A Pen And Ink I Hated, But Now Use Everyday (Omas And Mb)

[dneal]

Some time ago I bought an Omas Dama. It was NOS being cleared out, and I thought it would make for a great pocket pen. It wrote well when dipped, and was extremely smooth. It promptly failed completely when I got it home. Poor (dry) feeding and constant skipping. Not reliable enough to use other than a plaything.

 

Also some time ago, I bought a bottle of Mont Blanc Midnight Blue (new formula). Wow did I hate this ink. Washed out and chalky, I'd hardly call it "midnight". More like blue smoke from the exhaust of an old pickup that burns oil...

 

I finally got around to working this pen over. I ground out the baby bottom that was causing the skipping, and then disassembled the nib/feed and opened the channel up a little. Writing performance was now fine, but uninspiring. Being a fan of stub nibs, I bit the bullet and ground the nib (not for the faint of heart!). This isn't the first nib I've worked over, but it's a $130 potential mistake and not to be taken lightly. Super fine ceramic sharpening stone in hand... the work began. Since I hated the MB Midnight Blue so much, I used it for testing as I finalized the shaping, smoothing and adjustment. I noticed that the wetter I adjusted the pen, the better I liked the MB ink. Dark and saturated, with a little shading, it truly looked like its namesake.

 

What I ended up with is a juicy nib, around a .5mm stub.

 

Appearance & Design (7) Overall, a classic design. The cotton resin, 10-sided shape and Grecian trim are very attractive, as is the roller at the end of the clip. The shape of the section allows your fingertips to fall naturally into place.

 

Construction & Quality (7) Where most pen makers have gone to outsourced nibs with plastic screw-in feeds, Omas' friction feed made of ebonite is a nice nod to tradition. The piston was a little stiff, and the nib/feed issues noted in the intro, but nothing that couldn't be corrected. I do think this is unacceptable for the average user. Pens should just work correctly, especially at the price point this pen would normally be at.

 

Weight and Dimensions (no rating (subjective)) This is a small and light pen, between a Pelikan 300 and 400. You could write unposted for a quick note or two (which is what I use it for) but you wouldn't want to draft a thesis with it (posted or not)

 

Nib and Performance (originally a 4, now a 9) The only reason I would even give the original nib a 4 is because of how smooth it was. An 18k nib (originally in M) that fits the cliched "buttery" term. Not flexible, but plenty springy it would have been a joy to write with if ink would actually come out with any consistency! I love the current performance. A lot of time and patience with a Binder smoothing kit has kept the buttery feel. It is still springy and now has a wonderful juicy flow with the line variation of a stub. I love it.

 

Filling System & Maintenance (7) A reliable piston filler that can be relatively easily disassembled. Capacity is small, and this pen will dry out in a short amount of time if unused.

 

Cost & Value (6) I am scoring it on what it would cost, and not what I paid. I imagine these are hard to sell at normal street price, and you don't see them available / in stock for the most part. A Pelikan 200 or 400 is a much better purchase.

 

Conclusion. Had I to do it over again, this pen would never had come home with me. Now that I've tinkered with it, it's extremely enjoyable to write with and is used daily (with confidence).

 

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/Reviews011_zps2783c77a.jpg

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/Reviews012_zps50845c45.jpg

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/Reviews021_zpsc50a7855.jpg

[Scribblesoften]

The results of your work, visible on paper, are lovely. Good job.

[Chrissy]

Wow very nice. Great job! Can I see a picture of your Super fine ceramic sharpening stone please? Also, can you tell me where you got it?

[gmax]

Good work - the results look great

 

I'd also be interested in seeing a picture of your Super fine ceramic sharpening stone please.

[Sblakers]

Very cool review. Makes me want your pen even though I have no desire for an omas.

[Sasha Royale]

You took a reject and recreated it into a thing of beauty. Then, you fell in love with it.

Good job, Professor Higgins.

(The rain in Spain fall mainly on the plane.)

[dneal]

It's just the ceramic stone from a Lansky sharpening kit.

 

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/Reviews0011_zpsfe91dd05.jpg

Edited April 10, 2014 by dneal

[gmax]

Thanks - I'll check them out!

[zebra baker]

It is a handsome pen. Good for you in working with it until it worked for you!

[Chris]

Thanks - I'll check them out!

Just a quick word - if you think we pen folk can get obsessive, wait till you get into the realms of knife folk choosing a sharpening system Some stones can cost more than our top-end pens

 

You need a stone that is both very fine to maintain smoothness and very hard so you don't plough a furrow into the stone. But at least you can get away with a tiny one for pen nibs.

 

If it is too coarse, it will ruin your nib - very quickly!

 

I have used a slip of black hard Arkansas stone, carefully, to deal with a serious smoothing problem (on a cheap pen) but I would never dream of tackling a nib grind.

[h.farmawi]

Good work, you made your new love then
nice ink color and a really nice looking pen...

[dneal]

Chris makes some good points, so I'll add some comments for those that might be contemplating doing something like this:

 

1. If you screw up your nib, don't blame me. You need a loupe to see your work.

2. There are a lot of resources on the net about this, some good and some not. Do a lot of homework first.

3. Start with something you're not afraid of being a total loss. The steel #5 or #6 nibs are relatively inexpensive.

4. Tipping material is relatively soft. You can eat away at it quickly. Something made for knives (tempered steel) isn't necessarily good for nibs.

5. You still have to smooth the nib after you've shaped it. That super-fine stone (actually it says "ultra-fine") isn't smooth enough for a finished product.

6. Once you've committed, and bought the materials; spend money on a grind from a nibmeister so you know what "right" looks like.