Demonstrators Ie Transparent Ones

[Montblanc owner and lover]

i wanted a demonstrator to see how the piston mechanism works,i got one and i'm happy with it. It's true that some are nice but i don't think i will collect them,just one for each pen mechanism would be fine for me

[Blade Runner]

I like the demo idea, but they go against my OCD nature. I can see every speck of dust, micro scratch, water and ink droplets inside the cap, and ink staining the inside of the sectioning. Not something I want to associate with a very expensive pen.

[amk]

I like demonstrators and have a few - it's amazing how just like any other pen, you can tell the quality when you compare a cheap demo with a better made one. The feel of the material, the machining, the form of the body, and of course the nib, all differentiate a cheap demo from a luxury model.

 

I bought quite a few Indian eyedroppers which have swirly or plain coloured acrylic caps but clear bodies, or clear bodies with a spiral interior (I'm not sure how they do that). Those are fun.

 

I've also started collecting the visi-ink pens (Mentmore/Platignum, but I've recently seen one on eBay that seemed to be a visi-ink but was marked British Empire - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181157177923?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649). They're rather nice as you have a coloured cap and end to the body but a transparent or translucent barrel.

 

And yes, I do love the translucent coloured pens. I have a little Senator demo in rose pink that cost just a few quid, but it's a sweet pen (and almost my only pink one, a colour I usually don't much like).

 

I wonder whether demos and particularly skeletons (which I love, but are far far too expensive for my budget) appeal to a certain steampunk/Gothic aesthetic, as well as to the engineering parts of our brains? Would love to hear from others on that one...

[fpconverted]

Very simple - I like seeing how much ink I have left, happens to be important enough to me that I'm undoing my opaque pens regularly to check when I use them. Might be a nervous tic, but a demonstrator obviously simplifies the process.

 

Aesthetically, transparent is the purest iteration of plastic, which for better or for worse is the material for the vast majority of modern pens. There's an honesty to that I appreciate.

 

Finer demonstrators also often have subtle machining to the barrel shape that make the pen "pop" visually. Colloquially, my Platinum Motosu, very slightly faceted so the convertor shows prismatically through the barrel, is my most commented-about pen when I use it.

 

John M.

Agreed...! Demonstrators are great example of post modern industrial design and there i like my Lamy Vista with chrome accents of which i only paid about 45$ for. I would never pay for a high end demonstrator like the aurora optima as I'd rather dedicate those funds to a mont blan meisterstuck in silver instead. But regardless of price everyshould have at least one piston and one convertor demonstrator in your collection.

[dr.dissector]

I don't see a problem with demonstrators. Think of them as 'skeletal movement watches' in FP world. I would love to have at least one of them... I work everywhere, it may be a conversation piece in a meeting, coffee shop, anywhere where you may meet people. Someone may actually ask you if that is a fountain pen.

 

When I sign anything, it is with a FP and I often get questions...

 

Some people actually say they never saw one in person!!!

 

WOW!!

 

I was taught how to write using FP in primary school!

 

Am I too old???

 

Disclaimer: I shave with a straight razor, I occasionally smoke a pipe, I read philosophy, I contemplate life... but... hmmmm

 

dr,d.

[Sasha Royale]

Hang on a minute that gives me an idea..........demonstrator swimwear !

 

How popular would that be

 

There is some value in seeing how much ink remains. However, that is not the intent of the saleman's demonstrator.

They had purpose. They are rare, and very collectible. I like being able to see the function, if there is something to

see. The TWSBI piston and Vac are interesting to see. The Parker Aerometric and Lucky Curve function would be

surprising to many, since they are more than just "medicine dropper bulbs". I think a demonstrator cartridge pen is

mostly worthless. (Bless you, if you are one who loves 'em.).

 

My TWSBI is a plain, good-writing pen. However, when I fill it with a vibrant color, the whole pen is beautiful.

 

Like a TWSBI or a demonstrator Pelikan M-series, "demonstrator swimwear" , in certain sizes, can be pleasing.

In certain "other' sizes, it is as worthless as demonstrator cartridge pens. (ie. Sophia Vergara - YES. Jack

Nicholson - NO)

[Pen Nut]

I quite like Jack Nicholson " THE TRUTH !! YOU CANT HANDLE THE TRUTH !! "

 

oh and ONLY with swimwear on !!

 

Now then........demonstrators

Edited September 18, 2013 by Pen Nut

[Rndmness]

Demonstrators can look nice when executed properly (e.g. Pilot 823 or Aurora 88 Demonstrator). However, I don't understand why some manufacturers insist on placing a huge premium on demonstrators when the transparent plastic used should cost much less than the fancy resins/celluloids of the standard lines.

[georges zaslavsky]

as much as the demonstrator are nice they are an absolute pain in the ass to clean and need more maintenance than a regular pen

Edited September 21, 2013 by georges zaslavsky

[fpconverted]

I really like the look of demonstrators but unfortunately, after buying a Pilot Prera demonstrator I have realised that I am too obsessed with making the pen look clean to get another demonstrator.

BUT oddly.....I have a Lamy Vista and its clean enough for me but I dont really bop the pen around much. I never have any issues with it and it always look clean. I dont get ink on the cap inside or get leakage. My pen always look like the picture ive posted.

Edited September 21, 2013 by fpconverted

[Pen Nut]

Just noted a rollerball demonstrator in the classifieds

[mori45]

Just noted a rollerball demonstrator in the classifieds

 

But what's being demonstrated?

 

I like my demonstrators, and put together my own Pelikan 100 demo a few years back. If you've ever tried to polish plastic, you know it takes a degree of precision. Too much heat or friction and the surface will be marred, not enough and it will remain cloudy. It's much more difficult to hide imperfections in something meant to be translucent (think bubbles in glass), so I can appreciate the effort that goes into the process.

 

That being said, I do not really understand the appeal of C/C demonstrators, but to each their own.

[bleair]

Pens are of course a subjective thing, but I like some of the demonstrators and I'm glad they are an option.

 

Montblanc occasional makes them, though they use the word "skeleton" instead

 

[Edwaroth]

Don't care much for them either, especially at the premium paid. That said, I really do think the Platinum Chartres Bleu to be a lovely pen.

[Pen Nut]

"Montblanc occasional makes them, though they use the word "skeleton" instead"

 

Now then....I think skeletons are a completely different box of frogs than demostrators. Some of them are true works of art with such intricate outer shells that you could just simply look at them and get pleasure.

[thompenshop]

I bit on the clear pen idea and decided that I should join the small crowd. I turned a few replicas. From a practical construction stand point, they take twice as long to make as a colored pen. Removing the machining marks from the inside is a project! I had to build special tooling just for that effort. Then there were the ones I did using Pyrex Glass. The artist in my shop painted the outside then they were fired in the kiln. Interesting project!

 

I read the thread here. The moral of the story seems clearly to be "different strokes for different folks"

[fpconverted]

simply put....I really do like demonstrators as the ability to see the ink and nib mechanism is fun to look at and besides its good to know and to be able to see how much ink you have left. BUT I would not pay for a high end demonstrators as some can go for 1000$ or more....i'd rather invest that kind of funding into another brand. But I like my twsbi and Lamy demonstrators.

[Pen Nut]

I bit on the clear pen idea and decided that I should join the small crowd. I turned a few replicas. From a practical construction stand point, they take twice as long to make as a colored pen. Removing the machining marks from the inside is a project! I had to build special tooling just for that effort. Then there were the ones I did using Pyrex Glass. The artist in my shop painted the outside then they were fired in the kiln. Interesting project!

 

I read the thread here. The moral of the story seems clearly to be "different strokes for different folks"

 

Whilst I am not a demonstrator fan I cetainly respect and admire the examples of your work. True credit to you.

[Pen Nut]

I do not class skeletons as demonstrators. Just saying thats all

[arran]

In the past , I was not quite interested in demonstrators , although it didn't bother me either.

Untill I acquired my Conid bulkfiller from Werner and Francis.

Now I can really understand and admire how the filling mechanism works!