Has Anyone Heard Of Henry Simpole 2015

[Truffle Finder]

I am in the process of designing a pattern for an overlaid pen which I have been commissioned to make. The theme of the design has got to be :-' Ivy Leaves', which sounds all very simple, but I have never 'done' Ivy leaves before! So, I went to the local library yesterday afternoon, and looked at some gardening reference books, but I couldn't find anything which I could use. So I came back to the workshop, and sat at the computer, and googled it!

Almost immediately loads of pictures appeared on my screen, but then I was 'stuck'!!! How could I transfer the picture from the screen to paper? I was thinking about sticking pieces of tracing paper in my computer screen but......................

Just then, my phone rang, and it was my good friend Neal, and we chatted for a while, and then I explained what I had been doing before he phoned. The long and short of it was that he then talked me through the procedure, and low and behold, the printer started up, and produced several pictures that I had selected!

So, I now have enough material to do the design for the pens that have been ordered, "A small step for man, a giant leap for me!!!"

Thanks again Neal!

Truffle Finder.

[billydo]

"A small step for man, a giant leap for me!!!"

 

Lol! I'm glad you mastered it Henry! There'll be no stopping you now....

[billydo]

The formidable Faerie Series of pens!

 

Henry will be able to confirm but I'm sure that a couple of these beauties are still available.

 

 

[Truffle Finder]

Fortunately for me, I have another string to my bow!

Today's efforts at Portobello were pretty dismal, and there didn't seem to be any decent pens on offer, which might have compensated for the rather 'lack-lustre' day.

As I said earlier, I have been kept fairly busy over this last week, by being commissioned to make a pair of overlaid pens for a married couple who want to have a 'his and hers' pair of pens! I have already sent them copies of the patterns for the proposed overlays, and am now waiting for confirmation of their approval.

As and when I have got so far as to have made the 'flat' overlays, I will send them off to Neal for him to photograph them, and then perhaps he will post them on this thread.

Keeping my fingers crossed!

Truffle Finder.

[Truffle Finder]

I have been keeping fairly busy this week, working on the 'finishing' of quite a large number of over-laid pens in silver, which came back from the casters early this week.

I have also been working on the pair of commissioned 'bespoke' pens, the diagrams of which have been approved by the client. [This was quite a relief, as I hadn't heard from the lady for several days after I had sent the drawings off to her!] Anyway, having now spoken to her on the telephone, all systems are 'go', so that will probably explain why nothing much has been appearing on this thread of late!

As soon as I have completed the 'piercing-out' of each of the two pens, I will be sending the flat overlays to Neal for photographic records, so hopefully it will not be too long before some evidence of my efforts appear here!

Today up at Portobello, it was rather slow I'm afraid, I had taken absolutely nothing until an American couple turned up, and having talked for a little while, the gentleman looked through the 'better quality', higher valued vintage fountain pens in one of my folders, and then 'homed-in' on a French Watermans Edson pen in Green. He tried it briefly, liked it, and then decided to buy it!

Without a doubt, it saved the day!

Truffle Finder.

[Truffle Finder]

I was out shopping today, in my car, and when I got back home, I reached into the back seat well, to retrieve my shopping, and noticed on the floor a small cardboard box, with a yellow paper label attached to the lid. I must have picked up this 'little gem' quite a while ago, at an Antiques Fair somewhere!

The box contains 5 clear glass nibs, with screw threads at the base of each one, and the usual spiral ribs which go right to the tip of the nib. All of them have [as far as I can tell] never been used in [presumably dip pens], there are certainly no traces of any ink on any of them.

I can remember being told a very long time ago, that they were invented in Victorian times, but then were superseded by steel nibs. During the last 'unpleasantness' [the last world war!] they became popular again, [presumably as metals were difficult to get, in those austere times] and pen repairers would frequently replace damaged nibs with the glass ones. They obviously must have been used quite a lot, as I have frequently come across them in 1930's -40's fountain pens, and they would have been virtually indestructible under normal writing conditions, but if the pen was dropped on a hard surface it would have meant the end for that particular glass nib!

Truffle Finder.

[billydo]

So, Simpole lovers you wanted some colour in your pens.... well here you go, the William Morris now in red hard rubber! Also included is a one-off "artists example" Onoto Magna.

 

[esterbex]

Oh Santa Baby!!!! Hurry down the chimney with that!

[Ghost Plane]

Oh. Oh my...

[billydo]

Glad that bit of colour got some of you swooning....

 

How well do you know your Simpole pens?! Can anyone remember / identify the name of this pen from the past decade? I'll see how well it's known before giving clues...

 

Good luck!

 

Neal.

 

[esterbex]

My first guess would be his self-named design, but I may be wrong!

[billydo]

No flies on you are there esterbex!

 

Yes, the Conway Stewart limited edition (of 2007?) title The Henry Simpole Pen. You don't see these come up too often do you?

 

 

Neal.

[Truffle Finder]

I had a very interesting visitor to my stand at Portobello yesterday. He arrived, with his wife, and their son, his name is Garner, [he is the grandson of one of the pair of original directors of the Conway Stewart Company, Eg:- Jarvis and Garner].

His Grandfather had started the company with Jarvis, and his father had joined the company after leaving school, and worked there all his working life, having worked his way up the company to senior manager until he retired.

The reason for this visit by such a 'celebrity' of the British Pen World, was that he wanted to see me about restoring some C/S pens which he had discovered after his father had died [within the last year]. I am hoping that he will be back next week to pick up the repaired pens.

It's not often that I get such 'noted visitors' at my place at Portobello Road, but it was a very pleasurable experience.

Truffle Finder.

[esterbex]

[esterbex]

No flies on you are there esterbex!

 

Yes, the Conway Stewart limited edition (of 2007?) title The Henry Simpole Pen. You don't see these come up too often do you?

 

 

Neal.

Well in my excitement I raised my hand before anyone else could have a stab. Next time I'll be quiet.

Might you do another?

[esterbex]

Well it's Thursday, a special Thursday for some of us on this side of the pond. But we also celebrate weekly on this day with flashes from the past....Throw-Back Thursday, or TBT in the common vernacular of some of the social media forums. Here's one I hope will play from 2011.

 

http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/travel/video/9703415/

[Ghost Plane]

Preparing to be grateful with the Spirit of Life pen. Happy sigh...

[Truffle Finder]

The 'Spirit of Life' pen, that rings a bell Ghost Plane!

What does it look like?

I'd love to see a picture here!!!

Truffle Finder.

[Seville]

Well since I just happened to be at the office with the aforementioned pen here is a reminder photo for you.

 

IMG_20151126_141752v3 by Seville36, on Flickr

 

Philip

[Truffle Finder]

Ah! I remember that one, that was the one that took nearly a year to get it right!!!

Right?

I knew that a picture would bring it all back to me!

Thank you Seville, for providing the picture. [i've never posted a single picture on here, I still don't know how to do it!]

Truffle Finder.

PS. Seville, the best way to brighten up a silver overlaid pen, is to take a dry face flannel, and loosely grip it round the surface of the pen, and rub fairly vigorously back and forth, you won't want to use the face flannel again afterwards, but it will look a lot better, and after doing that several times the patina will look beautiful! All the high points of the overlay will be bright, and all the engravings will show up black. [Trust me, I'm a pen doctor!]