Search the Community

Recently I received a Bayard Souverain cartridge fountain pen, made in France probably in the 1970s. It has a nice 18-carat nib with a good amount of flex. I wanted to get it back in service. After exhausting my supply of various makes of cartridges an internet search and French pen blogs indicated pens made by Bayard, Unic and Stylomine use a ‘BUS 5’ cartridge (BUS = Bayard, Unic, Stylomine). The BUS 5 is no longer manufactured. Fortunately my local pen store (Bromfield Pen Shop) came up with a solution. After a number of tries the answer is to use S. T. Dupont propriety ink cartridges. It stands to reason as Dupont is based in France. The fit is initially a bit tight but the Dupont cartridge works well and stays in place. The ink flow is what one would expect and want. I’d be interested in hearing if anyone knows of other cartridges that might fit -- one similar in dimensions to the S. T. Dupont but only slightly larger around the interior neck opening pierced by the section. Here are some photos of the Dupont cartridge and the Bayard Souverain.

Hello to all on the FPN, I've been collecting fountain pens for some time but got into it more so since retiring recently. I have often visited the FPN to read the interesting posts when I see one close to my own interests. I have mostly collected Parker and Sheaffer FPs but recently started to buy a few Pilot pens. I probably spend way too much so I've decided to limit the number I buy and restrict myself to some more obscure pens. Besides I have most of the Parker and Sheaffer pens I want for now and most Pilots I want are far too expensive to justify but I keep looking just in case. I recently bought an old pen which I would like any comments and advice on if anyone knows anything... So I picked up a French made UNIC fountain pen with a gold nib and unusual filling mechanism. It has what is probably a celluloid body in a lovely white marbled pattern, a removable cap at the rear under which is a transparent pump button. Inside, the sac is a bellows shaped rubber item a lot like a small flexi hose. The button compresses this and draws up ink, you can see it's full through the button. There is a breather tube extending just into the button. It fills easily and writes very nicely, although it is now cleaned and put away safely. I will post a photo if anyone would like a look, just let me know. I'll watch this space to see what happens. Thanks in advance for any information.

INTRODUCTION Last weekend I was searching for a Lamy Pico to gift it.While I was waiting the seller searching a box to prepare my present, my eyes fell over the tray where stay other Lamy pens.Among these pens one of them catch my attention: a slim pen, dark and rough, with a little red dot in the cap. Typical 80's age like design, similar to CP1 model, but more prestige. Was the first time that I seen this pen, I'm a lover of Lamy pens so I know almost all models produced but this one was unknown. It wasn't cheap, but I wanted it! So, now, this pen is mine. At home I done a research and now I can introduce the "Lamy Unic" (black edition). http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3729/11008528584_e9378f30d3_c.jpgunic_01 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2864/11008349035_1ecd49023f_c.jpgunic_03 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr First of all: there aren't many information about this pen in internet so I'm not able to tell you any history about it in addition of what it's wrote in the Lamy's web page: his designer is Gerd A. Müller, the same person how created the Lamy 2000, CP1, st. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7404/11008593683_68ce890440_c.jpg2000 unic cp1 st_02 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr Produced by 1984, won the Red dot Design in 1989, the IF Hannower in 1989, The Design Center Stuttgart in 1988. Out of production. APPEARANCE & DESIGN 8/10 I think exist two kind of consumers for the fountain pens market: the consumer which like the classic design (Waterman, Montblank, Parker, italian pens...) and the consumer which like the most modern design of Lamy.Lamy offers, in my opinion, the best design how link form to function, simplicity of industrial production, and price. So also this pen, like for the Safari, may appeal as no. The Lamy Unic is a essential matte black cylinder but, at difference of CP1, the body of Unic go to taper in the end while in the CP1 the size of the section body remain the same in every point.With this trick the cap can go for some centimeter over the body of pen, indeed in the CP1 this is not possible. The clip is similar at the clip of CP1 but in this case, the spring is external of cap and, in this particular model, the pivot is colored with a shining red.The bottom and the cover of pen are closed with two black stoppers texturized with concentric circumferences. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3818/11008531004_c767375d0d_c.jpgunic cp1 st_02 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr CONSTRUCTION & QUALITY 8/10 The experience that you feeling when you keep in hand this pen is the same of touch not a body in metal but in stone. Also the sound that the pen emits in opening and closing the cap is completly different with the CP1: sounds like a stone for the first, like metal for the second. As for the other Lamy pens also in this case the constructive quality is simply perfect.I think the metal used to build it is not the same of CP1; I looked in internet that other Unic are in titanium: I don't know in my case. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7297/11008580723_88b994382c_c.jpgunic cp1 st_01 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr WEIGHT & DIMENSIONS 8/10 Closed the Unic is 2mm longher than CP1, open is 2mm shorter than CP1. The weight is little bigger than CP1 but, in difference with these, with the cap posed back gives a feedback of more balance. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7437/11008534764_f4f89f7bfe_c.jpgunic cp1 _01 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr NIB & PERFORMANCE 9/10 The nib that use this pen is the same of all popular Lamy's pens with interchangeable nib. My model have the nib completely back without writes.I tried it with the ink Aurora Black -that, of course, is the best ink in the world ;-) - and the nib run smooth without scratching: perfectly. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7325/11008367475_150509da5e_c.jpg2000 unic cp1 st_03 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr FILLING SYSTEM & MAINTENANCE 7/10 The pen has been sold me with the converter Z26 inside. Nothing of exciting.If you want you can also use the Lamy cartridge.If you dip the pen in the ink bottle and after you dry up the excess ink with a tissue, the body doesn't absorb the ink and remain perfect clean: this mean that the finiture don't keeps the ink. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7324/11008347855_cd46e52cff_c.jpgunic_04 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr COST & VALUE 7/10 Could be that I paid it too much, but this pen isn't economic, I found it new -never used- for 70€ and also I think are money well spent because this pen is out of production by some years, and I repeat: this in particular was new.Nonetheless, for me 70€ remain a lot of money for an object that makes the same work of a Safari for 18€. For who pays 400€ for a pen of course this pen is cheap. But all we understand that the passion have a price, proportioned to our pocket, often a high price..! http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/11008455576_4810b09202_c.jpgunic allstar_03 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr CONCLUSION 47/60 or 8/10 The particular design of this pen, his balance in your hand, the feel transmitted, the matte black color with a charming red dot, his rarity and the fact that is out of production, make this pen an interesting object to use and above all to collect.If are lucky to find it, in my opinion, buy it. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3665/11008457386_03f49ef682_c.jpgunic allstar_02 by Andrea Siviero, on Flickr