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Fosfor is a pen company based out of Pune, in India. Manoj Deshmukh is the person behind Fosfor who actually handcrafts the pens on his manual lathe. http://www.fosforpens.com/about.html Manoj has gone from strength to strength. He started off as a hobbyist pen turner showing his work on FPN and today has developed expertise with which he can realise your pen ideas with finesse. You can see a lot of his early work here. I repair a lot of pens including piston pens. A modular piston filled pen which can be fully taken apart without needing any tools is a sure plus. Additionally if the whole piston filler is replaceable as a component like say an ink converter is, the advantages are obvious. In middle of 2017, I approached Manoj with some sketches involving the design of a pen based around the Schmidt KFH450 piston unit. The design features were tool less disassembly, no gluing of any pen part to the piston unit, differential piston knob. Meaning the piston knob will screw out as the piston is extended. The last part is very conventional today thanks to Pelikan and later MB but somewhat tricky to do with the KFH450. Since it involved some machining techniques I had a brief initial discussion with Manoj and he assigned me a slot no on his work queue. My slot finally became live this month. After a long wait of nearly 22months. I received the pen and I am happy to state that Manoj has exceeded all my expectations. He has taken the idea and created a pen which is uniquely his. I am very happy with the work. Well done Manoj and thank you. Here are some pics: The functional Fosfor packing. Practical and compact. The pen is made of NYH Red Black Cumberland ebonite with solid silver fittings. Ink view window and the Fosfor logo on the hand made silver clip. Showing the differential action. Piston seal is visible in the ink window when the piston knob is screwed out. The pen disassembled showing the KFH450 piston unit. In case of any serious maintenance requirement in future, the entire piston unit can be changed out very inexpensively. Notice the hand knurling done by Manoj on the knob. Size compared to a Pelikan M1000: Thanks to Manojs mastery over the lathe, he is able to cut Multi start threads and the cap takes just 1-3/4 turns to cap-uncap. The KFH450 uses the Schmidt FH452 nib units which are quite commonly available with a choice of nib widths. Manoj charged me a very reasonable amount despite the amount of work involved. I hope this brief write up is useful for others considering a custom job. Cheers, Hari

Introduction I recently had an opportunity to act as an enabler by helping a colleague and friend of mine acquire a special custom fountain pen. This particular gentlemen has a very fine collection of writing equipments including models from almost all premier brands and certainly a few Parkers. But his heart was set on acquiring a classic all ebonite Duofold in glorious orange hues but with a contemporary filling system. Since such a chimera doesn't exist in the real world, we set about creating a pen that looks and behaves like a modern Duofold Centennial but with an orange ebonite cap and barrel with black finials. We approached Mr. Manoj Deshmukh of Fosforpens who was willing to take up the challenge. Since this pen was meant for someone else. I didn't dip it or ink it to test the nib. Hence I wont call it a full review in the true sense of the term. Instead, let us consider this a pictorial essay of the pen that was finally created. Design The Duofold is a classic design and has spawned innumerable variants and knock-offs for over ninety years ever since it first appeared in the scene circa 1921. Any fountain pen enthusiast is well aware of the design and words cannot express its simplistic but sophisticated elegance. So instead of subjecting my limited vocabulary to unnecessary stress, I will let the pictures do the talking. http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/Fosfor%20Duofold/IMGP5199_zps2pvd355h.jpg http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/Fosfor%20Duofold/IMGP5200_zpscyiraq2a.jpg Size and Balance At 137mm capped, the Duofold would be considered a mid-sized pen by contemporary standards. Being made of ebonite makes the delightfully light and easy to handle. It is superbly balanced and comfortable to write for extended periods. Even with the cap posted, the pen retains its balance and is a breeze to write with. For those of you who may seek a size reference, here is a side by side image with the Kaigelu 316 which is a clone of the Duofold Centennial. http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/Fosfor%20Duofold/IMGP5210_zps6kjouwpd.jpg Nib Since the gentleman in question already had access to other Duofolds, we didn't bother about getting an original nib for the pen. Instead he opted for a 18K Jowo #6 pen in rose gold finish with his initials engraved on the nib. This technique is different from the laser engraving I had done on my Rajendran and arguably better if the limited typeface options available do not bother you. http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/Fosfor%20Duofold/IMGP5201_zpsazxbejmk.jpg Filling Mechanism The pen uses the standard international cartridge converter mechanism with a Schmidt converter paired with the WIN/Jowo nib unit. The section itself was custom made by Manoj. The pen can accept any bottled ink as well as cartridges from a host of brands. http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/Fosfor%20Duofold/IMGP5205_zpsltn81ktm.jpg Build Quality Manoj is synonymous with quality and he amply demonstrated that in this pen as well. All critical aspects of the pen such as the shape, fit, threading, buffing/polishing and the finish are impeccable and gives the overall impression of a high quality product. Specifications The measurements have not been taken with any precision instrument or laboratory techniques and should be considered as indicative only . Length (capped) – 137 mm Length (uncapped) – 130 mm Length (cap) – 63 mm Length (section) – 20 mm Maximum width – 13.5 mm Maximum section width – 10.5 mm Minimum section width – 9 mm Conclusion I found the idea of this pen pretty intriguing. In one broad brush we have covered 96 years of Duofold legacy from its ebonite origins, big red lineage to contemporary evolution and amenities. The final product has certainly been able to fulfil its design brief. It is a classic mid-sized comfortable and well balanced writing instrument. The SEM ebonite and silver trims are wonderful thing to have and Fosfor quality and finishing comes through. Useful Links Very good orange ebonite blanks can be sourced from http://www.ebonite-arts.de/en/index.php Jowo nibs of your choice can be sourced from www.asapens.in Pen is made by www.fosforpens.com

I first saw a pen like this on this forum, when manojd showcased a wooden pen he'd made. I wanted a wooden pen for a long time, so when he offered to make me one, I was hooked. Especially when he also explained he made pens from rolling pins! This is the first commissioned pen in my collection. I'm not sure if I can really call it commissioned, since the artist himself designed the pen - I was offered some options, but it really is manojd's creation. The most influential decision I could make was clipless yes or no. I chose clipless. Here is a picture, from his website: This is a beautiful pen: ebonite section polished to a serious sheen, connected to the wooden barrel with a metal insert containing screw threads for the wooden cap; a relatively small but very capacious ebonite (I think!) feed under a Schmidt F nib, ,size 5 I would guess. A comfortable nib with very nice flow: not too wet, never dry, the nib fairly stiff but there is a hint of line thickness variation that I slightly increased by writing a few lines on 600 grit sandpaper. The wood is a beautiful deep dark brown Indian rosewood, well protected against water-based moisture or oils from my hands; it feels very comfortable in my hand. This pen cannot have the cap posted because the metal threads in the cap pose a risk of scratching the wooden barrel; but this is fine, it is long enough and in this way does not become top-heavy. The cap, with its metal insert, inner cap, and silver cap ring near the top, is itself quite heavy. The one half-issue I have with the pen is the metal threads just above the barrel; they are a little sharp and sometimes seem to dig into my fingers as I write, even though I have a fairly relaxed grip (having used fountain pens almost exclusively for decades now). I tend to hold the pen at about that position, or at the section itself, but the section is slender and I like a slightly wider grip, especially when doing more than half a page or so. I would have preferred ebonite threads that are easier on the hand, but visually, the slender section is very nice and I would not want the looks of the pen to change... All in all, I am very pleased with my choice to buy this pen. It is a beautifully made pen that writes just the way I like it. Here is a small writing sample: I am also happy that manojd considered my input when naming the pen...