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Hi All, The crown of my collection, a 1930s Osmia Supra 76 EF, is having some trouble and I could use your help. It worked perfectly when I bought it, but it had the originally cork on it so I filled it with distilled water and put it away for a couple months just in case the cork needed some reviving. I just took it out to use it and to my horror the blind cap won't unscrew. When I try to do so it turns the now incredibly stiff piston a little until both are totally stuck. If I try to unscrew the blind cap even more the piston makes a clicking sound but the cap just keeps turning without unscrewing. Also the water I had filled it with has vanished. Did I oversoak the cork or something? Any help would be greatly appreciated. This is my favorite pen and an amazing writer. Thanks!

Up for review is my Kaweco Supra fountain pen. I am really impressed by this pen and will do my best to highlight its strengths and weaknesses. One note at the outset for ALL PEN REVIEWERS (Yep, I am shouting): I spent three hours crafting this review already and then accidentally clicked the internet browser back button; the entire review was lost. Toggling forward did nothing. Please write your reviews in a Word Doc or some other software application and then paste your work into FPN for posting. Do as you wish, but my warning has been sent. Back to business The flagship feature of this pen has to be the optional extension piece that provides about an inch of extra (or reduced) sizing for users in given scenarios. My assessment of this pen is as follows: Appearance: 6 In this case, the appearance and design categories have to separated. This pen has a genius design but only an average appearance. Further, in this case, I feel the appearance rating is extra subjective. I do believe there is such a thing as objective beauty, even if one is put off by the subject matter or doesnt care for the presentation at hand. One such example might be the majority of painstakingly crafted makie-e pen works (objectively impressive and beautiful). One may not care for the dragons or mythological creatures depicted on some makie-e pensin fact, some of them scare me! But, generally, there is enduring beauty in delicate craftsmanship. Still, these philosophical factors did not influence my rating because there is also great beauty to simplicity if executed correctly. In this case, though the pen body is basically just a large bullet-casing in 100% brass, the presentation of the overall product is amazingly softer than it could have been. The finial contains a very cool Kaweco logo and is gently rounded, as is the end of the pen. The lines (if there is such a thing on this pen) are pleasant to behold. The brass is well polished and the overall finish is top notch. Brass, like any material, can be finished poorly or delicately; Kaweco opted for the latter option. However, I do think the pen is a bit choppy looking with the extender in place (to be explained later). So whats the verdict? If you only enjoy pens with ornate accouterment, filigree work, and/or urushi finishes with captivating lines, then this pen sucks. But, if you want a pen made of a unique material but dont want to spring for a Visconti Homo Sapiens Lava edition, check out my brass! Stated another way, if you like tremendously understated simplicity, raise a glass to the no-nonsense (uncelebratory?) Germans at Kaweco who designed this pen and say cheers to the supra! Frankly, I love Kaweco. Design: 8 This pen deserves a high score here because its highly portable and pragmatically designed. Being clipless and smooth, this pen will not get snagged on anything in a pocket, bag, or purse. If your pens must always have clips then dock the score. Its also heavy duty (to be discussed below under construction/quality) which ads to its portability and adjustability. And, arguably the flagship feature of this pen, the extension/contraction option found in the removable section of the barrel is genius. Further, in every layout the pen cap can be posted via a screw-on connection for security and comfort. These features all combine to allow multiple people of differing sizes to share the same pen. And these allow the user(s) to adjust the pens dimensions for a given task at hand. The pictures tell the story best on this subject, but there are a few guiding words I wish to offer to ensure my observations are noticed and considered. Consider these scenarios: First, when the pen is posted without the extender in place, it perfectly into average-sized hands. However, when the pen is not posted it is ridiculously small for adult hands. Thus, if one desires to take quick notes there is the extra step (delay) of needing to screw on the cap. If one wants to write at length with this pen then screwing the cap on is not a problem and the issue is moot. Secondly, with the extender in place, the pen is the perfect length without the pen cap posted. But, where does one put the cap when taking quick notes since it cant be posted quickly without screwing it on? It can fall or roll away. Thirdly, this pen is ridiculous, full on silly, when posted with the extender in place. The pen becomes extremely heavy in this configuration and the balance is terribly back-heavy when posted like thisits well over 6 inches long and very thin so it looks, feels, and performs awkwardly when used in this manner. Just dont do it unless youre a masochist with strong wrists and a desire for quizzical looks. So, the options for us, the users, boost this pens design score, as well as the cool screw-on cap for posting. But, sharp threads in all areas and some difficult sizing scenarios keep this pen from a 10 rating. 8 is still strong. Construction/Quality:10 I have no reservations scoring this a 10. Perhaps the greatest strength of simplicity is the fact that theres no quirky filling systems or bells and whistles to break or act up. This pen is solid brass and everything fits together well. Nothing wobbles when tightened or squeaks when being turned on or off. These facts make this pen highly portable because I can toss it (not gently place, toss) in my bag or pocket or even my cup holder in the car with some change. The pen is punishment resistant. Try that with a new MB 149! There are no concerns here about protecting the precious resin body (cough, cough, plastic). If (when) this pen brasses (aka tarnishes) I may come back and raise or lower the score here or in the appearance section. Will it age with a cool, personalized patina like the Montegrappa Copper Mule pen? Or will it tarnish like great-grandmas silverware thats been tucked in her attic since World War One? Weight/Dimensions: 6 The strengths here center on the somewhat customizable extension piece. But its not an 8 or higher because, as mentioned above, some of these configurations are a bit awkward. I love heavy pens, but this one is heavy for its size. WITH EXTENSION PIECE: Length Capped: 5.10'' / 129.6mm Uncapped Length to tip of tines: 4.9'' / 124.2mm Posted Length: 6.4'' /165mm (way too big & unbalanced!) Section Diameter: 0.38'' - 0.41''/ 9.6 - 10.5mm Barrel Diameter: 0.45'' - 0.48'' / 11.5 - 12.5mm Weight : 50 g WITHOUT EXTENSION PIECE: Length Capped: 3.90'' / 99mm Uncapped Length to tip of tines: 3.7'' / 95.0mm Posted Length: 5.25''/133mm Section Diameter: 0.38'' - 0.40''/ 9.7 - 10.2 mm Barrel Diameter: 0.45''/ 11.5mm Weight: 38 g Nib/Feed: 6 This score is based on a sliding scale for what it is. I believe this pen sports a #6 sized steel Bock nib. Scored against a far more expensive Pelikan m1000 gold nib the supra would score a 4. But for the price of this pen the nib and feed were impressive. I want to mention this in detail because I have been reading and hearing that Kaweco nibs are pretty hit or miss, perhaps even more miss out of the box. Well, mine writes beautifully and required zero adjustments right out of the box. I have experienced zero hard starts, skipped lines, or babys bottom from this pen. This pen sports a fine (F) nib and writes just a little softer than a nail. There is very minimal line variation, but its detectable with some pressure. If you want flex in a pen, dont buy this one, and drop the score. There is no scratch to this nib, but there is plenty of feedback to let you know the pen is writing. It does not glide like butter, and if it had any more feedback I'd call it scratch. The pen does write upside down and lays down an E.F. line. The feed keeps up nicely with fast writing and even scribbling, and its actually quite wet for a fine (though far from a gusher). I also like the appearance of the nib, though thats not being exclusively scored here. Filling System/Maintenance: 7 I suppose I never really know how to score a pen like this where everything just works. Its not clever or inventive, but why should I dock a pen for using tried and true methods? It disassembles nicely and flushes clean easily with a bulb syringe or running water. This pen is international converter friendly, however, two of my universal converters did not fit. I blame that more on ebay than Kaweco. J One thing I would like to know and shall not delve into now is if this pen can house a double-length cartridge when the extender is in place. Let me know if you have tried. In my case, I am exclusively using this pen with cartridges as this will be my traveling pen. I do not always want to fiddle with loading and transporting traveling inkwells or bottles of ink so having one handy-dandy, durable, brass fountain pen fueled with disposable (or refillable) cartridges fits the bill for me. Cost/Value: 6 I really like this pen. I would purchase it again, too. However, I do think it would be something to rave about at $60-75. At about $100USD shipped from overseas I am happy and far from feeling ripped off. But, I also dont feel I got a sweet deal at the MSRP. Why elaborate. This section, perhaps more than even the appearance section in this case, is highly subjective. How do I feel about the value of this pen? Since its not brazenly overprized, Id sayMeh. But, would I send it back for a refund? No. Conclusion/Score: 7 As a reminder, this high score is based somewhat on a sliding scale for a pen that offers all these nifty features with solid nib performance for around $100 shipped. The anchoring factors that held the score firmly in the black were the adjustable extension options, a tank-like construction lending itself to portability, and the unexpectedly pleasant nib/feed experience. I do not feel its accurate or helpful to review all pens on the same scale; for, how would this pen score against the Namiki Vermillion Urushi #50 pen I just reviewed? Thats oversized urshi Apples versus brass oranges. Final words: I recommend this pen. I even like the little raised-logo tin can the box came in with a shiny little sticker as a bonus.

Hello! I came by a fountain pen today and haven't been able to identify it. I would be very interested to know about any information concerning this pen. I was able to find a short history of the company itself but not much about the pens they produced. I'm definitely not an expert on fountain pens (I've been researching them for a few weeks now), but I'd be very interested to know more! I'm wondering how old this pen might be, does it have any historical value, is it worth hanging onto? The pen seems to work - I've been cleaning it for the better part of the day (carefully, taking precautions and using only water) Breather hole in the cap is located opposite of the clip Nib engraving: OSMIA SUPRA 14K 585 Body engraving: 982 F (Tried to upload pictures of all details)