that the pens are around $500 US?

 

Yes, jjlax10, the pens are priced at $500 to $566 retail. If I understand correctly, the basic cigars and round-tops are priced at US$500, the flat-tops and 8-swirls ebonite are US$533, and if you want one with same colour ebonite section, it will be US$33 extra. These pens are not inexpensive, but because of the design and care that have gone into the manufacturing, quite a few have already been sold to Taiwanese pen lovers.

 

Wow! If he could get a cheaper model of one of the solid ebonite colors for sale - even if it were with a steel nib - for sale internationally, I think they'd become immediate cult classics!

 

Theoretically, the pens could be offered at a lower price if the 18 kt nib is replaced by a steel one, but I am not sure if Rudy wants to make this option available. He is on holiday now. When he returns, I will ask him to respond directly to that question.

Edited July 20, 2012 by mchenart

[PenandDesign]

Am I correct that the pens are around $500 US?

 

Yes, jjlax10, the pens are priced at $500 to $566 retail. If I understand correctly, the basic cigars and round-tops are priced at US$500, the flat-tops and 8-swirls ebonite are US$533, and if you want one with same colour ebonite section, it will be US$566. These pens are not inexpensive, but because of the design and care that have gone into the manufacturing, quite a few have already been sold to Taiwanese pen lovers.

 

Wow! If he could get a cheaper model of one of the solid ebonite colors for sale - even if it were with a steel nib - for sale internationally, I think they'd become immediate cult classics!

 

Theoretically, the pens could be offered at a lower price if the 18 kt nib is replaced by a steel one, but I am not sure if Rudy wants to make this option available. He is on holiday now. When he returns, I will ask him to respond directly to that question.

 

Thanks for the responses! I do hope he can work out some international trade, especially if it were reduced in price (a similar ebonite pen in North America, such as an Edison, costs $350 for a gold nib, and around $225 for a steel nib.) It would be interesting to see some of the other pens Rudy has designed; would you happen to have any info or pictures? I appreciate your helpfulness (and pictures!)

[rudylee]

Thanks for the introduction by mchenart and comments from FPNers. Just returned from a trip and I apologize for late reply to the post.

 

Ebonite is such a loved-and-hated material, loved because of its stability over time and corrisive resistant property, hated beacuse it's hard to produce and work with. Ebonite wears tool bits suprisingly fast and produces a hell-like sulfur smell. Good quality ebonite rods are less porous, contain less pits and impurities, but these defects will not show up until you start polishing the machined article.

 

Our ebonite pen has a size comparable to that Sailor's KOP. The photo shows a side-by-side comparison. Each pen is individually hand-polished to a high gloss finish, comparable to a Urushi-nuri look.

 

There are 3 types, cigar, flat-top and round-top, and 14 colors to choose from. I'm working on a English website and hopefully will start international trade soon. As for the pricing, it will take a smaller size of pen to meet the expection.

 

Meahwhile, I would like to share with FPNers some of our pen designs.

1. Tamenuri Urushi pen in aka and gold

 

2. Snakewood Pen with stainless Damascus steel. The Damascus steel is filled with urushi after etching to bring out contrast.

 

3. Bufflo horn with mokume, the mokume is sourced from the same makers as that of Willian Henry's pen.

 

4. Another Mokume pen with ebonite and letter opener

 

5. Bamboo pen with ebonite section

 

FWI also make one-of-a-kind pen wraps using exquisite silk dismantled from Yuzen kimono and Nishijin obi. I'll share some of the design in next post.

[Silvermink]

1. Tamenuri Urushi pen in aka and gold

 

*throws money at screen*

[LisaN]

1. Tamenuri Urushi pen in aka and gold

 

*throws money at screen*

Yeah.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

These pens are quite nice to look at. I want to wish you all the best, and next time I am in Taiwan, I will go and visit your shop since it is near where some of my family lives.

 

Dillon

[rudyhou]

Thanks for the introduction by mchenart and comments from FPNers. Just returned from a trip and I apologize for late reply to the post.

 

Ebonite is such a loved-and-hated material, loved because of its stability over time and corrisive resistant property, hated beacuse it's hard to produce and work with. Ebonite wears tool bits suprisingly fast and produces a hell-like sulfur smell. Good quality ebonite rods are less porous, contain less pits and impurities, but these defects will not show up until you start polishing the machined article.

 

Our ebonite pen has a size comparable to that Sailor's KOP. The photo shows a side-by-side comparison. Each pen is individually hand-polished to a high gloss finish, comparable to a Urushi-nuri look.

 

There are 3 types, cigar, flat-top and round-top, and 14 colors to choose from. I'm working on a English website and hopefully will start international trade soon. As for the pricing, it will take a smaller size of pen to meet the expection.

 

Meahwhile, I would like to share with FPNers some of our pen designs.

1. Tamenuri Urushi pen in aka and gold

 

2. Snakewood Pen with stainless Damascus steel. The Damascus steel is filled with urushi after etching to bring out contrast.

 

3. Bufflo horn with mokume, the mokume is sourced from the same makers as that of Willian Henry's pen.

 

4. Another Mokume pen with ebonite and letter opener

 

5. Bamboo pen with ebonite section

 

FWI also make one-of-a-kind pen wraps using exquisite silk dismantled from Yuzen kimono and Nishijin obi. I'll share some of the design in next post.

 

that's a VERY nice bamboo

[rudyhou]

i like the "feather" design on the nib. very nice.

[georges zaslavsky]

very nice pens thanks for sharing

[jakelogan]

A bit on the pricey side for a C/C, but I love how the colors appear on my computer screen.

 

If this was pushed into the $200-300 market, it would be extremely competitive but at the $500 mark you start to get into custom turns and Nakaya territory.

[humsin]

gotta go to your store when i visit taipei!

[Doug C]

A bit on the pricey side for a C/C, but I love how the colors appear on my computer screen.

 

If this was pushed into the $200-300 market, it would be extremely competitive but at the $500 mark you start to get into custom turns and Nakaya territory.

 

 

I guess I don't see these as pricy at all. Not cheap, but at a slightly better price point than Nakaya or Dani Trio for their basic models. If they are as good as they look, then I think their cost is appropriate.

 

I will find out soon since one of our New Mexico Pen Club members has just ordered one.