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Hello everyone. I just bought this nice little gem which was sold as not working and supposedly didnt extend but a little oil and its working well now. The pencil is about 3in long closed and about 4in extended. Roughly 3/8in in diameter making it thinner than most pencils I currently own. The rear unscrew to expose a lead storage. It is probably brass inside with gold engraved caps and a Vulcanite/Black Chased Hard Rubber body. The Rubber body is a pattern similar to -o-o-o- Possibly a simple chain design and although not easily visible there is a Makers Mark or Makers Initials, a cursive capital "L", I can't distinguish the second possible letter if it is another letter at all. I know multiple makers made these types of pencils primarily Mabie but there is no such branding. Is anyone familiar with a pen maker that stamped with a capital cursive "L". Do anyone have any link to pen maker hallmarks, branding and such? I've tried Peyton Street Pens and Vintage Pens but it's hard to search for such things. Any info on the possible maker, the actual name if such a pencil and really anything you care to share is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Good Morning, I recently purchased a wonderful Gama Forever fountain pen in a beautiful glossy black finish. One distinguishing factor of this and many other Indian eyedropper pens is the fact that they are made from ebonite, aka vulcanite, aka hard rubber. I am sure that in this forum many are familiar with this material. It is the first time dealing with it for me, personally, so I had this question: Is the gas that Ebonite emits when new or when heated "safe"? I mean "safe" in the sense that it does not pose any detrimental long-term effects to my health. I am aware of the ubiquity of this material in pen manufacturing of yesteryear, so I would think it is! But I just wanted a peace of mind. I look forward to your contributions. Nurmister Edit: I write this due to my recent acquaintance to Volatile Organic Compounds, a set of harmful gases emitted by numerous petroleum-based products. Luckily, I suspect that ebonite does not fall under such a category since: i. Formic acid is used only during the(raw?) rubber manufacturing process. ii. Sulfur is used for vulcanization (but the rubber itself should be desulfurized before further processing, hopefully). iii. Ebonite hates petroleum!