Stipula Tuscan Dreams Has Arrived!

[ianmedium]

Very nice pens for sure. I do love the piston version. The nib seems to be more flexible than the T1. My Etrurua Casa Mila with the Titanium nib just doesn;t appear to have tht much flex in it, but then again it could be my ability to use it as well. Probably lack of ability would better be said. I do love the engravings. So nice.

 

John

 

I don't think it is lack of ability John, I am quite surprised how much pressure one needs to get the Ti to flex, it is not at all like vintage flex nibs

 

 

Very nice. Wish I were going to be at the club meeting this month to see it but I'm going to be on my way to Seattle. Hopefully next month!

 

There is always September Graham, I actually may not be attending either as I have a friend visiting from Vienna and We may be doing something that night.

 

 

[saskia_madding]

Thank you for posting the comparison pictures against the MB 149. I now know for certain that although the Tuscany Dreams is absolutely GORGEOUS, it's *way* too big for my hands.

[ianmedium]

1344958712[/url]' post='2434112']

Thank you for posting the comparison pictures against the MB 149. I now know for certain that although the Tuscany Dreams is absolutely GORGEOUS, it's *way* too big for my hands.

 

I think it was the biggest surprise to me when I saw them in the flesh for the first time, I had no idea they were so big! I am really lucky as I seem to be able to go from large to small with no issues and of course once the cap is removed they are very light pens due to the ebonite. Mind, the cap weighs quite a bit due to the bronze castings, I would not want to post these pens!Just been writing with the TI nib for a few days and it seems the nib is getting easier to flex now, has anyone else with the Ti nib stipulas experienced this breaking in period?

 

 

[peterpen53]

...I am quite surprised how much pressure one needs to get the Ti to flex, it is not at all like vintage flex nibs

 

 

You made me curious. I don't have a Stipula Ti, so I can't speak about those, but I do have a Delta Titanio that does have a Ti-nib (surprise, surprise). I dipped it to make a quick comparison with my Pelikan 100N, that most consider a semi-flex. I bought the Delta almost a year ago and I think it has seen about 2 months' worth of use, so it should be run in. I used Sheaffer Black Skript in both on admittedly very cheap paper and I don't get along with these flexy nibs very well. The Pelikan is rated fine, the Delta a medium.

As you can see in the picture below the differences are quite subtle, I think, but the Pelikan definitely gives the feeling of flexing more easily. The Delta appears to have a point, again very subtle, that it does not want passed. Also, as you can see in the very last sample, the tines of the Pelikan appear to be already closing as soon as you start lifting the pen towards the end of the downstrokes. This effect is markedly absent in the similar strokes with the Ti.

 

 

Cheers,

Peter

 

[Chi Town]

What a Beautiful pen!

[dorala1]

Beautiful pen! I just got one at the Ohio pen show.

 

I do have a question, however.

 

When I bought my pen (57/351) the nib was reddish with big areas of GREEN on it. Thinking that it was tarnished, I rubbed the nib a bit with a Sunshine cloth (not hard) to polish it.

 

Well, to make a long story short, the green came off but so did most of the rose color! So I guess my question is "did I remove something that the factory intended to remain on the nib?". I just don't know.

 

The nib looks OK because I stopped "polishing" when I saw what was happening. It has an "antique" look now, but it writes really nicely.

 

Short of returning the pen to Stipula for a new nib, is there any way to get that rose color more uniform?

 

Thanks.

 

Tom Connell

[youstruckgold]

Congratulations! Beautiful ebony - good photos.

[Pande]

I've recently received an online order for the "Tuscan Dreams". Both my other two Stipula's italic (1.1) nibs are very smooth and a pleasure. However, the "Tuscan Dreams" is rough/scratchy and ink flow is poor. Anyone have a similar experience?

[dparker999]

I would love to order one of these but there seems to be some real quality issues with the pen and Stipula. It is a beautiful pen but I am concerned about spending so much and having an issue. Am I right?

 

I

[wimg]

No you're not right. Of course there are exceptions, but that is the case with any brand. Let me sum it up for you:

 

1) Service from Stipula is good, be it a little slow sometimes due to the fact that it only is a small company, and certain times of the year are extremely hectic.

 

2) The cap band and clip are hand made with the cire perdue or lost wax process, that alone makes the pen worth it.

 

3) The pen and its parts with the exception of nib, feed, and piston filler screw are all made in house, and completely hand assembled.

 

4) The Ti-nib one needs to get used to. If one presses too hard, it may indeed feel scratchy. However, it is a 0.45 mm (EF to F) wide flex nib, so that may be expected.

 

5) The nib and feed are made to Stipula design by Bock, and are specially commissioned; they are not standard issues.

 

6) The afore mentioned screw driving the piston filler is too complex and costly to make at their own factory, while it is a relatively small part.

 

7) The ebonite used is absolutely stunning. I normally don't particularly like ebonite, but I make an exception for this, vintage Wahl "rosewood" ebonite, Waterman vintage ebonite, and certain vintage Onoto ebonites.

 

Are there any potential problems with this pen? Of course there are, just as there are with any pen. What oen generally needs to take care about with Stipulas, is that the feed (nylon with special chemical treatment) may still contain some residual grease and/or dirt from the Bock production process. I therefore always recommend a good and throrough cleaning before putting it to use, with some water (cold or tepid), with a few drops of neutral dishwashing liquid added (2 or 3 drops to a small glass of water), and fill and rinse the pen with that a few times. Next use a simple ink for the first fill of ink, with good flow and lubricating characteristics in order to "prime the feed" as I call it. Personally, I normally use Waterman Blue Black for that, Waterman Florida Blue, South Seas Blue or Violet will also work weel for this, as do, actually the FPN inks .

 

After finishing this first fill, you can use any other ink, after proper rinsing and flushing of course, as th efeed has been primed properly by then.

 

As to the nature fo the nib: it will flex from 0.45 mm to about 1.1 to 1.2 mm without effort, although 0.45 mm will only be reached at absolutely no pressure, and resistance will get a little higher towards the top end of the flex. It is a semiflex more than a flex flex, so to speak. It can be altered to have a flex range from 0.15 to about 1.7 mm, BTW, I have done so with a bunch of them. It is slower to react then a superflex vintage Waterman nib, but then that has no stiffness at all. I am still experimenting to see how close I can get to superflex, without destrying it of course .

 

Also note that the nib type heavily influences the price of the pen these days. A Ti-nib costs 100 euros these days (around $130), a 14 K gold nib around 300 euros, and an 18K gold nib around 400 euros. Subtract this from the original price of the pen including nib, and you have a steal of a pen, for one that is hand made and assembled.

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

[dparker999]

Thank you so much for that detailed answer. The pen is beautiful and I would want the ebony finish.

[Sketch and Doodle]

Thank you! ianmedium,

 

After reading this post I've got one ordered right now same as yours 1.1 Italic Rose Gold. Firenze is a special place for me. Can't wait to get it.

Great review and it moved me.