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Hi all, I have a pelikan 120 which was sold as a medium italic. I love it so much and want to buy a pen with a similar nib. I have a different italic nib which has tipping on and doesn't have as crisp lines. Does anyone know what type of nib this might be? I've seen discussions talking about crisp, sharp, cursive and daily italics and I don't know where this nib falls! Any suggestions/ help or similar pen recommendations will be very much appreciated!!

I did my first really negative review of a fountain pen just in time for April Fools, but I am not fooling! The inexpensive Pelikan Jazz, looks great but it is the most uncomfortable pen I have ever used. It has a very slippery metal section. It is very long, but very thin. The nib is actually pretty nice, but I found it painful to write with the pen for more than 30 seconds. The only way I could actually bare it was to put some electrical tape around the section so my fat hands wouldn't slip. This is sad, because Pelikan makes my favorite pen: the M800, but it is too expensive to use everyday or take to work. I hoped they might make a pen that I could use and not worry about losing. You can see my review here:

Hi, I know that we have a thread here for posting our latest additions to our flocks but I think we could also use a thread where fine folks here could show off their collection by posting family photos of their flocks in their entirety and in their most recent state. I will start with mine dated today... the posted ones are my EDC and desk pens.

The 4001 ink is a well-established brand by Pelikan from the very first beginning of the company. It was first mentioned in a price-list from 1897 and proved its worth within all the years. Ink 4001 was registered as a number only, during years there was plenty of colors on the market. However in recent years the line didn't change at all. Happily Pelikan decided to invest not only in Edelstein line but also in 4001 (much cheaper) line and introduced new ink (Dark Green) in january 2016. You may find it interesting that Pelikan 4001 are the only inks that can be bought practically in every B&M store in Poland. At the moment the line consists of Blue - Black Brilliant Black Brilliant Brown Brilliant Green Brilliant Red Dark Green Pink (cartridges only) Royal Blue Turquoise Violet Royal Blue is a friendly, boring blue that does nothing to attract attention. It's cheap and average. I know that it still sells well but I'll never be able to understand why would anyone want to use something that boring. And please don't tell me anything about business setting. I just don't buy it. Drops of ink on kitchen towel Software ID Tomoe River, Kaweco Classic Sport, B Leuchtturm 1917, Kaweco Classic Sport, B Oxford, Kaweco Classic Sport, B Comparison

Given the assertion often made by others that Sailor kiwaguro pigment ink is (totally, utterly, 100%, or some other adjective meaning absolutely) waterproof, which I know is not factually true, and the assertion I've often made about Sailor souboku and seiboku being completely waterproof (which I now know is also not factually true), I decided to put the nine pigment inks I have to the test. They are: Pelikan Fount India black inkPlatinum Black Carbon InkPlatinum Brun Sepia Pigment InkSailor kiwaguro black inkSailor souboku blue-black inkSailor seiboku blue-black inkSailor STORiA Night Blue inkSailor STORiA Magic Purple inkSailor STORiA Lion Light Brown ink These inks shed colour observably while the page was being soaked in a bath of clean water: and this photo of the page after drying attests that the three blue-black and blue inks are in fact not completely waterproof, even though they fared much better Pelikan Fount India and Sailor kiwaguro: Out of the black inks, only Platinum Black Carbon Ink is completely waterproof. I cannot see any colour come off either Sailor STORiA Lion Light Brown or Platinum Brun Sepia Pigment Ink with my naked eye during or after soaking, and it may take a new test with a full page of writing with one of those inks individually for me to know for sure, but for now I'll also assume that they're completely waterproof. Of course, writing in all of the pigment inks tested remained very legible. Here's the full page after drying. (Click to bring up a larger image.)

Pelikan Edelstein Golden Lapis Ink of the Year 2024 In 2011 Pelikan introduced the Edelstein series of high-end inks, available in a variety of colours. The theme of the Edelstein concept is the gemstone – each ink corresponds to the beautiful colour of a gem. The Edelstein line of inks is presented in 50 ml high-value bottles, that are truly beautiful, and worthy of a place on your desk. In this review the spotlight shines on the shimmering presence of Golden Lapis, the Edelstein Ink of the Year 2024. This is a limited edition glitter ink, that will most probably be gone in the near future. At heart, Golden Lapis is a bright light-blue ink with added golden shimmer particles. I’m not a fan of shine & shimmer, so will mostly ignore this aspect of the ink. Just one word of warning: the gold particles tend to accumulate at the surface, and will easily come off the paper when the ink has dried. It’s almost unavoidable. The ink’s colour is quite enjoyable. My first thought was: “Oh, this is Topaz with shimmer”. But that’s not really the case. Topaz is a lighter turquoise blue, while this Golden Lapis definitely is a touch darker. Still a light & bright blue though. Most Edelstein inks work well across the nib size range, and can handle all types of paper. This one is a bit more finicky. It mostly has problems with absorbent paper: the ink gets sucked right in and through the paper, with bleed-through as a result. Yikes! On hard-surface coated paper, the ink looks great, but it needs its time to dry… for a long time. In return, you get strong and truly nice shading, and a bit of a purple-reddish sheen. Overall, a good-looking ink with some technical issues. The chromatography shows a light-blue dye with some purple component in the mix that darkens up the ink a bit. Water resistance is fairly good: although a good deal of the dyes are washed away, enough is left to easily reconstruct your writing. Not bad. Golden Lapis writes well in all nib sizes. A nicely lubricated and well-saturated ink that always leaves a strong and contrast-rich line on the paper. I like it best with the broader nibs, where the shading really comes into play. I’m not usually a big fan of heavy shading, but for this ink I make an exception. Golden Lapis looks at its best when the shading is strongest – the contrast between light and darker parts is really well balanced, and looks just darn good. But you only get this lovely and aesthetically pleasing shading on the hard-surface paper. On absorbent paper, shading is just barely there and the ink loses much of its appeal. To show you the impact of saturation on the ink’s look & feel on paper, I made some scribbles where I really saturated portions of a piece of 52 gsm Tomoe River paper with ink. This gives you a good idea of what the ink is capable of in terms of colour range. Golden Lapis has a medium colour span, gradually darkening as saturation increases, but always keeping true to its light-blue nature. The light-to-dark ratio in writing is just right, with really great aesthetics. You get prominent shading, not too extreme, which looks absolutely gorgeous – but only on the hard-surface paper. Technically, the ink has the typical Edelstein feel: well lubricated, good saturation. It’s a shame it doesn’t work well with absorbent paper, and that includes all types of copy paper. The ink then gets sucked into and through the paper, making a mess of the opposite side. For some reason, it also didn’t work well with the paper in my Paperblanks journal, which usually is not that fussy about the inks I use. Looks like the Paperblanks paper is just a touch too absorbent to work well with this ink. Below you’ll find photos of the writing samples on loads of different paper types. This should give you a good feel for the ink. On each scrap of paper I show you: An ink swab, made with a cotton Q-tip 1-2-3 pass swab, to show increasing saturation An ink scribble made with an M-nib Safari fountain pen The name of the paper used, written with a B-nib Safari A small text sample, written with the M-nib Safari Title of the quote, with a Pelikan M120 with M-nib Drying times of the ink on the paper, with the M-nib Lamy Safari I’ve also added a scan of some writing samples to give you another view on the ink. Scanned images and photos often capture different aspects of the ink’s colour & contrast. That’s why I present them both. The ink swabs look closest in colour in the scanned image. The character of writing shows best in the photos. Below you also find some blow-ups on coated paper to really show you that beautiful shading. Writing with different nib sizes The picture below shows the effect of nib sizes on the writing. The top samples were written with a Lamy Safari, which is typically a dry pen. I also added a few visiting pens. What is really visible here is the wide range of blue hues the ink produces in the different pens & nib sizes. That’s quite some variety for a single ink. Cool! Related inks To show off related inks, I use my nine-grid format, with the currently reviewed ink at the center. This format shows the name of related inks, a saturation sample, a 1-2-3 swab and a water resistance test – all in a very compact format. Golden Lapis’ base colour is fairly similar to several other inks. Iroshizuku kon-peki comes close, but is a tad lighter. In the Pelikan Edelstein line-up, Topaz would be my alternative of choice. It’s technically a better ink, and looks amazing on any type of paper. Inkxperiment – Pythagoras I’ve put myself a challenge to try to produce interesting drawings using only the ink I’m reviewing. I find this to be a fun extension of the hobby, and have found these single-ink drawings ideal for experimenting with different techniques. And creating these monochrome paintings is simply fun, and always good for a couple of hours well spent. Inspiration for this inkxperiment comes from the world of mathematics. Recently I came across an article on the internal structure of protons, which captured my attention. So I grabbed a book on particle physics, and on page 10 or so I got lost in the math... a bit embarrassing 😉. So I’m refreshing my math now, starting from the basics. And right there at the very beginning is that Greek philosopher genius of about 2500 years ago who had that great insight into the geometry of triangles. I tried to capture his wisdom into this little inkxperiment. I started with an A4 sheet of 300 gsm watercolour paper, and painted in the temple background, using Golden Lapis with multiple water/ink ratios. I then used pure ink and lots of glitter to frame the sky. Next I added the visualization of the Pythagorean theorem, and our philosopher sitting at the temple wall. The end-result gives you an idea of what can be achieved with Golden Lapis as a drawing ink. Inkxpired – computational art I love experimenting with pen/ink/paper and have added another layer as part of the hobby. I’m exploring computational art, inspired by the ink drawings I do during ink reviews. Another fun offshoot of the hobby… and all that starting with a few drops of dye-coloured water on paper. I started by using a duo-tone colour filter and added a graph paper backdrop. I then used a “tiny world” filter with focus on our philosopher. Next I used a grid-filter which also added colour to the image. The end result shows the mathematical lens through which Pythagoras viewed the world. Conclusion With this Ink of the Year, Pelikan continues to present us with a shimmer ink (please stop doing that 😉). This time with a nice bright-blue base colour that looks gorgeous on hard-surface, good-quality paper. Unfortunately, the ink suffers badly when using it on absorbent paper, with loss of shading and quite some see-through and bleed-through. A nice enough ink to try, but not one that falls in the must-have category (my opinion). Technical test results on Rhodia N° 16 notepad paper, written with Lamy Safari, M-nib Backside of writing samples on different paper types

Actually it won't be about turquoises, not in encyclopedical understanding of what turquoise actually is. Pure turquoise looks like that http://imageshack.com/a/img404/7428/ei21.jpg www.barwy.net Blue turquoise like that: http://imageshack.com/a/img706/1729/22ng.jpg www.barwy.net Anyway I've tried to compare five inks whether called whether considered turquoises. Their colors are bright and quite saturated. To be honest I don't like pure turquoise - I like however to fill my fountain pen with vibrant shade of blue. I compared five inks: BLEU PERVENCHE (J. Herbin), BLU MARE (Rohrer & Klingner), HIMMELBLAU (Standardgraph), NIEBIESKI TURKUSOWY (Nicpoń*), TURQUOISE (Pelikan). * Nicpoń is chemistry PhD Student that's active on Polish fountain pen network. He'c created limited line of nice, saturated inks in many colors. 1. Swabs on Mondi 90 g paper http://imageshack.com/a/img811/6673/qy1b.jpg 2. Ellipses "cut" from swabs http://imageshack.com/a/img834/1497/m97z.jpg 3. Two drops of ink on kitchen towel http://imageshack.com/a/img607/7721/0zsu.jpg 4. Trace of ink left by the nib on the paper http://imageshack.com/a/img839/9781/sf31.jpg Left to right: Bleu Pervenche, Blu Mare, Himmelblau, Turquoise, Niebieski Turkusowy 5. Fast handwriting on Mondi paper http://imageshack.com/a/img844/8823/a9d5.jpg 6. Text written with Pilot 78 G with B nib on Oxford paper: http://imageshack.com/a/img138/5033/y4yv.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img547/4792/rpob.jpg left to right: Bleu Pervenche, Blu Mare, Himmelblau, Turquoise, Niebieski Turkusowy 7. Text written on cheap notebook Famous polish tongue twister http://imageshack.com/a/img163/8350/obto.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img716/7704/b3p2.jpg (Bleu Pervenche, Blu Mare, Himmelblau, Turquoise, Niebieski Turkusowy) http://imageshack.com/a/img607/8232/2kry.jpg (left to right: Bleu Pervenche, Blu Mare, Himmelblau, Turquoise, Niebieski Turkusowy) 8. Text written on cheap copy paper (Lyreco) printed with dots: http://imageshack.com/a/img30/6678/yivm.jpg 9. Text written in notebook http://imageshack.com/a/img812/6822/qk1c.jpg 10. Are they waterproof http://imageshack.com/a/img138/5731/mdva.jpg 11. Dry Times (Pilot 78 g witb B nib on copy paper): http://imageshack.com/a/img819/5915/flpn.jpg SUMMARY: I find it difficult to indicate the winner. I guess Pelikan Turquoise deserves to take this place - it's good ink, it has reasonable price and is easily accesible around the world. Blu Mare is really nice and intense though it's not easily seen on the scans. Niebieski Turkusowy looks really good and it behaves well in fountain pen. However it's not easy to buy this ink as it is not produced for mass market.

I'm trying to find out more about the difference between a Pelikan EF and F. The pen in question is the M800. The threads I found were all 10 years old or older. Most cited inconsistencies in the nibs. There were mentions of there being no discernible difference between the EF and F and sometimes even the EF writing thicker than the F. Some have stated that the EF nibs are scratchy. Others have cited misaligned tines out-of-the-box. There were suggestions to find and use reputable nib tuners throughout. This thread is intended to document whether that sentiment of inconsistency still holds true or whether it has since been corrected. Was it just a bad time for Pelikan nibs? Have they since tightened up their manufacturing process and quality control, some ten years later? Are both nibs now distinguishable, smooth, and aligned?

Hi, I'd like to present the comparison of 20 grey inks. To be honest, I don't like grey and I don't use it. I don't own a single bottle of grey ink Yet I've managed to gather quite a lot of samples and decided to make some use of them. I've made long introduction to this comparison on polish fountain pen forum but here I'll keep it simple and just say one thing: enjoy One note: my sample of GREY FLANNEL was contaminated. I decided to leave this but just skip this ink. It's not how it really looks like. If you like this comparison feel free to comment or to indicate your favourite greys. ALL WRITTEN SAMPLES ARE MADE WITH PILOT 78G WITH BROAD NIB INK SPLASHES http://imageshack.com/a/img674/1338/wgRutR.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img673/3771/Gbwu2G.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img661/6152/X8CPNA.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img674/353/v7FP4f.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img674/2434/aWPg6u.jpg COLOR "GEMS" CUT FROM THE SWAB PHOTO http://imageshack.com/a/img536/1733/iDKbvl.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img910/2241/Q0D85y.jpg SWABS http://imageshack.com/a/img631/5290/fAsx5H.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img540/381/v7punf.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img536/2843/gQJuWx.jpg

I like red inks and I use them on every day basis. I'd like to present you short comparison of ten colors. Of course it would be great to compare more reds but then my samples of Oxblood and Monaco Red are empty. Next time. So the inks I've compared are (in alphabetical order): BRILLIANT RED - Diamine http://imageshack.com/a/img834/7010/tg6s.jpg BRILLIANT RED - Pelikan http://imageshack.com/a/img842/8815/x797.jpg BURGUNDY RED - Montblanc http://imageshack.com/a/img843/6245/qxoy.jpg CIEMNY CZERWONY (Dark Red) - Nicpoń* *Nicpoń is chemistry PhD Student that's active on Polish fountain pen network. He'c created limited line of nice, saturated inks in many colors. http://imageshack.com/a/img834/7862/c9n5.jpg GARNET RED - Graf von Faber-Castell http://imageshack.com/a/img834/7862/c9n5.jpg MATADOR - Diamine http://imageshack.com/a/img834/6818/pmh4.jpg MORINDA - Rohrer & Klingner http://imageshack.com/a/img835/3799/pvp4.jpg RED - Hero http://imageshack.com/a/img842/9356/rew0.jpg RED DRAGON - Diamine http://imageshack.com/a/img842/1002/kwg3.jpg RUBY - Diamine http://imageshack.com/a/img836/6886/yi84.jpg There was an accident. I was ready to make "splash painting" with Ruby. The sample was standing near the sink, I don't know why, but I've abruptly turned and my hand pushed the sample. The rest of the ink flow down the sink to some foreign lands. Ruby is a great color, so it's a pity I couldn't compare it this way. SWABS ON SCAN (Canon MP 250) http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/843/9jsta.jpg SWABS ON PHOTO http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/842/jpna.jpg FEW DROPS OF INK ON KITCHEN TOWEL http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1280x1024q90/835/bqr6.jpgTEXT WRITTEN WITH PILOT 78G, B NIB in Oxford notebook http://imageshack.com/a/img838/576/fra5.jpg TEXT WRITTEN WITH PILOT 78G, B NIB in notebook http://imageshack.com/a/img841/5115/eifu.jpg TEXT WRITTEN WITH PILOT 78G (B NIB) IN CALENDAR http://imageshack.com/a/img842/3936/qgzj.jpg TEXT WRITTEN ON CHEAP PAPER (inks are listed as above) http://imageshack.com/a/img845/3366/v4ws.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img835/7620/sqyd.jpg TEXT WRITTEN ON CHEAP COPY PAPER PRINTED WITH DOTS http://imageshack.com/a/img834/2382/c4e57.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img834/7564/p4hw.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img843/7411/bud7.jpg SUMMARY RED DRAGON stomps. It's amazing deep color. I love it. Second and third place are taken by CIEMNY CZERWONY and MORINDA / MATADOR ex-aequo. There are also colors I dislike, namely: Pelikan's BRILLIANT RED (it sucks: I can't find anything interesting about this ink), GARNET RED (moderate flow, dull), BURGUNDY RED (dull, not interesting). What's your opinion? You can choose few inks from the poll.

I am a younger guy, I purchased from a fpn user a beautiful pelikan 400NN OBB not sure if the nn is appropriate, it was the classic green striped barrel, the nib was perfect for my hand writing position, I carelessly left it on my car roof while working inside a leather organizer, and it flew off the roof, I looked for hours, payed 300 in 2019, and for 3 years have been seeking a replacement in vain, I have found obb nib for sale, but I don't want one that isn't origional to the barrel of the pen, I've periodically searches for a replacement from ebay to here only to never find one, I'm desperate for the affordable luxury writing of that 60s 400 obb it just hurts my heart to think it was taken, the obb nib likely sold for gold spot price where I live, any help you can provide would be met with the utmost gratitude, I have another 400 f nib, it's just not the same...😔

(I wish I could attribute the source but I don't know where I found this)

Pelikan has just announced the upcoming Pelikan Toledo M910 Special Edition White fountain pen. In our opinion one of the nicest Toledo released so far, on the same level as its black brother the M910 Black, which was released many years ago. We offer this pen, which should arrive by mid October at our brick and mortar store, for pre-order in our online shop at a special price. Standard nib sizes EF, F, M and B cost € 1.427,73 including insured shipping via DHL and local post to all available countries outside the European Union. We also offer our Fritz Schimpf italic grind for this pen. Our offer: https://www.fritz-schimpf.de/Neuheiten/Pelikan-Toledo-M910-Special-Edition-Weiss-Kolbenfuellhalter.html Happy writing, Fritz Schimpf Tübingen

PRELUDE A search loop for the perfect ONE and then the more perfect OTHER With great fountain pens comes an even greater responsibility of carrying them around in this mortal world, where inadvertent scratches, dents, and corrosion become inevitable. Thus begins my search for sheaths and containers to protect these fine instruments, which have earned a reputation for being mightier than the sword; at least for the past 175 years. I digress; I wonder why the keyboard was never celebrated in the same way when it emerged around the same time as the original quote. If you like a pictorial blogger view, here is the link: A utilitarian review of my pen cases BACKGROUND AND OPINIONATED TRUTHS Experiments, measures and opinion I like to use a few fountain pens during my travels for note-taking and journaling. While I could use the original boxes for my limited collection, they tend to take up unnecessary space in my cupboard. Some of these cases are beautifully made, while others are more ordinary. That's where a storage pen case comes in handy. One advantage is that you can see multiple pens together to help with selection, or perhaps just to avoid making a choice. For example, I often tell my Opus 88 Jazz to just lie there, which has been my unfortunate treatment of that pen ever since I got it. In my case, the search has usually been for a value-for-money options. It’s rare to find a case that costs as much as a pen, but this highlights the absence of worthy alternatives. Another aspect is that in India, leather goods are available at a fraction of the cost compared to the West, although there is less general understanding of the premium quality of higher-grade leather materials. By a stroke of luck, a couple of us met Michael, a leather importer based in California, who sources leather from India, China, and Thailand. He supplies leather to some well-known premium brands, with the final products ranging from premium car seat covers to women’s bags. He explained what typically gets exported versus what is consumed domestically in these countries. Michael also described the leather qualities and grades he looks for when evaluating a shipment from the tanneries. By the way, you can check out some interesting expositions on leather grades and types , and here’s a brief write-up on leather quality if you’re short on time or patience: Full Grain: The highest quality. A cut of leather consisting of the outer layer of hide, left unsanded and unbuffed to retain its natural imperfections. It has a strong and durable surface. Top Grain: The top layer is sanded to remove imperfections, which reduces some of the strength and water-repellent qualities of full grain leather. It is commonly used in handbags, wallets, and shoes. Corrected: A broader term often referred to as genuine leather. It can be any layer of hide that has been treated to create a uniform surface. Commonly used in belts, wallets, bags, gloves, and shoes. Split Grain: A layer cut from the lower levels of top grain leather. It is not as dense, tight, or durable as full grain or top grain leather. Reconstituted & Recycled: Leather scraps are bonded together using polyurethane or latex. Here are a list of leather finishes: Aniline: Dyes allow natural surface of leather to show through. Semi-Aniline: Similar to aniline but with added pigments. Faux: Also known as PU, Vegan or Vinyl leather. Is made of polyurethane and made to mimic real leather. There are many more types (12+), but they may not be relevant to our search for pen cases and sleeves. Leather tanning is the process of treating hides to clean them of dirt, blood, and hair. This process alters the protein structure of the hide to make the leather durable and less susceptible to decomposition. Vegetable tanning: This method uses natural materials or tannins derived from plants and bark, which are astringents. It’s an ancient, environmentally friendly process. Chromium tanning: Chromium sulfate is used for a faster and cheaper tanning process, offering more color options than vegetable tanning. The hair and flesh are removed before the tanning process. Leather hides are graded as 1, 2, 3, or non-tannable, depending on the imperfections in the hide. The top-of-the-line branded pen cases are made from full grain cowhide leather with an aniline or semi-aniline finish. The case proliferation in my situation is rather proportional to the larger pen dimensions rather than the number of pens in my relatively limited collection. I found it increasingly inconvenient to carry flagship pens like the Wahl-Eversharp Decoband, Pilot Custom Urushi in the Pelikan TG32 three-pen case. While the Decoband fits inside Visconti Dreamtouch comfortably, the Custom Urushi does not. These pens could be a part of an everyday carry unlike a Namiki Emperor, unless you of course dare to carry it. In this situation, the Cross Leather Pen Box came to my rescue, but its dimensions pose a problem for my laptop bag if I want to carry two or three more standard pens. Given the rapid progress in design, manufacturing and evolving human desires, here are my standard set of guidelines, refined over the years, while looking for pen cases (YMMV): OBSERVATIONS & EXPERIENCE In Context Here are the pen cases I have acquired over the years: Single pen cases The Black Canvas Pen Capsule: Soft case. I got the English Violet variant which is made of top-grain chrome-tanned leather. The inside of the pouch is soft and velvety. Endless Companion Pen Pouch: Hard case. The company uses the term genuine leather which may indicate corrected leather. However, it seems well-made for standard pen sizes (such as a Lamy 2000, and it can stretch to fit a regular Montblanc 146) and has a matte buffed finish. The pen itself rests in a felt-like soft compartment, and the case is fastened by two buttons. They ensured that there is a felt-flap covering the exposed parts of a pen where it's buttoned. Cross Men's Leather Single Pen Box-Black: Hard case. Again corrected leather, but with ample space inside to house a Custom Urushi or WE Decoband. The flap is fastened with a magnetic closure, which is a nice touch. I have noticed some leather coming out off the edge of the flap from the newer of the two boxes, but this is what it is. Custom pen case for Namiki Emperor sized pen: Soft case. This was custom-made by fellow fountain pen collector Dr. Ashish Wakhlu for my Namiki Emperor pen. It’s good enough to protect the pen from minor scratches. From the texture, it seems like top grain or full grain leather with an aniline finish. It has some protection at the back. Multi pen cases Arista Leatherette Case for 6 pens: Hard case. I have two of Arista pen cases that I got from Amazon, primarily for storage. They’re lined with felt and have a partial over-layer to protect the finials from brushing against the zipper. It’s somewhat partial towards the pens in the first and last slots. Made of polyurethane, it closely mimics Saffiano leather and has a nice touch with bumpers at the base. The Black Canvas Jotbox: Soft case. A nice box for keeping pencils, parallels, and rulers reminiscent of the good old school days. It’s made of top-grain leather, and is pretty well made. Aegean Leather Case for Namiki Emperor/Pilot Custom Urushi: Hard case with pen tray. This is the most expensive case I own and it’s excellently made from Italian buttero leather. Full-grain, vegetable-tanned, aniline finish - this case checks all the boxes. I bought it to carry the Custom Urushi in my bag, may be sometimes the Emperor too. Pelikan Leather 3 Pen Case: Hard case with soft flap. Top notch full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather with aniline finish, but for medium sized pens. It’s good enough for a Pelikan M800/1000 or a MB 149. Visconti Dreamtouch Case for 3/6 Pens: Hard case with zippered flap. Felt inner lining. This is my favorite case and checking all boxes for full-grain, vegetable-tanned, aniline finish leather. The one with 6 pens hasn’t seen much motion, but it’s absolutely defies ageing, even after 10 years. I occasionally use a standard neutral shoe cream to polish them. Brown Bear Classic Pen Case for 2 Pens: Hard case with magnetic closure. By the looks of it, the case seems to be full-grain with an aniline finish. Its pretty sturdy and well made, with a single soft divider. The dimensions are good enough to hold a Pelikan M8XX sized pen. Their men’s wallets made of nappa leather hold well too. Essart Pen Case for 10 Pens: Hard Case with magnetic button for the flap. The lid has a transparent portion to get a quick account of pens inside. The frame is wooden and sturdy, with each pen slot lined with felt. It’s pretty & perfect for storage. Methodology The pictures below depict the way in which I have measured the inner length and available versus total width of these pen cases. MY TOP PICKS If I had to pick one It would be the Visconti Dreamtouch Pen case. Thank you for going through the review. You can find other pen and paraphernalia reviews here. REFERENCES Leather grade and types

Tl;dr ‘Executive Summary’: The ‘PF’ stamp on Pelikan nibs is a mark that was required by French Customs/Assay regulations, to indicate that the company responsible for importing the 18k gold nibs to France was Pelikan. Full post: I have, dear reader, been taking part in a discussion on the Parker board about the origin of the (14k) gold nibs on modern Parker Duofold pens. We were debating the meaning of the ‘Eagle-head’ marking on nibs for sale in France, and I looked-up the French law concerning Customs/Assay hallmarks, which can be found at https://www.douane.gouv.fr/fiche/regles-de-marque-pour-la-garantie-des-metaux-precieux. Having read the definition on that site, it turns out that French law (like British law) requires items made of precious metal to be assayed, and to then be stamped with TWO marks: if an 18k gold item passes the assay, it gets the ‘Eagle-head’ stamp; The second mark that is required by French law is a ‘mark of responsibility’ (equivalent to the ‘Sponsor’s mark’ in the British assay system). But: the French system is more-subtle than the British system, and it indicates more information than the British system does, as follows: If the item is made in France, the ‘responsibility mark’ that indicates the manufacturer must be enclosed within a losange - a diamond/straight-sided polygon. If the item is imported to France, the ‘responsibility mark’ that indicates the importer is to enclosed within an oval. So, the ‘PF’ stamp that appears on Pelikan nibs that are stamped with a French ‘Eagle-head’ mark are - as they enclosed within an oval - another French Customs/Assay stamp; one that is a ‘responsibility mark’ for Pelikan. Perhaps the letters indicate ‘Pelikan Fabrik’? Anyway, support for this explanation can be seen on the following two photographs. Firstly, a photo of the ‘PF’ stamp on the 18k nib of my ‘W.-Germany’ M800: As it is stamped inside an oval, it is a French mark to indicate the identity of the importer. Secondly, a photo of the mark for ‘Parker Pens’ on the 14k nib on my Parker 75 that was made in Méru, France, in 1984 Q1: As you can see, the ‘PP’ (separated by an upward-pointing arrow) for ‘Parker Pens’ is enclosed within a straight-sided losange, so it is a French mark that identifies the French manufacturer. I hope that this solves the ‘mystery’ of these stamps. Slàinte, M.

Hello! I have this Pelikan Toledo, presumably from the 80s. as you can see from the pictures attached, the piston mechanism is partially disassembled. When I assemble it, the back knob doesn’t contract fully. If am I right, the only way to get it right is remove the thread black part attached to the barrel, then to assemble the piston mechanism outside the barrel (considering get the fully contactin of the back knob) and then insert the fully assembled mechanism into the barrel. Is that correct? If yes… what the right way to do it? Are that thread part friction fitted into the barrel or thread into it? Left or right thread? Should I apply dry heat and or DW40? if it is friction fit… should I apply pressure from the section extreme using a wood bar o apply pull tracción from the back thread part? Piston contracted or extended? thanks a lot!!!

Greetings all. I am new to the group and the hobby. Please let me know if this is not the right place to post such a question. I recently purchased a new Pelikan m805 Stresemann with Fine nib. I have read that Pelikans are wet writers (and can confirm this by two other Pelikans I recently acquired in different configurations). But my m805 with Fine nib writes extremely dry. When I apply no pressure to the nib, there is barely a line that comes out. When I apply more pressure, it writes but the writing experience is not particularly pleasant. I use Irochizuku ink. I was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to increase the ink flow and make the pen a wetter writer. An ideal writing instrument for me produces a thin, wet line. Any advice welcome. Thanks in advance.

Pelikan Edelstein Garnet In 2011 Pelikan introduced the Edelstein series of high-end inks, available in a variety of colours. The theme of the Edelstein concept is the gemstone – each ink corresponds to the beautiful colour of a gem. The Edelstein line of inks is presented in 50 ml high-value bottles, that are truly beautiful, and worthy of a place on your desk. In this review I take a closer look at Garnet, the Edelstein Ink of the Year 2014, which is now part of the regular Edelstein line-up. Garnet is a fairly bright and well-saturated orange-leaning red. In daylight and in scans the ink’s red tones dominate, but under warm artificial light Garnet definitely shows its orange-leaning nature. This is a decent red ink, that works well in all nib-sizes and on all types of paper. But that’s about it… personally I think there are lots of similar reds about, and there is little to lift Garnet above the pack. Below I give you enough background information to let you make up your own mind. The chromatography shows orange-red dyes and a bit of grey in the mix. The grey tones down the ink a bit, making Garnet appear less vibrant. For red inks, this can be a good thing: a full page of vibrant red might be a bit too much for some. From the bottom part of the chroma, you can already deduce that Garnet is not a water resistant ink. This Edelstein ink can handle all nib sizes with ease, always showing a well-saturated line. I actually prefer this ink with the finer nibs (EF/F), where its presence on the paper is less overwhelming. My personal opinion is that red inks are ok for occasional notes when reviewing/correcting a document, but are too loud for regular writing/journaling. A full page of Garnet hurts the eyes. To show you the impact of saturation on the ink’s look & feel on paper, I made some scribbles where I really saturated portions of a scrap of Tomoe River paper with ink. This gives you a good idea of what the ink is capable of in terms of colour range. Garnet has a low dynamic range, with little difference between the light and darker parts. Not a lot of shading with this ink! The little shading you get is most apparent when using Garnet in dry pens with broader nibs (like the 1.5 / 1.9 calligraphy nibs for a Lamy Safari). I’ve tested the ink on a wide variety of paper – from crappy Moleskine to high-end Tomoe River. On every small band of paper I show you: An ink swab, made with a cotton Q-tip 1-2-3 pass swab, to show increasing saturation An ink scribble made with an M-nib Lamy Safari fountain pen The name of the paper used, written with a B-nib Lamy Safari A small text sample, written with an M-nib Lamy Safari Origin of the quote, written with an F-nib Pelikan M101N Bright Red Drying times of the ink on the paper (with the M-nib Lamy) The ink copes well with a wide variety of paper – it even works well with Moleskine paper: just a tiny bit of feathering, and only a bit of bleed-through. This is an ink that can tolerate even crappy copier paper at the office. I like Garnet just a touch more on the yellow papers in my test set. The yellow background accentuates the orange undertones of the ink, and reduces the contrast between ink and paper, making a page of red writing less loud and in your face. Scanned images alone are not enough to give you a good view of the ink - they tend to exaggerate contrast, and sometimes have difficulty capturing the colour of an ink. I’ve therefore added a few photos to give you another view on the ink. Writing with different nib sizes The picture below shows the effect of nib sizes on the writing. As you can see, Garnet works well in all nib sizes, even the finest ones. I actually prefer using it with the EF/F nibs – the fine line you get tames the ink a bit, and makes a full page of Garnet look a little more palatable. Related inks To show off related inks, I use my nine-grid format, with the currently reviewed ink at the center. This format shows the name of related inks, a saturation sample, a 1-2-3 swab and a water resistance test – all in a very compact form. This allows you to easily compare the ink with its eight direct neighbours, which I hope will be useful to you. Garnet sits somewhere between MB Corn Poppy Red (which is a bit more vibrant) and kyo-iro Flaming Red of Fushimi (which looks a bit softer and more delicate). Inkxperiment – stilt village I’ve put myself a challenge to try to produce interesting drawings using only the ink I’m reviewing. For me this is an incredibly fun extension of the hobby, that continuously challenges my drawing skills. Red inks often have a low dynamic range, and are a real challenge for single-ink drawings, and Garnet is no exception. I therefore decided on a simple pen drawing. I started with an A4 piece of HP photo paper, on which I painted the background using a water-soaked kitchen towel on top of which I painted with water-diluted Garnet. This always produces a nicely textured background on which to paint the subject. In retrospect, I should have diluted the ink quite a bit more… the background turned out to be a bit too prominent. I then drew in the village buildings using a 2-point perspective, and added the stilts and netting with my Lamy Safari fountain pen. Final touches to the buildings were done with a felt-tip pen and fountain pen. The resulting drawing shows what can be achieved with Garnet in an artistic context. Due to its limited colour span, Garnet is best used for line drawings. The stilt village turned out quite well. A pity about the background that should have been softer… well, lesson learned for a next time 😉 Conclusion This Edelstein ink of the year 2014 (which is now part of the regular line-up) has no real technical shortcomings: well-saturated, works with all nib-sizes and paper types. It does lack water resistance though, if you care about such things. All in all a decent red, but personally I’ve seen better ones that I liked more. Technical test results on Rhodia N° 16 notepad paper, written with Lamy Safari, M-nib Back-side of writing samples on different paper types