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PRELUDE The never ending search of NOS Omas-es My love with Omas began with a dodecagonal (12-faceted) Omas Vision back in 2015. Like a fleeting teenage romance, it turned out to be as ephemeral as it was passionate, as the 90-year old company filed for bankruptcy the very next year, in 2016. For years, I never managed to acquire another Omas ,until late 2024, when I crossed paths with Tom Westerich (penboard.de). This inadvertent meeting led me to acquiring a few more Omas pens: a beautifully fluted 2003 Ogiva from Tom, an Europa later from Regina (martiniauctions) and a 360 dating back from the 1990s to early 2000s, courtesy of Marco (penboard). Now, I feel my pursuit for Omas pens has reached it’s conclusion though seemingly intelligent people who love ballpoint pens would see it as redundant. Among the pens, the 360 in Venice blue stands out. It came with a titanium emotica nib (semi-flex, by the way which original Omas nib isn’t!). Marco, in a gesture of old-school trust graciously refused payment until I received the pen and tested it, a courtesy likely extended because of my connection with Tom. The 360 seems to be a pen of legend, evoking tales of endless delight and occasional heartbreak from its end users. Nonetheless, I am going to exalt the 360 in this review and here is why! If you like a pictorial blogger view, here is the link: Pursuit of an almost elusive Omas 360 HISTORY The luxury of yesteryears now withered away According to the listing, the pen came without a box but did include its original pen sleeve - sporting a matching blue color or rather, what remained of it after 30 years of loyal service. Back then, Omas wouldn’t have left a stone unturned, when it came to presenting their exquisitely crafted pens. The history of the 360 design is a fascinating tale, well-documented in this FPN comment. Apparently, in the 1990s, Omas was inundated with fountain pens sent in for nib repairs. The culprit? Users who apparently gripped the fountain pens incorrectly! Enter Miss Malaguti (refers to Raffaella Simoni, Armando Simoni’s daughter), who had a lightbulb moment: why not design a pen that forces users to hold it the right way. This stroke of genius led to the triangular 360, but it also created a new engineering challenge: how to cram their standard cylindrical piston mechanism into a triangular barrel. The solution? Stretch the pen’s size, making it significantly larger than Omas’s typical offerings. I discovered this firsthand when I held the 360 - it’s as big as the Scribo Feel, though without the heft. DESIGN An Equilateral Triangle The Omas 360, released in 1996, is often hailed as the brand's last major design innovation, featuring its iconic triangular body and grip. I’ll admit, the idea of a triangular grip never seemed convincing to me - at least not until I actually held the pen in my hands. For this 360, the trims are rhodium-plated, a finish Omas fancifully called "HT" (High Tech). Even after three decades, the pen manages to dazzle - though now in the muted hues of Venetian blue. The triangular facets give the pen a unique sense of curvature, something absent from the dodecagonal Paragon designs. At the finials, the gentle curvature is so precise it feels like it was sculpted by a mathematician in love with parabolas. The trims are simple yet elegant: a thin triangular ring followed by a thick center band adorned with the Greek key, meandros. Notably, unlike the more modern Omas pens from the company's later years (pre-2016 closure), this band doesn’t have "OMAS" stamped within the motif. Closed, the final trim cleverly highlights the piston knob - a small but satisfying detail. The cap is snap-fit and pulls off with ease. However, I do have a minor quibble with the two-stage snapping mechanism. There’s a slight wobble during the second stage of uncapping, though it does seem to minimize the risk of ink spillage - a trade-off, perhaps. In my experience with premium fountain pen snap caps, the spectrum of quality is wide. At the top sits Faber-Castell (GvFC), while Sheaffer Legacy sits firmly at the bottom, scratching entire sections with the kind of determination that makes you wonder if it’s intentional. (Pro tip: If you want scratches to feel like a design feature rather than a bug, go all-in like the Lamy 2000. No offense to L2K lovers - I’m one of you!) Omas 360 comfortably lands in the top 20th percentile of snap-cap designs, at least in my limited experience and collection. Even without a magnifying glass, the trims bear the subtle marks of 30 years of ageing, lending the pen a certain vintage charm. The friction-fit clip arcs gracefully, with a concave taper that’s as functional as it is beautiful. Opening the cap reveals a delightful cross-sectional symmetry at the section’s end: a thin triangular ring followed by the signature Greek-key band. There’s a minor step as you transition to the section, but it never interferes with writing comfort. The triangular grip is smooth and intuitive, with its three planes acting as natural guardrails to ensure proper nib alignment. The pen does feel larger, albeit lightweight, compared to other Omas pens fitted with #6 nibs. FILLING & CLEANING SYSTEMS Piston Filler, Easy to use though difficult to service The piston filling system features a sturdy, pyramid-like knob at the end, along with two tiny metallic circles. These are the exposed ends of a brass pin that secures the blind cap to the piston mechanism. The knob requires a respectable 4–5 turns to move the piston to its end stop, and the mechanism works smoothly, drawing up an around 1.2 ml of ink from the bottle. The difference in weight prior and post filling the pen was 1.18g. Now, when it comes to lubricating the piston mechanism, things get a bit...tricky. Unlike the Paragon or Ogiva series, where you can simply unscrew the section and go to town with your silicone grease, the 360 makes you work for it. You’ll either need to carefully pull out the pin at the piston end or remove the heat-set nib from the other end. Both approaches require caution, patience, and possibly a bit of meditation beforehand. Secondly, it takes a long time to clean the pen, some ink just keeps coming out from nowhere. NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS Titanium Emotica My Omas 360 is equipped with a Medium Titanium Emotica-series semi-flex nib, which feels remarkably similar to a well-tuned Conid Ti nib. The size "M" is discreetly marked on the wing of the nib, while the material composition is etched towards its tail. The OMAS branding sits within an oval, adorned with some scrollwork that looks definitely inferior to the gold nibs. Fortunately, the nib arrived perfectly tuned, and I’ve had no complaints so far. The heat-set black ebonite feed ensures a generous ink buffer and an unapologetically wet ink flow. Ebonite, being hydrophilic, attracts water, unlike its hydrophobic plastic counterparts. This makes ebonite exceptionally efficient at delivering ink to the nib. There’s also a charming difference between Omas feeds of different eras. The modern feeds (circa 2015) showcase symmetrical fins on their exposed surfaces, giving them a neat, precise look. In contrast, the older feeds (1996–2003) embrace a minimalist aesthetic, with a plain design. PHYSICS OF IT – RELATIVELY SPEAKING The Laws of Ms. Malaguti Although there’s a step down from the barrel to the section, it never interferes with writing comfort. The pen is large, much like the Scribo Feel, and proves to be quite comfortable for extended writing sessions. And to top it off, there’s no room for confusion when holding the nib, thanks to the ingenious design by Miss Malaguti. Below are the pictures along with a Scribo Feel and a Pelikan M200 for a comparative reference. Here go the dimensions. Uncapped Length ~ 13.5 cm Total Length ~ 15 cm Exposed Nib Leverage ~ 2.5 cm The weight of the pen is comforting even without the cap. Overall Weight ~ 26 g (inked, without cap ~16g) WRITING & FINAL COMMENTS Writes wet and elastically The writing experience is beautiful - easily rivalling any well-tuned Bock Titanium nibs. Thanks to the natural springiness of titanium, this nib delivers an experience so delightful it’s a joy to ink the pen again. The nib writes wet and doesn’t suffer from major drying-out issues. I did encounter one hiccup: after leaving the pen untouched for a month, it required to prime the feed. I simply placed it nib-down for 2-3 minutes. This seems to be a recurring quirk with older Omas NOS pens. While writing, there’s a faint feedback reminiscent of graphite on paper, barely noticeable with wetter inks. With moderate pressure, the nib flexes, tines parting well to increase ink flow. The line variation is satisfying without requiring excessive effort, though I approach this titanium nib with the care of someone handling a 14k gold nib’s more temperamental cousin. On Endless Regalia 80 GSM paper with Scribe Indigo ink, the drying time clocks in at 40 seconds - another proof of wetness. While I’m not a die-hard flex writer, the line variation is pleasing enough to bring a smile to our face. After 2–3 months of use, this pen has secured its place in my Omas rotation. One of the standout features for me is the long section, which offers a great level of comfort as you settle into your perfect grip. The Omas 360 might have started as a design experiment, but it’s proven itself as a reliable one. Thank you for going through the review. You can find other pen and paraphernalia reviews here. REFERENCES Omas 360 Design Bankruptcy Omas Ogiva disassembly Omas Paragon (non-metal section) maintenance Omas 360 maintenance Omas Art Vision Review (metal section Paragon maintenance) Scribo Feel Review

OMAS as you already know is a 90 year old Italian manufacturer of fine writing instruments and related luxury goods. Founded in 1925, it does carry the name of its founder, Armando Simoni. OMAS as it is, stands for Officina Meccanica Armando Simoni, which means workshop for machinery And initially from 1919 - 1925 this workshop had been producing parts and safety mechanisms for pens.. OMAS had launched its first fountain pen in 1927 and had also copied Duofolds for a while. The turning point for the company came in 1932 with the Omas Extra, a faceted celluloid pen. Today, OMAS is no longer a 100% Italian company as it was earlier, after international acquisitions, first with the French LVMH stake in 2000 and then a 90% controlling equity investment of the Hong Kong based luxury conglomerate Xinyu Hengdeli Group in 2007. Below is a link to this review on my blog with more eye-candy . So here it goes: Omas Art Vision Review As for the Arte Italiana Collection, the twelve faceted or dodecagonal pens were first launched in 1930s and they never got out of fashion over all these years. In Italy it’s called Faccettata, which is also representative of Greek Doric Columns. The Vision along with Milord and a larger Paragon belong to the same collection. They are still assembled in Omas boutique job shop one after the other, manually. The Vision comes in two distinct designs - Liquid Blue & Liquid Green limited to 331 pieces per colour. However these pieces are not individually numbered like the Ogiva Vintage runs. Liquid Blue comes trimmed with bright rhodium decor while Liquid Green is trimmed with dark ruthenium decor. The colours are inspired from watercolour shades. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rwB2R_oPcX4/Vebk2XYHZdI/AAAAAAAAFXc/1dU-X7ggqak/s1600/1Designs.jpg PRESENTATION The Art Vision comes in a luxurious cardboard box encased within a silvery grey paper box. The heavy box is inlined with grey felt resembling the shades of steel grey. Once you remove the top cover, you can find the pen nesting inside a grey pen sleeve, placed on a custom made bed. The inside of the lid muses with the following motto customary to Omas: Italian Creativity, History, Craftsmanship. The Pleasure of Writing. Once you flip open the velvety separator, you would notice that there are two beds for two of your pens. Underneath rest the manuals and warranty card for this pen in a separate section. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KtUuS-0Y-wg/VeblYyOvHKI/AAAAAAAAFZE/79L3CKGNrVA/s1600/box2.jpg DESIGN - THE SONG OF DARK & EMERALD (6/6) It’s the Game of Thrones playing in my mind or these colours of liquid green and dark ruthenium play a beautiful symphony of light and dark. These pens are made of Omas proprietary Cotton Resin which constitutes of blended cotton seeds and resin polymer derivatives. The cotton resin feels quite substantial and does reflect a luxury in its own terms of rendering hues. The entire pen gleams with emerald tunes, entrapped within hushed darkness of ruthenium giving something that is not very common to this world of art. You can actually visualise the pen as a doric column which separated long ago and fell right into your palms. The clip gleams like an arc quite subservient to an emerald haze. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ragZY5aUAho/Vebk9mVwxeI/AAAAAAAAFXs/iT_R5_AXqHU/s1600/DSC_5849.jpg The piston knob concludes the structure with a raised dome. The cap feels light and unscrews with a single turn, revealing a dark ruthenium plated nib converging with gleaming shades of its metallic section. It reminds me of my gun-metal frames. The section starts with a dodecagonal structure (12 sides) stepping down for commencement of the efficient threads before tapering down to a comfortable grip section, before ending with a raised loop. These are the times when soulful geometry transforms into art. I did not find the grip uncomfortable or slippery and I hold the pen 0.4 - 0.5 cm above the nib. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HtVo0taFm3k/VeblKWrDUyI/AAAAAAAAFYY/SlThMQlpxdc/s1600/DSC_5863.jpg Now in case you are wondering about palladium, rhodium and ruthenium icing, along with some silver cake, here goes a picture. The other one (m625) has a silver section, coated with palladium along with a rhodium coated nib. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ykeiq8Kqy8/VeblGlyDApI/AAAAAAAAFX8/BeNvKoeSwGk/s1600/DSC_5869.jpg The clip acquires the shape of a convex arc before ending with a tender concavity. It has the OMAS classic roller disc (since the 1930s) which slips and secures the pen in your pocket. The finial has a dome like the piston knob and its polygonal planes define triangular precision finally being betrothed to the famous OMAS O dazzling subtly in dark ruthenium. You can see the distinct outlines of the cap insert. The centre band is engraved with OMAS and ITALY at either ends, interlocked with an architectural pattern known as the Greek key or Meandros. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fln51t2uEzg/VeblZS_bRtI/AAAAAAAAFZM/UtGH4GfPblE/s1600/cap.jpg FILLING SYSTEM (5/6) The piston filling system has a sturdy but small knob and is embellished with what seems to be a single loop. The knob requires three turns for the piston to move to its end stop which reveals the loop to be a part of the piston connector. The piston is smooth and efficiently draws ink from the bottle. The piston end does go down inside the metallic grip section of the pen while filling ink, which provides the additional ink capacity compared to the similar cartridge/converter model of the Milord models. The barrel along with the grip provides a decent ink capacity of 1.2-1.4 mL http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZcK9uDBWbk8/VeblJ7_r6II/AAAAAAAAFYQ/F5WehzFwoxY/s1600/DSC_5920.jpg NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS (5/6) The nib comes rhodiated or rutheniated in 14k (Extra Flessible ones) or 18k alloys across four stock widths - EF (14k, Extra-Flessible), F (14k, Extra-Flessible), F & M and seven special widths - BB, OM, OMD, OBD, OBBD, Stub & Italic (untipped). This has a 18k semi-flex and comparatively responsive nib with the usual shaded geometries of the Milord/Paragon series. The size M is mentioned on the wings of the nib while the gold content is mentioned towards the tail. The content resides within an elongated hexagon. It’s kind of hard to describe the parallel hatching and geometrical patterns on the nib and you can see it for yourself. It has got some thick inclined hatching around the breather hole with OMAS branding residing in between the symmetry of it, and thinner lines of straight hatch and plains keep recurring as you move towards either of the tines. The nib is a darling to write with. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OYydDE20yew/VeblJjtJEEI/AAAAAAAAFYI/ETlXcPzKJKg/s1600/DSC_5936.jpg The heat set black ebonite feed has thinly spaced fins and two capillaries which ensure a good ink buffer and an extremely wet ink flow. Ebonite attract water (these are hydrophilic) as opposed to hydrophobic plastics which repel water, thereby wetting it more efficiently under the nib. Having said this, I find my plastic pelikan feeds even more efficient in this regard. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56Cm-GHTpXM/VeblLJIYzYI/AAAAAAAAFYc/7bIhFrpWbYQ/s1600/DSC_5961.jpg PHYSICS OF IT (6/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING For me, this pen is very comfortable for writing without posting the cap. The overall uncapped length is around 13.2 cm, with a decent girth of more than 1 cm. Cap has heft and weighs a third of the total weight. The section is dark and metallic with the signature ruthenium coating although I did not find it slippery as such. The section feels quite substantial along with the cotton resin and I happen to grip the pen around 0.4-0.5 cm away from the nib. Its does feel a delight to write with, simply with the responsive nib. It’s a heavy and long pen to post and you may not prefer posting the Vision. Closed Length ~ 14.5 cmPosted Length ~ 17.7 cmNib Leverage ~ 2.4 cmOverall Weight ~ 33 g (without ink, Cap ~ 11 g)Capped and uncapped comparisons with a TWSBI 580 and a Pilot Custom 823 go below for your reference. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PAKrd4EbDuY/VeblSHBosxI/AAAAAAAAFYo/cL8P8mDnd5o/s1600/DSC_5972.jpg http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jtl9O4qfY74/VeblSKnTcGI/AAAAAAAAFYs/zCzzTTslBEY/s1600/DSC_5992.jpg ECONOMIC VALUE (3/6) The Visions retail at USD 495 and I am not sure if it’s a good or bad price since I do not usually find Omas pens selling at great discounts. I had a got a good, I will say steep discount from my longtime local distributor/reseller on this one. Since I have a lot of blue demos with rhodium trims, I rather went ahead with this song of dark and emerald. After the steep discount, the pen again could not make sure of value for money, but let’s not judge a piece of Art by monetary values alone! OVERALL (5/6) These 18k nibs are extremely smooth, somewhat flexible with a very wet flow. A little pressure increases the ink flow and results in thicker lines. The horizontal lines are a tad thinner than the verticals. I am not allured by flex, partly because of my bad handwriting, but I can assure these are delightfully soft and springy nibs, the best perhaps for a long long time. Being extremely wet writers out of the box, the Medium nib puts a line which takes around 30 seconds to dry GvFC Moss Green ink on MD Paper. Go for it, if you love this pen, substantial, differentiated & limited (331) with a befitting nib! http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GblHlov2XAc/VeblUPJPe6I/AAAAAAAAFY0/Qp6MI6AlW7I/s1600/DSC_5998.jpg OTHER DEMONSTRATOR REVIEWS Pilot Custom 823 Pelikan m605 Pelikan m625 Pilot Custom Heritage 92 TWSBI 580 REFERENCES Omas Art Vision Manufacturing Process Steps Factory Visit Greek key Thank you for going through the review. You can find some more pen and paraphernalia reviews here.

So I have a bit of an issue with a new style Omas Paragon that Ive had for a while. The pen ran great when I bought it secondhand. For quite a while actually. The section threads have a bit of friction before the facets are aligned when capped though. This is my only resin section Omas so the feel was new to me. One day I ran the cap about half a facet passed tight with the facets lined up. I was distracted and slightly over tightened the cap a hair. Since then, Ive had an ink leak at the silver trim where the section meets the body (green arrow). Im in the process of taking the pen a part and have the piston out along with the nib and feed (disassembled passed both red arrows). The feed/nib collar are still in the section. Is there a joint where the round section meets the faceted body at the green arrow? Ive taken a part several metal section Paragons and am familiar with the joint from section to body on those pens. Is the Milord made in the same way? I dont see a clear tube reservoir as I did on the new Paragon. The pen body looks to be the reservoir on the Milord and the section is made of the same material as the body. The joint location is a little mysterious to me in this case. I dont want to attempt to find a joint where one does not exist if you catch my drift!! I did find that some ink had made it passed the piston filling assembly on the other end though despite not seeing any ink seeping here when assembled. Its a great writer so I would love to get it back up and running again. Thanks for your help FPN! Cheers!

I recently purchased a white Omas 360 Mezzo fountain pen that appeared to be new old stock as there were no scratches, nib and feed in perfect condition, etc. Sadly, I found that there is a problem with properly closing the barrel after an ink cartrigde is inserted. The issue apprears similar to a thread that took place several years ago with no resolution recommended in the replies that were posted. I have tried several different international size cartridges just in case a slight size variation might make a difference. It did not. Would welcome any suggestions on how I might address this issue. Many thanks.

Hey there, Wondering if anyone has any additional info about this Omas Ogiva Blue Urushi - I'm fairly certain it's from the early 2000's, but don't know much else. There looks to be a green one listed on eBay, but there's not much info in the listing either. It looks like there a bit of dried ink leakage around the top of the cap, wondering if it has permanently damaged the lacquer - any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

Last week I purchased an Omas Extra on eBay (ugh) and it is leaking and pooling ink where the nib and feed fit into the section. The feed does not look to me like an Omas feed and the way feed fits into the section does not look right at all. It looks to me like the wrong feed is just jammed into the section. (see attached photos) Any opinions on what might be going on? Thanks

I recently found an OMAS Ogiva Alba on Ebay for a pretty good price, and considering the rumors that OMAS was closing its doors, I decided to get this beautiful pen. I made a video review of the Alba that you can watch here: https://youtu.be/Qb4Z_A2cDC8 Packaging OMAS does a very good job with their packaging. This is the first thing that the customer interacts with, and I'm convinced that impressive packaging makes a strong first impression. That is certainly the case with this pen. The pen comes in a large, heavy coffin-style box. Pulling off the top of the box reveals the pen in a suede pouch, comfortably holding the writing instrument. Initial Impressions Wow. I had always assumed that the Ogiva Alba was a small pen, but I was definitely wrong. Not only is it long, but its also quite girthy. The pen feels substantial in my hand, and the ribbed body feels comfortable. The Body The body of the pen is made of a purple cotton resin. It feels and looks great to the touch, but also remains fairly light. Those people that associate heft with quality might feel let down, but I personally find the pen to have a demanding size and shape. This particular mode comes in several colors and they're all demonstrators. Being a dark color, the purple version makes it harder to see the innards of the pen. The Cap The cap screws on to the section securely and smoothly. OMAS is famous for its tight tolerances and smooth threads, and now I see why. The cap has a silver-colored clip with the OMAS wheel on it. This allows the pen to slide in and out of a pocket. I like this feature. The Filling Mechanism The Alba uses a piston mechanism to fill its massive reservoir. Keeping in mind that I had received my pen second-hand, the piston mechanism was smooth, but not as smooth as my Pelikan or even Lamy 2000. I could probably fix this with a bit of lube. The Section The section is made of the same cotton resin as the body of the pen with a thin, silver band near the edge. It feels great in the hands, and the threads don't bother me when I write. The Nib This is where the pen gets interesting. My pen came with a broad nib, and apparently broad means stub to OMAS. This pen is a true joy to write with! After I filled the purple pen with some Mont Blanc Lavender and started writing, the nib glided over the smooth Clairefontain paper with ease and grace, and the ink flowed out with perfect precision. It really is a joy to write with. I personally love very wet nibs, and this is now my wettest nib taking a rating around 9 out of 10 on the wetness chart. Summary Overall, the OMAS Ogiva Alba with a broad 18k nib truly is a wonderful pen! Not only does it have the looks and precious hand-feel, but it also writes amazingly well. What do others think? I know that OMAS also

I managed to snag a Milord. Here with its cousing, a Minerva 60. The piston worked for a little while, until it didn't; I cleaned it, the section with an ultrasonic cleaner, put some silicone grease on the barrel threads and at the knob... And it seems to be writing beautifully, even if I'm basically filling it as an eyedropper. The nib is particularly smooth, it produces a light Yama Guri which can go dark if pressing on the nib, but I write with a very light hand. I've always laughed at "precious resins" and such like but this one feels particularly nice in hand. The barrel also doesn't seem to go all the way into the cap but there have been no drying out issues in the past couple of days. I have very little time for pens that don't work, but so far this one does and is a joy to use. I can't complain about the piston given the price I paid, even if it wasn't the bargain of the century.

Dear netters, I am a newcomer in the forum and also in the wonderful hobby of fountain pen collection, but a rather passionate one. I recently came across a second hand Omas Extra fountain pen, which fascinates and intrigues me. It has an 18K gold nib, engraved with the letters ‘750’. It is a piston filler. Its material is opaque black and the cap ring presents an ancient Greek Meander engraving. It is very lightweight (total weight: 12,2 gr) and rather small (uncapped 11,7 cm long, capped 12,7 cm long, ~7 mm wide at the thinnest part of the section, ~9 mm at the upper thickest part of the section). Please see the attached image. When I received it I noticed a very subtle tine misalignment which was easily solved. After a gentle nib smoothing with a K12000 micromesh, the pen writes like a dream. Really smooth and inspiring. I am trying to trace back any information regarding this pen’s origin/history, production year, exact materials and any other information which I as a pen aficionado would very much appreciate. Not much to be found by Googling for this particular (small) model. I would extremely appreciate any help on your behalf, which could only deepen my bonding with this wonderful writing instrument. Thank you in advance. Vasilis

Long due thread... In a page devoted to Italian pens, this topic is calling all the expressions of one of the most recognizable Italian materials ever used in fountain pens: the mythical Arco celluloid! Made worldwide famous by the Officine Meccaniche Armando Simoni (OMAS) in Bologna in their Extras and Paragons, Milords and Princesses and Damas, and proposed here and there by other brands and independent manufacturers, the Arco celluloid is the quintessence of "italianity" in pens: warm, refined, flamboyant and unique. Judging by the prices fetched by Arco celluloid pens in these days, is seems that the "Arco fever" is strongest than ever, and I can understand why... Let me begin with a few photos of some of my Arco:

This artcile is to discuss about the disassembly and restoration of a regular line Omas 361, the piston which with a pin, should also work for the old model of Omas Paragon from the 1950s. I got a NOS Omas 361 and a vintage Omas Paragon from the 1950's recently, the piston filling system with a pin really make them special, and I really enjoyed the restoration work. Special thanks to Tom Westerich from http://penboard.de and Richard Binder from http://richardspens.com, enjoy! Pic 1. Green Box of Omas 361 Pic 2. Open Box of Omas 361 with Papers Pic 3. Detail of Omas 361 Papers - Front Pic 4. Detail of Omas 361 Papers - Back Pic 5. Nib Detail - 1 Pic 6. Nib Detail - 2 Pic 7. Nib Detail - 3 Pic 8. Nib Detail - 4 Pic 9. Cap Detail - 1 Pic 10. Cap Detail - 2 Pic 11. Cap Detail - 3 Pic 12. Barrel Detail Pic 13. Fully DisassemblyFrom left to right: a. Cap b. Barrel c. Piston Cork Unit d. Blind Cap e. Pin f. Feed g. Nib h. Hood To disassemble the nib and feed 1. heat the Part H(hood), then pull the Part H(hood) out of Part B(barrel) 2. you will see Part F(feed) and Part G(nib) in Part B(barrel) 3. heat the Part B(barrel) slightly, then carefully pull the Part F(feed) and Part G(nib) out To disassemble the piston 1. pull the Part E(pin) out in picture 14 2. uncrew the Part D(blind cap) out 3. pull the Part C(piston cork unit) out from the Part B(barrel) To restore 1. fully disassemble the pen following the steps above 2. apply scilion to the cork(replace the wooden cork if your pen comes with a wooden one) 3. put the Part C(piston cork unit) into the Part B(barrel) and mark the position of the pin hole (IMPORTANT!) 4. push the Part C(piston cork unit) all the way down of Part B(barrel) 5. screw the Part D(blind cap) on the Part B(barrel), make sure the pin hole on Part D(blind cap) match the position of the pin hole of Part C(piston cork unit) 6. push the Part C(piston cork unit) all the way to the top and make sure the pin hole of Part C(piston cork unit) and Part D(blind cap) are aligned 7. push the Part E(pin) through the pin hole of Part C(piston cork unit) and Part D(blind cap) 8. install the Part F(feed) and Part G(nib) to Part B(barrel) 9. install the Part H(hood) Pic 14. Pin

Founded in 1925 in Bologna OMAS was an Italian manufacturer of luxury goods. Their fountain pens weren’t cheap but they had strong following in the community. Sadly it wasn’t enough. In january 2015 company was put in liquidation. OMAS stands for Officina Meccanica Armando Simoni. The company was founded by Armando Simoni, who also designed the tools and equipment needed to manufacture the OMAS line of pens. Throughout the years OMAS manufactured a variety of pens, the top line being the faceted Arte Italiana range, as well as a variety of limited edition pens. In their history, they introduced a number of interesting designs such as the “Doctor’s pen” which had a tiny built-in clinical thermometer or the double-nibbed Itala in the 1920s and the 361 model in the late 1940s whose nib could be used as a hard writer if handled in one position and as a flexible writer in another. In 2000, the French company LVMH acquired OMAS from the heirs of Armando Simoni. In October 2007 the Xinyu Hengdeli Group of Hong Kong purchased 90% equity stake in OMAS. Xinyu had a strategic partnership with LVMH and planned to use OMAS for its expansion of luxury goods in the Asian market. The company continued to be unprofitable and in 2011 it was sold to another Chinese company, O-Luxe. O-Luxe decided to close Omas in November 2015 and the company entered voluntary liquidation in January 2016 ceasing all trading. My experience with Omas is limited. Three years ago I went bonkers and bought orange Omas Ogiva Alba – the most expensive pen in my collection. While the pen disappointed me a little – I expected it would emanate high quality but it doesn’t – the smoothness of its medium nib still amazes me. It glides across the paper. Pure poetry. And the reason I still have the pen. During last two years I bought two other Omas pens – vintage Extra and Emotica. While none of them is perfectly engineered, they all write like a dream. I always wanted to try one of Omas celluloid pens but as they were in the upper price range I hesitated. Celuloid looks stunning, but it’s not most durable material. And even though I try to take care for my pens and not abuse them too much, I tend to forget I have them with me. Accidents happen. One example is my first Eversharp Skyline – I’ve broken it on the first day. I simply forgot I had it in my backpack, and while coming back from work I leaned against the doors in a train and heard CRACK. It’s as simple as that. Therefore reason dictates that I choose either durable or cheap pens.Unhappily I enjoy italian style too much to resist the urge. When vodnikvolsovecek proposed to borrow me some of his more interesting (and expensive pens) and I discovered that Omas Paragon Grand in brown Arco celuloid would be one of them I was impatient to try it. Arco celuloid looks stunnig. Brown, orange, gold, red tones are all present. In person and on a sunny day the effect is AMAZING. The pen has twelve facets, which are slightly rounded. It’s widest at the top of the cap, and tapers a little towards the end of the barrel. The clip feauturing a rolling “wheel” arches slightly from the cap. The center band is located near the end of the cap. It is engraved with OMAS The Paragon Italy, and a Greek Key design. As it’s made of silver, with time it develops patina that I like a lot. Construction Omas Paragon Grand is a solid, well made and huge pen. It’s also quite heavy. It’s greater in both length and diameter than MB 149. The material looks stunning, especially in a daylight. OMAS pens are turned from a single block of celluloid and just about everything on this pen is done by hand. Even the nib was made in-house and it pays – it’s simply beautiful. The hallmarked section is silver. It is rounded and smooth. It tapers towards the nib and finishes in a faceted band that matches the shape of the body. I do realise that metal sections aren’t for everybody but personally I like them most. Nib Writing sample (L’Artisan Pastellier Inti on cheap no-name notebook) The guy who invented a process of creating and tuning nibs for Omas was genius. This nib is simply stellar. In terms of pen-to-paper performacce it offers everything I look for – great looks paired with smoothness and wetness. I believe that rich flow is possible because Omas used ebonite feeds instead of typical injection mold plastic feeds. Ebonite feeds aren’t mass produced like the plastic feeds because ebonite requires different technique to machine them into feeds. The nib and feed combo gives juicy feel that I enjoy and look for in fountain pens. Filling System Piston-filler. The piston operates smoothly and it holds enough ink for a typical day in the office. Or maybe even two. There’s no ink window in this pen. A pity. Piston works smoothly. During the time with the pen (almost three months) I had no issues with it. Dimensions Capped – 150 mm Weight – 48 g Summary This pen is simply stunning. The nib is perfect. Metal section sits well in the hand and is very comfortable. Arco celuloid looks amazing. On the other hand while this pen is marvelous it’s price is very high – reaching 1000 – 1500 $. For this price you’ll easily get few very good pens. I know this, I’ve analyzed everything. Still I feel tempted.

OK, so, I knew this was coming. Perhaps I was not expecting so soon, but I knew this was the direction things had taken. I was actually discussing about this pen, and the status it was in, in another thread here not too many days ago. When I bought this pen in early 2015 I knew something was wrong with it, because the price was so cheap, and some deterioration was already evident. Then again I liked it so much and was not prepared to pay the above euro 1000 it was selling mint already at that time (and earlier). The Galileo Galilei pen was released in 1993 in a limited edition of 4,692 pieces to celebrate the 650th anniversary of the University of Pisa, but the wild celluloid used is one of those for which deterioration issues have been reported often. I was not wise enough not to pick this up then, the visible defect was mostly aesthetic and I though I could easily live with it for such a nice pen. The first issue showed up immediately, when the pen arrived the nib in the section was loose, and came out. I had the pen checked by Brunori, a respected shop in Milano (now closed...), the nib collar in ebonite had disintegrated, but he had spares and replaced it for me. Due to the defect I obtained a further extra discount from the seller (a now untraceable noushop1963 not sure whether on the bay or on some other local site) making this purchase as cheap as a resin Omas, back then. Now I know that disintegrated collar was probably the first alarm bell I should have listened to. I'm not complaining, though, I've happily used the pen, and the slight warping in the celluloid sort of reminded me the pen was actually alive... It was. Here a couple of pictures of the pen still in relatively good health... If you enlarge the photos (click on them) you can see however that degradation had already started. The brass ring on the finial is corroded and green, some corrosion is also visible on the greek on the cap. It's really difficult to spot the warping in the celluloid in the middle of the barrel, but you could feel it under the fingers. At any rate, when I started noting the corrosion I documented myself more about the problems with decaying celluloid and out-gassing, and the specific issues with the wild celluloid (in some specimens, not all, note there are still quite a lot of wild celluoid Omas pens that are perfectly fine) and sure enough I convinced myself that it what was happening to my Galileo. I cleaned the pen from corrosion and isolated it from other pens (especially other celluloid pens). I started using it more regularly, to sort of better enjoy it's uncertain health, but I noted that corrosion would continue, and the pen would start forming a slightly sticky patina on it's body... I also noted that the pen had started acting strangely on my inks... one of the blue inks I put in it became purple... Water I put in it turned yellowish... The pen, stored in an open carboard box on a shelf, stained the cloth inside the box, forming a pen shaped greyish stain... (I've called it my personal sindone...) I had not totally given up using it, so a couple of days ago I picked it up for a washing and refill. When I tried turning the filling knob the celluloid body snapped in half in my hands... This is the poor body I'm sorry for these heartbreaking images. I'm feeling as in loss of a close relative (well, ok, almost...). Probably the nib needs to be salvaged, I have not yet managed to pull it out, I think I need to unscrew the section, I've noted it turns although it's very stiff. For the moment though I just need some comfort...

Well said, from the Omas web site, here: OMAS is pleased to introduce the 360 SOLETERRE, a special creation realized in limited and numbered 360 pieces only, made to support education rights of children in Morocco, Ivory Coast and San Salvador, thanks to SOLETERRE.org For every 360 SOLETERRE purchased, OMAS will donate its profits to Soleterre and finance together the “education rights”. Buy your 360 SOLETERRE before October, 31st and receive your fountain pen at no delivery charge and with an ink bottle free of charge. The 360 SOLETERRE is available on OMAS.com exclusively with an Extra Fine 14carat gold nib. One of our own FPN members, Newton Pens, supports students with pen sales, and it is great to see Omas doing even a little bit, globally Free global shipping through 10/31 and what appears to be a pretty orange ink, too. I'm a big fan of demonstrators and the 360 line, and wish our dealers carried it (I checked first with Chatterly, where I've had the finest service). It's available direct only. Here's some pictures, enjoy!

So Id like some input. I found and ordered an Omas 360 piston fill. This is the large size. I bought this pen to use and not abuse, but. not worry about scratching either. So Im looking at it, and its marked 000/360 PROTO. So now based on how expensive these pens are, Im wondering if I should just stash it away. The pen was probably unused before I inked it. Looking forward to your opinions.

Hi all, I have an opportunity to buy a barely used Omas 360 Mezzo for about $400 and was hoping to get views of the community before proceeding with the purchase. 1. Is $400 a fair price for this model? 2. Durability of the cartridge system - I've read numerous posts on the forum about the mechanism giving in after a certain period of usage. Any views on the longevity of this mechanism? What happens if it breaks? Between all the 360 models, I prefer the Mezzo the most and the only thing I'm not sure about is the mechanism. (also will have to do a nib regrind as I like a fine point instead of the broader nib available in this deal) Appreciate any other views about the pen as well! Especially if you are a long term user of it. Much appreciated, Sidd

Hi all, just wanted to hear your views about the Arco supply / demand. I remember few years back when ASC launched their first pen with the arco material. There was a buzz in the community and in their marketing about how there are only a few rods remaining for the Arco material. Fast forward to 2021, I still see a lot of models made in Arco both from ASC brands and also from the likes of Leonardo. My personal view is that the price of any item is what people are willing to pay for it. But I write this post wondering how the overall messaging has been on the supply / availability of this material compared to the actual steady supply of Arco pens since Omas. That said I'm still on the lookout for an Oldwin Arco Verde (not ASC version)! cheers Sidd

I have been using fountain pens since 1976. That time it was primarily hero pens and mostly locally manufactured moulded pens, the brand names I find hard to remember. Most of these pens were of two filling categories only, sac filler(mostly made in China) and ED. Thereafter I graduated to Parker and continued using a few of them till 2019 on and off. Meanwhile got facsinated by Ballpens, netters, jitters, Gel pens, roller pens etc. Came 2018. I still had three Parker Vectors, one each for using Blue, black/green and red inks respectively. I came across an article on Ratnamsons and history of fountain pen turned in india. This made me search for manufacturers in India and I thought of reviving my love for Fountain pens. Thus I jumped headfirst in acquiring all I could lay my hands on and in the process became friends with many turners and became aware of their products too. Subsequently I graduated to use of flex nibs and dip nibs. I got interested in calligraphy fonts and cursive writing. That will be a different post. Currently I will focus on three pens from different brands using flexible nibs Magnacarta Emotions with stock flex steel nib, Kanwrite heritage with KANWRITE Fine flex steel nib and LOTUS pen with Kanwrite 14k Gold flex nib. The LOTUS pen is part of a limited edition initiative by Fountain pen lovers of India with 50 pens only made . These three pens when I started flexing, I realised that even in steel flex nibs, the amount of pressure required to assert pressure was different. It required lot of efforts to flex Magnacarta vis a vis KANWRITE Heritage. The LOTUS pen with gold nib was but easier.

I am new to vintage pens. This one just came in. I do not know if it is working properly and I would also like to clean it. The pump moves up and down very easily. Is that good? I tried loading it with water. Not sure it does anything. Do you guys know how I can open it up? The pin of the cap, seems to be plated with gold, but there are ware marks on it. Is there a way to replace it with a new pin? The nib seems to be in pristine shape. It has a very intense yellow color. The cap screw spins less than a full turn for a full lock or unlock. Is this a sign of ware, or is this how it was built? And if it is a sign of ware, can it be fixed? The pen is a very nice one, I am very excited to start using it.

I like celluloid, Omas, vintage (and of course modern too)... For a long time I resisted getting a vintage Omas Cracked Ice. The combination of the rare pattern and vintage Omas makes it quite expensive to acquire a senior sized or even a mid sized Omas Cracked Ice. I also have a vintage Conway Stewart Cracked Ice, which is considered one of the most attractive Conway Stewart patterns (along with Herringbone, Tiger Eye etc). So I convinced myself that I didn't need an Omas Cracked Ice. That is until the right moment came. Recently I was able to acquire a vintage Omas Cracked Ice in the lady/ring-top size. As I understand, the Omas is made of celluloid (cellulose nitrate) and Conway Stewart of cellulose acetate. Here I made some photographic comparisons. Some background notes: The Omas Cracked Ice pattern is known for discolouration. Most of the pens in this pattern are found in various discolouration on the barrel. Zero discolouration is extremely rare, as this celluloid (and indeed any "trasparente" patterns) is very sensitive to acidic ink. So my Omas is no exception, though I consider the discolouration here modest. I have seen better and some worse. 1. Both pens capped. Omas ring-top, 10cm long. Conway Stewart No. 24, 13.2cm long. 2. Nib side pattern comparison. 3. Feed side pattern comparison. 4. Omas nib side discolouration. 5. Omas feed side discolouration comparison. 6. Conway Stewart Cracked Ice cap and barrel, in cellulose acetate, no discolouration. 7. The "dark sides" of Omas Cracked Ice: Similar to the Arco pattern, the Omas Cracked Ice also has two "dark sides". This is what I love about this Omas version, that you can see that the Cracked Ice is revealed through cross-cutting the pearl like flakes in the celluloid, much like leaves in a pond! These "dark sides" are more intriquing than those of Arco in this aspect. I hope you find the above informative! I've always enjoyed handling a vintage 🙂.

Hello everyone, I had asked this question on the Italy forum, but did not get any reply, so hopefully someone will be able to help here. I just bout this three (NoS) Omas Deskpens (Two 556T and one 583T), the pistons are extremely stiff and not moving. I need help on how to disassemble the pistons to grease them. Thank you in advance. Best regards, Northstar

the scribo feel has nibs that are reputedly made using the same machines as the omas paragon nibs - is there anyone here with representatives of these nibs for a head to head comparison? the metallurgy would be different considering the scribo nibs are split between 14k and 18k whilst the paragon seems to only come in 18k.

Does anyone here own an Omas old style Arte Italiana roller and can tell me the refill code? The Omas refills are no longer available but I believe Schmidt makes compatible refills, however I need the Omas refill code. I am planning on buying this roller used, but want to ensure I can find the refills (Schmidt makes several different refills compatible with different Omas roller pens). I can also ask some of the pen shops to advise the correct refill, but I am giving a try here first... thanks!

I had posted this thread a few days ago in a different area of FPN. Perhaps best in Regional Forum under Italian pens. Would appreciate if anyone has seen this kind of nib imprint and knows what it is. Many thanks!! ---------- I had the pleasure of seeing a very nice vintage fountain pen during a recent dinner with a friend. The pen belonged to the his late grandfather. It is an Omas Extra lever filler with marbled brown celluloid. I love looking at any vintage pens, and noticed that the nib is not the usual Omas vintage nib. It has a kind of sheep(?) imprint on the nib with "14K-585" and "OSMIUM" on it. I didn't write with it, but I tried on my thumb nail and it feels very soft and flexible, a typical wonderful vintage nib of that era. With the permission of my friend, I posted the photos of this pen in the hope that someone might know what this interesting-looking replacement nib is. Many thanks!! By the way, I had offered to restore (lever is stuck and also needs new sac for sure) and polish this pen for my friend, but he doesn't want. Nib is patinated but he doesn't want to get it polished either. He wants to leave the pen as how it was when he received it, and only uses it as a dip pen. I understand.

Hello there, Just wish to share a couple of pictures of two Omas pens I have. I bought the first one on an auction website many years ago and I forgot the details of this pen. Can anyone tell me what model it is? What I recall is it was made of cotton resin. The second one was given to me by my uncle, by then I was not so into fountain pen and had no idea what Omas was at all... I have tried to look up more information about this pen but did not succeed. Is this kind of special edition of Omas x Zenith? From the smell of pen body the material appears to be celluloid. Welcome your insight.