Has Anyone Heard Of Henry Simpole?

[Chris Chalmers]

I hope Henry has time for a little lie down in a dark room after what sounds like a hectic week or more! Timing should be looked into, although for a pen lover on holidays in London it's perfect! WES and then Goldsmith's Hall Exhibition right after. Some people are just so lucky!

[Ghost Plane]

I still want to reach in that case and fondle pens. :embarrassed_smile:

[Chris Chalmers]

One of Henry's friends has sent me two photos to post here, and I must say they are very atmospheric - he also looks very busy!!!

 

 

http://dxlab.ky1v.com/zzz/HenryGH1.jpg

 

http://dxlab.ky1v.com/zzz/HenryGH2.jpg

[Ghost Plane]

Love the pen with the criss-cross. Need to go on his site and see which it is.

 

Who am I kidding? I want them all! :embarrassed_smile:

[Chris Chalmers]

Love the pen with the criss-cross. Need to go on his site and see which it is.

 

Who am I kidding? I want them all! :embarrassed_smile:

 

Hi Ghost Plane!

 

That is the Jasmine...........I love that too - and like you would really prefer one of everything!!!

 

http://www.henrysimpole.com/portfolio4142.html

Edited October 11, 2010 by Chris Chalmers

[Truffle Finder]

Has anyone noticed the little Peter Pan Pen in the cabinet on the left hand side down the bottom of the second image? He made a few of them up with the O/lays quite a while ago, but he now only has one left.

The Indian gentleman in the first picture only met Henry for the first time at Potobello Road on Saturday, and he bought one of his overlaid pens whilst he was there. He then appeared at the Goldsmith's Hall, and bought a second pen! I got the impression that a friendship has been formed, and he will probably see him again next time he is over in the UK.

Truffle Finder.

[richardandtracy]

Might as well start saving right now. Has she decided what nib size she prefers?

She doesn't care. It's jewelery, after all.

 

However she seems to like a fine medium with her Targa. The Parker mediums I quite like are too broad for her & she hates my Duofold with its broad italic.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[Truffle Finder]

For those who are following this thread, the Onoto commissioned overlay pen is progressing nicely. Henry has completed the piercing-out of the flat O/lays, and the engraving is nearly finished. The next stage will be to 'curl' them and solder them into cylinders,then prepare them for casting.

It has been decided to produce 50 of the pens in silver to start with, and 'Onoto' are hoping that they will be ready by Christmas. Obviously this cannot be a guaranteed time of launching the pen, as a lot will depend on how well the 'casting' goes. It is quite an intricate design, and sometimes this causes problems! :embarrassed_smile:

Henry is always keen to embark on new projects, but he has wanted to do an overlay pen for Onoto for sometime now.

I'll be keeping you 'posted' regarding it's progress on this thread.

Truffle Finder.

[Ghost Plane]

Pictures! We'll want pictures!

 

The more I play with mine and all the hand finished goodness, the more I appreciate Henry's hard work.

[Chris Chalmers]

Yes please...........I'm with Ghost Plane, pictures please!!!!

[Truffle Finder]

I don't doubt you want to see pictures!!! :embarrassed_smile:

 

Henry has been working hard on the overlays, and they will be taken to the 'man' in Hatton Garden for 'Casting'.

Unfortunately this precludes the possibility of photographs until the first 'samples' come back, then they will be made up into pens, then you will see what they look like! Patience!!!

 

The only thing I can tell you about it, is that it is approximately the same size as the Myrtle Pen. [The design is more complicated than the Mrytle Pen], to give you an idea, there are 94 'holes' in the barrel of the Onoto Pen, whereas the Myrtle has 83 'holes', each one cut by hand!

 

"Now you know how many holes it takes to fill the House of Lords!!!"

"I'd like to turn you Ooooooonnn!!!"

A Day in the Life, Beatles, St, Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. :roflmho: :ltcapd:

See Yawl!

Truffle Finder.

[Ghost Plane]

Wasn't the Myrtle one of the smaller ones? I'll plead pre-coffee on the memory loss! :embarrassed_smile:

[reprieve]

Wasn't the Myrtle one of the smaller ones? I'll plead pre-coffee on the memory loss! :embarrassed_smile:

 

Yes, the Myrtle is quite small (especially compared to the Spirit Pen!). It's about the size of a Parker 51. The Myrtle was one of my favorite overlays--I especially loved the domed cap top--and I bought one from Henry at the beginning of the year. After a while, I decided to trade it away as it was just not comfortable in my hand for prolonged writing sessions.

 

Here are a couple of photos of the Myrtle alone and next to my two Chatsworths:

 

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1131/4731277666_a36347c5c0_b.jpg

 

 

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2684/4333401789_72cbd24ae7_b.jpg

[Ghost Plane]

Ah. That size simply doesn't work for me. :embarrassed_smile: Same reason - I get hand cramps trying to use them for more than a line or two.

[Chris Chalmers]

Here is a comparison shot - two of my other large Simpole pens, but not the Spirit, with the Parker Acanthus Leaf LE Henry made for Battersea Pen Home. This was the pen that got me to Henry's website, and to fall for the Tendril - and the rest, as they say, is history!

 

I think that the Myrtle would be about the size of this Parker. I would love some input from those who know!!

 

http://dxlab.ky1v.com/zzz/Sclosed2.jpg

[Truffle Finder]

Despite the diminutive size of the Onoto Filligree overlay pen, the two pieces have been sent to the caster's, and all being well, the first samples will be back with Henry within a week to ten days.

When they have arrived, Graham will make them up with the base-pens, then photographs should appear here then.

See yawll!!

Truffle Finder.

[Ghost Plane]

That rates a few dancing bunnies!

[reprieve]

Lovely photos, Chris!

[reprieve]

I posted this over in a "flow issues" thread on the CS forum, but I thought I'd post it here since the nib in question belongs to my new Simpole. Maybe some of the experts that frequent this thread can help to shed some light on this blorping curiosity:

I seem to be having flow issues with a new CS nib. It writes perfectly for a few pages, and then a big blorp of ink floods the feed and drops onto the page. It's acting kind of like an eyedropper pen just before it runs empty--you know that tell-tale blorp of excess ink just before the pen needs refilling--but I am using the converter and the pen is about 80% full. This is the second time it has happened, using two different kinds of inks (Noodler's and Montblanc). Neither blorps occurred directly after filling, and I always blot the excess ink from the feed after filling anyway. The blorp lasts for a word or two and then flow returns to normal. I don't think it could be a pressure or temperature change as the pen has remained indoors, in the same room of my house. I don't know what would cause such blorping... any ideas?

[Ghost Plane]

Hmm. I had a Visconti act that way with an 18k stub and they replaced the feed. Hasn't done it in the years since. But it was a double power filler, not a c/c if that makes any difference.