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This Cross pen (see photos) is from the '70s or '80s. On the cap: "-1/20 12KT" and below it: "-GOLD FILLED". Also, "Cross" and "Made in USA". the body measures 4 3/4" long and the cap is 2 3/16" long. I'm thinking it is a Classic, but does it have a model number or a more specific name? It has an old felt tip ink cartridge that says "G7" on the side, along with the A. T. Cross name etc. The existing cartridge measures 4 5/16" long and about 1/4" diameter at the widest part. I emailed Cross customer service and the rep said that the "Porous Point (Felt Tip) Refill for Selectip Pens" is the only refill that will fit this pen. Before I get the new refill, I thought I'd check here on the forum. It seems like the end of the new felt tip refill is different from the old felt tip cartridge I have, which has a slight taper to the endcap, and so I'm not sure if the new Cross refill will fit. Also, ideally, I would like a ballpoint or gel refill for this pen. Are there any refills (ballpoint, gel or felt tip) available for this pen that you know will work? If not, what are my options since it has sentimental value and I'd love to be able to use it. Thank you!

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

I'm struggling to find a screw in converter for a Cross Apogee, Cross product code 8756. Does anyone know where I can find one, or a suitable alternative? Thanks

I should preface this by saying don't think this pen I've just received is a fake, but was surprised at it's light weight compared to my century rollerball given to me when was 18. There is a stamped number inside- 0612 (June '12?) In the barrel there is a part that is sliding back and forth. It is cone shaped and looks to fit snuggly in the end of the barrel, but it is loose but not able to come out of the barrel due to the threads. It looks to be metal. I've ordered a converter as it came with a small cartridge, so I'm wondering if when a cartridge is fitted it makes them fit snuggly. Does anybody have any experience with this pen and can clarify why a part is moving back and forth freely in the barrel? Apologies for the terrible photos it is very difficult to photo graph inside the barrel

I had an issue with ink coming out of the bottom of the trim ring which is located at the top of the section on an original Cross Century fountain pen, as illustrated in the photo. I spent several days trying to figure out what was going on and I think I finally came up with the answer. Maybe this will help if anyone else has a similar problem. It seemed like a hard puzzle to solve since the top of the trim ring, adjacent to the nib and feed, did not have any obvious place for the ink to enter and get under the ring. I called Cross and they told me to soak the pen in dish soap and warm water. But, after refilling with ink, the ink under the ring was back. OK, here's what I think happened. I was filling the pen by dipping it in ink, without regard to how much of the pen I submerged in the ink. So, if I submerged the pen below the bottom of the trim ring, a small quantity of ink could get in under the ring. I then tried two things to solve the problem. First, I pushed some silicon grease up onto the bottom of the ring, just in case there was a gap under the ring that might let ink in. Second, I did the refill being careful to only submerge the nib and not the trim ring. Now, I have had zero "leaks" from the trim ring after several days. I'm not sure you could call them leaks in the first place, but this is what happened. If I get more ink under the trim ring and never let it get submerged in the ink, I'll be proven wrong.

Dear All, I was looking at the pen used by Donald Trump for signing the executive orders (I have attached a picture). I know it is a Cross Townsend black but I noticed it is not a pen, it is most a black marker. Looking on the Cross official site I didn't find any Townsend Cross Marker model, only Roller (that was the one of the former Barack Obama), ballpoint and fountain pen. Is it pheraps a special model not available on the market?

Hello my name is Ashley. I just became a member today so I’m new to this. A friend of mine gifted me these 2 Cross pens. I love how they write! I have always wanted a calligraphy pen because my writing looks so pretty when using one. I just don’t know anything about them. So one of the pens has cross 10kt On the top part of the lid and it’s a little lighter in color than the other one that just says cross with Ireland right underneath. I can’t find anything else it’s just a little bit darker in color. Also wondering if they are both 10kt. If you guys can please help me. I may sale one or both and I don’t want to short myself. I appreciate any help in advance! https://photos.app.goo.gl/pgBYZZBSSkCN9N5M7

Hi people, I recently purchased a Cross Click Gel Pen as a gift for a friend. I was wondering if there are any cheaper alternatives for refills and if there are compatible refills without gel ink. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, I have got two old Cross classic century gold fountain pens from my father. I'm not sure about the age. They are marked: 1/20 10KT GOLD FILLED with 14KT M nibs. They have problems with ink flow, dryness and scraping. The pens have now been cleaned in water for over 24 hours. No more ink is coming out. But, I have problems removing the nibs for further cleaning and adjustments. Is it possible to remove them at all or are they fixed? They are not moving at all when pulled. I'm trying with a rubber band between my fingers for better grip, but no :-( Hope you have som good solutions for me :-)

Hiya I'm hoping someone can advise me? Joined the forum yesterday as I need some help please. Was trying to refill a vintage cross ballpoint (classic century I believe) and somehow managed to remove the refill holder, instead of just the refill?? And of course it won't go back in now... I've tried heating the barrel but that didn't work. Have I ruined it?

Hi all! I've just joined the forum, as I'm looking for help with a vintage Cross ballpoint (classic century?) such a Beautiful pen and I fear I've ruined it... Was trying to get the refill out (I know I know, read the instructions) and somehow unscrewed the refill *holder* instead of just the refill. The spring and 2 little washers came out as well. For the life of me, it won't all go back in! It's like the refill holder is too big. . Is this how it stays in..? Friction? And once it is out, can it ever be put back? I am beyond annoyed with myself.

https://www.sintons.co.uk/sintons_commercial/the-pen-shop-bought-from-administration/ It is now down to 5 stores from 10. IIRC, they had 20 stores 3/4 years ago. OTOH, their shop in Trafford Centre (one of the largest malls in the UK) had only one MB LE ink in stock and 3/4 from the standard range. The website has had a revamp.

My great-grandmother gave me this set a few years ago and am trying to find a matching fountain pen to purchase. The issue is, I don’t know the model name. If anyone could help me with this I would really appreciate it! Thank you in advance, William

I just got a couple of Cross Bailey Light fountain pens (£10 on sale, WH Smith UK) and 3 Cross refill converters (£7 each, buy two get one free, from same place). They were advertised as "Fine Nib", but now I have them, there's no word "Fine" on the packaging, and there's an "M" on the front. I'm not familiar enough with Cross or fountain pens in general to be able to tell a Fine tip at a glance. The "M" could stand for "medium girth", according to their website. Can anyone advise? Should I send them back? Come to think of it, are Bailey Lights bad pens; should I return them while I have the chance? All I know about Cross is they made some beautiful 1980s (?) gold pens and pencils that a friend of mine has, and some equally awesome gold fountain pens. I don't know how well their more modern, Chinese-made, lower-end models compare. I can't afford one of their older/higher class pens yet, so was hoping a Bailey Light would serve me as an alternative until that day. Anyone know the thickness of line that Cross Fine nibs are supposed to draw? (I've heard Western "Fine" = 0.34mm)

Could anyone tell me how much a Cross Bailey's cap should be expected to wobble? - eg when capped? I've just bought a Bailey whose cap does this, shifting around by as much as a millimeter on either side. The wobble is especially noticeable when the pen's held by the cap. How typical is this of Baileys? My other Cross pens (Calais, Century & cherished Dubai) all have very secure caps.

LINKED BLOG BELOW For more irrelevant pictures , I am sure people like me would click Cross Peerless 125 Tokyo Edition PRELUDE Plurality of singularities Among many other fountain pen lovers, I do retain a high level of adoration for the way the Sailor nibs look, aren’t they just beautiful? Paradoxically enough, there is also a certain distaste, when it comes to my acceptance of their nib smoothness. My humble experience has been mostly with sailor nibs straight from Japan and not the US market. Alas! the glassy smooth angle to manoeuvre writing with the Japanese ones (except the Naginata one), wouldn’t work for me, ever with the five sailor nibs. Also, I always felt an immense opportunity have something done with their relatively bland base pen designs and the CC filling system. Many times, I pondered whether it would be worth sending a sailor nib to Conid and have a pen made. The nib can be smoothened for English script rather than struggling on my part to learn the Kanji to have it used! As it turns out, I couldn’t justify the Conid plan for a long time, but I do intend to add one in future. By this time, Cross had relaunched the Peerless range in 2015, marking 125th anniversary of its original Peerless pen (1889). Hoorah! it came with a 18k Sailor nib! Cross was founded in 1846, in case you too thought this to be the company’s 125th anniversary . Below is an ad, I could find with respect to the original peerless fountain pen. PRESENTATION (6/6) Presented in Style Presentation is exquisite consisting of a paper box wrapped around a luxury gift box, along with a brand leaflet and two spare black cartridges. The screw-in (8756) converter, comes fitted inside the pen. I hope that the following pictures will do more justice. And if you are thinking of gifting this, I can assure you, it’s altogether a fantastic package. Full Marks! The hinged box is sturdy and substantial with enough cushion for all residents. In fact, there is enough space to fit two more large sized pens and probably you could smuggle a turtle inside! DESIGN (5/6) Designed by Aliens Cross released the Peerless 125 in four finishes: 23kt Heavy Gold Plate, Obsidian Black Lacquer, Platinum Plate/Medalist, and Platinum Plate in three models initially: fountain pen, ballpoint and rollerball. Later, three special editions NYC, London and Tokyo were released in Silver, Gold and Black, that imbibed prominent works of architecture (Chrysler Building, Big Ben and Skytree) in the respective megacities. I went for the Tokyo primarily because of silver accents and partly because of its availability over Obsidian Black edition. Eventually, I think that it was a good choice The pen looks elegant and appears quite substantial compared to a Townsend or a Century, while preserving in its signature cigar custom-design. The platinum coated metallic appointments at the centre, clip and either ends provide a pleasant lustre to an otherwise dull matt finish of the body. The taper is pretty nuanced and organically converges into the glitter at either ends. The Skytree being the tallest structure in Japan and the second tallest one in the world has a charm of its own, more so during night. It seems to blend between a pagoda and a futuristic spaceship control center, though is used primarily for Radio and TV broadcasts in Tokyo. Below go some pictures of Skytree at Night and Day! For the Peerless, the brushed black PVD coating of the body poses as the structural base and the circular glass houses perhaps get represented by the lustrous platinum appointments, although YMMV. While the pen does look hefty and is quite an oversized pen, the semblance of size no way compromises the impeccable balance and comfort of writing, with the Tokyo. The cap seems to imbibe most of the heft within itself with a cylindrical cross section Quite delicately, the PVD body tapers down towards the metallic blind-cap. The glazing finial looks quite industrial with the cross section of a conical frustum. Given the galvanising finish, it is prone to fingerprints! It may get misinterpreted as a piston knob. Apart from it’s enchanting shimmer, the black ring creates a step that serves for posting the cap securely. The tension-fit clip preserves the cross tradition, with a slightly elongated arclike structure. It carries the brandname CROSS imprinted on a black rectangular background, made to standout. Visconti also does that. Both ends of the cap have platinum plated appointments. The barrel end however has a thin sheen, thanks to the metallic ring at the end. The other side is well adorned with a jet hematite Swarovski crystal. The tassie carries the latitude and longitude of Skytree along with model name TOKYO and an individualised serial number. Pretty Cool! The centre band where the barrel meets the grip has a shimmering inscription of CROSS PEERLESS 125, deftly etched in black & silver. The jet hematite dazzles like a diamond with visible light and ambient angles. The tassie is anyway a frozen GPS of the Skytree. If you are lost on this planet with the Tokyo, and Aliens do come to your rescue, you can tell them exact location of the Skytree! When they turn rogue, you can probably deflect lasers with the jet hematite crystal or simply hit them with 43 grams of PVD and metal! It is oversize but I never felt any heft, while using the pen. Very Cool! The cap unscrews with two and a quarter turns, revealing the elegant dazzle of a 18k Sailor nib, with rhodium plating. The silvery section threads along with the centre band go well in the overall design. Quite some attention to details! The section ends up with a little bump with a shinier loop of metal, before the mind is bewitched again, by the shimmer of the rhodium plated nib. FILLING SYSTEM (6/6) It's a 8756! The barrel unscrews from the section with four and a half turns. Now if aliens indeed attack, this is not the time you are found to be putting ink in the Tokyo! Sitting inside is a Cross piston type screw-in converter (#8756). I found that this converter has a better capacity than traditional sailor ones. And filling ink is clean and easy. The converter might hold more than 0.5 ml if you happen to fill the converter with a syringe. It’s not interchangeable with a sailor converter and you can see that the feed connector has a smaller diameter in case of Cross. I have no qualms of this being a CC, piston would have been nicer though! I wouldn't have paid an extra 100 $ for a piston, by the way. NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS (6/6) In his majesty’s glittering service The dazzling nib is tested by hand, and comes in five different widths including EF, F, M,B, and sailor Z, the widths being Japanese. As mentioned earlier, I like the glamorous design of sailor nibs. The size and spread of the nib are standard#6. The lower middle section of the nib specifies carries the brand imprint of CROSS with the nib-composition (18 K, 750) and nib width M, resting above it. PEERLESS and 125 are embossed just below the circular breather hole. The scrollwork runs in between the body and the shoulders which enhances the decor, probably in a very industrial way. Reminds me of the machine drawing classes, where every cross section had to be cross-hatched, else you lose a point or so. The tines elongate themselves in trademark Sailor style. Both the gold & silver accents look like adorable cousins. A black plastic feed with closely spaced fins allows to maintain balance against air-pressure with a good buffer capacity of ink. The feeder hole provides the ink suction for the converter. It’s as good or bad, as a sailor.PHYSICS OF IT (5/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING Newtonian Laws Intact The overall capped length is around 15 cm. I would prefer to use the pen unposted as both weight and balance seem perfect with a good nib leverage. The section has a comfortable grip of around 1.32 cm. I feel it’s very comfortable from an overall perspective, balancing amazingly well for an oversized pen with metallic appointments. Uncapped Length ~ 13.3 cm Posted Length ~ 15.6 cmExposed Nib Leverage ~ 2.3 cm (#6 nib) Overall Weight ~ 43.4 g (without ink, cap weight~16 g) Below are the pictures along with a MB146 and a Pelikan m805 for your reference. ECONOMIC VALUE (4/6) Demand < Supply While an expensive retail price of around USD 625 puts off many people, these market rates sometimes come with a 35-55% discount. The best part is that the pen in itself is quite difficult to fake , with many parts i.e crystal, nib and body, imported from around the world. OVERALL (5.3/6) Buy This is a great pen. The writing experience is as amazing as the nib looks, with just the hint of control which you would expect from a well tuned sailor nib. Some springy softness is present in the nib with little line variation between horizontal and vertical strokes. The lines dry within 25-30 seconds with Sailor Red Grenade ink, running on MD Paper. The nib runs quite smoothly even on copy paper. This is a Japanese medium nib with a wet flow, so any effects on ink shading might miss the normal eye. There is the slightest hint of feedback, typical of sailor but that’s all there is. No glassy angles, just well tuned for English script. The nib has never skipped and always laid a wet line, and seems to be one of the best sailor nibs in my small collection. If the cap is left open for a few minutes or so, you might need to put a light effort to get the wet lines flowing again. REFERENCES Tokyo SkytreeSailor History Coming up Next… Thank you for going through the review!

Hi everyone, I hope you're doing great and you're enjoying your weekend. I recently got my wife a cross pen but we're not really sure about it. We've tried looking it up on google but couldn't really find anything about so I thought that experts like you might be able to shed some light on this. We don't have too many pics of it since we bought it from an online seller so this is all we got unfortunately (Seller said it's not its original box). Thank you for your help on this!!!

*sorry it's a pen and pencil set* Parents passed recently and I found this pen while cleaning out their house. I remember playing with it as a kid but I know nothing about it. I'm going to keep it just wondering if anyone can tell me anything about it. Thank you

While I use my smartphone for many things, I still manage tasks the old fashioned way -- on paper in a notebook. I find that the physical act of writing with a pen keeps things in my head better than typing them into a digital task manager. I mostly use my fountain pens for this (various colors for different purposes), but I like to have a rollerball or two on hand for back-up in case a pen has dried a bit or is acting finicky. I've been attempting to use Cross rollerballs for this -- in part because they offer purple and red as well as blue and black. However, lately I have found that these refills are beyond dreadful. Dreadful -- as in they won't write consistently within five minutes of opening the package and installing the refill in the pen. I know there are a lot of other rollerball options out there (indeed, I use many others). But I can't believe how bad these refills have become. Cross really ought to be ashamed to have these things on the market -- at least in my view. Anyone else seeing the same thing?

Hello, new here this is my first post. I am a fountain pen newbie, looking to learn more about them! I recently acquired a late 90’s titanium-gold Cross Townsend with 14k gold nib. Unfortunately there’s dry ink in it from many years ago. I am soaking and flushing it to clean it. Using only water and converter. My question is: How can I clean the dry ink off of the nib itself, without damaging the gold? There’s an ink patch near the base as well as along the breathing line. 14K nib units seem to be very hard to find these days, so I want to use minimally invasive techniques to clean the pen up if possible. any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Just before pressing the "buy now" button, I went thru the reviews and found that it is a PLASTIC pen!! Wouldn't mind paying 10, 15 or 20 dollars for a plastic pen, but $50? And, since when the iconic Century has been made out of cheap plastic? All the Century pens I own (made in USA) are metal. Why did Cross thought using plastic was a great idea? I really wanted to get back to the brand, but the more I try, the more disappointed I become. The Century Classic Black pen is just lovely looking. What a waste of design.

To those who own a sailor naginata and a cross nib. I am curious to know that are the two nib tines for the cross nib longer than usual or they appear like that due to stacking them? Since i own a sailor naginata nib and the two arms are slightly longer than the usual nib tines. So i was wondering if they use pre-naginata nibs for their cross nibs or they use regular nibs with extra tipping (like the zoom).

My husband was paring down his collection and gave me this lovely Cross (he knows I'm a fan of the brand). I want to love the Verve, I really do - but even when I deliberately grip the pen farther back on the body, after a long writing session my grip "migrates" a bit and this happens. I'm not even particularly close to the nib; I swear the ink JUMPS from that little slit in the chrome and seeks my finger out! Any tips? Or do I just need to make more frequent grip adjustments? This issue has caused me to pull this lovely pen out of my daily carry rotation (not that I'm hurting for pens to fill the spot, of course).

Cross Townsend Scuderia Ferrari Rosso Corsa Red 18kt Gold Nib Fountain Pen On Sale for $220 Retail Price is $400 Makes a remarkable gift for Fountain Pen Aficionados and Ferrari lovers as well.

Manufacturer: Cross Series, colour: Violet Pen: Waterman Hemisphere „F” Paper: Image Volume (gramatura 80 g / m2) Specifications: Flow rate: very good Lubrication: good Bleed through: noticeable Shading: noticeable Feathering: unnoticeable Saturation: good A drop of ink smeared with a nib The ink smudged with a cotton pad Lines Water resistance Ink drying time Ink drops on a handkerchief Chromatography Sample text in an Image Volume (gramatura 80 g / m2) Sample text in an Oxford notebook A5 (90 g / m2) Sample letters in a Rhodia notebook No 16 (90 g / m2) Sample letters in a Clairefontaine (gramatura 120 g / m2) Palette of shades