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I just purchased 2 Platignum Silverline pens off the internet. Both are in excellent shape. One pen has a broad italic, and the other one has an oblique italic for a left hand people. They both work fine. I am absolutely impressed by the broad italic and how well it writes, and the beautiful Thick and thins it produces. My question concerns whether the nibs can be removed. It almost appears that these nibs are permanently attached to the pen. I have tried to unscrew the nibs, But I have not been able to get them out. I am not using very much strength because I dont want to break anything. Can anyone tell me if these particular pens have removable nibs, or are the nibs meant to be permanently attached? I would like to search for some other nibs to use with these pens, But maybe that is not possible. Im including a couple photos.

Hi guys!! As it has been discussed many times on here, about the lack of info on Mentmore (platignum) in the early years.. Was wondering how many are actually a fan of the brand both lever & button.. talking up to the end of ww2 ish. are there any fans of the early brand... best wishes Rick

Hi folks, I have a vintage Platignum pocket pen / long-short pen (is there another name I'm forgetting?). I don't know the model. It's a hard starter, and I'm not sure whether the nib is drying out overnight, or whether the ink isn't flowing well due to crud in the feed. I've given it several soak / flush cycles with Diamine ink removing solution, and when flicking the section with a tissue over the nib (using centripetal force to drive fluid quickly through the feed & nib) tiny dark flecks were left in the tissue, like minute particles of dried ink. So! I'd really like to remove the nib & feed to give it a really deep clean, but I have no idea how it comes out (if it's user serviceable at all.) Can anyone advise?

I bought a platignum calligraphy set. It says calligraphy stater set. I can find no information about them on the net. The salesperson says they are becoming rare because they are no longer manufactured. They are modified gor Arabic calligraphy by the sales person. I would like to know the model name for the pen included, and when approximately they were manufactured. Through my search about this set, I came accross other sets from the same company like lettering set and Artisan. The difference I saw was the inclusion of exra nibs and ink cartridges in the other sets, as well as the gold finish in the Aristan set. Is there a difference in the nib quality between the two sets? Or its only the finish that separates them apart? Heres more photos of the set: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RpcsdIwPLGMzb7f0MZehtc7vNCO_6gte

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae40/videopope/1_zpscce03693.jpg http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae40/videopope/2_zps954adba0.jpg http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae40/videopope/3_zpsbf82b91a.jpg http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae40/videopope/IMG_20140131_171758_zpsf31f5f4f.jpg http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae40/videopope/IMG_20140131_171929_zps1b13d20d.jpg http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae40/videopope/IMG_20140131_173338_zps144b85e3.jpg http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae40/videopope/IMG_20140131_173544_zps580faff6.jpg Cheers, Matt

I have just stumbled upon a lovely blog. There are some great posts on Pitman's shorthand, Platignum pens and school pens from the 60s. I hope you enjoy reading it as I did. Link: https://shorthandtypist.wordpress.com

So I was going through my father's desk at his office on the occasion of his retirement and found this set. I cleaned it and inked it up with one of the nib units that isn't cracked (3 of 5 are, I might tape them and try them anyway, don't know if they will just leak everywhere) and I have a couple of questions. The pen cape doesn't meet the body when screwed on, might there be a missing ferrule or metal ring? And, The set is left-foot oblique, but labeled "left-handed" although I am a righty. I can write with it just fine since I have a tendency to rotate my pens counterclockwise anyway, but then I get really funky lettering because the fattest part of the line is at the horizontal, and the skinniest at the vertical. You can see the result in my handwriting sample. So, if I don't rotate, the nib doesn't work at all, and if I do rotate, I get weirdness. Any suggestions?

Hi FPN, This being my first post, I promise I will follow up with a proper introduction in the near future. Having built up some steam over pens and inks over the last couple of months, however, I'm eager to get this question out, and so the introduction will have to wait. Having recently revived my fountain pen enthusiasm I discovered my very first pen lying around and so I thought the only right cause of action were to revive it. So I did. Having been unused for at least a decade, probably more, this took quite a while. The pen was not "retired" correctly after it's last use so several rounds flushing were necesarry. The old Pelican 4001 Royal Blue cartridge from it's last use was still in there, all dried up. Medium story short, it now seems to function again. It struck me then that I don't know much about it. While I have dug into the world of fountain pens recently, I am still a beginner. So, here follows a brief description and "review" of this writing instrument, and the hope that someone can provide some additional information about it's origin. The pen in question made by Platignum. It was purchased in 1992 for me by my father. I was 9 years old so I can imagine he chose a fairly cheap model. It was bought in a store that sells pretty much everything, so not a dedicated boutique. The body and section are all plastic and the cap seems to plastic with a thin metal cover and clip. The clip read Platignum and the end of the body has the text "Made in England". Specifications (mm): Length: Capped: 136Uncapped: 125Posted: 154Cap: 56Width: Max: 11End: 8Grip section: 9-9,5 taperingWeight: 14 grams I'm not sure what this type of nib is called (stub? italic?) but it seems to be around 0,8 mm wide. One side says "Fine" (the other "Platignum England"). All measurements are a bit uncertain due to the cheap quarlity of my slice gauge. The pen is a bit on the light side but feels okay posted. It feels very plasticy though so that makes it feel rather cheap. The nib is very scratchy. I'm don't habe enough experience with different nibs to know of this is normal or not, but I certainly prefer much smoother nibs. I was unable to inline pictures so I will attach them instead. Pen detailsLineup from top to bottom, Lamy Safari Petrol, Parker IM, Platignum, Parker Jotter FPAnd of course a customary writing sample. If anyone knows anything about this model I'm happy to hear it. BR, HC

I have one coming in through the mail (came bundled with a bunch of Safaris I bought secondhand), but couldn't find much in the way of reviews/perspective. It looks quite nice in the Sotrmtrooper colourway but how does it write? How does it compare? I'll post photos/perspective once I get mine, of course

I went for a wander into one of our local fleamarkets yesterday and am very glad I did; I found a couple of very nice bargains. Apart from a surprising Senator Steno (posted in the German regional forum) with a fabulous fine flex nib (£5), I came across this Platignum Pressmatic "M" in great condition with it's iridium-tipped 14CT gold riband it's original case for a meagre £4 (about US$6, I think). It writes very smoothly and I'm very happy with it. Although the reputation of Platignum may still be far from the Parkers and Shaeffers of the same era, this pen has a really very nice nib and has quite a stylish look, with the cap jewel matching the barrel, and the barrel jewel matching the cap. It really doesn't feel or look like the cheap brand we think of when we think of 1960s/70s Platignum. Anyway, I was so chuffed with picking these up for such a bargain price, I had to share! http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww57/Parsnips_from_Beyond_the_Stars/Pressmatic-1.jpg http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww57/Parsnips_from_Beyond_the_Stars/Pressmatic-2.jpg http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww57/Parsnips_from_Beyond_the_Stars/Pressmatic-5.jpg http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww57/Parsnips_from_Beyond_the_Stars/Pressmatic-4.jpg http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww57/Parsnips_from_Beyond_the_Stars/Pressmatic-3.jpg

An accident on fleabay ended with this interesting pen on my lap. From what I can gather, this is a vintage Platignum that takes out-of-production cartilages (don't even know the model). http://i.imgur.com/1XAFNsz.jpg Does anyone know where I can get a converter for this pen? Help much appreciated!

Quite a while ago - well, a few years ago if I am honest - I bought a Platignum 3776 from a large newsagents that normally didn't hold a lot of pens, butt hey had this one and I like the look of it. At the time I had my trusty little Sheaffer Prelude (I know; one of the world's most hated pens and all that, but I like it - sentimental reasons mainly) in daily use mode, so the Platignum went in a drawer and stayed there until a few months ago. I took it out and inked it up and it had a nib from hell. Since then the newsagents has been taken over by another company who will not honour the purchase, so no refund is possible. The right hand tine is about a mm and a half longer than the left, but the good news (or so I thought) was that it all appeared to be tipping material. I got to work with the micro mesh and was just getting to the sweet point when.....bang; the tipping material on the left hand tine came right off to reveal a tiny bubble. This I think explains the length discrepancy. It's a bit annoying because I love the size, weight and look of the pen. Are there any decent nibs that will fit (the feed and nib come out quite easily) or will I just have to bite the bullet and spend on a Platignum replacement nib (the Platignum nib looks cool)?

Are they the same brand? Is Platinum Japanese and Platignum British? Please clear the confusion. Thanks!

Anyone know when Platignum issued their Bijou pens? I was given one by my mother, she says it was her mothers ie my Nana. So I have a little family history but can't find any on the pen. I would like to know whether Platignum date coded their pens and for what years they made the Bijou. Pinkish mottled barrel with gold top Thanks in anticipation

I have been fortunate enough to get a "Platignum Italic Set" rather cheap from local used goods store. The unfortunate part is that the pen was stored inked. I have been soaking it and the dirty nibs in water [with soap], but there is still dried ink in the filler (sac?). It is not just that it is stained, there are opaque spots where I believe there to be dried ink while the rest is fairly clear. It is only been soaking a day, but I have noticed that the metal is wanting to rust. What is my best course of action? Is it just a matter of filling it and having it soak not immersed, or is there something else I should be trying at this point? Thanks!

Hi, I decided to use fountain pens again after years but there is not much alternatives in the local shops.And I do not want to use internet delivery. Apart from the Parker vector and Parker 15, I found a platignum voyager in a lovely pink color. I really liked the balance and design and I want to try this pen. However, I couldn't find much info about it in the internet. Is there anyone out there who used this pen before? I need any comments but I also have some specific questions: -There is no indication as Fair or Medium for the nib but there are numbers (7 and 13 in the ones I looked at) pronted on the plastic part of the nibs. Is number 7 standing for a fair nib? -It is not taking parker cartridges etc. and the salesperson does not know anything about fountainpens. Do you have any suggestions for converters? -Have you experienced problems (such as leaking) with this model or with platignum in general? Thanks in advance

Hi everyone I posted about my broken No. 5 Studio about a month ago, the end (nipple) had broken off the feed while I was cleaning it. I bought a NOS pen from ebay just for the nib section, so it's now back in full working condition (it's a damned fine inexpensive pen, by the way). Having given it a bit more thought, I realised that I probably damaged the nipple when I tried to make it take a long international cartridge - others on FPN have apparently made that work but I wasn't so lucky. Because of that, I'm now stuck again with Platignum-only cartridges (they do black and they do blue - it makes Parker's cartridge selection look extensive ), as I'm now very wary of anything else - I don't want to have to keep buying new pens just for the section, after all! After that long-winded preamble, I will finally ask the question I started this thread for: Does anyone know if the old Platignum converters from their calligraphy sets (from before it went bust and then was resurrected) work in the new fountain pens? You see, I found this http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0083TZIAW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3TTQ7ZHX1X92Y which includes a Platignum converter but, as I say, it appears to be from before the company went into receivership then was bought up by Snopake and relaunched (I think - the set has the old logo, anyway, so I'm assuming so). My alternative is an ink syringe and a washed out cartridge, but I'd rather have a proper converter if one is available - you can easily pay £5 for a decent converter so I don't mind buying the calligraphy set just for the converter (though if the nibs are semi-decent, I'd probably use the set as well, occasionally) but I'd, obviously, prefer to know that the converter will work before I buy it. I know it's an obscure question, but if anyone knows, it will be someone on FPN!

First off, I hope that this is in the right part of the forums. For the last 4 years I've had a Platignum FP with a hooded nib (my memory, unreliable as it is, tells me it was a No. 4 (or maybe No. 5) but I could be wrong) as an "everyday" pen and I have really enjoyed using it - decent writer, metal body, nice "rubbery" grip, smart look (it's a white one with black detailing) overall it's been great value for money. It has sat inkless for a month or so while I sorted myself out getting cartridges (the only downside of the pen has to be that it's proprietary cartridges only, and that the cartridges aren't common enough to just grab a pack at the supermarket). New ones finally arrived yesterday, so I quickly flushed the nib, discovering that, yes, I had been lazy and left it all inky and so I left it soaking for an hour. Picked the nib out of the water and a tiny piece of plastic fell out (no I hadn't used boiling water or anything like that - blood temperature water and a tiny drop of fairy liquid was all). Turns out it was the tip of the feed that would pierce the end of a cartridge. I can replace the whole pen for around £10, but as I have a matching rollerball, and the pen looks brand new, I don't really want to, I just need a new nib section (or possibly just a new feed, though I'm wary of that, with it being hooded, scared if I try to take it apart I'll just break the whole thing). I'd definitely rather have the hooded version of the section, but the new version of this pen (the Platignum Studio - identical but for the nib) isn't hooded, so I haven't got my heart set on a hooded one. I know it's just as inexpensive, but not as common as a Lamy Safari or a Parker Vector, and if it was there would be tons of people on here who could tell me where to go for parts, but I was hoping there might still be someone who would know abou them. It may be a "low-end" pen, but I like it, which is, after all, what matters! Can anyone please help? I'll contact Platignum as well, but they don't sell any pens themselves, so I don't think they would be able to sell me parts, but they should be able to direct me to someone who stocks them - if anyone does. However, if other instances of contacting manufacturers directly, they will suggest that I buy a whole new pen instead of just a part. Of course it is a £10-12 pen, so there is a certain logic to regarding it as semi-disposable, but I don't like to think of any fountain pen (except for the ones made that way) as something to just be thrown away. Edit: NB - Duh! I finally thought to google for images and it definitely is not a No. 4, but a No. 5 with the hooded version of the nib.

Lamy Safari vs Platignum Studio (This is my first review) Introduction I have owned quite a few budget fountain pens over the years such the Parker: Reflex, Vector, Jotter, frontier as well the rotring: Skynn and Freeway (my favorite). I have always enjoyed using fountain pens the safari and studio are two of are my most recent additions to my collection. I bought both of these pens for about £15, the safari from Paperchase and the studio from Rymans. Both of these pens are similarly priced and appeal to the same consumer and a are probably classed as school fountain pens. Design, Appearance and Build Platignum Studio (Unusual clip design) The studio is mainly made from aluminium with a spring steel pocket clip, brass screw threads and a rubberised grip section. The body has a tapered cylindrical cigar shape throughout with black trims. The grip section is resembles the section found on the parker frontier and is comfortable. The pen sits comfortably in the hand and is well balanced both posted and unposted. The most appealing and unusual aspect of the design is the pocket clip which resembles a nib which I particularly like. The pen weighs 20 grams uncapped and 30 grams capped. The pen is available in a wide range of vibrant colours ( see http://www.platignum.com/pick-your-pen/studio-range/studio-pen-rainbow/) Lamy Safari (The Safari’s apple green colour) The safari is made from ABS plastic with a chrome plated sprung pocket clip. The safari has a unique design with flat and curved sides and finger grip groves on the grip section. The pen is comfortably in the hand and however it is a little light for my liking weighing approximately 17 grams and 10 grams unposted. The pen has never really appealed to me until recently. I’d known of it’s existence for around 10 years however this changed recently when I saw the apple green 2012 limited edition pen in the flesh the colour in my is perfect and really suites the design I knew I had to have it. The pen comes in a wide range of colours varying every year with limited editions. Design, Appearance and Build Winner DRAW The materials used in the studio are more premium and represent better value than the safari however the bold design and vibrant colour makes the safari really stand out. Nibs and Filling (Nibs, grip sections) Studio The studio has a steel nib as well and however only comes in a medium size. The nib writes fairly smoothly however it is a little dry and skips occasionally and unlike the safari it does write in a standard medium thickness. In other reviews it has been questioned whether the studio takes standard international cartridges or proprietary ones? I have tried both standard cartridges and a Faber-Castel converter and both work fine and don’t leak. Safari The safari has also has a steel nib and however is available in a wide range of nib sizes F/M/B/LH. The fitted Medium nib writes a little broad which I dislike as I tend to write fairly small. However it writes extremely smoothly and is quite wet. It takes proprietary ink cartridges as well as a proprietary converter which is available for around £5. Nib and Filling Winner SAFARI The nib on the safari wins it as even though it takes proprietary cartridges the smoothness of the nib is amazing. Price and Value Both pens represent good value for money the platignum has a solid traditional metal design build and the safari has very smooth nib however it very light and doesn’t have the same reassuring weight. Price and Value Winner STUDIO The Al-Star is a good £10 more for a similar build to the studio the studio wins as feels more premium so represents better value. Conclusion Overall Winner SAFARI Both pens are good choices for a budget/school/everyday fountain pen and both represent great value for money however I slightly prefer the safari as I really like the vibrant colour and the smoothness of the nib which makes it the winner. However the studio does represents better value for money it has feels more comfortable in the hand as it is more heavy.