Deccan Shorthand pen

[hari317]

The Deccan pen stores in Hyderabad showed me a pen that they had made specially for writing shorthand on the request of one of their customers, they had one piece left and offered it to me. The nib for this pen is modified from a standard steel nib in order to give a steep slope to the shoulders of the nib.

 

The pen as you might have already guessed is made from black Ebonite and has been given a brushed finish. The pen is ED filled. The size and looks of this pen is similar to a Parker 45.

 

The pen capped:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Deccan%20Shorthand%20Pen/IMG_1991.jpg

 

The pen posted:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Deccan%20Shorthand%20Pen/IMG_1992.jpg

 

Nib closeup:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Deccan%20Shorthand%20Pen/IMG_1993.jpg

 

The feed has been shaved to follow the nib profile:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Deccan%20Shorthand%20Pen/IMG_1996.jpg

 

The writing sample, dipped in Camel Royal Blue ink, the paper is from a yellow legal pad:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Deccan%20Shorthand%20Pen/IMG_1997.jpg

 

The pen is quite slim but comfortable to hold due to the flared section design and the brushed finish provides a very pleasant tactile experience. I have no experience with flex nibs and have never had the chance to try out a proper wet noodle. I can only say that this nib gives a lot of line variation with some pressure.

 

Cheers,

Hari,

INDIA

 

 

 

 

 

[fatehbajwa]

Another beauty dug out by you Hari.

[Sharkle]

 

Hi Hari, another great review! I am a big fan of long or longish, tapered sections like that on your new pen. The nib looks very interesting and I love your handwriting sample. Thanks!

 

[hari317]

Thanks Fateh and Sharkle, it is very kind of you.

[georges zaslavsky]

Remembers me of the parker jotter but in wood. Does it accept Parker cartridges?????

[hari317]

Remembers me of the parker jotter but in wood. Does it accept Parker cartridges?????

 

Indeed, the clip looks very similar to a Jotter's clip. The pen is an ED filler, so no carts, ink is filled directly into the Ebonite barrel. The local pen sellers here refer to Ebonite pens as wooden pens!

 

Regards,

Hari

 

 

[bluemoon]

A beautiful pen indeed!

If I happen to be near Hyderabad anytime soon, I will look for one. The nib looks like a semiflex.

Many steel nibs do have a bit of flex. But those nibs will not hold up for long if you keep on giving pressure on it. I was

surprised to find modern 'Sulekha' ( a company in kolkata) pens have quite flexi nibs. They are made of thin steel, so they flex

quite easily. They may not last long, but you can't complain much at 15/-....

take care.

 

Edited to ask how much that beauty cost?

Edited July 19, 2008 by bluemoon

[s_t_e_v_e]

Hey..... Nice review and nice pen!

[Martius]

Wow, I haven't seen a nib of that shape on anything other than pens c. 1920. Gold would probably be a better choice for such a flexible design, but that still looks like a great nib.

 

Best,

Summer

[hari317]

Many steel nibs do have a bit of flex. But those nibs will not hold up for long if you keep on giving pressure on it.

 

I will keep that in mind, Bluemoon, I don't plan to flex the tip very often. Thanks!

 

Hey..... Nice review and nice pen!

Thanks Steve.

 

 

Gold would probably be a better choice for such a flexible design, but that still looks like a great nib.

 

Thanks! I agree, probably the Deccan people found it easy and a less economic risk to modify a steel nib for flex rather than a gold nib, the majority of the customers here prefer a fine and stiff nib which leads to flex nibs rarely being produced. Cost is also a major factor.

 

Regards,

Hari

 

 

 

[Leigh R]

That's a great find, Hari. It reminds me of post-war Japanese shiro nibs. I'm afraid to flex those too much!

[Mesu]

Another great review of a Deccan pen.

 

Are these pens only made to order?