Inkwells!

[betweenthelens]

One day when I find some time, I'll add all the old Inkwells that were removed....after I've photographed all the new ones. There must be five or six new ones with out any photo's.

Only 3-4 of the new ones have photo's....

 

I guess that and ink is why I so seldom buy pens.....well that too, is not all that seldom....with seven this year. Four of them were because my Grail pen never showed up after 4-5 months of saving and buying next to nothing.

 

The first thing one does is give up buying public coffee...make it at home and carry it with you in a thermos. One does have the choice; see and be seen in Starbucks or inkwells.

 

Be wary of scraggly haired, skinny dirty midgets trying to trade a 'gold' ring for your inkwell. Hell, he don't even know Precious is the resin in a MB pen.

 

11" high, 12 inches wide.

 

Given for

15-09-1915

Got to look that date up. Just did.

Hindenburg's Army under Prinz Leopold von Bayern captured 9,000.

Generalfeldmarschalls v. Mackensen, Then captured 700 more.

So with out the workers that would not have been possible.

 

Östlicher Kriegsschauplatz:

Heeresgruppe des Generalfeldmarschalls v. Hindenburg:

Am Brückenkopf westlich von Dünaburg Kampf. Bei Soloki (südlich von Dünaburg) wurde feindliche Kavallerie geworfen. An der Wilija. nordöstlich und nordwestlich von Wilna, wurden feindliche Gegenangriffe abgewiesen. Östlich von Olita und Grodno drang unser Angriff weiter vor.

Südlich des Njemen wurde die Szczara an einzelnen Stellen erreicht. Es sind rund 9000 Gefangene gemacht.

Heeresgruppe des Generalfeldmarschalls Prinz Leopold von Bayern:

Der Gegner ist über die Szczara zurückgedrängt.

Heeresgruppe des Generalfeldmarschalls v. Mackensen:

Die Verfolgung auf Pinsk wird fortgesetzt. Die Gefangenenzahl hat sich auf über 700 erhöht.

BoBo, that is a beautiful inkstand!

 

Here is my Defiance Manufacturing Company inkstand, circa 1920s.

 

http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_4121_zps555bda54.jpg

 

http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_4124_zpsf772b4ba.jpg

[OakIris]

Hi Holly. I agree that it's pretty remarkable that some of these glass inkwells have survived mostly intact. It would be interesting to know how many were produced by each company. Oh my gosh, I do all of my own stunts with respect to clumsiness! Hope all is well with you.

Yes - clumsy stunts are my forte! I am well and hope you and yours are also!

 

 

That is my problem.

I have a few inkwells, but NONE of them seal. So I just use them for display rather than putting ink into them.

If I did use them, I would have to move ink from the bottle into the inkwell, then when I'm done, from the inkwell back into the bottle. I would rather not hassle that extra work, and another chance to spill ink.

 

<snip>

 

Also I use an oblique dip pen holder, which needs a rather large opening to get the flange and the holder into the ink jar. So that makes most of my inkwells not usable for much of my dip pen work. I need to look for another inkwell with a large mouth.

 

I do use one for keeping water in when I work with my pens; cleaning water for my dip pens, or rehydrating water for my fountain pens.

 

BTW, one of the problems that I have in finding old inkwells is the cap. I have a few where the cap is missing, or I question the cap that is on the ink well as being the correct cap for that inkwell.

 

BTW-2 There is an inkwell group. I once ran into their web site, and of course now that I'm looking for it, I can't find it.

 

Neither of my inkwells have sealed lids. I think that this was common/usual for 'desktop' inkwells back in the day when dip pens were in the main pens folks used. The inkwells were refilled each day before starting work, etc., people didn't worry about evaporation because the ink was used daily, and got diluted daily with more ink if any evaporation occured so the ink never got 'weird." FPN member jbb, who may use dip pens exclusively, says she just adds water to the ink if the evaporation gets to be too much. Inkwells used for travel did have a seal of some sort, or were contained in a sealed box that k

 

Here is an article about antique/vintage inkwells that might be of interest: http://www.collectorsweekly.com/pens/inkwells

 

Very cool that you have an inkwell used by your grandmother, Namru, even if it did somehow, ahem, follow her home from work one day. I have a couple of dip pens and one fountain pen that came from my father's family, but I have no idea who originally used them - I don't even know how they followed me home one day, but somehow I acquired them during my childhood and have kept them since. I have none of the pens used by my parents.

 

It is sad to think about all of the lovely dip pens and fountain pens that no doubt ended up in the trash heaps throughout the world when the 'next great thing in writing instruments' came around - from quills to dip pens to fountain pens to, gulp, ballpoint pens, out with the old and in with the new. It does still amaze me that so many pens/pen holders/inkwells/writing slopes, etc., have survived to this day; I am sure part of this is due to curmudgeons (like us?!?) who stubbornly kept a hold of their tried and true tools instead of enthusiastically adopting the new fangled 'whatever.' (I try not to think of the things I have trashed that probably had years of use left in them.)

 

My daughter's boyfriend's grandmother worked for Sheaffer. He said that when the Madison factory closed, according to his grandmother, many, many pens - and parts too, I bet - were just thrown out.

 

Holly

[Bo Bo Olson]

I've looked at similar to this on English Ebay, and have it in mind for some day....good looking one and does it seal?

 

There is also a brown backilte one similar to the 9th inkwell in Oakiris's link, that I've looked at. I should have bought it when it was cheaper. Since then it/hey have more than doubled in price.

There are so many fine ones to be had.

You don't have to fill an inkwell all the way. And if you put your mind to it, you can fill a couple of pens from it over a couple of days. You don't have to write a pen empty, if you got a nice ink and the whim to use an ink well.

It helps if it's pretty when it sits around empty.

 

An inkwell tells you, like a special ink & write more. If we were only interested in just efficiency, we'd be all over on BPN...ball point network, clicking and going.

 

http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_4124_zpsf772b4ba.jpg

Edited July 25, 2014 by Bo Bo Olson

[betweenthelens]

Thanks, Bo Bo. The lids just fit atop the wells. I imagine they do keep the ink from evaporating and I agree with you; one doesn't have to write a pen empty and one doesn't have to fill an inkwell all of the way. Fine papers, inks, inkwells, and other writing accoutrements are all part of the pleasure of fountain pen ownership and the art of writing. I can only imagine such a thing- Ball Point Network.

I've looked at similar to this on English Ebay, and have it in mind for some day....good looking one and does it seal?

 

There is also a brown backilte one similar to the 9th inkwell in Oakiris's link, that I've looked at. I should have bought it when it was cheaper. Since then it/hey have more than doubled in price.

There are so many fine ones to be had.

You don't have to fill an inkwell all the way. And if you put your mind to it, you can fill a couple of pens from it over a couple of days. You don't have to write a pen empty, if you got a nice ink and the whim to use an ink well.

It helps if it's pretty when it sits around empty.

 

An inkwell tells you, like a special ink & write more. If we were only interested in just efficiency, we'd be all over on BPN...ball point network, clicking and going.

 

 

[CaptainGroovy]

A work around that I have used when using a "non-sealing" inkwell is "tupperware" or other similar sealing plasticware. I use it in one of two ways, the simplest is I just use the bottom as an domed cover for short term coverage of your inkwell. Think of as a lid on a butter dish. The other thing I do for "long-term" (several days) storage of an open inkwell or when I worked at an office that had a nightly cleaning service that I think made more of a mess than they clean up is I had "tupperware" container in a desk drawer that I would put my inkwell in. Lastly I just recently saw a product my nephew got to make some sort of project for cub scouts is a low temperature (150 degree) moldable plastic {InstaMorph} that from the couple of things he has made from it looks like it might have promise to lid or stopper for an inkwell.

[RMN]

BoBo, that is a beautiful inkstand!

 

Here is my Defiance Manufacturing Company inkstand, circa 1920s.

 

http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_4121_zps555bda54.jpg

 

http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee513/betweenthelens/IMG_4124_zpsf772b4ba.jpg

Nice one.

 

These were used for accounting and NOT with fountainpens but with dip-pens.

 

Overnight the lids would be on as shown in the top picture.

 

When in use, the lid would be turned 180 degrees, so only the small opening would be there to allow to dip the pen. This way evaporation was held at a minimum.

 

 

D.ick

[betweenthelens]

Nice one.

 

These were used for accounting and NOT with fountainpens but with dip-pens.

 

Overnight the lids would be on as shown in the top picture.

 

When in use, the lid would be turned 180 degrees, so only the small opening would be there to allow to dip the pen. This way evaporation was held at a minimum.

 

 

D.ick

Thank you so much for the information, D.ick. I am totally in the dark when it comes to inkstands.

[Anne-Sophie]

Love inkwells!

I just bought a new old stock Swivodex.

 

I wanted one ever since I saw one many years ago, I loved the form but not the color.

 

I figured, the right one will be found, one day, and it was!

[ac12]

@BTL

I think you have the covers reversed.

The black one should be on the left and the red on the right.

Why, because

- Debit entries were written in black ink on a single column ledger or the left column on a double column ledger.

- Credit entries were written in red on a single column ledger or the right column on a double column ledger.

he he, something only an accountant would know, or an old time bookkeeper.

 

I saw one of those at the SF Pen Show this past weekend, and shoulda bought it.

[betweenthelens]

@BTL

I think you have the covers reversed.

The black one should be on the left and the red on the right.

Why, because

- Debit entries were written in black ink on a single column ledger or the left column on a double column ledger.

- Credit entries were written in red on a single column ledger or the right column on a double column ledger.

he he, something only an accountant would know, or an old time bookkeeper.

 

I saw one of those at the SF Pen Show this past weekend, and shoulda bought it.

Thank you for that. I guess the new owner will have to figure this out as I sold it!

[RMN]

Thank you for that. I guess the new owner will have to figure this out as I sold it!

May I be so bold and ask what you got for it?

 

 

Thx D.ick

[betweenthelens]

May I be so bold and ask what you got for it?

 

 

Thx D.ick

$70 (including shipping)

Edited August 28, 2014 by betweenthelens

[RMN]

Thx BTL. Just wondering what my own collection would be worth...

 

 

D.ick

[betweenthelens]

Thx BTL. Just wondering what my own collection would be worth...

 

 

D.ick

Sent you a message.

[fountainpagan]

I find some of your inkwells to be of great beauty ent originality.

Thank you for the sharing.

My contribution.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/845/5z2i.jpg

[RMN]

I'll see if I can put part of my collection on cam this week....

 

 

D.ick

[Kosmic-kowgirl]

gorgeous inkwells one and all!

[betweenthelens]

I find some of your inkwells to be of great beauty ent originality.

Thank you for the sharing.

My contribution.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/845/5z2i.jpg

 

Oh gosh, Maria. Those are amazing!!!

I'll see if I can put part of my collection on cam this week....

 

 

D.ick

Looking forward to seeing them!

[fountainpagan]

Thank you Laura.

I am particularly fond of the one from the 50s. There is a certain naiveté, in the craft, I find very touching.

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/713/yjtx.jpg

[Shangas]

Been a while since I bought another inkwell. I picked this up at the market today. Antique brass. Possibly Indian-made. Two candleholders, central inkwell, and pen-tray. All one set.

 

 

The inkwell has a milk-glass liner inside. I set the whole thing out on my desk and put two candles in the candleholders.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Shangas