Has Anyone Heard Of Henry Simpole?

[billydo]

G.P. and Chris,

I would do so, but I'm afraid my very good friend Neal likes to be offered any Mont Blancs with 'special' nibs, particularly the very broad ones!

Sorry,

Truffle Finder.

 

 

Thank you Henry..!

 

However... what this really means is that all these meg-nibbed pen lovers should now be chasing me for sales!

 

 

Neal

[Chris Chalmers]

Do you need a head start???

[Truffle Finder]

I am waiting on the Assay Office at the moment, to collect the Onoto pen caps, the Bruno/Henry overlays, the gold Snake pen, and a few of my own pieces, and when I have got them, and sent them off to where ever they are destined to go, I have a wonderful drawing that I want to do.

Quite a while ago, I bought an Orchid plant, and enjoyed it's presence on the window sill in the kitchen for several months as one bloom after another in turn replaced the withering one which had served its time, till eventually the last one had gone, and for a while I thought that that was 'it', still, I thought, it had been really good value at £1 in the local 'Cat Rescue' charity shop! Then about a week later, I noticed that there were four new buds forming near the end of the crinkly stem!

The first two buds have now formed into flowers, and the other two buds are getting bigger every day, 'that' will be the next drawing for my next overlay, and maybe [just 'maybe'] I might be able to put a small Dragonfly in the design somewhere, but I think that might be wishful thinking!

Truffle Finder.

[Ghost Plane]

Don't forget to feed that orchid after the next set of blooms. Nothing much, just a couple of drops of liquid plant food in a watering should do it.

 

As for escapee MBs...I know NOTHING!

[Truffle Finder]

I have done the first drawings of the Orchid Plant, and I am really pleased with what I have done so far, the dragonfly will come later, maybe!!!

As soon as I have transferred the design to silver, I will send it off to Neal for photography, and hopefully he will post images on this thread.

Ghost Plane, while I'm out shopping today, I will get some plant food, promise!!!

Truffle Finder,

[Ghost Plane]

Remember, it won't take a lot. Orchids like to run a little dry and a little starved, so just a few drops usually result in explosions of blooms.

 

I have one plant that suddenly exploded into blooms after repotting. The bark chips had begun to decompose into actual soil and it didn't like it. The poor thing was actually extending its roots over the side of the pot trying to climb out!

 

I gave it a flatter, wider [more stable] pot with handsful of bark chips and it is rewarding me with stalks of purple blooms

 

Benign neglect seems to be the order of the day for mine.

[Truffle Finder]

Ghost Plane,

Thank you so much for your invaluable advice regarding my Orchid plant, you obviously know quite a bit about them! But then where you're from they probably grow like weeds!

I was only telling a friend of mine a day or so ago, that this thread sometimes resembles "Twitter", but it seems as though it is turning into a weekly radio program over here [which has been going for about the last 50 years or so!] called, 'Gardener's Question Time'!!! :embarrassed_smile:

Truffle Finder.

[Ghost Plane]

I murdered a few before I got the hang :embarrassed_smile:

 

Have you looked at bamboo lately for inspiration? Nice flowing lines to the plants

[Chris Chalmers]

and................... to keep the subject on topic - but not to distract from Orchids and feeding of same -

 

I met with Barrie Parker who was spending a few days in Hobart on his way to NZ for a holiday - and he just loved seeing some of Henry's pens!!! The Tendril, The Snake and the Onoto were particular favourites!!! Way to go Henry!

 

Now...........back to Gardener's Question Time

 

I have a dim memory (OK, let's not get too rude) of being told that Orchids like to be 'pot-bound' and flower better when so................ is this just so much 'root-rot' GP? :hmm1:

[Ghost Plane]

Mine hadn't flowered for a few years while it tried to crawl out of the pot. Transplanting resulted in immediate blooms in the same lighting and conditions.

 

Now keep in mind it wasn't liking the little pot full of now composting bark chips. Now that the roots can breathe and drain, it's happy. YMMV

[Truffle Finder]

I had the pleasure of going to the local fish restaurant yesterday for lunch, with Alistair from Onoto Pens, unfortunately lobster is no longer on the menu, but we both enjoyed whole plaice on the bone, and finished off with bread and butter pudding, with custard, and cream! Delicious! We were like a couple of schoolboys!

Later on in the afternoon, the Assay office informed me that the overlays were ready to be collected at long last, so that will be my main objective today. :embarrassed_smile: It's sooooooo cold though!!!

Truffle Finder

[Chris Chalmers]

Henry dear! Get those 'long-johns' on and pick up your work from the Assay Office - I hear they may sell any uncollected items at any moment - :roflmho:

Please take care with frozen puddles!!!

[Truffle Finder]

My news today, is that everything has been collected from the Assay Office, and are ready to be shipped to their final destinations. :embarrassed_smile:

 

Whilst at the supermarket yesterday, I bought another orchid plant [quite a large one, which was at a knock down price!], there are several buds waiting to come through, and it should make for a good subject for my drawings for the overlay, I am still working on the idea of including a dragonfly in it somehow!

 

A couple of days ago, I received an E-mail from a young man who is quite new to fountain pen collecting, asking me if I would mind looking at the selection of vintage fountain pens that he has collected over the last few months, my own experience was that I found very few people who were willing to help me when I first started to collect, so we have agreed to meet on Saturday at my stand at Portobello, I must say, I am really looking forward to meeting him, and I hope that I will be able to help and advise him if I can do so.

 

Truffle Finder.

[Truffle Finder]

After a very chilly start, I'm back home from Portobello, and it was quite busy considering the cold weather at the moment/

The 'new collector did turn up as we had arranged, and he brought along the pens that he had bought over the last few months, some of which were very good ones, and some had been bought for considerably less than their real value, so there was good news for him, as well as the quite understandable mistakes that he was bound to have made at this early stage of his collecting experience. :embarrassed_smile:

He was with me for nearly 2 hours, and I rattled on about as much information as I could, we decided which pens he wanted to get restored [and were worthwhile doing] and I am likely to see him again in the next couple of weeks.

I also left him with a copy of the Writing Equipment Society membership application form, so I think we achieved a fair amount in the time we had available. A good day I think.

See Y'awll!!!

Truffle Finder

[fbulbul]

I was very fortunate to meet Henry Simpole after almost 12 years plus at the Ohio Pen Show. He sat right behind me at the row of tables in the room and I had a opportunity to watch him creat ths beautifull large filegree fountain pens. The atttached picture shows my pride posseion, an Art Deco design inspired by artist Aubrey Beardsley "Peacock Skirt" drawing.

[philm]

Having seen Francis' Simpole (above) I can attest that it is a big and beautiful pen. Thank you for the photo of this!

 

Phil

[Truffle Finder]

fbulbul,

The design of your overlaid pen was taken from the Beardsley picture, 'The Peacock Skirt' used for the London production of Salome.

If I knew better how to 'scan and send' I would post it on here! Can anyone else help here?

Truffle finder.

[esterbex]

fbulbul,

The design of your overlaid pen was taken from the Beardsley picture, 'The Peacock Skirt' used for the London production of Salome.

If I knew better how to 'scan and send' I would post it on here! Can anyone else help here?

Truffle finder.

 

[Truffle Finder]

Thanks Esterbex,

Welcome back, it's always nice to have your contributions!

Truffle Finder. :embarrassed_smile:

[Chris Chalmers]

Would it be this one? Only identified by the photo number in my master file!!

 

http://dxlab.ky1v.com/zzz/_DSC4981.jpg

Edited February 9, 2012 by Chris Chalmers