These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things...

[Hetty]

Exquisite collection of 286s, Malcolm. At the moment, I only have one, but I love it. Do you use the pens? I live in Bradford and work in Leeds! What a small world!

 

Hetty

 

Thanks Hetty.

 

If you have but one, and love it...why would you want more? I just went a bit over the top with the 286. :embarrassed_smile:

 

I do indeed use them, and have derived a great deal of pleasure from that.

 

How do you find your 286 as a writer?

 

I love the 286 as a writer, Malcolm. It is semi-flexible which I like and thus gives good line variation and excellent shading qualities with inks. The nib is smooth, easy to write with, yet has a little feedback from the paper. It makes handwriting look distinctive, I think, even if the hand concerned is not especially beautiful! I also find that I can write both in an italic style and a copy book cursive.

 

Hetty

[mallymal1]

Exquisite collection of 286s, Malcolm. At the moment, I only have one, but I love it. Do you use the pens? I live in Bradford and work in Leeds! What a small world!

 

Hetty

 

Thanks Hetty.

 

If you have but one, and love it...why would you want more? I just went a bit over the top with the 286. :embarrassed_smile:

 

I do indeed use them, and have derived a great deal of pleasure from that.

 

How do you find your 286 as a writer?

 

I love the 286 as a writer, Malcolm. It is semi-flexible which I like and thus gives good line variation and excellent shading qualities with inks. The nib is smooth, easy to write with, yet has a little feedback from the paper. It makes handwriting look distinctive, I think, even if the hand concerned is not especially beautiful! I also find that I can write both in an italic style and a copy book cursive.

 

Hetty

 

Isn't it wonderful that a 60 year old pen can still give so much pleasure.

 

Italic?...Copy book cursive?...sounds way beyond my scribble.

[Hetty]

I was lucky that at my Junior School in the late 1960s, the Headteacher was obsessed with good handwriting, for me, at least. From the age of seven/eight, we practises every day, first of all learning the correct formation of the letter forms, and then moving on to ligatures. We had to use this hand, based on a rather upright, simplified copperplate, every day, in all our work. We started off using dip pens and ink, so you can imagine the mess, which was quite late in the 60s, before being allowed to move on to Platignum cartridge fountain pens. This started a long obsession for pens, ink, and all things stationery. I found when I moved to Grammar School that hardly any of the other girls wrote like I did, and so experimented with different styles, as many teenage girls did. I settled on a form of italic, although I didn't really know it then. Writing with edged pens and learning about italic started in the mid-1990s, and it is now my basic handwriting style whether with a mono line pen, or with an edged one. I still practise the old school style occasionally so that I don't forget it and find vintage pens far better for this than modern ones.

 

Yes, it is astonishing that pens over 50 years old are such amazing writers, many superior, in my opinion, to modern nibs. I send most of my modern pens to Oxonian to have them custom ground for me. The vintage Conway Stewart nibs are just superb.

 

Hetty

[mallymal1]

This is an example of the lovely 'Autumn Leaves' marbling, mentioned in kulindi's post.

 

Sadly, the photos don't capture the way that the pearlescent colours reflect the light.

 

The pen is a CS380, which is small (12cms capped), but perfectly formed, dates to the late 1930's, and carries a 5N nib.

 

http://www.pbase.com/mallymal1/image/136631922/original.jpg

 

 

http://www.pbase.com/mallymal1/image/118606329/original.jpg

[Hetty]

That is a stunningly beautiful, pen, Malcolm! Thank you for showing it.

 

Hetty

[dannyboy]

Malcolm--you've doing it again--first, it was the new CS100 in Bronze--and now it's the search to find one of those Autumn Leaves vintage CS. What an amazing pen that is! I thank you for introducing me to that one and congratulate you again for a truly amazing collection.

 

Hetty--Thank you for your story of the evolution of your handwriting. I'd love to see some samples if you'd be so kind as to post them.

[mallymal1]

....and here's that 100 in bronze, flanked by a 58 (top) and a 28 in the Tiger's-eye pattern.

 

What with all the talk about Cs nib issues recently, maybe it's worth noting that the IF nib on this 100 works perfectly, out of the box.

 

 

 

http://www.pbase.com/mallymal1/image/136886808/original.jpg

[penpointer]

My new classic green (with silver) Winston!

A little to big for my hands, but such a beautiful model.

 

Hopefully one day there will be a smaller version of this model, but for now I am very happy writing.

[mallymal1]

My new classic green (with silver) Winston!

A little to big for my hands, but such a beautiful model.

 

Hopefully one day there will be a smaller version of this model, but for now I am very happy writing.

 

That Winston in classic green must be a real beauty, penpointer. I hope it gives you many hours of happy writing.

 

Congratulations on the new pen.

[ImolaS3]

I'd say the second from the left in blues is purple (maybe first on left too!)

 

Some very nice pens there

[dannyboy]

....and here's that 100 in bronze, flanked by a 58 (top) and a 28 in the Tiger's-eye pattern.

 

What with all the talk about Cs nib issues recently, maybe it's worth noting that the IF nib on this 100 works perfectly, out of the box.

 

 

 

http://www.pbase.com/mallymal1/image/136886808/original.jpg

Well, Malcolm, if I ever make it back to England, we must compare notes on our CS58s, especially the Tiger Eye! The nib on my Tiger Eye actually talks to me in a high squeaky voice as it writes. I don't mind at all--it's a comfort in the sometimes lonely process of writing. I'll be receiving my CS100 in Bronze next week at the DC Show!

[mallymal1]

I haven't posted posted in this thread for a while...so maybe it's about time.

 

This charming pen, is a 'UNIVERSAL PEN' NO 368.

 

http://www.pbase.com/mallymal1/image/147613973/large.jpg

 

The finish is known as Rosewood, and as you can see the trim is gold plate (or is it gold filled?). The Rosewood pattern, as far as I know, only appeared on this model (although I hope that someone out there can tell me different), which is a shame as it really is lovely.

Measuring 12.5 cms capped, it isn't one of the bigger pens, and this example carries a CS No1 nib.

Date? Probably late 1920's, early 30's.

[mallymal1]

Just revisiting this thread, to find that the links to all the photos are now obsolete. It's a shame that i can't edit the links, but I shall bring the photos (I think I've found them all) back in, from here.

 

So, starting with the first post...

 

Shades of Conway Stewart green...

 

 

 

 

Nos.....74.....286.....55.....726.....550.....570.....759.....286.....226....75

 

 

The Conway Stewart Blues...

 

 

 

Nos.....17.....75.....286.....475.....550.....560.....479.....286.....356.....55

 

 

Seeing Conway Stewart reds...

 

 

 

Nos.....286.....55.....226.....15.....75.....829M.....84.....380.....475.....286

 

 

Classic Conway Stewart Blacks...

 

 

 

Nos.....2.....212 (dated 1925).....212 (BCHR).....226 (BCHR).....286.....388.....55.....75 'Le Tigre'.....28.....58

[mallymal1]

The Conway Stewart 286

 

 

Left to right:
Black - Earliest example I have with fixed clip and locking lever. c. 1928?
Black Chased (though most of chasing is worn away) - flat top, ball clip, and lollipop lever. c. 1931-35?
Black - Flat top, ball clip, and lollipop lever. Up to 1935.
Black - Peaked top, diamond clip and lever. 1936-1949? The peaked cap and diamond logo were introduced c.1936 on CS's top-end models.
Black - Nickel plate clip, non CS, and lever. The clip is obviously a replacement, and the lever has probably lost its gold plate.
Black - WWII engraving. Australian serviceman SX 19125 A. Badcock.
Black - With engraved cap band. E.L. BURTON FROM R.N.D. SWANSEA Nov 1945. Anyone know what R.N.D. stands for?
Black - With engraved cap band. A.E. Walker 16/12/44
Dark Brown
Dark Green

 

 

Left to right:
Early Marbled Blue - Flat top, ball clip, lollipop lever. 1930-35.
Marbled Blue - Post 1935.
Marbled Burgundy - Post 1935.
Marbled Green - Post 1935.
Marbled Bright Blue - Available 1938/39?
Marbled Bright Red - Available 1938/39?
Marbled Bright Green - Available 1938/39?
Marbled Brown - The top, clip, lever seem to date this around 1931-35.
Marbled Olive - The colour seems to go with the previous 'Brown' but the furniture is later...1936 onwards.

(More than likely, the brown and olive pens are discoloured burgundy and green.)

Hatched Green - I haven't seen any other hatched colour, maybe this is a WWII model, when CS were using any stock they had (or could borrow), to manufacture their pens. (I now have a hatched red, so there you go. Still haven't seen a blue.)

 

 

Ink-visible Green/Amber - WWII model. During WWII because of Government restrictions, CS used Black caps (?) on a number of coloured bodies. They also used materials borrowed from other pen companies.

Ink-visible Red Marble.
Ink-visible Pink Hatch - This colour was probably borrowed from the 700 or 475, as can be seen below.
The 475 Pink Hatch Ink-Visible.
'Cracked Ice' - Actually Black and White Marble. This example has Gold coloured veins.
'Cracked Ice' - Silver Veins.
'Cracked Ice' - Silver veins.
'Reverse Cracked Ice' - What colour would this have been? Maybe 'Cracked Ice'.

[mallymal1]

This is an example of the lovely 'Autumn Leaves' marbling, mentioned in kulindi's post.

 

The pen is a Conway Stewart 380, which is small (12cms capped), but perfectly formed, dates to the late 1930's, and carries a number 5N nib.

 

 

 

 

 

....and here's a 'modern' CS 100 in bronze...flanked by a CS 58 (top) and a CS 28, both in the 'Tiger's-eye' pattern.

 

[mallymal1]

This charming pen, is a Conway Stewart 'UNIVERSAL PEN' NO 368.

 

 

 

 

The finish is known as Rosewood, and as you can see the trim is gold plate. The Rosewood pattern, as far as I know, only appeared on this model (although I hope that someone out there can tell me different), which is a shame as it really is lovely.
Measuring 12.5 cms capped, it isn't one of the bigger pens, and this example carries a CS No1 nib.
Date? Probably late 1920's, early 30's.

• Quote
• MultiQuote
• Rep

[peterg]

As there are lots of 286's here does anyone know when Conways used an imprint with the names underlined with dots rather than a solid line?

[mallymal1]

As there are lots of 286's here does anyone know when Conways used an imprint with the names underlined with dots rather than a solid line?

 

Hi, Peter. Just had a quick look through my black 286's. The flat-topped, fixed clip / ball clip pens (4 of) have the dotted underline - and those with peaked tops and diamond furniture (11 of), have the solid. So I guess that, that would suggest dotted up to 1935, and from there, solid. Maybe a tad simplistic, but it would be a reasonable reference point.

[mallymal1]

 

Have just restored a CS 266, today, and what do you know - the imprint has a dotted underline. Peaked cap, and diamond clip furniture. Have another 266 (with peaked cap and diamond clip) and that too has a dotted underline.

 

Hmmmm....

[mallymal1]

How we move on. Here's an update on my CS blues...originally posted in the Blue Pen Club thread.

 

 

No's Left to right...

15 x 2, 17, 27, 28, 36, 45, 55, 58 x 2, 60, 74, 75, 85L, 226 x 4, 286 x 4.

 

 

No's Left to right...

286 x 3, 336 x 4, 356, 411, 464, 466, 475 x 4, 476. 479, The Seal Pen, The Universal Pen (no number), 540, 548, 540, 560, 570.