Koh-I-Noor Artpen

[himmelstrutz]

Hi FP lovers!

I have discovered on the internet that Koh-I-Noor manufactured an artpen in the 70´s that became quite popular among artists. It seems to have featured a flexible nib and could take waterproof india ink. (Matt Groening is one of its many cartoonist fans, see http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/groening93.html

Despite the name it seems to be a lot different from the Rotring Art Pen (which is not flexible).

Some pics:

http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo230/himmelstrutz/f3ac_1.jpg

http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo230/himmelstrutz/f5d4_1.jpg

 

Does anyone here own this pen? Opinions? (This pen could be my "dream pen", a flexible fountain pen that can use india ink. Farewell dip pens?.. )

 

BR

 

Martin

Edited September 19, 2008 by himmelstrutz

[ANM]

 

 

I have one. I was thinking I got it in the late 60's but I could be wrong about the date. I have not used it in maybe 30 years. When used with India ink, it had to be cleaned thoroughly after each session or it would clog up and it quickly developed hair line cracks around the barrel. The nib is pretty flexible.

[himmelstrutz]

I have one. I was thinking I got it in the late 60's but I could be wrong about the date. I have not used it in maybe 30 years. When used with India ink, it had to be cleaned thoroughly after each session or it would clog up and it quickly developed hair line cracks around the barrel. The nib is pretty flexible.

Nice! Thanks for the info and pic. If you are interested to sell this or know where I can get one, contact me.

[zquilts]

Me too ...do they still even make them?

[stevlight]

I used to have one of these. They are great. Wish I still had mine or they still made them--I would buy a new one in a second.

[ANM]

This pen does not write all that well, has a pretty wide nib and the flexibility is not as good as that of a good dip pen.

[Autopoint]

I know this is an old thread. But I have a yellow #3050 Koh-i-noor Artpen with the fountain pen nib, in a plastic box with the nib wrench and instructions. It's used, but in very nice condition. PM me if interested.

- - - No sketch artist me, Jim

[Autopoint]

I know this is an old thread. But I have a yellow #3050 Koh-i-noor Artpen with the fountain pen nib, in a plastic box with the nib wrench and instructions. It's used, but in very nice condition. PM me if interested.

- - - No sketch artist me, Jim

 

The operative word is now "had" a yellow #3050 Koh-i-noor Artpen with the fountain pen nib. These things are so hard to find, and so many people are looking for one. This one is sold - - but I'll keep my eyes open for another. Thanks for your interest. For those who don't remember this fine pen, here's a picture of the one that got away.

 

http://vintageautopoint.com/kin_yellartpen_resize.jpg

 

- - - Happy hunting, Jim

Edited May 5, 2011 by Autopoint

[Autopoint]

For anyone who has followed this old thread, I have a "vision" about how to make a proper substitute for a real Koh-i-Noor artpen which, unfortunately, is no longer made and is getting increasingly hard to find. That vision includes a flexible gold nib which screws in and out, a pen body and section that disassemble easily, and a cartridge filling mechanism to facilitate using proper drawing inks. If you're interested, give me a jingle (PM) and I'll explain further. I'm not trying to sell anything, I just put together a prototype unit and I'd like a reaction from someone who might use it.

- - - Thanks in advance, Jim

[penguina]

For anyone who has followed this old thread, I have a "vision" about how to make a proper substitute for a real Koh-i-Noor artpen which, unfortunately, is no longer made and is getting increasingly hard to find. That vision includes a flexible gold nib which screws in and out, a pen body and section that disassemble easily, and a cartridge filling mechanism to facilitate using proper drawing inks. If you're interested, give me a jingle (PM) and I'll explain further. I'm not trying to sell anything, I just put together a prototype unit and I'd like a reaction from someone who might use it.

- - - Thanks in advance, Jim

 

As an artist, this does sound good to me.

 

Koh-i-noor does still makes fountain pens, but they appear to have stiff nibs now

see http://czech-art-supplies.com/koh-i-noor-black-silver-fountain-pen

Edited August 17, 2011 by penguina

[Quigley]

I too had one of these little beauties..... it broke after many years of hard work aas a drawing pen and a writing pen which added some style. I have been looking for years and art shops around Oz, Britian and Germany must be heartly sick of me. Only just became aware of the Fountainpennetwork and Ebay. Jim please develop your vision.

[Autopoint]

Here's the "vision". It developed because of some absolutely inexpensive Esterbrook pens I purchased at the DC Pen Show a few weeks ago, and my conversations at the pen show with a guy seeking a Koh-i-noor Artpen for his son.

 

(Crescendo of trumpets here) Just use an Esterbrook CA101 cartridge filling fountain pen. Convert the renew point unit to a gold nibbed unit (there's a thread elsewhere on FPN, to which I contributed, explaining how to do this, and I have already made 3 or 4 gold nibbed renew point units which I'm using). Thus the nib and feed come out just as easily as the Artpen, for cleaning. Vintage gold nibs are flexible, from semi-flexible to "wet noodle", and available in your choice of nib widths/lengths, so long as it's a #2 or thereabouts.

 

The CA101 Estie barrel also unscrews at the barrel/section joint, similar to an Artpen, to access the area for the cartridge. I use Sheaffer cartridges, and at the moment Sheaffer ink. But I have some black Staedtler drawing ink which I'll be trying shortly. The secret with Sheaffer cartridges is to pre-puncture them before insertion, since the Esterbrook cartridge nipple is pretty wide and deep. Also, I reuse the cartridges by cleaning and refilling them with a plastic veterinary syringe. That allows me to thoroughly clean the cart's after each use, to rapidly change inks, and to reuse the cart's for an extended period of time. (And Sheaffer cartridges are still commonly available.)

 

Unknown to some, the CA101 cartridge nipple can also be removed from the section, out the nib end. And the center of the cartridge nipple is large diameter, to properly support inks which are less fluid than ordinary fountain pen inks. So the CA101 comes apart easily, via threads, into six parts: cap, barrel, cartridge, section, cartridge nipple, and gold nibbed renew point unit. This is virtually identical to an Artpen.

 

I've sold 3 Koh-i-noor Artpens in the past year or so (the FPN Artpen thread includes a picture of one of them) so I'm eminently familiar with their construction and cleaning, but not how they're actually used. I simply couldn't get over how "functionally equal" the Esterbrook CA101 is to the Artpen. And CA101's are relatively cheap because the exact same Esterbrook pen was also produced with a built-in aerometric filling unit. So virtually no one wants the cartridge filling models. The pocket clip on these models tends to be harder on your shirt fabric than earlier Esterbrooks, so that also makes them less popular.

 

In summary, the result of using a modified Esterbrook CA101 should be (1)a lightweight pen, (2)capable of being carried in the pocket, (3)easily taken apart for cleaning using threaded connections, (3)that is cost-effective, in fact cheaply obtained, and (4)which readily and rapidly accepts additional/different ink (almost sounds like a patent application, doesn't it?).

 

I would certainly produce and sell this item to cartoonists and sketch artists, but the real key is the gold nib and it's interaction with the Esterbrook feed. Although I've modified my share of ink feeds, I'm just not a "nib meister". Further, the nib and feed have to work together well for the pen to meet expectations - so I'd envision an artist perhaps having a set of gold nibbed renew point units with different feeds, to properly feed india ink versus drawing ink versus fountain pen ink. That's not a problem with renew point feeds, since they can be readily adapted to such needs, and can be part of a set of modified renew point units set up to take on every different type of task. (Note that due to the current price of gold and the relative scarcity of spare gold nibs, the total price for a properly functioning Estie CA101 with an appropriate gold nib and reworked feed (if necessary to support, say india ink) will still be about the same as an Artpen, but the combination instrument will be able to be maintained, repaired, replaced and further tuned.)

 

What'dya think? Is this something that might intrigue sketchers? If there's a positive response to this vision, I may try to get someone to exercise a prototype, and/or to get one of the "pen repair persons" to make a few of these on speculation.

- - - Happy sketchin', Jim

Edited October 5, 2011 by Autopoint

[Autopoint]

I know this is an old thread. BUT I now have another yellow #3050 Koh-i-noor Artpen with the very flexible gold plated fountain pen nib, in a plastic box with the nib wrench and instructions. It's used, but functions nicely. I don't pass these on until I've had them completely apart and cleaned them thoroughly. And I provide a short essay of care and cleaning recommendations with the pen, which you can read here . Don't hesitate to PM me with an expression of interest.

- - - No sketch artist me, Jim

[Ygor]

eBay Seller -- Koh-i-noor artpen point nib #52, new for 3050 art pen marked KIN 3050 -- 8 for sale @ $25 each

 

I just bought one and now I am looking for the rest of the pen. Can anyone help ?

[jimhughes]

What I would suggest is get a Technical drawing pen by Koh I Noor and see if the nib will screw into the section like the Esterbrooks and Pelikans screw int o the appropriate pens. Not sure if old style tech caps will accept the FP like nib, though. If I had to guess I'd say no. YMMV, Jim

[Ygor]

Thanks for responding.

 

I have some old technical pens - white barrels.

I agree with you. The problem will be the cap.

 

Worst case, I will have to clean it out completely after each use.

 

Not a horrible thing.

 

It would be nice to find a proper cap.

[pepegege]

I know this is an old thread. BUT I now have another yellow #3050 Koh-i-noor Artpen with the very flexible gold plated fountain pen nib, in a plastic box with the nib wrench and instructions. It's used, but functions nicely. I don't pass these on until I've had them completely apart and cleaned them thoroughly. And I provide a short essay of care and cleaning recommendations with the pen, which you can read here . Don't hesitate to PM me with an expression of interest.

- - - No sketch artist me, Jim

Hi, if you still have the pen I like to buy it, tell me price and if paypal is ok, Thank you

[Autopoint]

I know this is an old thread. BUT I now have another yellow #3050 Koh-i-noor Artpen with the very flexible gold plated fountain pen nib, in a plastic box with the nib wrench and instructions. It's used, but functions nicely. I don't pass these on until I've had them completely apart and cleaned them thoroughly. And I provide a short essay of care and cleaning recommendations with the pen, which you can read here . Don't hesitate to PM me with an expression of interest.

- - - No sketch artist me, Jim

Hi, if you still have the pen I like to buy it, tell me price and if paypal is ok, Thank you

 

 

This KIN ArtPen still available. Sorry, already spoken for!

- - - Jim

Edited July 2, 2012 by Autopoint

[ldjnx]

I see that this is a very old post, but I'll start here and give this a shot...

 

I moved recently, and I rediscovered my old Koh-i-noor Artpen that had been resting comfortably in my desk drawer for many years. I bought it to do a small art project, and then put it away and haven't touched it since. I learned online how to clean these kinds of pens, and I have done that... so there is no crusty residue, any ink, or ink remains. It is very clean. The nib itself is absolutely like new.

 

I am getting ready to sell it on Ebay, but I have no idea what a reasonable asking price would be. I saw (I think here on the FP Network) that someone was offering nibs (perhaps similar to the KIN 3050) for $25 each. So that's a start. I know that the manufacturer doesn't make these pens anymore, and the pens being made nowadays do not compare favorably with these older ones. I know that Matt Groening loves them, and that there are other FP Network members who love them, and have worn out their supplies. But I still don't know what to ask for it. I also saw somewhere that someone had asked (and evidently received) $100 for one.

 

Your thoughts would be very much appreciated.

Edited April 8, 2014 by ldjnx

[Alex Howard]

Actually the price range you quote is about what I've encountered as I've been collecting various models of the Kohinoors. Once in a while it's possible to find several pens of either the 3060 or 3065 style at relatively low prices (e.g. $25 for a seven pen set of 3065). The same is true of individual 3060s. Thus far (and I'm not bragging, just reporting) I've paid an average of about $7.25 for the thirty-six I've purchased on eBay. As I noted in another thread, they can be a bear to clean thoroughly. So, if you've got a clean one to sell, it's to your advantage. I've discovered that the pens with zeros on the nibs are most difficult to clean because the cleansing wires are so fragile and hard to reinsert into the nib. If I were going to buy just one pen, I'd go for anything numbered 1 and up. They're a lot easier to manage, but you still have to be careful because the needle can be damaged or (in worst case scenarios) pulled lose from the weight that pushes it through the nib to keep it clean and the ink flowing. Even so, replacement nibs abound on eBay. They're kinda' pricey though.