Has Anyone Heard Of Henry Simpole?

[esterbex]

Esterbex the process was horrendous. I kept a journal throughout my stay in hospital and it makes me cringe reading it. I doubt the board would enjoy the graphic details. Suffice it to say the nasty tumour is now out of my neck and I am assured it will not grow back.

 

Nancy aka effin1

 

Oh Nancy, I was referring to the process of selecting an overlay from Henry!

[Ghost Plane]

Nothing like having your throat cut to concentrate the mind!

 

Having had other parts of my anatomy abused, I totally sympathize - especially with the thrill that comes knowing you will never again have to endure that!

 

You'll need pretty ink to go with those newcomers and I suggest putting that surgical stay journal to one side and finding a gorgeous new one to record all the adventures you are going to have now that you're feeling better. :clap1:

[Effin1]

Sorry Esterbex shows how traumatic it was when it came straight to mind.

Ghost Plane I am just compiling an order for The Writing Desk. I am getting some Sailor Peche after seeing a review. I'm a woman of excesses so it won't only be a bottle of Sailor. Seen some rather fine Diamines. I do so love buying ink.

[Effin1]

I'm still repairing and polishing and 3 are going to Eckiethump for repair. The only pic I have ever posted is my avatar but when the pens are finished and gleaming I will try to post some pics of the best ones.

Thank you Henry for your kind words.

Nancy

[Truffle Finder]

Having 'not' carried out my repairs on any of the haul of purchases from last Saturday at Portobello, I did manage to brighten up the 'Star Buy', namely the Mont Blanc Safety Pen [No: 25], now the question is, should I put it in with the rest of my 'Pension Scheme' Folder?

It is undoubtedly a fairly rare Pen, and one that I am not likely to come across in future, so it probably will end up in the collection, of my treasures! :embarrassed_smile:

Amongst other things on the agenda tomorrow, I have been invited to give another talk at a 'Probus' lunch party, at Woolaston Manor in Essex; so I think it is unlikely that I will get the rest of the pens done then!

Perhaps the next day!!!

Truffle Finder. :embarrassed_smile:

[esterbex]

Hmmmm....I wonder if talking about pens will ever be more lucrative than buying/selling/repairing pens....:hmm1:

[Ghost Plane]

Not 'til we write it up and self publish!

 

Effin, I'm in love with Diamine Grape as it looks different in every pen I put it in. But I've also discovered the lovely shading of De Atramentis Mint Turquoise [or did I reverse that? :hmm1: ] which looks very similar in color to Noodler's Blue Nose Bear, except much better behaved and has lovely shading the Noodler's missed.

 

Have to figure a different bottle to put my Sailor Apricot into as the bottle is too short to refill even Sailor pens! :bonk: Lovely color.

 

So many inks, so little money

[Truffle Finder]

Not being an ink 'officianado' myself, Ghost Plane, do you mean that Sailor have created an ink and put it into a bottle that is too shallow to successfully accommodate a Sailor pen? :blink: That is quite amazing, no doubt it is a very attractive bottle, but surely 'function' has to be more important than 'aesthetics' in a situation like this?

If we lived closer, I would invite you over for a cup of tea, and you could look over my untidy workshop, and when you had found a suitably shaped ink bottle that would suit your Sailor pen better, then we could wash it out, and dry it thoroughly, and you could take it home with you!

Surely you have got lots of nearly empty bottles of more 'practical-shaped' ink containers to use?

If you really get stuck, let me know, I'm sure we can sort your dilemma out!!! :hmm1:

Truffle Finder.

[Effin1]

Ghost Plane Didn't even cross my mind about the bottle size. I bought a B nib Platinum with cherry blossoms around the cap band (Sakura) and thought it should have cherry blossom coloured ink. I saw the Peche and Monteverde Pink and they looked promising so ordered both. I could not find a review on the MP so hope the swab is accurate. The only inks I have at the moment are Diamine cos they are easy to obtain in the UK. Whilst I was repairing my pens a nib fell out of a pen filled with Diamine Scarlett. I emptied the ink out into a plastic container while I tried (to no avail) to get the nib back in. I added some water to the DS and filled 1 of the pens I was testing and the ink colour was the exact shade I had been looking for. The pen had the residue in it from Diamine Woodland Green. I will try to mix some ink when I have finished my repairs to see if I can replicate it.

[Truffle Finder]

My word, you ink people really are a serious bunch aren't you?

Still, whatever floats your boat, I suppose!

I'm still using my big bottle of Quink Green ink for my everyday writing, but they don't make it anymore, so when it runs out, I will have to search at the London Pen Show, and buy another big bottle of it.

Something that I really like, is, after Christmas, when I meet up with people that I have sent a Christmas card to, and they say thank you for the card, and then they say [stating the bleedin' obvious] something like:- "and you used a fountain pen!!!" well, I would do that wouldn't I? Being Henry the penman! :ltcapd: The point being that it has more effect if you use a colour that is not blue, or black, which can be mistaken for ball-point pen writing, but of course the broad italic nib soon dispels that notion!

Truffle Finder.

[esterbex]

Truffle, I hope your lunch talk with the Probus group goes well today....I have no doubt it will.

 

Sailor is one of the few inks I only have in cartridge form....If you're interested, i can send you a full or half full bottle of Skrip Blue Black with the ink well bottle, GP. The ink is still good, but you can decant it into something else and use the bottle.

 

Not being mistaken for a ball point is exactly why I like to use italic nibs. There is no mistaking their script for anything else, no matter the colour. And there are some quite lovely shades of blue, that shade nicely that cannot be mistaken either. Yes, ink is a passionate subject.

 

 

[Ghost Plane]

I grew up on Scrip ink in my school Sheaffers, so I know the bottle AND the color! Don't need it, thanks. I'm using old MB bottles, a couple of Laban ink wells and even have Visconti ink wells, which are pretty but not air tight. Plus I got hooked on Iroshizuku which is lovely, both in color and performance, so I'll have an embarrassing number of those when I'm done. :embarrassed_smile:

 

Henry, I wish you were closer. Except I'd probably get you hooked on saffron sugar in your tea and introduce you to a really spicy chai with pepper and cardamom. We'd get fat running around hunting seafood places and go broke supporting the ink habit you'd develop after playing with all of mine. :hmm1: :hmm1: :hmm1: On the other hand, maybe it's a GOOD thing. I furnished a whole house out of car boot sales when I lived in Thetford over in East Anglia. Adding pens to my shopping jaunts would probably end up breaking the bank.

[Truffle Finder]

Well, I'm back from the Probus Luncheon, and I can say that 'Hand on Heart' it went very well indeed!

We had Roast Beef, and yorkshire pudding, with whole green beans, and carrots, and roast potatoes, finished off with apple crumble, with custard!!! It was lip-smackingly good!!!

Before we started, I was asked to speak for about 35 minutes, but in the end, I must have gone on for at least 50minutes, or maybe an hour, then there were loads of questions aftewards, and then they all came up to have a look at the pens that I had out on display. :embarrassed_smile:

Lots of business cards were taken, and several people asked if I wanted to buy pens still. so I would be sur[prised if I don't receive some, either to repair, or to buy, over the next week or so.

All in all, it was a good day!

Truffle Finder.

[esterbex]

:clap1: :clap1: :clap1: Well done Truffle! Once again!

[tenney]

Henry... Here's an idea for your next talk: Suggest to your hosts that they should ask some members to bring a fountain pen with them and that you'll select one or two to talk about. THEN, there will be several others with pens who might want to offer them to you. From watching the UK Antiques Road Show, people always love to hear people talk about their items... and you might find another Mont Blanc Safety Pen [No: 25] which you can hold for me :-)

[Chris Chalmers]

Wow! What a busy lot we all are!

 

Nancy.........I'm glad you can now talk about your neck tumor in the past...........and focus on pens and inks! Looks like it is going to be 'techno-heaven' at your house when it all arrives!

 

Henry.........Good news on the Probus talk, but I knew you would floor them with your stories of your life and Art and Expertise!!! Lucky people, a roast beef dinner with apple crumble - and YOU!!!

 

Esterbex - a fat envelope arrived here this morning..............following a letter from GP - so I can certainly vouch for italic nibs, De Atramentis Mint Turquoise, Diamine Grape and even the Noodlers Blue Nose Bear! I am overflowing with lovely snails here - so please be patient while I work my way through them...........I love writing long letters, and don't want to stint just because there are so many waiting! Besides, nothing much happens here, and days pass without any fun stuff going on - just delicious Winter weather........because we are south of the Equator, Henry :roflmho:!!!

[Truffle Finder]

Thanks for that information Chris!

I didn't know that! It just goes to show, you really do learn something new everyday!!!

"Every day, I'm getting a little bit better!!!" :blink:

 

I have got a fairly free day today, so there is a good chance that I will be able to get those repairs done.

Truffle Finder.

[Effin1]

I'm getting really frustrated I've 4 more pens to repair but ran out of sacs. I ordered new sacs last friday and they are usually here super quick but they have still not arrived. I was going to try the new ink in the last 4 pens. I have inked all the others that I repaired and there's some sweet nibs. Overall very pleased. Up to now only 2 nibs require attention. 1 I can smooth but I think the other will be a replacement. I hope the ink doesn't come before the sacs. I ordered 4 more sacs yesterday from a different source in case the first lot are lost in post. If they all turn up I will have to buy more pens. What a shame.

Chris Yes lump in the past. Can concentrate on pens and ink now.

[esterbex]

I'm getting really frustrated I've 4 more pens to repair but ran out of sacs. I ordered new sacs last friday and they are usually here super quick but they have still not arrived. I was going to try the new ink in the last 4 pens. I have inked all the others that I repaired and there's some sweet nibs. Overall very pleased. Up to now only 2 nibs require attention. 1 I can smooth but I think the other will be a replacement. I hope the ink doesn't come before the sacs. I ordered 4 more sacs yesterday from a different source in case the first lot are lost in post. If they all turn up I will have to buy more pens. What a shame.

Chris Yes lump in the past. Can concentrate on pens and ink now.

 

Now Nancy, you come from the land of "Keep Calm and Carry On"....

But I like your plan of a pen for every sac! A shame indeed!

[Effin1]

Sacs just arrived yippee. I'm going to be a very busy beaver tonight.